Scoop fishing thread

[real chili 83]

Went out this am between 6-8am today.  Sat back in a chair and cast crawlers with a bobber off the dock.  For a good portion of that time, got into a school of big blue gills.  Pound for pound, no better fishing than gills on an ultra lite and 4lb test with a bobber.  Life is good.  Went through two dozen crawlers, pinched in half.  All released (forgot the fillet knife at home).

[mr.MUskie]

When the going gets tough, the tough... dig into their bag of tricks.

Muskie fishing has totally sucked lately.  Water temps are way too high.  They've come down a bit (from 85 to 78) but still too hot and sunny for a good muskie bite.

Soooo... I decided to go largemouth bass fishing.  Found an interesting lake in Northern Wisconsin.    Almost 200 acres and not a house on it.  Fished it for about 4 hours this evening.  Caught about 20 bass, mostly small, but several in the 16-20 inch range.  Lost the biggest one when it ran under the boat and tangled in some timber.  If I woulda had my muskie gear that sucker woulda ended up in my boat.
Sorry for the crappy picture.  Mr.MUskie's fishing partner is Barley the Golden Retriever, so the picture was taken with the camera propped on the console, with the sun behind me, and a 10 second timer.

[real chili 83]

Fishing with crickets?  Must be an Indiana thing! 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/sbt-20120803sbtmichb-05-08-20120803,0,3547850.story

Tried them once...way back when.  At milepost 99 on the Indiana toll road, there are a couple of ponds behind the salt barns on the north side.  The ponds are man made, dirt used for building the highway back in the 50's.  The ponds where stocked with bass.   Lots of fun with crickets and a bobber. 

[Blackhat]

Had success perch fishing on Lake Metonga until the storms came a calling.    Used little joes with night crawlers.

[real chili 83]

Stone, aren't you due for a little jig fishing with Wayne and company up at Eagle Lake?  

[real chili 83]

Shore lunch.  Mmmm.....nummy.

[Blackhat]

Stone, aren't you due for a little jig fishing with Wayne and company up at Eagle Lake?  

Next summer.   Looking forward to it.   Will have to refine my jigging technique on Wisconsin lakes before I go though.   Lighter line, shorter rod I'm thinking.  Pretty good with the back troll.    Funny thing, most guys enjoy big fish hunting, I enjoy walleye fishing the most.

[Pakuni]

Had to skip my usual weeklong trip to northwestern Ontario this year, but I managed to carve out a four-day trip to Leech Lake in Minnesota next week. Problem is, I've never fished Leech Lake, so I'm going in clueless.
Anyone familiar with the lake who can offer some advice?

[real chili 83]

Had to skip my usual weeklong trip to northwestern Ontario this year, but I managed to carve out a four-day trip to Leech Lake in Minnesota next week. Problem is, I've never fished Leech Lake, so I'm going in clueless.
Anyone familiar with the lake who can offer some advice?

Big body of water.  Big big muskies.  Walleyes have made a nice comeback once they took out the comorants (sp?).

The lake is well mapped.  Lots of water to cover.  Guide would save you lots of time.

Used to work with a guy who won the walleye tourney there one year.  He used crawlers on lindy rig with a 6 foot mono leader and a red hook.

Good luck.  Send some pics!

[mr.MUskie]

Fishing in the Mercer area today, the muskie gods smiled on me with this 43", 21lb ski.  It's been a rough summer for muskies, hopefully this cooler weather will turn them on.  Water temps were down to 70 degrees, from a high of 85 in July.

[Pakuni]

Big body of water.  Big big muskies.  Walleyes have made a nice comeback once they took out the comorants (sp?).

The lake is well mapped.  Lots of water to cover.  Guide would save you lots of time.

Used to work with a guy who won the walleye tourney there one year.  He used crawlers on lindy rig with a 6 foot mono leader and a red hook.

Good luck.  Send some pics!

Hey Chili ... a belated thanks for the tips.
got back last week. We floundered for the first couple days (yep ... big lake, lots to cover), but found some spots on day three and made a killing on walleye and northern. It was a short trip, so we didn't spend any time muskie hunting, but a good time was had nonetheless.
Thanks again.

[real chili 83]

Hey Chili ... a belated thanks for the tips.
got back last week. We floundered for the first couple days (yep ... big lake, lots to cover), but found some spots on day three and made a killing on walleye and northern. It was a short trip, so we didn't spend any time muskie hunting, but a good time was had nonetheless.
Thanks again.

A bad day of fishing is.....

Pics?

