I need lessons! Helpme!

I can’t handle it anymore. I have to go public and admit that I need lessons in fishing.

All I read and hear, be it on message boards or in the newspapers or at the boat ramps,seems to far out weigh anything I can accomplish…even on my good days(or even back in the “good ole days”).

So please help me. I need to learn how, many fishermen can spend 5-8 hours on the water(Mille Lacs for example) and land/catch 30-50 or more walleyes? 300-480 minutes. Average a fish/bite, fight to the boat, net, untangle from net, measure, photo, get back into position after drifting/blowing off the fish, re-baiting (after untangling your long leader)and all else that goes on in the process–a fish every 6-8 minutes–ALL DAY LONG. Including going and coming 3-8 miles from shore. Moving from spot to spot when one spot dies and looking for fish as you go before you set up and actually fish. How do you do it? I read and hear about 60 fish days. 80-90 fish per day in a report in this weeks local paper! 2-3 lines per boat.

Now today I learn that it should take less than 3 minutes to deal with a 55 inch muskie in the boat! (like many have THAT actual experience when only a few dozen that ACTUAL size get caught on the entire planet each year) It should take “30 seconds” to take a photo of a gal who most likely has very little experience handling big fish? My guiding clients must be weaklings or mis-fits. Heck…I must be myself!

So…being that I am not at the level most seem to be these days. I will now no longer offer any advice in these regards. Instead, I will ask all of you more experienced people to help ME! Please invite me or I will hire you as a guide, to show me how to accomplish these feats that seem to be the “norm” nowadays. (I will bring my old “pitch count” clicker along, and my stop watch to insure I get practice at handling muskies quicker.

Please help ME now! DON’T ASK ME ANYTHING HERE ANYMORE!!!!!!! NOR AT THE RAMPS, VIA CELL PHONE FROM YOUR BOAT OR WHILE PARKED AT THE BAIT SHOP OR WHATEVER. BECAUSE IT’S TIME I LEARN HOW YOU GUYS DO ALL THIS. I GIVE UP TRYING. MY MATH NEVER SEEMS TO ADD UP. AND MEASURE UP.

I see and hear your frustrations. I’ve never had the success you hear bragged about on Mille Lacs but hope to someday learn enough about Walleyes and Mille Lacs to “unlock the code”. However I look at anyone having that “magical” success your talking about apparently doesn’t need to learn anything new, so you are not affecting them but rather the less knowledgeable walleye fisherman (such as myself) who are trying to learn a God given sport. It sure would be a waste of knowledge, time, effort, history, to let it go to the grave with you. Just my .02 cents.

How do they do it is your question???Easy , they are fisherman who stretch every story into a fishtale… ten becomes twenty and if an awesome day, twenty becomes forty and by the time they reach the ramp they have told the story five or six times via cellphone and its up to 60-80. P.S.

I meant nothing to upset you or to downplay the great amount of knowledge you have about fishing or your knowledge of the lake be it summer or winter. There are alot of people here who rely on your input when they make the trip to the lake. Reguardless if I SLIGHTLY disagreed with you on the muskie video I look for it every time. Next step will be the dvd!! Please dont take this stuff as a personal attack.

Seth Carlson

[email protected]

Like mama said…

…If it sounds too good to be true…It probably isn’t true!

Best day on the water for me was pool 4 fishing ‘eyes and saugar, pulled about 50-60 in about 8 hours of fishing with 2 guys, and it seemed we had a fish in the boat continuously. They were literally jumping into the boat! I don’t think 50 eyes in 5-7 hours is feasable. (unless your gill nettin’).

I hear your frustrations too! Try to blow it off!

This spring at the sturgeon excusion We had nice fish in the boat almost all the time it seemed like but we were out there 12 hours about. I think you are right that it takes a while to unhook and photo large fish. My personal experience with a 52 incher I got my handed to me and I know it was out of the water 5 minutes or more. I have pics to prove it! It is good you can vent it……we all need to. But in my opinion like others say BIG talkers. I prefer to show what I can do not tell all about it but the fish win most of the time!

HAPPY FISHING ALL

Steve –

When you get it figured out – please PM me because I have the same problem – evidently I am inadequate. While you’re at it, please get me the info on how to fill a bucket with 2-2.5 pound crappies. I used to live up ‘nort and have a ton of time on Upper Red, and during those countless ‘after work’ eves that 3-4 of us would get a limit – I never saw a 2# crappie – yet I heard stories of countless pails full of 2-1/2’s. Please dial me in as well.

Another poor hook – Tim

Are you implying fishermen are stretching the truth?

Well anytime you need to feel better feel free to contact me, heck I’ll even PM you my phone number, you can call anytime and compare fishing reports, I’m 100% sure you fell better afterwards.

Honestly we did about 30 fish last time out, we were out on mille lacs for a good 12 hours had 2 boats in our group and 5 people. I wouldn’t brag about a day like that myself. 2.1 an hour isn’t a bad day it’s certainly not a great day. I’ll still take a skunked day on the water over work anyday.

