I like winning stuff Wade

goody

Trout fishing?? Maybe you will leave all of my walleyes alone now

goody

Glad you are getting out and beating the water Dylan! Bet it was still a great day on the water, even if you didnt get a ton of fish or many nice ones.

goody

Sounds like you hit it right with the Rapalas though! Good job. I think I remember seeing you now that you mention the boat….I am hard to miss in my ugly old white and blue fish-hawk and 25hp outboard

goody

This was my third year of fishing this tourney in the past 4years (didnt get signed up soon enough last year and missed out) and opted to take my 6yr old niece this year. It was a tough day on the water, especially for a walleye fisherman chasing bass like his old high school days. We didnt weigh any fish,but still had a blast. As I say every year, it is just so much fun to get a kid into this tourney and they get TONS of free stuff just for showing up. Lots of zeros on the board, including ours, but two years ago me and my little cousin had one of those 1/8″ fish that kept us out of the money. Oh well, still fun even if we sucked that day

goody

LOL!!! Funny stuff! I was thinking that was maybe the case

They sure are a lot of fun, whatever their size!!! I will be back out chasing them with mom and dad monday bright and early!

goody

And Dylan, not to rub it in or anything, but mine is bigger…17″ Red Rock white bass caught 5/26/06

(talking about the fish, not my beer belly)

goody

LOL! I wasnt going to say anything, but was thinking the same thing myself

goody

LOL…..you were nowhere near for all TWO of them I caught this year. And I am still not buying this garbage about you not catching ANY this year

goody

Yeah, I figured as much…

goody

I want early ice TOO!!!!

goody

I run the cloth black “ice line” for my main line, whether it be my larger predator rigs or my more finesse tip ups. For a leader, most of mine are set up for walleye so I am running 6lb Vanish on them. My heavier tip ups for pike I run steel leaders with quick-strike rigs.

As far as setting the hook, I wait for that lull in the run and pull my tip up out of the water quickly but gently, letting the fish continue to run if it needs to. Sometimes in the winter the pike have lost or are losing their teeth and have more senstive mouths so they “gum” the baits rather than thrash them. slowly pull on the line until you feel it come taught, then drive the hook home….not a huge and heavy jerk, but a solid tug to bury the hook….be ready for the run after that and keep tension as needed and pull up your fish!

goody

I wouldnt see a problem with using a snap swivel to connect leader to tip up line Dave. I personally use a barrel swivel to connect them so a snap wouldnt be any different. I can see why it could be a problem, but personally have never had a swivel catch under the edge of the ice and I run tip ups quite a bit as a second line.

goody

Mealworms are ok, but I think they are subpar to waxies and maggots. I get my mealworms free as my grandparents run a dairy farm and have a grain bin that I can get them from easily most times of the year. I agree that sometimes they can be a bit bulky and hard for more finicky under ice panfish, but they still catch fish and are better than nothing a lot of the time. I personally wouldnt buy them if I could get access to waxies and maggots.

goody

If it is a lake that has green weeds still present then that is where I head. A medium to small sized jigging spoon and dropper with a couple waxies is where I start for panfish, if eyes then I go outside the weededge and up the size of my search lure. If that fails, to the deeper brush and rocks I go. Once panfish are located, I switch to a gentz worm or gentz bug with a couple of waxies or maggots and work them over. Early ice they are the most active they will be until late ice, so dont be afraid to get aggressive with them!!!

goody

For my hand auger (a Lazer strikemaster) I go with a 6″ and for my power auger I have an 8″ Jiffy. Love both. Only needed the 8″ hole once as far as fish goes…that 10 lb channel cat wouldnt have made it through the 6″ hole. Like the 8″ for more room with my vex and aqua vu running down the same hole. 10″ is just too big in my opinion for most uses…other than maybe sight fishing….but still awefully big.

goody

They have arrested a 23yr old in relation to the death. Dont have time to post the full story or details, but sure someone here will. He was hiding out in the Dakotas.

goody

Thanks…..7lb fish from a farm pond….died in a summer kill a year or two later. Made me sick.

goody

Just wondering…..guess I will never know. Oh well, I never make it to NE sections of the state anyway…..still good looking fish!!

goody

Great pics! What lake you fishing…..those arent walleye so I am not going to steal them from you , always nice to know where folks are fishing though. Again, great pics!!!

goody

Great fish Ryan, I agree that was nice of you to let him hold it for you! And yes, this pic will also go in my “blackmail later” file

goody

Yup, sounds like our wonderfully tough lakes like Red Rock, Saylorville, Coralville, and in a way Rathbun. The first three I mentioned are tough and expansive, fishing more like a river than a lake. Again, I would key shallow on wind blown areas for the predator fish. If I struck out shallow I would probe the main river channel. Trolling 2mph + with bright colored cranks or spinners in shallow wind blown areas will almost always produce something. If they are that negative, then I would work out to the first break, whether it be at 5ft or 12ft….especially in places where those shallower ledges connect with a deeper creek channel. If there are reasonable feeder creeks, then finding fish in them is a definite possibility. The fish in these big lakes are roamers, following schools of shad/suckers/ciscoes/etc. and take advantage of the wind blown mucky waters. Here in Iowa, it is amazing the numbers and size of fish that are caught in big lakes like that under 10ft of water during the summer time.

goody

My first question is how many acres we talking here and what is the shape of the lake….would be interested to see a map so I can have a lake here to compare it to in my mind. Advice on the creek channel is on the money. If it is like a couple of our tough big river impoundments here then you are just as frustrated as some of us. For bass, key on your breaks, any rocks (including any rip rap, maybe even as stop #1). Wind would also guide me to my first stops. Wind keys big res predators and there are times that we pull cranks or spinners in 2-4ft of water at 2-3mph to trigger those fish…tough in the wind but can be SUPER effective if done right. Again….would be curious as to size and shape so maybe I can help you even more…..

goody

…..Brenda says “He’s funny….”

goody

Oh Ryan, where do I even start….with friends like you, who needs more

I am just hoping for a good weekend of weather…..a little side wager on fish is never a bad idea though

Look forward to getting back up there!

goody

LOL…Yeah, I thought about that after I posted….silly me

goody

Dunno for sure Ryan….either late June or early July it looks like. Nutso schedule right now and some things going on (good things!) that are keeping us preoccupied. Will drop you and email and let you know whats what.

goody

UPDATE

As of today, 6/6/05, 12 Mile is ALMOST inaccessible by boat. I dropped my tailer off the end of the ramp as it is down several more feet since friday. Was able to pull it out, but had to use 4wheel drive to do it. Wouldnt attempt it with a heavy boat without 4×4. As of this weekend the ramps will more than likely be of no real use without using planks or something to transition your boat up the ramp.

Fishing was a little tougher, but managed quite a few fish. Still a good bite on cats and we got them everywhere we were live bait fishing the eyes. They are still no-go, but the crappie, gills, and yellow bass were going well along with the cats.

This was probably my last trip there for 5-6years…until the new fish are going well. How sad.

goody

Awesome fish dude! Keep them coming! Let me know when you learn to catch a REAL fish like a walleye

goody

NOw if you could only catch walleyes……

Great fish….dont let anyone tell you any different!!! Besides, I love to hear when you guys show your dad up on the water!!!

goody