[real chili 83]

Interesting article.  

http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/sbt-outdoors-anglers-waiting-for-trout-salmon-20121007,0,1348403.column

Anyone having any luck this season?

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/245601/group/Outdoors/

Got my blue glass shad rap at half mast.  Walleye killer.  Secret weapon. Shah, don't tell anyone. 

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21683609/ron-weber-who-brought-finnish-rapala-lures-u

If you've never fished the Brule, it's worth the trip.  Incredible white pines and cedars.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21696843/minnesota-joins-iowa-fight-against-invasive-carp

Anyone ever experience these fish?

[mr.MUskie]

New Michigan state record muskie!

http://www.freep.com/article/20121019/SPORTS10/121019042/portage-man-catches-state-record-muskie?odyssey=nav%7Chead

[mr.MUskie]

To answer Real Chili's question from another thread (and doing it in the proper thread)...
Done for the season (probably).  Closed up my place up north end of October.  Got out to my favorite fall lake and was skunked.  Went out for a few hours with a friend of mine who is a guide in Eagle River.  We missed one on a sucker, had one come out of the water and miss on the figure eight, then got a small one on a glide bait.  Went out to a secret, sleeper lake... almost impossible to launch (had to wade and push), very small, but deep with ciscos and smelt.  Marked a lot of fish... but got skunked.  Went out the next day with a friend who used to have an outdoors show on the radio and owned a tackle company.  Supposedly really dialed in on what's happening.  Said he knew the Eagle River Chain like the back of his hand.  Fished 8 hours, got skunked.  My boat is sitting in my driveway, so might give it one last shot, but I say that every year and it never happens.  I end up praying for a 40 degree day in December so I can winterize my boat.  I guess I'll never learn.
Anyone else been out lately?

[real chili 83]

Pretty soon this thread will turn hard water.  Thinking about putting the Clam Voyager on craigs list for the "illegal" model that allows you to connect two of the back to back.   

Got to dust off the vexilar and the underwater camera.

Will run across a few tip ups in the attic when pulling out the deer hunting gear for the WI opener in a few weeks. 

Swedish Pimples or Angle Eyes Jr.?

Deer hunting thread?

[avid1010]

Snapper, Black Grouper, and Red Grouper

MU B2002...you live in that area or just vacation there? 

[MU B2002]

Those were caught in the gulf (Carabelle, fl), I live on Atlantic coast in the Jacksonville area. 

[avid1010]

i saw the picture file was labeled carabelle...i spend a few weeks a year fishing the port st. joe/apalach area, but never during red snapper season.  typically we fish inshore and catch all the spanish, specks, and flounder we care for.  evenings we do the whiting and pompano in the surf, which is just a relaxing way to spend an hour or two a night. 

never made it that far east on the panhandle.  can you compare it to the port st. joe/cape san blas area?  we like the "forgotten coast" feeling of uncrowded beaches, no high rises, etc.  i read the weekly reports from panhandle outdoors, and it sounds like carabelle offers some pretty good fishing. 

[real chili 83]

http://www.lahainanews.com/page/content.detail/id/508704/Start-Me-Up-Again-achieves-very-rare--record-sailfish-catch.html?nav=21

Found this article in the lahina paper when looking for articles on MU.

[real chili 83]

Good muskie story.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/sbt-outdoors-simplicity-works-on-muskies-20121223,0,1038122.column

Anyone having any hard water luck?  Heading out tomorrow for first time. 

[real chili 83]

Panfish recipe.  From Duluth News Tribune.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/253528/group/Outdoors/

[real chili 83]

Red Lake walleye story.  Amazing fishery.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/253536/group/Outdoors/

Before the walleyes rebounded, as some of you know, Red Lake was nothing short of incredible for crappies in the winter.  We would come back with limits of 12-14 inch crappies.  10 inches....throw it back.  Used walleye minnows on an Angel Eyes Jr. .....size of a Swedish Pimple.  The crappies would demolish it. 

Most of the fabled monster crappies have died of old age.  Subsequent generations have had to compete with the rebounding walleyes, and are not as plentiful.

Guide Kelly Petroske used to take us out.  He still guides on URL.  Dude knows his stuff.  He posts regularly on the URL forum hosted by HSO.

[real chili 83]

Fishing by the Hudson bridge on I 94.  Ya, that's us off to the south by the open water. 

[mubb34]

I live on Lake Winnebago. We mainly troll flys and nail the walleyes in the river. Also have a boat rigged up on Lake Michigan. Salmon fishing is by far my favorite!