I guess i’m doing something wrong too. I’ve only had one 50 walleye day in my life, on URL this past opener. All u had to do was put a line in the water, no certain spots or anything. Yet, people were reporting catching 100-200 fish in one day, 200 walleyes? in one day? You have got to be kidding me, is that even possible?

Anyways, Steve I have the upmost respect for you and what you have done, and continue to do for the fishing world.

One of my favorite fishing videos of all time is In-Fisherman’s “The Great Walleye Shoot-out,” the 1989 groundbreaking Professional Walleye Trail Tournament of Champions on Mille Lacs. Which, of course, you won, and were the only angler to catch a 5 fish limit on every day, and that says alot.

PS I sent u a pm about getting a copy of your walleye dvd

The DNR did a survey. They sent observers out watching people. Most fishermen reported catching twice as many fish as they actually did.

But….some guys do not lie about how many they caught. They catch more than others believe as possible.

For instance I do alot of snow goose hunting. Most people believe that 2 guys cannot kill 200 geese in one day over decoys. Here is a pic of a day this last spring where the 2 of us killed 378 snows over decoys.

How many guys could do this? How many guys believe that they could do it themselves?

If you don’t believe it is possible…then it will not happen for you.

Steve, I would have to believe you if you said you caught that many Bass on Tonka, but I only count 277 birds there…

Steve, I enjoy reading your posts, and I hope you stick around!

I don’t post many reports because I’m still learning from all the IDA’er here…, but here is my report from last Tuesday targeting catfish:

St. Croix river. Had 2 lines set up with bull heads, no fish. I gave my wife a smaller pole with a crawler and a hook. She schooled me with 5 fish… she reminded me of her count with every fish–none for me.

Finally she caught a channel catfish! I didn’t measure it, but I would guesstimate it was 6 inches! (Ok, I rounded up). I’m telling the truth. Smallest channel I’ve ever seen.

But, we got out fishing! Nice night camping on the river, I have no complaints. (Catching a big one would of been a bonus though)!

Jon

While I agree with Steve, most fishermen tend to s-t-r-e-c-h the truth. I did however one day two years ago in Feb personally catch 75 walleye/sauger while jigging below the dam in Genoa in a days time.

As for the snow goose, WHY would you shoot 200-300-400 birds in a day? (I am not making any acusations, just asking) Was every single bird cleaned and eaten? I know personally, even if breasted, I could not eat that many in a years time.

My brither and I spent a week in Canada two years ago and Im sure we boated fifty a day with one or two days around 75 or so. That was Canada and we fished very long days. The fish were coming in the boat so fast slip bobbering one day we were playing “hot potatoe” with the camera. Back and forth as fast as we could pass it!! We had to look soooooo funny! Boy was that fun! We were laughing and carrying on like they were the first time we had seen a walleye.

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Steve, I would have to believe you if you said you caught that many Bass on Tonka, but I only count 277 birds there…

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Your a pretty good guesser! That was at about noon. I think we had 289 then. Jeremy took all the birds home and I hunted the evening. Killed 91 more.

I know this isn’t a hunting forum so I will just end it by saying……Some guys really do catch 50-100 walleyes a day.

If you are look’n to catch 80 ‘eyes’ in a day Steve, come down to Nebraska and fish Sherman. You will will catch 80 ‘eyes’ a day. You may not be able to take any home, but you will catch fish.

To me it seems this post was only started because someones ego was hurt
This post is not about numbers or what anyone knows about fishing, and I’m sure you know plenty!

Sometimes people have strong opinions and just have a hard time putting them into words without sounding like they might be lashing out. This only starts a trickle effect causing things to get blown out of proportion! I don’t believe it is the best thing for the site, but I know it is unavoidable.

I’m sorry the other post set with you the wrong way, and I can how it would have. It’s your right to keep all your info to yourself, no skin off my nose!
Good luck with your math

Bret

Slee-

What did you do with all those geese?

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To me it seems this post was only started because someones ego was hurt
This post is not about numbers or what anyone knows about fishing, and I’m sure you know plenty!

Sometimes people have strong opinions and just have a hard time putting them into words without sounding like they might be lashing out. This only starts a trickle effect causing things to get blown out of proportion! I don’t believe it is the best thing for the site, but I know it is unavoidable.

I’m sorry the other post set with you the wrong way, and I can how it would have. It’s your right to keep all your info to yourself, no skin off my nose!
Good luck with your math

Bret

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Bret… I do believe Mr. Fellegy is being “Tongue-in-cheek”

Steve,

Please see my tagline below About sums it up.

And I went fishing saturday night and only got 3.

Steve,

If you ever need help shooting some of those geese, let me know. Ask Scotty about his duck hunting with me one day!

C’mon Steve,

Half the guys on this forum catch that many fish in a day and would be more than happy to jump into your boat to teach you how it’s done.