Under the Missing Moon….

This trip was a Re-Do for a trip we cancelled due to wind a few weeks ago. Joining me were my son Ben and the Birthday Boys Andy (Drew) Stark, and his son Jake, who is also my nephew. (Happy Birthday guys!)The walleye were present as was advertised by those here on IDA who have been tackling a few piggies lately. We Picked up the G3 from Farm Island Marine in Aitkin and off we went in search of walleye in the dark. And I mean DARK! No moon, just a few stars from time to time, and a couple of yard lights. Technique is and was the key with little or no available light. Lure selection was not as much of a factor for me as was how the lures were presented.

We caught 15 fish all tolled. And 13 came from one rod. Unfortunately it was mine. I really wanted the kids to get into them. They were a little more in tune with reciting lines from South Park, than what was going on in the water 85 feet behind the boat! That is key to putting fish in the boat on moonless nights in my opinion. That, and putting lures where the fish are. Less than 30 seconds after putting out first line back pulling away from the Marina, I got crushed by this 24" fish. This told me what I wanted to know very quickly. Were the fish relating to weed or rock? Shallow or a bit deeper? Well this one clipped a Bomber Long A in 3 feet of water. I immediately put that lure on my son’s rod, and hooked up a Smithwick Rogue on mine. I got hit again a bit later with that. This fish came out of 3.5′ of water. A pattern this night was soon becoming apparent. Lure selection did not matter as much as presentation. We caught fish on Thundersticks, Rogues, Husky Jerks and Bomber Long A’s.

So now you need to prove it was either a fluke, or a pattern. The best way to do this is to do some large figure 8’s. By large I mean 50 yards out over the deepest area you plan to fish, and 50 yards over the shallowest… Make note of where the fish are coming from. You should know in relatively short order whether or not the fish are in the areas you are targeting. Also try a number of lures when doing this. Large stick baits with and without rattles. Chrome and painted like firetiger, or contrasting patterns. I try to always have 1 chome and one painted stick on until a clear pattern is established. I also will vary the amount of line I have out behind the boat. With large figure 8’s I can get by with 100-125 feet back. Shorter patterns, I use shorter lengths. I try to stick to nothing more than 75 when making short turns. I have made the observation over the years that my moonless fish tend to come from very shallow water, and not weeds. Rob Stenger and I trolled over some very shallow sand on the east side a few years back, and caught fish that I swear were trying to walk up onto shore! I believe without the moon, these weed fish are a little harder to catch. Impossible? no, I know a lot of guys here on IDA that are still pulling some nice fish over the weeds. But you may have to work a little harder for them.

It was apparent that this night, as in many nights where there is no moonlight, the fish for me were shallow. So I concentrated on rocks inside weedlines. This is where your tracking system on your GPS is critical. Because you will now be trolling in some awful skinny water. One pass a little in towards shore, and you will be ordering a new prop. Too far out, and you won’t contact the fish. Another critical presentation factor is how you hold the rod, and how you present the lure. This I believe is the reason my lines got bit more than the rest in the boat. A while back James Holst and I were sitting around the table talking about this very thing. He said "Do you ever realize how many more fish the Guide catches than some customers?" What he meant by this was that you develop a feel when on the water for a long period of time. You know that pulling the lure forward, and dropping it back on a tight line will often provoke a strike. That lure going back on a tight line stops it’s forward motion momentarily like a wounded minnow would. I believe a fish will follow a minnow bait for a bit, and judging by it’s cadence decides whether or not it is going to eat it. If the line is slack the fish may hit it, and realize it is not real and drop it. A tight line will hook up the fish immediately more often than not.

As a side note, we did manage 4 slot fish trolling shallow. We did not get one fish deeper than 4 FOW, and got none over the weeds. In all fairness, I did not get out over the top of the weeds, as the shallow fish were going better.

I will be up to Mille Lacs for a week starting the 19th, and ending the night of the 26th. If anyone is interested in spending a night out on Mille Lacs, give me a ring or a PM or email and inquire about available dates.

Good luck!!

Tuck