Fishing made easy

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• Texas fly fishers tying cool new flies for bass: http://tinyurl.com/6b5wln #
• Rock Creek Testicle Festival?? You read it here first: http://tinyurl.com/hn3gz #
• Fishing vest or Man Bag? Tamanawis ponders: http://tinyurl.com/5qd3yz #
• How Not to Row a Drift Boat: http://tinyurl.com/68gs8w #
• Why the Trout Underground’s next road trip will be to Brazil (bikini alert!): http://tinyurl.com/68bco5 #
• Fly fishing blogger says good-bye to buddy: http://tinyurl.com/5mtf8j #

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Original Post:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/fishing/2008/07/06/perch-hitting-report-from-matthews-bt/

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While researching Rock Creek for my previous post, I found an artist (working in pastels) who’s painted on Rock Creek - site of last week’s Golden Stone hatch.

This looks vaguely familiar to the meadow stretch:

Another favorite is titled “Fisherman’s Castle”:

You can see more of her work by clicking here.

Once again, the Underground leaves no Google link unclicked in our search to make your Online Fly Fishing Experience a Quality One.

See you at the art gallery, Tom Chandler.

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Original Post:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/fishing/2008/07/06/dnr-fishing-report-state-overview/

Southeast Lower PeninsulaLake Erie - Fishing success has been limited by the inability to get out on the water. Walleye action was fair off Stony Point and the Fermi Plant in 27 feet of water but poor off Bolles Harbor. Perch are slowly starting to bite as walleye anglers are starting to catch them. Freshwater drum and channel cats continue to provide a good alternative chance to catch a fish when the walleye bite is slow.

Huron River - Bass fishing continues with a good number of largemouth bass caught this year. The river still holds good numbers of carp and catfish. Panfish can be found in the backwaters.

Detroit River - Jigging or handlining is producing fair to good numbers of walleye. Carp and catfish are hitting on corn, crawlers or shrimp.

Lexington - Perch are starting to hit around the weeds in 16 to 20 feet of water. Trout and salmon can be found in at 100 feet.

Port Sanilac - Not many are targeting trout and salmon, but the fish are there in 100 feet of water. Perch fishing has picked up with fish caught in waters up to 20 feet deep. Inside the harbor, anglers have caught pike, walleye, bass and panfish.

Harbor Beach - Salmon and trout are hitting in 80 to 100 feet of water and smallmouth bass are in the harbor. Walleye were caught off the north wall at night.

Grindstone City - Has good lake trout and smallmouth action.

Port Austin - Reported excellent catches of walleye from 25 to 35 feet of water off the Flat Rock Reef and the lighthouse. Lake trout are hitting in 100+ feet of water.

Saginaw Bay - Pick any port around the bay for excellent walleye fishing! Fish the vicinity of the Black Hole, the Spark Plug, Callahan Reef, off Jones Road, and the Slot from about 4 miles north of Quanicassee all the way up to the tip of Sand Point. They’re also taking fish off the Bar on the west side of the Slot. Fish a variety of depths but in some area anglers need to fish in a minimum depth of 10 feet. From Bay Port and Caseville, fish the Slot outside Heisterman and North Islands northeast to the tip of Sand Point.

Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph - Perch fishing is fair in 40 feet of water both north and south of the piers.

St. Joseph River - Anglers are catching walleye, smallmouth bass and catfish.

Van Auken Lake - In Van Buren County, look for largemouth bass in the shallows. Try casting spinners in the weeds and along structure. The bigger bluegills can be found when trolling in 15 to 20 feet of water.

South Haven - Perch fishing is getting hot with nice catches taken in waters 35 to 40 feet deep, south of the piers. The big boats are catching good numbers of chinook and lake trout while trolling in 80 to 140 feet of water.

Grand Haven - Fishing has started to slow as we move into the “Dog Days” of summer. Boat anglers are spending more time on the water and searching for fish. Some were fishing in 90 to 180 feet of water with downriggers set at various depths and using spoons, flies and flashers in a variety of color. Pier anglers have managed to catch freshwater drum and catfish. No perch to report.

