6-13-2014 Report

[YAKFM]

13 Fish Total: 4 walleyes (1 legal 20", 3 at 16.5-17.5"), 4 Spots to 16", 3 small stripers, 1 cat, and 1 drum

Water Temp 78-80

Light wind

Fished RB area on Friday from 3-8 pm and trolled a 7 cm Smash Shad and 6 cm Flicker Shad. I hooked and briefly fought what was likely a large walleye on the Smash Shad. The fish came on a break close to deep water. After it pulled me around for 20 seconds or so I felt two distinct head shakes and then my line was cut. No clue how big it was but the 20" felt small by comparison. The 4 walleyes were caught between 7-8 pm in 16-18 FOW trolling the Flicker Shad. Overall a nice evening on the water. Driving over the 12 bridge on the way home was a sight to see with all the boats lined up ready for night fishing.

[J-Doc]

Much respect sir. As always, a good report. We tried the bridge area this morning and it was tough. Wind and that night bite from last night made for some finicky fish. We.....well mostly Feathers&Fins had 27 total with crappie, baby stripers, a hybrid, a cat, and lots of 10" crappie. We only kept 12-14" and kept 10.

Grilled with some of F&F's blend of seasonings is the way to go.

Glad you got into them. You're a brave soul using a YAK in Rocky B this time of year. The wake boats and general traffic is crazy.

[YAKFM]

Thanks J-Doc. Nice job on the crappie and assortment of other fish. It was tough between 3-6 pm on Friday too. By 6 I had only caught 2 bass, the drum, and the catfish. I was trolling back to the ramp when I got into a few more bass and the striper, then the relatively fast action for the walleyes started just before sunset. Surprisingly, it was a pretty slow day for boat traffic in RB on Friday. Only a few rigs in the back and the pleasure traffic stayed closer to the island. I had the entire West side out to the main lake to my self. The weekend traffic is also why I try to fish during the week this time of year. Too many crazies on the weekends.

[kjackson]

Indeed, nice report. And a nice walleye...

[Feathers and Fins]

I still just am amazed how well you do trolling with a Yak, great report and that is a very nice walleye.

[nathanhooper]

I've noticed the same thing about sunset. Where I fish the most you can troll over the thing for hours on end and nothing bites. Keep trolling and right at sunset you'll start pulling walleye into the boat over the same water you've been running the boat in for hours.

It's about got to the point that I don't get out to the ramp till around 7-7:30.

You don't think that one pulling you around was a striper? I know there are some big ones in that area.

[Feathers and Fins]

Its the walleyes nocturnal habit first 3 hours in the morning last hour to hour and a half at dusk they get going. Cloudy days it can be all day and Full moon they will bite from that hour before to about 10 or 11pm. When I go for them at night I will launch around 3 or 4pm and spend a couple hours searching out bait ( perch in the 1 to 3 inch range and shad in the same size) Next is to find the direction the wind is blowing ( if shad is the bait ) and find a long underwater point or hump or flat and fish the downwind side of it, as the bait passes over the walleye will tend to be on that side picking them off as they come over it. If its perch then I find the smaller points near flats because the walleye will come up on them to chase down the perch, the only problem with perch is the Big Hybrids and Bass will also charge them there.

[YAKFM]

I've noticed the same thing about sunset. Where I fish the most you can troll over the thing for hours on end and nothing bites. Keep trolling and right at sunset you'll start pulling walleye into the boat over the same water you've been running the boat in for hours.

It's about got to the point that I don't get out to the ramp till around 7-7:30.

You don't think that one pulling you around was a striper? I know there are some big ones in that area.

I had the same experience in the location I caught the walleye. I had fished the area earlier in the day and struck out. The big fish certainly could have been a striper. My assumption that it was a walleye was based on the behavior of the fish and how I lost it. When I was fighting it it stayed down and pulled steady with a few head shakes. I had just checked the line and retied so I didn't have any obvious line abrasion close to the lure. There were no trees or visible obstructions below the water. Have you had stripers cut your line with their gill plates?

[Feathers and Fins]

On a rare occasion I have had them gill me but I also attribute it to using light line 6 and 8lb test, not on anything else. Also typically a striper will come up close to surface in a fight. If I had to say what did it to you my guess would be GAR they move in the area you were at this time of year and a big one would easily separate the lure line and everything else.

[nathanhooper]

I certainly have not caught the number of fish nor know the habits like F&F so I would take his thoughts over mine.

But when I do catch stripers they all have seemed to go down, straight down. And I have felt the inside of a few mouths and could see how one would wear through light line with head shakes. We lost a good one over by RB at the boat that headshook and cut/broke the line.

I have caught way more walleye this year than stripers. I've gotten to the point where, except for one, I've been able to call each walleye versus a bass whether it be striped/SM/white.

They have a distinct couple of head shakes that are somewhat slow, then a limp noodle/log pull in. Every now and again I have had them fight right at the boat, but almost always have them give up after a just a little fight at the hookup.

Stripers and other bass seem to always put up way more fight and are therefore easier to distinguish.

Either way I'm happy. If it puts up a fight I think "yehaw". If not I think "mmmmmmmmm...dinner".