SHORT TRIP FOR WALLEYE
Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Escanaba, Michigan; 2-28-09
I had very little time to fish today. A friend and his son visiting from Wisconsin had just three hours to tag along this morning, as we took a stab at some walleye action on the Bay.
After setting up and with travel time we would have about two hours to tempt the walleyes I know from experience frequent this area in the late season. We stopped at Bay View Baitshop for a non-resident license and some three-inch shiner minnows. I had an all-terrain vehicle available from another friend who lives near the mouth of the Escanaba River, and I had a freight sled we could pull behind the machine, so we fished there.
My friend sat on the cargo rack on the back of the ATV, and his son sat in the sled along with the gear we would need to fish with. The permanent shanty we would use was located just north of the river mouth, so we headed out on a slow, bumpy ride across the ice.
A powerful wind storm sculpted the bay with great snow drifts just two days prior to this trip. Looking at some of these natural creations as we entered the bay made me hesitate to blast through them on the machine. Off to the north, lay a long line of snow dunes that looked like a frozen scene from the Sahara. Eastward, spiked snow drifts looked like miniature mountains. Scalloped snow swirls to the south reminded me of icing on an angel food cake.
An unexpected development earlier in the week gave my confidence a boost. Officers from the Department of Natural Resources broke up a large-scale poaching ring running two thousand feet of illegal nets nearby that may have been hauling out hundreds of fish daily. Apparently, the poachers had been working at night. We knew our catch rate had been down this season in this area, but we did not know why. This unexpected bust could only help our fishing.
The shanty was set along an underwater slope leading to the actual river mouth. Logs, boulders, ship staves, and many other objects that had washed down with the current provided bottom cover. I set my friend up with a Jigging Rapala tipped with a minnow tail, and rigged a slip float for his son, set at two feet above bottom. By letting the jigging lure fall to bottom and bouncing it there several times a cloud of sediment would raise up, which can attract passing fish. After bumping bottom several times, the lure is raised up about three feet and jigged at that level. I used a similar tactic with a bright orange lure while he used a “clown” colored style (white, with red and blue spots).
Within the first hour my friend landed a 25" slab sided walleye from 24 feet of water. The fish was very chunky and solid for this length. We could see it coming up from the depths in the Bay’s ultra-clear water. I gaffed the fish since trying to grab one that size at the hole by hand often lets them escape. Before the two-hour time frame was up we missed one additional fish that hit but failed to hook up solidly. Action was slow, but at least we managed one very nice fish.
Later at home I filleted it and found it was a large male. Its stomach was empty, which surprised me since it looked like it must have been stuffed with gobies or something. I’ll be returning to the river mouth this week to see if normal fish movements resume now that the nets have been removed. This is the first year the walleye season has been extended until March 15 here in the Upper Peninsula, and I’m happy to take advantage of it. Meanwhile my friend was returning to the Rhinelander area with the fillets packaged and in a cooler. He intended to cook them later that evening.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Showing posts with label Escanaba Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Escanaba Michigan. Show all posts
Monday, March 2, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
ALBINO BAY DE NOC BURBOT CAUGHT
ALBINO BAY DE NOC BURBOT CAUGHT
By: Ray Hansen
I have mentioned fishing for burbot on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula several times. This is a time of year when they are commonly caught in northern waters. These primitive fish are also called eelpout, and have a long dorsal fin extending to the tail that can make them look like an eel. Local anglers like them because they eat gobies which threaten to overpopulate the Great Lakes, and because the burbot can be cooked as a dish called “poor man’s lobster”
which I have enjoyed.
In 2007, John Katarincic of Gladstone, Michigan caught an albino burbot from Little Bay de Noc off Kipling, Michigan while fishing for walleyes in 26 feet of water. The bizarrely colored fish measured over 28 inches in length, and was brought to the Escanaba office of the Department of Natural Resources where it was checked by biologist Darren Kramer.
