September reports

Launched at Blackhawk about 1pm today, and started out near mouth of Kosh. Two dinks and a cat on two drifts, one along 4 ft. break, pitching both shallow and deeper with jig/leech or crawler combo. Second drift in channel, and zippo. Decided to look for home runs in several upstream holes and stink-pipe, with couple goats and a big carp, along with one dink eye. Finished evening back at mouth, and got about a dozen or so eyes in last two hours , most at about 14 to 14.9999 inches, again pitching both ways from the 4 ft. break. Had the fish fry at Riverfront to end the day, and a beauty it was. Diesel, same program, and same area as last time is where we got most of our fish today, but no legals this time round. Good luck this weekend, and we’re looking for a good report and stories. Hardly any pleasure boats out today, so it was a joy….good luck with the bumper boats this weekend.

Thanks for the update I will post what happens when I get out this afternoon.

D

OH MY GOD. You know fishing at Blackhawk Island on the Rock is usually “combat fishing” but I have never seen it as bad as this Saturday. Given that I tend to always fish Labor Day weekend on the rock but this was bad. Lets just say even with the wardens out giving tickets it did not matter. I even tried to escape for a while by trolling for an hour on the lake but again a fully loaded LUND cut me off by 50 feet on plane with 8 people on the boat.

OK Enough already here is the report.

Fished from 130 to 730 very slow. I think the traffic has put the active fish on pause. I was told the morning bite was better with several legals caught in the low 20s. I was using jigs and 1/2 to 1/3 crawler. Only two short bites until about 530 when the boat traffic died down. Then I quickly caught three walleye two 10 inchers and a fat 17. A lot of short hits after that. The fish were not very aggressive. The 17 was caught with the hook in the nose. No hard smacks. Same pattern still working. Shallow water on the hard bottom transition from the channel. Many people fishing minnow on corks for white bass and catching the occasional walleye in the deeper holes. Saw one caught that would easily gone in the mid 20s. It quickly thrown in the livewell before the crowd saw. Marking lots of baitfish in the holes.

One boat was casting blade baits in the shallows with some success.

Overall not a lot being caught today. The traffic probably was part of the problem along with the high pressure system.

Go get em Jeff

Hey Carp King though I saw you riding a scooter on Blackhawk. The guy looked exactly like your pic.

Wish I could get out again but got too much work around the house.

Anybody trolling yet? Still got to get a legal on the boards and rods I bought this winter.

D

Ha, ha, ha…riding a scooter! I think they have a weight limit dont they? LOL! I havent been on Rock in quite a while but will be back starting this Tuesday.

I would guess the bobber/minnow crowd were targeting Crappies. A week ago a budy of mine got 15 – 20 nice ones by accident casting “3 twister tails for Walters.

Had a awesome labor day weekend with limits of walleyes on Saturday morning and Sunday morning and three nice keeper Monday afternoon. Lots of short eyes and pike to keep you on your toes. Watch for my report Wednesday, as far as this trolling stuff going on yes it’s a fine line, with no current and using your trolling motor and as long as your line is vertical, well lets just say this, go out and have fun and catch some fish and just worry about yourself and you will catch more fish

Let the DNR do there own job and we all will be just fine.

Uhhh , I think I was pretty clear on the fact that I had a problem with guys trolling ( not vertical jigging ) on waters that are closed to trolling.
If you don’t have a problem with people violating well I guess that’s your gig.
I do have a problem with it and if the DNR was doing it’s job it more than likely be a non issue. Not a rip on the DNR either as they are understaffed these days.

Anyways ,What’s wrong with giving the DNR a heads up about fish and game violations ? After all , the recourse belongs to ALL of us.

I have to say truthfully that I am also tired of seeing fishing violations as they relate to trolling in this section of river. While a verbal shouting match or fist fight is not the way to solve it, I see nothing wrong with reporting the person committing the violation. Never will someone committing a game or fish violation result in a confrontation with me or will I let it ruin my fishing, but I also wont turn my back and look the other way either.

Here is the definition of trolling as given by State of Wisconsin. The prohibition stands regardless of the type of motor used.According to NR 20.03(40) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, “troll” or “trolling” means fishing by trailing any lure, bait or similar device that may be used to attract or catch fish from a boat propelled by a means other than drifting or rowing. Trolling is defined to include backward and forward directed trolling. So basically what I understand that to mean is if you are using any motor to move your bait, you are trolling. We all could cut hairs with this as to whether or not slipping the current is legal, but I am pretty sure that isnt the issue. The problem as I see it is the guys we all see trolling boards or long lines up and down the river from the mouth of Kosh on up.

well said Carp

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I have to say truthfully that I am also tired of seeing fishing violations as they relate to trolling in this section of river. While a verbal shouting match or fist fight is not the way to solve it, I see nothing wrong with reporting the person committing the violation. Never will someone committing a game or fish violation result in a confrontation with me or will I let it ruin my fishing, but I also wont turn my back and look the other way either.

Here is the definition of trolling as given by State of Wisconsin. The prohibition stands regardless of the type of motor used.According to NR 20.03(40) of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, “troll” or “trolling” means fishing by trailing any lure, bait or similar device that may be used to attract or catch fish from a boat propelled by a means other than drifting or rowing. Trolling is defined to include backward and forward directed trolling. So basically what I understand that to mean is if you are using any motor to move your bait, you are trolling. We all could cut hairs with this as to whether or not slipping the current is legal, but I am pretty sure that isnt the issue.

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The problem as I see it is the guys we all see trolling boards or long lines up and down the river from the mouth of Kosh on up.