Grand River at Grand Rapids - A couple skamania were caught up near the Sixth Street Dam when fishing near the bubblers and the center run. Spawn, streamer patterns and shrimp have caught fish. Smallmouth bass are hitting on green tube baits or small spoons. Big cats have been caught off the upper bridges when using sucker minnows, creek chubs or cut bait. Some big pike have been caught on large artificial baits. Crappie and bluegills can be found along the entire river.

Grand River at Lansing - Big carp are hitting on bread and corn along Riverfront Park. Anglers near Lyons have caught walleye on leeches.

Looking Glass River - Some big pike have been caught off Babcock’s Landing.

Lake Lansing - Lots of bluegills are being caught. Not real big, but keeper size.

Morrison Lake - Has good bluegill and crappie fishing.

Reeds Lake - Some nice crappie have been caught on the north end of the lake in 25 feet of water when using a perch rig with two minnows and a small split shot. Switch over to wax worms for big bluegills.

Muskegon - Slower fishing here is causing boat anglers to spend more time out on the water looking for fish. No set patterns right now so fish at various depths and try using a variety of baits in different colors. Freshwater drum, catfish and a few bass have been caught off the pier.

Muskegon River - Has good smallmouth bass fishing. Try casting tube baits, crank baits, spinners, live bait and artificial worms. Those fishing up near the Croton Dam have caught a few trout.

Whitehall - Fishing has picked up with a few more chinook and lake trout coming in, but they have been small. The fish were caught in 80 to 120 feet of water and the lake trout were coming off the bottom.

White Lake - Walleye have been caught early or late when trolling or drifting. Look for both large and smallmouth bass around the points and along the weedbeds. For northern pike, try trolling with large spoons or plugs, casting into the weeds or bobber fishing with large sucker minnows.

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Rogers City - The fish are scattered, but still being caught off the points when fishing the top 45 to 50 feet in waters up to 90 feet deep. Downriggers, planer boards and lead core have been productive. Good colors have been orange, yellow, chartreuse, green, blue, purple and white. Go with the ones that glow in the early morning or late evening. Chinook salmon are starting to show up along with lake trout, steelhead, coho, atlantic, brown trout and walleye.

Presque Isle - Steelhead fishing has been great. Look for the scum line in 180 to 200 feet of water and fish the top 35 feet with anything orange and silver.

Rockport - Atlantic salmon are in shallow waters 15 to 20 feet deep. Pier anglers still-fishing with minnows have caught atlantic salmon. Those fishing out near the wreck have caught limits of lake trout. Green was the hot color.

Alpena - Walleye anglers had some luck when trolling around the Cement Plant with short billed reef runners.

Thunder Bay River - Anglers are catching walleye, catfish, and rock bass. Walleye were hitting on leeches and green and gold crawler harnesses.

Hubbard Lake - Has fair to good walleye fishing. Most of the fish were 13 to 18 inches long.

Harrisville - Lake trout and salmon catches have picked up. Most of the lake trout are in 90 to 100 feet of water and spread out over a large area. Spoons, dodgers and wobble glo’s seem to be the biggest attractant. Silver and white are good colors. Salmon are in 70 to 80 feet of water straight out of the harbor and close to the nets.

Van Etten Lake - Anglers are catching both largemouth bass and rock bass. Those trolling in the early morning or evenings have caught walleye and pike.

Oscoda - Lake trout catches were slow due to the weather. The fish caught were taken on spoons in 80 to 100 feet of water.

Au Sable River - Limits of walleye are being taken in the morning and afternoon when drifting crawlers and a slip bobber. Most fish are 3 to 5 pounds and healthy.

Tawas - Those trolling for walleye are doing well in 35 to 50 feet of water near Buoy #2 and up towards Au Sable Point. Pier anglers are taking walleye, rock bass, pike, crappie, catfish, and drum.

Au Gres - Has excellent walleye fishing in 16 to 35 feet of water off Point AuGres and straight off the Au Gres River. Lots of limit catches were reported. Crawler harnesses are still producing best, but some fish are being caught on crank baits.

Smallwood Lake - In Gladwin County is producing smallmouth bass. Try fishing near the bridges.

Higgins Lake - Lake trout can be found in 85 to 100 feet of water. Perch are still hitting on minnows just off the bottom in 30 to 50 feet of water between Treasure Island and Sunken Island.

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Petoskey - Shore and pier anglers are catching a mixed bag of smallmouth, rock bass, bluegill, and catfish at the mouth of the Bear River.