Katarincic said he thought he had hooked a big walleye, but was not disappointed by his unusual catch. Many anglers target these fish during mid-February since they can be very active biters at this time of year, and are attracted to “glow” style lures tipped with minnows.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
By: Ray Hansen
I have mentioned fishing for burbot on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula several times. This is a time of year when they are commonly caught in northern waters. These primitive fish are also called eelpout, and have a long dorsal fin extending to the tail that can make them look like an eel. Local anglers like them because they eat gobies which threaten to overpopulate the Great Lakes, and because the burbot can be cooked as a dish called “poor man’s lobster”
which I have enjoyed.
In 2007, John Katarincic of Gladstone, Michigan caught an albino burbot from Little Bay de Noc off Kipling, Michigan while fishing for walleyes in 26 feet of water. The bizarrely colored fish measured over 28 inches in length, and was brought to the Escanaba office of the Department of Natural Resources where it was checked by biologist Darren Kramer.
Katarincic said he thought he had hooked a big walleye, but was not disappointed by his unusual catch. Many anglers target these fish during mid-February since they can be very active biters at this time of year, and are attracted to “glow” style lures tipped with minnows.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
BIG WALLEYES FROM SHORE
Author's note: I have several items to comment on in this blog. First, I rely on a satellite connection (Hughes) for internet access here in my part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is usually slow, and at times I simply cannot get connected. Last night was one of them. This is the only service available here at this time, so I guess I'll have to live with it for now.
Secondly, I'll be in bow hunting camp all of next week, so I do not plan on posting any blogs during that hunt. I may try to post an update one day during the week since I am not hunting too far from my home.
Finally, anglers casting from shore start catching big walleyes here near Escanaba, Michigan and in many other bays on the Great Lakes. I am running some information about taking advantage of this bite in today's blog. It has appeared previously here, but it is timely and I have many more readers now so I am presenting it again. I hope it inspires you to get out and try it.
By: Ray Hansen
Once Halloween nears, a new cold-weather creature comes out at night – and this one stalks big walleyes. You’ll spot this stalker at river mouths, at the deep end of piers, along rocky shorelines, on jetties, and most places where deeper water on the Great Lakes swings in close enough to shore that it can be reached with a rod and reel rig capable distance casting. Sometimes clad in chest waders, and at other times in coveralls paired with long hip boots, this walleye killer often shows mercy, releasing big fish as soon as they are reeled in.
These are the fearless members of the night patrol: anglers who have learned that big glass-eyes make a shoreward run during the late-fall season just as they do during the spring. Intercept these active fish, and you’ll get a bunch of great new stories to tell around the campfire.
I’ve got a pair of Jim Grandt rods ( www.grandtrods.com) that have proven their worth in this situation many times. The model XLH70, six-foot, six-inch spinning rod coupled with a “long-cast” style (extended spool) reel spooled with twenty-pound test Cortland Spectron line is a classic. Equally well suited to this task is the seven-foot model C-10 “All American Pro Series” medium/heavy action casting rod, a low-profile casting reel and the same line.
Pair these rods with three and one-half inch to five inch minnow-imitating lures, four inch soft plastic grubs or shad imitators on three-eights ounce jigheads, or one-half ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lures (especially the “glow” models), and you are basically ready to go. Tie on a strong snap to help in changing lures without having to re-tie.
Finding a productive spot may take a little detective work. Experienced night patrol members are likely to be tight-lipped about their favorite destinations. Friends that have been doing this in Michigan for many years wear dark colors, avoid using lights (when fishing from shore), and don’t even talk much while casting. You can find potentially good spots by consulting detailed topographic maps, asking discreetly at bait shops, and simply keeping your eyes open and ears on “high alert” for clues.
I once found a couple good places by noticing that nearby motels always had angler’s trucks and/or boats in their parking lots during the day, but the same lots had only tourist’s cars in them at night. The night patrol members were obviously fishing after dark and sleeping during the day! In another area of the Great Lakes, I knew a waitress at a local diner who revealed some information from overheard conversations at breakfast tables.
