Your wallhanger walleye is waiting within 30 yards of Horseshoe Reef in Door County, Wis.about a mile west of Peninsula state park. Horseshoe reef is located about 150 yds. west of a nun (red) bouy where water comes up from 60 ft. to just two feet in the distance of an average cast. If the kicker motor was working and the wind wasn’t blowing at about 30 mph Thursday there would be a foto. THIS is where those fish that visit Bay De Noc in Oct. and Nov. spend their summer vacation! you’ll find ’em on reefs off of the Strawberry and Chambers island too. But Horseshoe reef is the go-to spot right now for that fish of dreams.
Why am I telling you this hotspot? Because I can’t get up there again this summer. So go get ’em! And no, I didn’t go antiquing just because the kicker crapped. The smallies are ALWAYS willing. Right now they’re hanging at the 8-10 foot contour where there are rocks and weeds. Kyle Allen and I caught a bunch of ’em up to 21 inches throwing moon glow/chartreuse tail Munchies on 1/4 oz jigheads, pitching toward shore, counting to six and making a steady retrieve. We would have caught more than 20 in three hours—but only one little chunk of shoreline had less than four footers beating against it!
If your kicker is working and the seas arent too mean, drag clown and blue/silver husky jerks 60-75 feet behind boards off the reefs, tweaking until you get it just right.
If you can’t get out, don’t forget the in-line spinner and plastic fliptails. A 20 inch plus smallie may not be a 12 lb. walleye…but it beats a sharp stick in the eye, any day !
Ted,
Loved your report. Door County used to be one of my favorite places to visit and fish. Everyone knows about the great early spring and fall fishing. Now I have a reason to revisit mid summer. Did you camp out or work out of a resort? Would love to hear how you put your trip together. thanks Dave
worked with Chamber of Commerce. Trying to get walleye cover shots for Wis Sportsman. Two yrs ago I caught an honest 12 trolling husky jerks at this spot. Fish appeared on two different covers. They are here! They really, really are…and hardly anybody is there going after them!!!
Ted…thanks for the up-beat info. Was just cruising the DNR website to find a place to camp for my annual early Sept. outing with my nine year old. We were planning to hit Door County, and was actually thinking about Penninsula State park, or possibly Washington Island, or maybe both…decisions..decisions..decisions. Taking the boat, and fishing is always on our agenda. Gotta get him some smallie action to hook him for life. And a walleye dinner on the coleman stove clinches it…..probably gonna head out week of Sept. 4…will post here.