Charlevoix - A few lake trout and some steelhead were caught off Mt. McSauba and the cement plant.

Lake Charlevoix - Perch anglers are finding fish at 30 feet but they are small. The bass are off the beds and along the drop offs. Those fishing the channel of the Pine River have caught smallmouth using live bait and artificial worms. Freshwater drum and catfish are also starting to show up.

Elk Lake - Lake trout anglers were trolling in the south end of the lake from the Narrows to just north of the Whitewater County Park in 60 to 75 feet of water. Bass anglers are casting in the backwaters near Kewadin, north of the Narrows on the east shoreline, and in Spencer Bay. Most are using tube baits, crank baits or spinners in 5 to 25 feet of water and the fish are ranging from 6 to 15 inches.

Skegemog Lake - Bass fishing has been fair for those targeting 5 to 15 feet of water near the mouth of the Torch River and between the public access site and the Narrows. Fish up to 18 inches were caught on tube baits, crank baits, power baits, spinners or jigs. Good numbers of rock bass have been caught.

Big Glen Lake - Fishing has been difficult due to the abundance of minnows and other natural food. Perch are still biting and shrimp seems to be the favored bait. Lake trout are starting to hit in 100 feet of water. Try spoons or rapalas. The bass are off the beds and the rock bass are hitting along the weeds.

Frankfort - Good fishing for chinook and lake trout from the Bank all the way up to Point Betsie when trolling spoons 60 to 80 feet down in 120 to 220 feet of water. Good colors are green, blue, white, and orange. Good numbers of steelhead have been caught along the scum line which was 6 to 13 miles out.

Onekama - Good catch rates in the Barrel and out on the Shelf. Anglers are taking a mix of chinook, steelhead, lake trout and brown trout. Try 90 to 180 feet of water with a green and white fly and flasher combination and orange or blue spoons.

Portage Lake - Bass fishing continues to be good along weeds and drop offs throwing crank baits or plastic worms. Walleye are hitting on body baits or a crawler harness in the early afternoon and evening. Some nice bluegills were caught in 17 to 20 feet of water in front of the marina.

Manistee - Boat anglers have caught chinook and lake trout on spoons in 150 to 250 feet of water. Good colors are orange, green, and blue.

Manistee River - Trout fishing is again viable, as the rivers have cleared out since the floods. Smallmouth bass were caught downstream of Tippy Dam. The hex hatch has been fair on both the upper Manistee and Little Manistee Rivers.

Hamlin Lake - Panfish and bass are being caught in moderate numbers.

Ludington - Chinook and lake trout were caught in 150 to 300 feet of water. Try in front of the Project.

Pere Marquette River - Brown trout were caught after dark on the lower stretches.

Pentwater - More fish are coming in but they are small averaging 5 to 6 pounds. A few lake trout are still being caught off the bottom in 80 to 120 feet of water.

Upper Peninsula

Black River Harbor - Fish have been caught on spoons in 100 to 150 feet of water.

Ontonagon - Boats are heading out early in the morning before the wind picks up. Some nice lake trout were caught 25 to 30 feet down in 40 to 50 feet of water.

Ontonagon River - Fishing continues to be steady. Boats are trolling with harnesses for walleye.

Lake Gogebic - With the water warming the walleye are less active during the day so try fishing in the early morning or evening with leeches or crawlers under a slip bobber. Smallmouth bass fishing has been exceptional for those casting along the rocky shoreline or the weeds.

Marquette - Good numbers of lake trout have been caught when anglers can get out. Most fish were taken in 140 to 180 feet around Granite Island and east of the white rocks.

Menominee River - A few walleye have been caught between Hattie Street and the mouth in the evening. Good smallmouth action at the lighthouse when using a white or bumble bee colored Mr. Twister or crawlers. Freshwater drum, smallmouth bass, channel cats and rock bass have all been caught near the Hattie Street Bridge.

Cedar River - Walleye fishing has slowed but fish are still being caught in the shallows during the evening hours when trolling or drifting a crawler harness. Smallmouth bass are still hitting on spinners and crank baits and a good number of freshwater drum have been caught. No word on salmon.