And how long does this big fish bonanza last? Well… I’ve seen boats catching big walleyes as long as open water allows it, often mid-December. The anglers casting from shore seem to get results through November on the upper Great Lakes.
This type of fishing will probably never become main-stream. It requires too much effort, cutting back on sleep, dressing for cold weather, fishing under sometimes uncomfortable conditions, not being able to find any friends willing to brave the elements, and related challenges. I’ll tell you this much however, enjoy one memorable night patrol trip for big marble-eyes with sagging bellies stuffed with smelt and other oily forage, and you’ll be hooked!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Secondly, I'll be in bow hunting camp all of next week, so I do not plan on posting any blogs during that hunt. I may try to post an update one day during the week since I am not hunting too far from my home.
Finally, anglers casting from shore start catching big walleyes here near Escanaba, Michigan and in many other bays on the Great Lakes. I am running some information about taking advantage of this bite in today's blog. It has appeared previously here, but it is timely and I have many more readers now so I am presenting it again. I hope it inspires you to get out and try it.
By: Ray Hansen
Once Halloween nears, a new cold-weather creature comes out at night – and this one stalks big walleyes. You’ll spot this stalker at river mouths, at the deep end of piers, along rocky shorelines, on jetties, and most places where deeper water on the Great Lakes swings in close enough to shore that it can be reached with a rod and reel rig capable distance casting. Sometimes clad in chest waders, and at other times in coveralls paired with long hip boots, this walleye killer often shows mercy, releasing big fish as soon as they are reeled in.
These are the fearless members of the night patrol: anglers who have learned that big glass-eyes make a shoreward run during the late-fall season just as they do during the spring. Intercept these active fish, and you’ll get a bunch of great new stories to tell around the campfire.
I’ve got a pair of Jim Grandt rods ( www.grandtrods.com) that have proven their worth in this situation many times. The model XLH70, six-foot, six-inch spinning rod coupled with a “long-cast” style (extended spool) reel spooled with twenty-pound test Cortland Spectron line is a classic. Equally well suited to this task is the seven-foot model C-10 “All American Pro Series” medium/heavy action casting rod, a low-profile casting reel and the same line.
Pair these rods with three and one-half inch to five inch minnow-imitating lures, four inch soft plastic grubs or shad imitators on three-eights ounce jigheads, or one-half ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lures (especially the “glow” models), and you are basically ready to go. Tie on a strong snap to help in changing lures without having to re-tie.
Finding a productive spot may take a little detective work. Experienced night patrol members are likely to be tight-lipped about their favorite destinations. Friends that have been doing this in Michigan for many years wear dark colors, avoid using lights (when fishing from shore), and don’t even talk much while casting. You can find potentially good spots by consulting detailed topographic maps, asking discreetly at bait shops, and simply keeping your eyes open and ears on “high alert” for clues.
I once found a couple good places by noticing that nearby motels always had angler’s trucks and/or boats in their parking lots during the day, but the same lots had only tourist’s cars in them at night. The night patrol members were obviously fishing after dark and sleeping during the day! In another area of the Great Lakes, I knew a waitress at a local diner who revealed some information from overheard conversations at breakfast tables.
And how long does this big fish bonanza last? Well… I’ve seen boats catching big walleyes as long as open water allows it, often mid-December. The anglers casting from shore seem to get results through November on the upper Great Lakes.
This type of fishing will probably never become main-stream. It requires too much effort, cutting back on sleep, dressing for cold weather, fishing under sometimes uncomfortable conditions, not being able to find any friends willing to brave the elements, and related challenges. I’ll tell you this much however, enjoy one memorable night patrol trip for big marble-eyes with sagging bellies stuffed with smelt and other oily forage, and you’ll be hooked!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
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