On Saturday morning the temperature was -20 below!! A good day to be laying on the couch watching fishing show’s for most fisherman this time of the year. But with the Nitti’s Hunters Point perch and pout contest on the calendar….you need to have other plan’s.
This is annual event that for some is just a social gathering….for other’s it’s bragging rights!!!Our group was a mixture of both I think!!! Our group had a off day for catching perch, but did manage to hang one fish on the winning weight board!!! Congrat’s go out to Josh Hukriede for pulling in the third place pout!!! at 3 lb’s 8 oz’s.
We fished an area that had been producing some nice perch in the last week. Only today with this cold snap that really froze their mouths together. Today we did catch a few 9-10 inch fish, but not near enough to get on the board. The winning perch weighed in at 1 lb 5.5 oz’s. Congrats go out to JBongers here on IDA as he came in with a second place perch…nice job JB. Well it’s time to make plans for next weekends Liberty Beach Perch Extravaganza…hope for better result’s.
George and Linda Nitti and their crew put on another great event. They gave out a pile of nice prizes!!! I think around dozen gun’s, 4-5 FL-18’s, a half dozen or so TV’s…bags for the kid’s and more. Oh well another year that my number wasn’t drawn! We did have some winners in our group that took home prize’s, Hunter Rosenbaum won a FL-18 and Dirk Robertson won a black powder gun!! George spent sometime before the drawings addressing the crowd, making one surprizing annoucement that Hunters will be hosting the PWT 2006 Super Pro Series to be held on Mille Lacs August 9-11. As always thanks George and Linda for holding this fun event! It get’s bigger and better every year!!
Well it’s now on to next weekends Extravaganza……..hoping for better luck!! Hope to see ya there
Next weekend! It’s looking a bit better for weather too.
Congrats Josh & JBongers. Thanks for the report Bobber.
Another picture of all the cars and trucks parked at the contest!!
As the house starts coming alive over here, we’ll add pictures.
Sure, Story of my life.
After the drawing we headed back out to the shack for the evening run, which did happen and I caught a perch that would of gave the board a run!!!
I’ll get a picture up as soon as we figure out who’s camera it’s on???
We ended the day with 11 Jumbos, 1 walleye and 5 pouts for Tuck!
Good time had by all in our group!
Josh’s 3rd place pout.
$100 dollar fish. Good thing Putz and Tuck talked him into weighing it!!!
Big Perch!!!I bet that it came out of the hole I was sitting by? How did the card game go??? maybe you could post the winner and pictures of that part of the night…..oh, but what camera has the pictures!!!!!
Good time had by all!!!!!
Tuck was the man at the poker table last night. He won the game!
Kenny Chesney took 2nd.
Hey Hooks, that van behind Josh looks familiar. Don’t tell me that the wife made it out to the fishhouse and maybe even fished? Where the meat raffles cancelled?
OOOH THAT POUT LOOKS MIGHTY TASTY.
MY MOUTH IS SALIVATING AS WE SPEAK.
yum yUM
———-FISHINFOOL
No Doug, it’s not your wifes van….But you did sell that van……
In a word-chilly out there! Congrats Josh, it was a tough day to get anything to bite. We did manage to bring home a dozen nice perch, but only the 10-12 inch variety, good eaters.
We saw a lot of lookers on the camera, but they would just sniff & whiff. No prizes here either, but still a great time. Good luck to all at the Liberty tourney, I’ll be heading up to URL next Sat. 
So……(Putz, here it comes!) Shortly after the tequila induced marriage proposal by a woman on stage, Putz whispers in my ear “Tuck, were we supposed to turn in the paper tag attached to the button for the drawing?” I said, yeah, funny Gene…” and he says “No, I am serious!” I turn around as his lutey scented fingers retrieve two buttons from his pocket with the TAGS STILL ATTACHED!
Rather than go up to the stage and turn in his tickets (After the drawing was half over!)he mumbles some Norwegian expletives not suitable for a family site, and grabbed his DNA collecter and waddled back to his truck to talk to his wife about the buttons 
. 
