School's Out For Summer!

[rps]

Nearly three weeks earlier than last year, I went out early this morning for my first "school is out" trip. The fishing gods smiled at me and started me off with a topwater bite. Before the sun hit the water I caught 9 largemouth, 5 whites, and had another 7 or 8 jump off or pull off. I lost track of the number of hits. Three of the bass were legit keepers but nothing more than 17". The location was a brushy hump, barely in the water, that sits on a flat that extends to the channel 25 yards away. The fish had minnows pushed up shallow and were herding them against the brush.

After that bite died I decided to find walleye. My freezer needed restocking. I found them on inside bend flats that dropped from less than 18 feet into the channel. The best locations were those that had junk on the drop off. They wanted nightcrawlers fished on a flashy blade harness.

18, 19, 20, and 23 inches.

[Hunter91]

Very nice walleyes!! Sounds like an excellent trip.

[Feathers and Fins]

Looks like School just got started and The Walleye Principal is holding ISS again... Very Nice Mr Principal....

[Champ188]

Best wishes for a great summer, rps. Always enjoy keeping tabs on the upper White by reading your comprehensive reports.

[dtrs5kprs]

That is four less grub bite offs I have to worry about. Well done.

[rps]

Thought I would add examples of big flashy harnesses so everyone could figure out what I meant.

Those are #5 willows and float beads on 12# YoZuri clear.

[Jason Essary]

rps, you are the king of TR eyes.

Have a question. Next week a good friend is coming to go fishing. He has went once and has never learned how. Instead of taking him bass fishing when he cant cast well or understand what the bait is doing, was thinking of taking him wally eyed fishing. My plans were to go to Bridgeport, taking some big chubs and shinners, and drop shotting them off the bottom on a couple run off points I am fimiliar with. Think this might be a good tactic? Planning of fishing maybe 6pm till 10 or we get bored.

[rps]

That sounds like a good tactic for a beginner. You might also consider bluff end points as if you were fishing crappie. I read any number of posts that talk about ? number of crappie and 1 or 2 walleye. An example would be the bluff end where the Kings flows into the White.

[BleacherBum28]

RPS- approximately how fast do you troll those blades? I imagine you are using bottom bouncers with the wire, keeping them a foot off the bottom...

[rps]

Correct about the bottom bouncer and I try to move between 1 mph and 1.4 mph. I tend to fish a lighter weight than normal and let out more line to reach depth. The change in angle helps step the weight and rig over brush and timber.