tbayboy

Congrats Bly, nice fish!

That's awesome. It's something I've always wanted to do but never seem to get around to. Now you've got me looking for old maps again . Thanks for the report.

Great read Mike. Sounds like a great trip - have sure have a knack for getting the sense of a fun you had into your reports.

Well like they say, you can't win 'em all. The last couple weeks have certainly shown that - after the great Canada day weekend I thought July was gonna be a banner fishing month but so far it's giving me a work out. That said I figured a report about bad fishing and what you can learn from it might be welcome enough on the board so here goes my 4 days of not fishing well! It started last weekend when Mikeh and I hooked up for a trip to Georgian Bay. I've never been but to the area but Mike grew up in the area so I was all set for dozens of monster smallies and at least 10 50" muskies before the day was out. We hit the water around 8:30 in the AM on a beautiful day and headed out for some smallies to warm up. Mike worked the top water while I switched up between top water (skitter prop), cranks (x-raps in a variety of colours) and tubes (brown puke) but nothing was happening. At one point I had one follow my tube out of a rock pile but he just watched it regardless of what I did. Another followed a blue and white x-rap the same way - curious but no reactions. Then we saw the mayfly skins and I think we'd figured out the problem. We moved on to try our luck at some of these giant Georgian Bay muskies. We worked several shoals til our arms hurt but nothing raised out of the depths (or shallows). That was our pattern for the day - for 8 hours we switched locations, tried different patterns, all failed. At one point we came up behind an island and saw 3 boats working the area so we figured that must be a sign and one guy trolling held up a nice stringer of smallies so we camped out but still nothing. He was trolling live bait by the looks of it, good on him, bad on us . Finally Mike suggested we head to some pad for a guarantee of fish (or at least to raise them with some frog baits). Well we get in there and see a gar pike. Than another than another, than 3 together. The place was infested with them and they weren't spooked by anything nor would the attack anything (not that we had any idea what to do with a Gar). Obviously we couldn't find a bass to save our lives, not sure if all the Gar had something to do with it but we left the pads with our tails between our legs and swung by one last spot. This was a drift along a weed edge outlying a bay in 10-15 FOW. I put on a perch pattern x-shad rap and started cranking away about 5' down ticking the weed tops. As we neared the end of our first drift I felt tap tap then nothing - stuck on some weeds again. Ugh, I said out loud - got a good pile of weeds here. At this point the part of my brain that remembers growing up in NW Ontario gave up and shut down at my stupidity. Luckily the x-shad comes with some good hooks. I pull at the weeds to get loose and see that the weeds are gold - lots of gold! Holy crap, its a huge eye! Mike grabs the net and my day is salvaged with my new personal best: 5lb 3oz (didn't get a length). Here she is nice and calm in the classic walleye sleeper hold: <a href=" title="Gerogian Bay Walleye by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2640950904_cdc668d5c7_b.jpg" width="1024" height="1001" alt="Gerogian Bay Walleye" /></a> After that we figured we could try the drift again. About half way through Mike gets our first targetted species: <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500" height="375" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=9f970dee77&photo_id=2668941985"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"></param>'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"></param>'>http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=9f970dee77&photo_id=2668941985" height="375" width="500"></embed></object> So 8 hours of fishing and we get our only 2 fish in the last 1/2 hour. Well at least we learned a patten that worked but boy that was a lousy day. Sunday I had some running around to do so I hit the Grand river for 3 hours - hit a spot that's produced last year and the water looked good. Too bad there's too much of the water (or at least I think thats the reason) as the fish just weren't where they should be. I had one little guy spit out my tube and one solid hit that I lost 30 seconds later because I'm an idiot - Hold the rod up you rookie!!!! Then I get home and hear from Mike - he went to scugog and caught 5 bass and 2 muskie including a 40+ incher. Gahh - I missed that? Ok fast forward to this weekend. Mike and I head back to the bog for some muskie hunting. We've done well there this year so I'm feeling good. Here's what I learned after that long long day - be willing to adapt. We spent all day focusing on Musky and I really think, in retrospect, downsizing to some regular spinner baits would have saved the day with a mix of bass and smaller muskies. We learned this near the end of the day when we went to a spot we'd never been to before and found a nice trough to run through. I'd finally given up on the big girls and was tossing a 1/4 oz white spinner bait when I saw a little torpedo swing behind it, pull a U-turn and come back for more. Hooray, the skunk is over! <a href=" title="My only for the day by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2668870143_04d09fdee3_b.jpg" width="1024" height="766" alt="My only for the day" /></a> In the same trough Mike starts tossing a mid sized orange and black spinner and gets the slightly bigger brother: <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=08983866c2&photo_id=2669720172"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=08983866c2&photo_id=2669720172" height="300" width="400"></embed></object> <a href=" title="Little scrapper by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2668872547_3372016cec_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Little scrapper" /></a> We worked at it for a while longer but as Mike said the next day "we were just punishing ourselves". Talking to guys at the launch they said going with small spinners really worked for them. Ah well, we found a new spot on the lake and learned a lesson about changing up when things aren't working. Sunday we decided to hit a different part of the lake and focus on Bass. As we got to the launch we realized there must be a tournament on. Oh well, we headed out and started a drift (very windy day, great for drifting with and without the socks) near the launch. I was tossing the classic white spinner blade (colorado) and Mike was mixing a firetiger/chartruese spinner blade with top waters. 20 minutes into the day and I get a hit right by the boat. Woohoo, bass time! Then Mike notices its a walleye. Well I'll be damned. I reach down to grab the line and watch him pop off the hook. I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed anywhere near NW Ontario after that mistake . But seeing the eyeball I figure I'm going to see if there's anymore and tie on a bucktail with a white grub and start flipping it out. Pretty soon I feel a tick tick and the NW ontario breeding finally wakes up and I drop the tip give him a sec and pop a sure thing: <a href=" title="Scugog Eyeball by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2668873603_ea9a8fd140_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Scugog Eyeball" /></a> What do you know, there are walleye in this lake! Sure enough Mike quickly gets one on his spinner blade and the skunk is off the boat early in the day: <a href=" title="Scugog Walley by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2669695576_7c44f894f9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="1004" alt="Scugog Walley" /></a> Soon after I got a little bass but didn't bother with a picture - he's too small, I tell Mike, I'll get a better one for the picture. Yeah you know what that means . Mike landed a couple little guys as well but it got tough. Luckily Mike managed to find one the pros forgot: <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=8ea37a14a7&photo_id=2668975201"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=55430" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=8ea37a14a7&photo_id=2668975201" height="300" width="400"></embed></object> <a href=" title="Only good one of the day by Sean Maurik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2669696518_c2c23d6871_b.jpg" width="1024" height="982" alt="Only good one of the day" /></a> After that we moved all over trying to find a productive spot like we'd had in the morning but nothing worked. Technically I'm going to put it down to the sun coming out and the dozens of bass pro's working the lake but boy did it put a damper on the day. We kept working for that one last good fish to save the day but it wasn't to be. I was pretty bitter by the end of the day but as we packed up I thought about the great start to the day and the walleye pattern that we'll be sure to use again and I realized that this is part of what keeps us fishing. That drive to not be beaten by the fish or the lake - I can't wait to get back out there and prove that I can do better and learn from my the bad days. Of course I may bring the ultralite and slip floats - just in case Hope you enjoyed the read Sean