Little Bay De Noc - Mayfly hatches did cause fishing to slow however walleye are still being caught off Breezy Point when trolling or drifting crawlers in 8 to 14 feet of water. Fair walleye action was noted from the mouth of the Escanaba River to the Black Bottom. Several nice catches of perch were taken in 15 to 20 feet of water when jigging worms. Smallmouth bass were caught near the mouth of the Ford River when casting crank baits and spinners along the rocks.

Escanaba River - Northern pike fishing has been fair to good from the mouth up to the dam. Try casting crank baits or spinners.

Big Bay De Noc - Walleye anglers marked good numbers of fish in 20 feet of water off Ansell’s Point but catch rates were slow. Bass fishing slowed however some nice fish have still been caught outside South River Bay or the weed beds off Ogontz when casting crank baits and spinners in 8 to 14 feet of water. Action off Fairport is a bit slow this year as water temperatures are still on the cool side in the low 40’s. Light numbers of salmon have been caught 40 to 50 feet down in 100 to 105 feet of water when using various colored spoons.

Munising - Those able to head out to the big reef have caught lake trout and some reported limit catches. Chinook fishing is pretty much done. A few yellow perch were caught off Murray’s Bay.

Grand Marais - Limits of lake trout are still being caught in 120 to 300 feet of water in the shipping channel and over off Sable Point. Whitefish action seemed to slow with the warm up.

Nawakwa Lake - Jigs tipped with leeches under a bobber or when casting a Mr. Twister with a leech has produced a fair number of walleye. Target the drop offs and weeds. A few big perch and a pike were also caught.

St. Mary’s River - Good numbers of atlantic salmon are showing up at the Edison Power Plant. They are hitting on gray crank baits trolled 3 to 6 feet down and about 40 feet behind the boat. Walleye fishing is still slow. A few fish were taken off the steel breakwall near the Sugar Island Ferry. Northern pike action was excellent near Gem Island, Sugar Island and Lake George. Weed growth has been slow so anglers can troll or cast in close to the weedbeds.

Cedarville and Hessel - From Hessel, herring are in the bay, and salmon are present in the outer bay towards Goose Island in 35 to 40 feet of water. Pike are biting but few anglers are targeting them. The bays around Cedarville are producing some nice fish. Limits of herring have been caught in McKay Bay. Use wax worms or mayflies in 6 to 12 feet of water. Moscoe Channel is turning out herring and good numbers of yellow perch in 4 to 6 feet of water. Other hot spots for perch have been Cedarville Bay, the north side of LaSalle Island and the west side of Island Number Eight. Try minnows or worms in 6 to 8 feet of water.

Pine River - Reported slow fishing with only a few white suckers taken on crawlers.

Carp River - Anglers caught a few smallmouth bass when casting body baits. White suckers are hitting on crawlers.

St. Ignace - Boats are still trolling towards Mackinaw Island for chinook and lake trout. Most are using spoons or flies with flashers. The primitive launch on the northwest side of the bridge is producing northern pike and smallmouth bass. Anglers are casting small black and silver body baits or red and gold spinners.

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Rock Creek – and its flying squadrons of stone flies - disappeared in the rear view mirror last Tuesday, and [name redacted] began the rundown for what could happen at the Underground’s next Montana destination.

Georgetown Lake, Montana. Not a lonely place.

Because we found 27 boats bobbing on a single arm of the lake when we arrived, I’m going to assume Georgetown Lake isn’t exactly a secret either.

Why were we there?

In fairness, [name redacted] warned in advance it wasn’t exactly a pristine fishery.

In fact, he said we’d see a lake carpeted with other fishermen.

But when a fishing buddy says “we could hit the damsels, the callibaetis, and even the giant lake caddis – and maybe catch a 20” brook trout,” you tend to forget the parts about crowds.

Montana features a lot of sky. I’m calling “Lotta Sky Country.” Catchy, eh?

After all, fly fishermen are largely about potential - reality runs a poor second in our fevered brains – and selective memory is a key part of the package.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Back to Georgetown Lake, where the Stuart Mill arm opened the day we arrived.

Ignoring the hordes of other fly fishermen, we slid [name redacted]’s little drift boat in the water, and… started catching trout.

A lot of trout.

My damsel-esque streamer made it exactly 1/3 of the way through my first retrieve before something grabbed it.

