Trip With Buster Yesterday

[Bill Babler]

I think I may try to float some minnows or creek chubs on bobbers and see how that will work. And also try my luck at the patience game.

15 yrs. ago anytime that Buster and I went, he had a chub dragging. Said they got to be just to much bother, and were hard to get. Said minnows were not as good. They really liked the yellow chub.

I think a guy could just drag one of a float behind the boat at 20' suspended while he was tossing the stick bait.

Let us know how it works out.

[dtrs5kprs]

15 yrs. ago anytime that Buster and I went, he had a chub dragging. Said they got to be just to much bother, and were hard to get. Said minnows were not as good. They really liked the yellow chub.

I think a guy could just drag one of a float behind the boat at 20' suspended while he was tossing the stick bait.

Let us know how it works out.

Have to wonder if they would eat the F&F.

[Ham]

Have to wonder if they would eat the F&F.

They have NOT for me BUT, I am not fishing where they are. I have tried it out of Tucker which is not too too far away and I did not get bit. I did not fish it all day, but I did fish it for hours.

[dtrs5kprs]

They have NOT for me BUT, I am not fishing where they are. I have tried it out of Tucker which is not too too far away and I did not get bit. I did not fish it all day, but I did fish it for hours.

To be honest, the whole thing sounds a touch tedious to me. And that is coming from someone who recommends everything but anchoring on a single point.

[Ham]

Well, when I have used it with success in creeks, it is anything BUT tedious. I love watching the float go down slowly and sweeping into them. LOVE IT!

Slowly working a cast for 5-10 minutes for a couple of hours without a bite is indeed a drag. Especially when I feel like I can pry their mouth open with a Ned rig.

[bfishn]

I think a guy could just drag one of a float behind the boat at 20' suspended while he was tossing the stick bait.

Let us know how it works out.

It works great (relative to target species and water temp). Works even better drifting 3 or 4 on slip floats and leaving the stick for what it's best at... night trolling. :-)

[vonreed]

15 yrs. ago anytime that Buster and I went, he had a chub dragging. Said they got to be just to much bother, and were hard to get. Said minnows were not as good. They really liked the yellow chub.

I think a guy could just drag one of a float behind the boat at 20' suspended while he was tossing the stick bait.

Let us know how it works out.

Yes getting good minnows is a big pain, especially since I don't live down there. Getting them transported from here to there alive sucks and keeping them down there in a creek and not getting found by someone is a pain to. I think I may try catching a bunch and putting them in a trap on the lake somewhere. I really think it might work great, especially with multiple poles and yes using a stickbait at the same time to make chances a little better.

[rangerman]

I fish creek chubs down there fairly often in the spring when I get down there. Caught some real good post spawn fish on a bb and chub. Enables you to spot the fish and just camp on them until they get aggravated enough to bite. Like what has been said, you have bi catch to contend with. With the water this cold, chubs keep very well, once the water warms up they can be a pain. Definitely a go to. Sat in a hole up beaver creek one day and had 14 eyes from from one spot around a laydown in the channel.

[rFisherk]

This is a really good point, Upper Bull, Winter and late Winter fishing is not nor has it ever been for either Buster or myself a numbers fishery. That is why it is so hard to guide on. You just do not catch many fish on a daily basis. Folks read of these fantastic catches or see the huge walleye and for some reason presume you are catching and releasing fish on a regular basis.

Most often a very good rule of thumb, and I believe I posted this last year is 2 maybe 3 walleye per day, and throw in a 1/2 dozen bass a white or two and a crappie or two. You have 2 guys fishing and it is about 1 fish to the boat per hour. May not be keeper size fish or what you want either.

You do that 5 days a week, and it looks huge, especially when you throw in several walleye over 6 pounds. Which may have been the only fish you caught in 8 hrs. one day. ( I can hear several of you saying I'd be happy with that. Would you really?) 1 fish in 6 or 8 hrs. in 30 degree weather. happens a lot over there even to Buster, and if he nabs a keeper he is happy as a lark.

Well now, Bill, that's not the case at all on all those fishing TV shows. They always catch one after another--big ones too. "That's what it's all about." Right?

[Ham]

Most often a very good rule of thumb, and I believe I posted this last year is 2 maybe 3 walleye per day, and throw in a 1/2 dozen bass a white or do that 5 days a week, and it looks huge, especially when you throw in several walleye over 6 pounds. Which may have been the only fish you caught in 8 hrs. one day. ( I can hear several of you saying I'd be happy with that. Would you really?) 1 fish in 6 or 8 hrs. in 30 degree weather. happens a lot over there even to Buster, and if he nabs a keeper he is happy as a lark.

Just really hard for folks to fish with those types of results with the concentration and patients you must display this time of the year.

As much as I would like to catch a 10 plus pound walleye, I'm not willing to give up my trout trips to do so. I am somewhat spoiled in my success in that I'm not going to give up catching dozens of fish to try for a handful of fish.