Great report, very cool pictures with the lures. Thanks

Nice post Mike. May not have been lots of action but there's a couple beauties there at least. That heron sure did well - how the hell is he gonna get that down his gullet?

Nice report guys. Thanks for the details as well - always appreciate hearing what worked. Looking for to the next report - enjoy unpacking

Congrats on the PB. Still trying to figure out the Bogs bass population myself so it's always nice to see confirmation that they're in there

Thats a great family report, thanks. Beautiful heron shot too - is it just me or do they seem to be all over the place this year? I don't recall seeing nearly as many last year.

You never forget your first musky, congrats to you and your buddy.

Nice job guys, good to see the bog treating someone right today!

Nice fish. ANd people were saying the islands weren't producing this year. Just gotta be willing to get stinky I guess.

Nice report. Sure sounds like a fun week to me even with the pauses. Beats being in the office that's for sure.

I picked up a pair of the BPS white river waders last year, stocking foot and a pair of boots and I love it. I used them into October last year though that was getting pretty chilly but for the number of times I went out with them its a great compromise on quality vs cost (can't justify the simms for the 20 or 30 times a year I use them). So far no problems with leaks at all and very comfortable: As you can see I tend to be in pretty deep so I'm really happy to have the full length sets and I completely agree with meegs on the stocking foot + boot. Cost a bit more that way but much more durable.

Nice stuff guys. Gotta love the bog but is it just me or is black the new chartruese this year? Everyone seems to be tossing black and doing well - damnit I don't wanna buy all new colours again!

I use line from 6lb fireline to 20lb powerpro on my 2500s (sahara's and stradics) and have never had a problem. The 2500 isn't too small (got my 750 sedona for panfish/ice fishing) and not too big at all. You can google the recommended line diameters for spools pretty easily, the shimano 2500s (sahara, stradic) for example are listed for 6-10lb line (mono width): 6/200, 8/140, 10/120 so yup, 10lb is fine on it as long as you aren't flinging 121 yards

Some really nice scenery pics there Will. Sounds like a fun time too except maybe for the bugs

Sounds like a fun adventure to me. Heck still looks like a lot of fish boated so what if not of them were slimy.

Nice report. Your sons smile in that pic is priceless.

Nice fish for sure and your daughters catch is a great picture.

Congrats JB, thats a couple beauties you got in the boat with ya!

Wow,quite the trip TJ, sounds like a load of fun was had by all.

Finally got done reading another moosebunk novel and once again glad I took the time to read it end to end. You never fail to disappoint. Thanks as always for a great way to start my week.

Nice fish. We found them all over the place up in Georgian bay on Saturday but couldn't get them to do anything. Damn things just lied there and you could pretty much reach over and pick them up. Not nearly the size of that one though, what a brute (if a gar pick can be called a brute )

Congrats on the personal best, nice fish for sure and sounds like a great family weekend. Thanks for the report