Couldn’t take it any longer, so made the 2.5 hour trek to the Petenwell Dam for an open water fix. Temps climbed to 38 on Friday and a balmy 47 on Saturday, but boat traffic was still very low both days, with 3 others on Fri. and 8 others on Sat. The eyes were a little less cooperative than the weather, though, and finding the fish proved to be a challenge. Spent Friday targetting the 12 to 20 foot depths all over the place, focusing on some of the more productive areas from our previous winter trips, but no Mr. Walleye. Did boat a 32 inch ski though, that hit a jig/minnow combo near some downed timber, and also poked my thumbkin with a front tooth, as I reached in to remove someone elses circle hook/leader thinking the fish was acting very lethargic. Woke me up when he clamped down. 
That was dumb!
Anyway,the ski was the clear winner here, and swam away for another fight, with me the only one bleeding. 
Also managed to pick up a dink eye and a nice 25 incher on Gulp before calling it a day.
Put on the thinking cap on Saturday, and after targetting the same areas for a couple hours with jig/minnow,split shot and hook/minnow, my favorite plastics (ringies and paddletails) to no avail, 
we decided to probe some deeper water. Finally came upon the pattern: 30 to 35 fow, near the current break from the chute dischrge,slowly dragging gulp minnows, and only after dragging/jigging the same areas with jig/fathead and lindy rig set-ups. Gulp was definitely the ticket on this day. Ended up boating about 20 eyes in the last 4 hours we fished, with two legals at 15 and 16 inches, one slot fish at 25 inches, and the rest dinks.
So this was a good warmer-upper trip of the year in the winter boat, getting ready to get the Yarcraft out for some Lake MI Browns in the next few weeks, and hopefully Pool 4 in March.
February 9, 2009 at 1:56 pm
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