He said there was no sense in standing out in the cold with the rest of us knowing he couldn’t win anything! 
Thanks for making my day! God, that was funny! What did B.O.P. say upon your return and subsequent admonition?
Tuck
Funny guy.
The trip back to the fish house from the drawing didn’t take very long. Hope George didn’t see me flying across his bridge at 50 mph. The first few minutes in the fish house were rather heated but after a bit we decided that worse things have happened in our 33 years together. Like playing tag team at the outhouse at 0700 on a 20 below morning. So it was good for a laugh although embarassing. You noticed that we didn’t come over for a visit that night. Felt too foolish.
BTW, the bite was better on Sunday. We ended up with 17 perch by 1:30 including a 13.5″ when we had to pack up and go. I figured the bite would only get better and tried talking mama into staying another night when she said the nastiest of 4 letter words. “Work.” It was a very light bite and after several misses we downsized the jigs and went from waxies to larvae just so they would get the hook in their mouth. This helped but you still couldn’t feel them hit it. Just had to concentrate on the rod tip and set the hook on any pressure change (more or less). More on this later.
And you give me crap!!! Putz…….I thought better of yo than that!
Looks like you guys had ALOT of FUN.
And a big crowd too. 
Thanks for the reports/updates guys. 
Thanks, Bill
Sounds like Putz didn’t accept this time!
I’m glad to see you taking B.O.P’s along to keep you out of trouble.
Congrat Josh! Sounds like you guys had a great time..I hope next year will bring me to Georges for the Pout kissing contest.
Say Putz, I heard this terrable rumor…(talk about feeling foolish)….
Is it true that Boss of Putz actually started you on eating Lute?????
WHAT SAY YOU SIR!?
$100 perch a day late. Dunno. Didn’t weigh it because I didn’t want to find out.
The trick for us on Sunday was to downsize the lure and switch from waxies to larva as they were pulling the softer waxies off the hook before we felt them. We ended up using small (#10 hook size) weighted glow jigs with a larve strung on the hook to cover the shank and another one hooked through the head (tail?) for extra attraction. When there were no fish on the screen, we would slowly bounce the jig off the bottom and up to 6″ off the bottom. When a fish showed on the screen, it was best to hold the jig still 4-6″ off the bottom and wait for the pressure change on the rod tip. This system increased our hook-up ratio greatly. Of course this would not have worked as well without the old FL-8 running. It may not be as good as an 18 but it sure helped that day. Unfortunately, the Marcum ran out of juice the day before so I didn’t get to watch them bite. Which brings me to another point. The VS-400 I bought from Scott last year has about a 15 hour run time on a fully charged battery. Is this typical for these units? Usually its enough unless you are spending 3 days in a rental house.
I’m not a pro or guide level angler, but I thought that if these techniques helped me last weekend, maybe they would help someone else like me in the future. Good luck.
BTW, Brian, I have been around lutey all my life sine my grandma and mom cooked it every Christmas. It was only when I took the BOP back home for our first Christmas and saw her chow down the lutey that I took it serious. Funny how little you know about someone until you spend some time with them.
Very good perch tip Putz!
I get less run time than you did with my 500. I bought a second battery at Fleet Farm for $20. on sale (I think). As long as I bring it along it works well.
PS…I’ve tried to spend some time with BOP…but she won’t hear of it!
That’s because she has good taste in her choice of men, Brian.
Good Shot Putz!
Do we have a bullseye graemlin?
Good tips and info Putz, Thanks.
dave
Normally I would question that statment since she has lute on her fingers…but since she’s BOP…well, she’s in charge.
Did I mention that was nice of her to take your photo with her fish? Nice perchy!
Or maybe it is her only downfall?
Darn nice fish you old fart! Going back up this weekend? Maybe I can help you with your button selection
<snicker>…I’m thinking BOP will have his button selection covered!
I’m planing on coming up this weekend. BOP is waiting for a more accurate weather forecast. No more outhouses at 20 below for her. Otherwise I will be staying at Jim’s. Either way, I don’t think we will buy buttons for this one. It will be the same odds as last weekend.