That something turned out to be your standard 12” rainbow trout, though fishing slowed dramatically after our fish fish; it took nearly 2/3 of the next cast to hook up with a nice 16” specimen that ran me all around the boat.

A Georgetown Lake rainbow (apparently one of many).

Crowds? What crowds?

I’d love to cast the fishing in terms that recognized my considerable skill at the matter, but in truth, of the 27 boats in the Stuart Mill arm, a good 1/8 of them seemed to be hooked up at any one time.

The fishing was good enough that [name redacted] and I started casting our eyes about for bigger trout, and “stupid easy” was a phrase I later used to describe the fishing to the L&T. (Yeah, we had cell phone coverage, and yeah, I miss the L&T. What of it?)

[Name redacted] and I aren’t exactly body counters, and we can’t tell you how many trout we caught, though we can say one was a brookie, though instead of the fabled 20” brookie, he was a 12” fish who twisted off before we got the net under him.

I do know this (and I’m putting it in writing for the first time): it got a little boring.

A Georgetown Lake Callibaetis, courtesy’ someone’s shirt.

You may have read the short story about the fly fisherman who dies and finds himself on a beautiful stream where he catches big fish on every cast.

Eventually, he discovers he’s not in heaven, but in hell, and while nobody would confuse Georgetown Lake with the fiery pit, there is an element of truth to the idea that good fishing is good, great fishing is great, but too-much, too-easy fishing is neither.

Fortunately, the next day’s fishing was tougher, and the days after were tougher still.

We managed to catch plenty of trout – including a 17” Brookie and a fair number of similarly sized rainbows – doing all the usual lake things (speed-stripping a streamer seemed to always work, and the grabs were good, clean, vicious fun).

A 17″ Brook trout — the Official Char of the Trout Underground.

Spicing the trip were the daily electrical storms, which lit up the Pintar Range like no fireworks display ever could, and sidetrip down a culinary alley that almost left trip leader [name redacted] to meet his maker.

The prior day we’d rolled into nearby Anaconda for lunch, and made the mistake of ordering the “special” at a restaurant that I won’t name for fear of reprisals.

It sounded good on paper, though in truth, we’d have been better off if we’d eaten that paper instead of the sandwich.

That was bad, but what it lead to was what can only be described as a Huge Culinary Advance in the State of the Hot Dog.

The Slaw Dog’s Younger, More Dangerous Brother

My reader’s know of the Underground’s affection for the slaw dog - that heart-stopping collection of dog, bun, mustard, onions, chili and cole slaw.

Lacking almost all those ingredients – but craving the rich, tasty goodness of a slaw dog - [name redacted] and I hit upon a substitute.

In retrospect, it wasn’t the best decision we ever made, especially as [name redacted] foundered on a man-sized helping of our new creation, hovering for several hours in the twilight zone between life and death before his gastronomical shock troops gained the upper hand.

What could cause so much suffering? What simple lunch could push a human being to the brink, there to stare into the never-ending abyss?

Undergrounders, we introduce the Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog:

The Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog - like nuclear weapons - should never have been developed.

It’s a harmless, friendly appearing snack, but like those fruity-smelling South American plants that lure you in, then bite your fingers off (I read about them in the checkout line), the Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog looks gentle, but bites hard.

You’ve been warned.

The Fishing Stuff

This being a fly fishing blog and all, I suppose a quick (yet detailed) rundown of - you know – fly fishing gear is in order.

First, we caught trout at Georgetown on:

• Many different Damsel nymphs
• Many different Callibaetis nymphs
• Many different streamers
• A couple different dry flies
• Many different other assorted flies

Now that we’ve established the technical nature of the fishing, all that’s left is to comment on the gear, which included:

• Clear Camo sinking lines
• Floating lines
• Lines that were supposed to do either, but didn’t

The Underground’s rod preference ran to the Raine 8.5′ Hollowbuilt Quad prototype, though what turned out to be the real star of the show – the 9′ 6wt Orvis Zero Gravity fly rod I reviewed a long time ago.

Everyone who cast the Zero G loved its feel, responsiveness and ability to cover serious quantities of water (without assuming the identity of a broomstick), but derided the too-small grip (“I’ll buy it when they make it an adult model” quipped one).

In an age where you find people trying to fling streamers into the wind with 3wts, the oft-forgotten 6wt fly rod deserves a little overdue fly rod love (and some day, I may write that essay).

