Pepe

Has anyone tried using a prop rigged for swimming on a jig & grub?. The Whistler Jig is designed for live bait and has a bend in the hook to hold the prop & bead in place. http://www.northlandtackle.com/Category/main.taf?cat=55 It works for walleye and pike in Canada on a cast and retrieve. I'm not sure how a grub would look on it though.

Being a bit discouraged by the high traffic, heat and slow fishing near us on TR, brother Bill & I decided a trip north, over the maple leaf border, was in order while my wife was visiting her family in Wyoming. We just returned from a week at Duck Bay Lodge in Sabaskong Bay, Lake of the Woods, Ontario This was our first trip at this lake and this lodge but it certainly will not be our last. We have fished in June, at various NW Ontario lakes many times over the years but never in August. We weren't able to get much pre-trip information about the lodge but I liked that the fishing report on their FB page did not seem overblown. This trip was a last minute decision so we just went with our instincts. Dave, the co-owner, made arrangements for us to be picked up at International Falls airport by a local van service. The van service tracked our flight via internet and was waiting for us, pulling right up to the plane and transferring our gear upon arrival. A couple hours later we were in our comfortable cabin on Hay Island after a brief boat ride from Morson in a huge & comfortable covered Lund. Meals are served in a window filled dining room at the edge of the island and the view is perfect. The meals are prepared by Chef Sherry, the co-owner, and her very talented staff. Everything, from menu selection, presentation, table setting & service was absolutely first class. Sherry made things cozy by introducing everyone and breaking the ice for conversation with other guest. There were only Five (5) tables so it really had a family atmosphere. I need to use a CPAP machine at night and the generator is off from 11 PM to 6 AM. The staff had me covered with a battery setup and inverter already in place near my comfortable bed. Cabins are roomy and modern with ceiling fans and good screens. One of the reasons we selected this lodge was the quality of the boats; 18' Lunds with 50 or 60 hp motors (not sure) and foot controlled front trolling motors. Nice for us bass-boat trained guys. We scheduled a guide for our first day but quickly changed that to a guide every day after realizing how great these guides are. They are regular staff and really know the lake. Fishing was excellent, with jigs and minnows in the mornings. Many walleye, including a 10+ pound PB and a lot of big perch. We also caught a surprising number of large rusty crawdads that would latch onto the minnow. Best luck was in 18' to 21' FOW. The action was moderately fast and we moved whenever it slowed. We alternated between shore lunch and sack lunch. Both were excellent with huge sandwiches on homemade fresh bread and delicious cookies. The boat was comfortable and roomy enough for all our stuff. Most afternoons were spent casting for bass. We had several 5 lb beauties and a lot of fun. The bass came in clusters with some pike and one 4 foot muskie mixed in. I caught the muskie on a homemade 3.5 inch soft plastic swimbait and 10 lb mono. What a blast that was. it was about a 10 minute battle with the fish in and out of the net 3 times before it finally rolled and cut my line. My compliments to a smooth Shimano Chronarch drag system. We did a fly out to Karsten Lake on our last day and caught pike in the 28" to 34" range all day on bass type spinners and chatterbaits. It was a great way to finish up. There were guests in camp who had come every year for decades and it is clear why they return. Every detail has been considered and made as comfortable and convenient as possible for the customer's benefit. Dave & Sherry could teach a class in Business School. I am looking forward to bringing my wife next time. Bill has the pictures on his digital camera. When I get them from him I will share, if requested. http://www.duckbaylodge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=2

CindyJo IS Champs good side .

We got the lake today and decided to check out Big Creek this afternoon. A lot of boats on the water and I gues I just didn't expect that on a Thursday. My mistake. There were a couple spots we wanted to fish but the boat and jet ski traffic was too heavy. Even deep into the creek the JS's were racing around. We were leaving the creek and see this green boat coming the other way,pulling a kid on a tube. The boat turns a couple times and is then on a collision course - head on. The driver was a 65-70 year old man who was looking back over his shoulder at the kid on the tube. The only thing I could do was stop and holler. The driver looked up in surprise and swerved at the last minute. I thought that kid was coming into our boat. Scared the crap out of me. I am thinking hard about relocating to Bull Shoals. I hear it is not as crazy

get RPS to take you

D&M Piranha is the best I have found. It comes with a grub trailer. Well constructed and doesn't require much pull to vibrate, http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/DM_Custom_Baits_Piranha_Swim_Jig/descpage-DMPR.html#multiview

LOL, that sounds right

This may be an odd question but.....Where an unpaved county road runs near the TR shoreline, does that put it under federal control?

When will the summer weekend madness end this year? Do we have to wait until Labor Day has passed?

You are welcome to them, Sir, and I hope they work for you. Tonight I made up 150 of the particular hand pour finesse worms that Pete wanted and started wondering how they might work on Lake Of The Woods for the walleye in a couple weeks. It was darn nice of you to tie me up some harnesses. The will be going directly in the "north-country" box.

Happy Birthday, Sir. I hope it is a wonderful year for you

Just speculating here. Lots of dead shad during cold winter, shad sinks to bottom, cold water delays decay, warm water accelerates breakdown & bubbles?

I was told it has to be fished on 6 or 4 lb line orit won't run properly.

On buzz baits ? I would not have thought of that. Thanks for the report

If someone would send me a sample of the color, I will see what I can do

I would love to know the jig type and weight. I now have a jerry-rigged old sewing machine set up to tie jigs and will be playing with ideas including all types of materials.

I am making most of my plastic extra soft (not elaztech) and it soaks up scent like crazy. The downside is that extra soft = not very durable. But, by all reports, the fish really seem to like the "jelly-like" softness.

I did not glue that one, but that might be the way to go. I will try it with hair also, but when I played with this one in the water I really liked the way the skirt flairs and pulses with the slightest move.

Been fooling around again and put together a modified ned rig. This one is a bluegill color, though you may have to blow up the picture to see the details. I plan to give it a try in a couple weeks.

Hopefully a big bowl of Mama's good-love chicken soup and a good nights sleep will put you right, RPS. Feel better and thanks for all the solid reports.

Nice photo. Depth of field is very well done. And no draggers !!

MK has a new one out that can self deploy, retract and adjust depth with a remote control.

Great report and a healthy looking fish. I'm sorry to say we won't be back for a few weeks.

We picked up a few each of the last 2 days, but it has been slow and scattered. As you reported, we can find them on the graph but had no luck catching the graphed fish. Jigs and a lot of patience were required for us to catch a half dozen this morning from 5:30 to 9. No keepers.

Guy across the street has a 8lb 12 oz LM replica on the wall. He caught it on Halloween a few years ago and gave it to Bass Pro. I know Pete Wenners caught one over Nine, but I think the one Webb caught is the largest I ever heard of.