Ice Report Jan 11 2014

We fished a popular Dodge County lake Saturday. It was crowded to say the least. Weather was mild compared to the recent cold snap but the winds made it feel a lot colder. I would guess there was 13-15" of ice.

3 out of 5 in our group managed to limit out on crappie in about an hour. All 5 of us eventually got our limits. We capped the morning with a quick lunch of brats on the grill and a beer or two. We were on our way home by 1pm.

Spoons or jigs tipped with spikes worked. Crappie minnows also produced. My biggest crappies of the day came on a dead stick rigged with a crappie minnow on a plain gold hook but jigs and spoons called in the fish for fast paced action.

November 10th Report: Lake Michigan

We got out this morning about an hour before sunrise with a WNW wind. Action was fair until the sun came up. We managed a handful of browns. Some are bound for the grill and others for the smoker.

January heat wave

With the wind blowing, and water on the ice, we ventured out on a local Waukesha County lake today.  Temperatures have been in the high 30's up to the mid 40's for a few days now, yet the ice is stable, 8 inches or more everywhere we went. Finding deeper water was the challenge today. Everywhere we looked the weeds were thick and gown tall up to the ice. 

 We managed to punch a few holes around this massive flat and jig up small pan fish. Most were sent back to tell their friends of the perils they had just survived.

We also had a good handful of flags, with a few low 20 to mid 20 inch northern.

This northern was the biggest of the day. Unfortunately it wasn't quite 26" which is the slot for Waukesha County lakes. He would have been a great candidate for the pickle jar, but we respect the regs and released all of our undersized northern today.

Fishing was slow, but that never matters to us. When you are on the ice with friends, the beers are flowing, the grill is rolling and food is hot, you'd better be having a good time.

Cold temps and high winds are in the forecast. We should be making ice rapidly this upcoming week. 

O Canada! Ontario Fly in

I returned last night from my 1 week stay in Ontario. I am excited to share some of the photos I took during my adventure. We flew in to Highrock lake with Gordy of Melaire Ltd. A well experience bush pilot with a 1960's Dehavilland Turbo Beaver. We promptly unpacked our cargo and he departed with a wave. 

So there we were, 4 men with a lake all to ourselves. One week deserted on an island in Ontario, no communication with the outside world and nothing to do except fish. 

                       

Riding Shotgun in a Turbo Beaver

See you in a week!

Home sweet home

First Canadian Smallmouth... on a topwater. Bob Ross Approved, Happy Trees, Happy Fish

18+ inchers all day long\

 Different fish, seriously

 Toothy Critters

 GO LONG!

 The crowning glory of the trip. Closing day, I managed to boat this Walleye. Measuring in at nearly 30 inches this is by far a personal record for me. On a inland lake none the less. If it weren't for my good friend Eric who netted this beast for me, I never would have landed her. My 6lb test line popped just as the fish hit the net. 

 \

 The Duke watched over us every night

Atop a "High Rock"

 Lady Slipper

This trip was one of a lifetime to say the least. Hopefully it is the start of a lifetime of trips just like it. My experiences in Ontario far surpassed my expectations. Ontario offered some of the best warm water fishing I have ever experienced to date, not to mention I was among great company as well.

A midst the double headers, bent hooks and broken lines,  I managed to pull off what I ended up calling "The Ultimate Ontario Grand Slam". One fly rod, one fly, one day, 3 species: Walleye, Smallmouth and of course our toothy friend the Northern Pike.

I never anticipated catching so many Walleye on the fly rod. What a feeling that is. 

I hope you  enjoyed the photos so far. I will get some photos up of the most successful flies during my stay.

March Steelhead

The weather this past week has been unusual to say the least. We usually don't associate cloudless sunny days in the mid 70's with Steelheading. But it is March and the fish are in, busy making reds and spawning. Sunday morning Adam, Anthony and I hit the river ( I was running late as usual) and fished until the evening. Swinging flies all day long, only stopping for lunch, we only managed to hook into one. Sadly, we ended the day with no fish to hand. We all fished different styles, colors, and depths of the water column. In the photo of our rigs you see Airflo Scandi, Delta, and Skagit lines. Classic flies, bunny leeches, tubes, and other bright colored creatures failed to produce.

We bumped into David from ChicagoTroutBum and friend Niall, who also turned up skunked.

Water conditions were just about prime. The stain was good, but turbid, with the water still a little high and dirty. Runoff is more prevalent to the north, where standing water is still found along the riverbanks. 

Adam and I both commented to each other about the fact that last week it was fishing in snow storms and freezing temps, and now this week water temps are already climbing into the upper 40's. 

Rain is in the forecast, as well as some cooler temps. (still unseasonably warm) The rain should bring in more fish, and the run should be working into it's prime. Dropback fish will be hungry, looking to pack in calories as they work their way back to the big pond. High water and warm conditions in spring are a great time to try out larger presentations to entice competitive males and those  hungry dropback hens. I know you will surly find me on the water, trying to beat the skunks out of my waders. Getting Skunked sucks.

Catch em if you can!