My word processor tells me I’ve gone beyond 1000 words, and anyway, [name redacted]’s standing by the door, rod tubes in hand,

I haven’t yet written up our side-trip to a small tributary stream, where we caught three Westslope Cutthroat trout in the 14”-16” class (astonishing size for the small river), but I will.

You’ll hear more as soon as I get back, which is looking like late Tuesday.

See you somewhere in Montana, Tom Chandler.

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The Fourth of July in Missoula is a wild affair. Despite a town-wide ban on fireworks, the entire horizon was constant fireworks from 9:30 until 11:00 pm.

We had a great vantage point (the Underground’s wealthy fly fishing benefactor’s home commands a stunning view from the ridge), and some of the neighborhood shows put the city’s display to shame.

To say I’m tired is an understatement; I’ve got a couple hundred photos to sort through, and many, many more perceptions to put into print.

The last week has been one fishing adventure after another. How can I do it justice?

I’ll start tomorrow. Until then, I’ll see you in Missoula, Tom Chandler.

Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fishing, montana

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Montana’s Rock Creek is hardly a secret, which is why you’re seeing its name in print (don’t expect similar treatment of upcoming locations).

Rock Creek from the “Hogback” overview. Lots of stones - and trout.

The first stop on the Underground’s Tour of Montana’s Fishy Fleshpots, my fly fishing host [name redacted] and I arrived on Saturday for the last three days in the drift boat season.

Last three days?

On July 1, drift boats are banned from Rock Creek (flows are typically too low to comfortably float anyway), and the river becomes a playground for wading fly fishermen.

Yes Undergrounders, the wildflowers are out. You almost don’t need trout.

While I was just in time for the end of the drift season, I should have been several weeks too late for the stoneflies.

Helpfully, a late winter intervened in my favor, and the salmon flies and Golden Stones were out in force (given all the “you should have been here last week” stories I’ve heard, I’m accepting this as my due).

The stoneflies were late — good news for me.

In simplest terms, we arrived in big bug heaven.

[name redacted] and I broke out our big bug fly boxes, argued that the other guy’s patterns were obvious crap, loaded [name redacted]’s small Santiam Drifter, and pushed off.

I wasn’t really ready for what followed.

Rock Creek flows like the government spends. It was the fastest float I’ve ever experienced, and there were few places to pull over and take a breather.

And while you wanted to drop the big Golden Stone dries right next to the willows and overhanging branches, breaking off a fly meant missing a hundred yards of good trout water – a heartbreaking thought even now.

God help you if you broke off a chunk of leader.

The result was an ongoing exercise in Risk Assesment; bigger trout would come to tougher casts, but no trout were caught if you were tying on a fly and the bank wizzed by.

While the bite varied over the three days, it was almost always good, often crossing the line into great.

Browns by the dozens jumped our dries (mostly Golden Stones as the Salmon Flies weren’t working as well).

Other patterns worked better, but the Stimulators worked (and floated) well.

In one side channel, we stopped and I caught my first pure strain West Slope Cutthroat, though it turns out the things are hard to hold and we didn’t get a picture.

Most of the fish we caught were Browns, the biggest of which might have pushed 16”.

A fair number of Cuttbow hybrids also made an appearance in the net, though true Cutts were rare.

Neither [name redacted] or I are exactly fish counters, but I’d guess our best day resulted in several dozen hookups (and a bunch of misses).

[Name redacted] and a rare cast delivered outside the drift boat.

The pace of the float was intimidatingly fast; I took damned few pictures on the water, unwilling to sacrifice a shot at prime holding water (I’m greedy that way).

And nobody was surprised to hear we’d broken a rod setting the hook into a big Brown Trout. Manly stuff, but not unusual given that Rock Creek claims a couple drift boats and rafts every season.

These things were big enough to skewer and eat (we didn’t).

It’s a nice place to fish, but don’t show up thinking you’ll learn to row on the river. You’ll mostly learn to hit things.

The Camping Comedy Twins

We camped at the Stony Creek Campground, were we lived through the Harrowing Blown Radiator Hose Nightmare and also found trip mascot Stony: a roadkilled, dehydrated snake.

When a whole day’s float is at stake, you fix stuff.

