Recent Upper End Information

[rps]

I've been out three times since Thursday. Maybe a total of 10 hours.

Only one of the trips included my favorite time - can't see until skidoo. That was Thursday and I only caught three top water fish, all short. Spent an hour after sunlight fishing points with a PBJ beaver on a football jig head. Two small fish that way. Switched to walleye trolling and caught two more spots before I hooked up with a good walleye that shook off on the way to the boat.

Sunday I went out at noon and trolled three hours. Two solid strikes and one stayed on all the way to where I could see him. Looked like a mid 20 inch walleye. When he gave the traditional "I see the boat" lunge, the hook pulled loose.

Today I was out for two hours between 1 and 3. One solid strike while trolling. Pulled off before I ever saw the fish.

I have lost more fish in the last two months than I usually lose in a year. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the fact I am getting bites, but I sure want to know what I did to make my karma turn sour.

The walleye were in 27 to 35 feet of water on the edge of a flat that dropped into a channel. The edge line of the flat has trees scattered but it isn't a forest. The bait was traveling at 25 feet.

[powerdive]

rps, some things you can try (I assume you're still trolling no-stretch braid) to keep the hooks from working out:

--Add a 10-15 foot mono leader

--Add a mono/fluoro leader AND a snubber

--Use a longer, softer rod

--Don't reef on the fish, just reel him in steady, rod tip high, stopping when he wants to shake

--Switch out the trebles for Triple Grips--they hold better

--Double-ring your trebles (add an extra split ring between the existing split ring and the treble)--gives the fish less leverage

Something's bound to help! I'm using 8.5' rods with trolling actions--they're pretty good at absorbing those head shakes.

[rps]

Solid advice. I appreciate it. I am already using relatively soft action 7 foot rods; I learned that stiff meant bad some time ago. I will begin to implement your sugestions. Thanks again.