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Hello Fellas,

Got out Saturday early at Blackhawk to get home by noon. Fished from 530 to 1200. River temp 74 in the AM and 77 when I left. Lake temp 75. Got a good amount of little guys from the same areas using the same pattern. Lots of folks out catching fish including many who I see as being the regular crew on the river. Saw numerous legals caught. Of course none by me. A little frustrating as the two legal I did have were both lost at the side of the boat. Way to go DC I was using numerous color jig but the preferred color for me was a pearl white ball jig and the pink and white zone-R jig. Using 1/4 ounce. Tried the slow vertical jig presentation the jeff uses. I think I am finally getting the hang of it as I really started to get more consistent hookups.

Tried trolling a little bit to try something different. Got one small northern that just smashed the jointed firetiger shad rap. Size 5 I think. Pulled the board right off. I swore I had a monster walleye.

Ran back to Blackhawk buy 9AM and the bite was really on as everyone was picking up little eyes with a legal now and then. I spoke to one guy who probably got a limit using minnow and stinger hooks.

A very nice northen mixed in provided entertainment for a while when one boat set the hook. It must have tail walked three times!!!! What I sight. Had to be at least low thirties.

That is it for now. I am taking a break for a week or two for house work and to save some gas.

Us Rock River folks should try to meet one day for a day of fall fishing. We can all watch Jeff pound the fish. I know I am tired of watching him embarass me .

Go get em all.

I had much the same luck on Saturday. Fished from 8-2, best bite was 10-2. Sitting out by Blackhawk with the others. Everyone seemed to be catching walleyes. Dragging a 1/8 oz. jig with piece of crawler worked the best for us. Anything with yellow was getting bites, another guy said anything with blue. I used a yellow/pearl glow Lindy Max Gap jig – lost all my lighter knuckleball jigs. I also lost my walleye rod in a lake up north so I used a make-shift rod/reel which was a little light for the job and ended up with 3 keepers breaking off at the boat. My rookie partner also mis-netted my best two fish and I lost those too. We ended up boating 2 keepers out of about 8-10. I personally boated 3 that were 14.5-14.75″. My biggest obstacle all day was my partner. I either have to start fishing alone or find another partner that knows something about fishing. I swear I haven’t fished in at least 3 years with someone that knew as much or more than me about angling and that’s not saying much. I don’t mind teaching my own boys but I don’t seem to have much patience for fumbling adults. I don’t know how you guides do it, the paycheck must help. I’ll be back on Saturday, see you on the river.

Sound like you had one of my buddies that I call the “Kiss of death” in your boat.

I usually fish alone so sometime if I have an open seat I will message you. Maybe I saw you out there. I have a blue and white mirrocraft with 40 yamaha.

D

I was out this afternoon, just returned now at 8:30pm. I decided to try several things today instead of just one. So, I trolled from basically the rock pile to the mouth at blackhawk. Both boards popped at the same time and it was a 12 inch northern on one and 27 inch on the other. I was trolling FT jointed raps #5’s. Then I went up river to the willow tree thinking I would drift downriver but the wind was blowing so I drifted up. I moved back down until I was less than 25 feet from the docks at Riverside bar and I made 6 casts, caught three walleyes, 2 at 14 and an 18 incher, half crawler on a 1/8 white roadrunner. I also missed a nice flathead. Then I moved back to the mouth on opposite side and made six casts, one small whitey was it.
There were about 7 boats out in same area. I blew back down to Newville side past railroad bridge to my honey hole. Final tally there was 1 walleye at 15 and 5 or 6 carp. The sunset was amazing so I quit fishing and just watched it, also watched a pair of racoons combing the shoreline. Next time out, fresh batteries for camera! Wont be back on Rock or Kosh now until end of October as the trophy walleyes are calling on Lake Erie!

HMMMMMMMMMM you guys must have been doing something wrong Saturday. Saturday afternoon was one of mine best days for 2005, had my limit in three hours.

Just a sample, watch for my weekend report Wednesday

I figured it out!!!!

We were not fishing in your boat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like I should stock up on paddletails for the fall before they are out huh.

BCNU

Diesel, thanks for the offer. When you get a chance I’d be glad to join you. I’ve been using my dad’s 14′ red Lund row boat with a 10hp 4-stroke blue/white Honda (says 100 on the side). I do believe I did see you out, we may even have exchanged a head nod. I’ve already got my plans set for a repeat this Saturday. I should be at the fishing hole by 8 and am definitely set on packing it in by 2 PM with my first limit of the year.

Launched at Blackhawk Sat in the rain. Started out from home a little drizzle. Rain half way there so I said since I am half way here might as well fish.

In short. Should have turned around and went home. No walleyes to be found. Saw one small dink caught. I caught a small northern.

Maybe three bites by the mouth and in the deeper holes.

Nothing on the rock pile either.

Water 66 to 69 degrees, muddy. fished the breakline in Kosh where the muddy river water mixed with the clearer lake water nothing.

Better fishing to come.

D

Good friend Matt (aka rancor) went out this morning with his dad. Matt told me it was slow for them also but his dad did managed one nice 28 inch whiched they CPR. Can’t wait to see that picture. He also said he caught one dink and 8 pound dogfish. Matt said they had lots of short bites. Still everything caught on jigs and crawlers. Plan on giving it a try Sunday afternoon for a few hours if weather permits. cya on the water.

Hey Jeff…hope you had better luck than the rest of us recently. Had trouble posting Friday results from home computer, so had to wait till I got to work today. Picked up a few undersized at the mouth, while anchoring and very slow retrieve pitching jig/crawler. Nothing vertical jigging at mouth or upstream in holes. Thought about running across the lake to Newville, but didnt. Only ran across one time before in spring last year, and not sure of hazards…..do the channel markers go all the way across?? That way, could at least get a gps route going for future use.

Yes I had good results Sunday afternoon, watch for my report Wednesday morning.

As far as the channel markers they only get you out of the mouth.