It’s frightening to contemplate, but [name redacted] and I share a similar sense of humor, so the off-river time passed quickly.

In short order, we solved the fly fishing industry’s woes, heaped piles of scorn on those responsible for our environmental troubles, speculated as to Martha Stewart’s sexual potential, and yeah – managed to squeeze in a little talk about fly rods and bugs.

Trip Mascot Stony. Say “Hi” to everyone, Stony.

The culinary highlight of the trip (the lowlight comes in a later report) was [name redacted]’s Dutch Oven Pork Chops, which combined simple ingredients into unbelievably tasty camp food, all cooked in a single pot.

Why it didn’t attract bears and other wild animals amazes me still (when we cooked it at our next stop, fly fishermen poured out of the woodwork looking for a free meal).

Meet your campground — and its friendly inhabitants.

Despite the great fishing, we broke camp and moved onto our next stop; Georgetown Lake.

You’ll hear about those adventures (including a new entry in the Ultimate Hot Dog Wars) when I get them written.

Lots of interesting pictures too (the lake moves considerably slower than Rock Creek).

A side channel; sometimes these fished better than the river.

Until next time, see you in Montana, Tom Chandler.

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Hope everyone enjoys today, and the weekend.  Be safe on the water, the roads and backyards.  Remember the struggle that was endured to secure our freedom and the risk taken by those who signed that document back in 1776.  God Bless!

Original Post:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/fishing/2008/07/03/an-easy-solution-to-blade-selections/

No matter where you go to chase walleyes, the locals will have their favorite crawler harnesses.  Clown, purple tiger, confusion,  and pink panties to name a few.  Combined they have little in common, individually they cover all the bases an angler might employ to catch walleye.

When you buy a harness or purchase blades to build your own, put the following blades on your shopping list.

• Chartruse
• Copper
• Silver
• White
• Gold  

Looking at the list, most who fish Erie will say that gold and copper blades are no brainers.  Older experienced anglers will say chartruse works pretty darn good too.  Silver will not make too many Erie anglers turn their heads, and white blades probably won’t get a response at all.

Every one of the colors or metals mentioned are just the base colors of a blade.  Now, it might make a lil’ more sense.  Take white for an example, from Saginaw Bay down to the waters of Erie white blades are producing.  White is the base color in Pink Panties, Frozen Toes, I Don’t Care, Bloody Nose and either Purple Descent or Erie Descent.  It all makes sense when you consider that pink and white, or red and white have been popular choices in jigs or other types of lures for years and years.

Now look at chartruse based blades.  Used in combination with green or orange, and all of a sudden lots of people will say those two color combinations have worked for decades.  They continue to do so today.  One of the best blades color patterns I have used this year is a Northland Chartruse/Orange Holographic blade.

Most Erie walleye fisherman have gold and copper blades or spoons in their arsenal.  Silver is looked upon with disdain, but for those who don’t have at least one silver based blade on the other end of a rod while fishing Erie are missing out.  Do not forsake those gold and copper blades, because they do produce.  Up on Saginaw Bay,  Michigan’s other walleye capitol, Silver blades rule with such color patterns as Clown, Watermelon and Confusion.  Yes, Confusion, even those funky dots work on a silver blade and will catch fish up there.

The kicker is, they work down here too.  All of them will work on the Upper Peninsula’s other walleye capitol, the Bays de Noc.  If you have a combination of these five blades, in just about an color added to them, you will be able to catch fish on any of these Great Lake bodies of water.

Original Post:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/fishing/2008/07/02/walleye-and-perch-are-hitting/

Fishing has really heated up this past week.  Went out for a couple of hours this morning, got the limit and came in.  Almost wish it would have taken longer, because now I  have to go and work digging for a new cement pad.  You pay to play

After trolling for the early limits,  I spent another hour and half tossing weapons to land a few more fish.  Would tell you what colors, but I paint my weapon blades myself, so kind of hard to discribe.

When I came in, some of the older guys said they had good success perching around Sputnik.

Just check Captain Mike’s report from Matthew’s B&T, and they have much the same.  My best blades for walleye trolling were Moldy Muffin, Confusion and Purple Parrot.  Mike and Jason said they are loaded up with bait for the Holiday Weekend, and have some fresh GPS pts for their customers to try on their next trip.