Reef Runner

Thanks for the guidance fellas. I was reading the regs and exception in congruity...aka thinking I could only keep three between 35-36cm lol better make sure that tape measure is accurate.

Over/under Balsam slot, from what I'm understanding, good to go. Thanks for clearing it up.

Just awesome.

Hello all:

Quick question on Balsam walleyes:

FM17 regs  S:4, must be between 35-50cm, Balsam exception S:3, cannot be between 37-55cm.

Therefore, if I'm reading these right, I can keep 3 cigars between 35-36cm?

That's a tiny window. Sporting license of course. Let's not turn this into a guys keep 'em anyway and locals do this and that.  Just lookin' to stay legal on the long weekend.

Thanks a bunch.

Reef.

Awesome! Glad to hear the lake produced for ya.

Both Largemouth and Smallmouth as well as perch in the lake.  If you're fishing with the kiddos bring worms and set them up under a float so it's a more interactive experience watching the float go down.

History rocks! lol

cool find.  Wonder how fishing was back then.

Without any measurements talk of world record is fruitless, me thinks that was a click bait move. Fish had Shoulders!

Nice fish regardless! I've had to bear hug a slimmer or two in my day.  It isn't "proper" handling but it happens, worse if he dropped the big girl.  Looks like the fish swam away healthy.

That's a dandy fish Lew, super clean.

Some clean looking smallies.  Thanks for the report!

Working South Bay slow (1-1.5mph)  with a worm harness will get you eyes and the incidental musky; depending which way the wind is blowing the bait will stack up in saddles drop-offs.  If you have a graph you can see eyes hugging bottom.  I've done well for pike/musky burning safety pin style spinner baits from the middle of the canal towards shore/islands through Mitchell, chartreuse and white and I usually tie on a stinger hook.  The weeds get thick but they bury themselves and explode through the veg at times.  Remember to figure 8, some of those ski's really like to follow or just appear from under the boat.  Funny enough, my biggest eye from Balsam (29incher) came from trolling a jointed believer.

41 minutes ago, AKRISONER said:

from what i can see, the firefighters have done a friggin incredible job containing the blaze to the forest and away from most of the cottages thus far...there is obviously is devestation, but i believe they were able to save the key marina area...which i friggin incredible because the fire basically surrounded the entirety of the community there.

some of the footage of the water bombers sweeping in on the henvey inlet is crazy, the pilots of those planes are friggin next level.

Good to hear Akri.  The lady at the little shop above the launch at Key river was always pleasant and hospitable.  On a long haul back down to Toronto they let us check into one of their cabins after hours just left the lights on for us to lay our heads down and settle up in the morning.  Good folks out that way!

Very sad to see. Pickerel and the French were my yearly getaways later into fall for ski's.  Rented a nice cabin on the Key just last summer.  Hope all in the community are fairing as best they can.

Of all the K lakes my home lake c a na l has seen the worst drop in eyes IMO.  I've been there since '95 and even back then it wasn't a hot lake for them but they could be had on cranks and incidentals.  Was reading in the "good ol' days" this place was an eye factory. Since '95 I've witnessed the pike move in, few years the pike were the dominant species, nowadays the sort of died down and it's become of soup of thick vegetation, panfish and bass.  I've even caught bowfin in there which tells you how soupy it's become.  They drop the water level in the fall quite a bit, mix in the pike, roaming carp and abundance of opportunistic pannies and the outcome is I can't buy an eye from here in the past 6-7 years.  I always think maybe they's really tight in the veg where they cant be picked up on electronics so it makes them impossible to target, they went extinct in the lake or I really suck (which is a great possibility lol).  But a slot on this lake wouldn't helpme thinks this is one of those lakes that eyes become only fairy tales.

Nice shootin.  Thanks for the report.

Awesome pic!

Was on a Western Zone 17 lake. Nothing to show but a few pike snot rockets.  Temps were mid 60s.

Reef

Brief report on my weekend up at Horn Lake...

It was COOOOLLLLLD and windy, making yak voyages short.

Despite the advice of the contributors to this post, lakers and whitefish were no where to be had.

Most co-operative were the pumpkin seed, a dink perch and a couple of quarter pounder OOS smallies.

Did stumble upon a few shoots of wild asparagus close to the cabin which made it's way to the table one evening.

I've been using 5-6 inch shad style swim baits past year with success. Berkley Powerbait Flatback Shad or a YUM Money Minnow.

If I want to twitch the bait higher up in the water column and let it flutter I'll rig it on straight worm Wide-gap 5/0.  Get it down farther with a 3/8 ounce jog head up to 1 or 2 ounces if you want to get it down to the bottom.

Make sure your hooks are heavy gage. I've had bad luck with the prepacked swim bait rigs, straightened hooks and what not.

You'll also want to tie on a quality leader for the toothy critters.

Reef

Yup, regs say Lakers open 3rd Sat. in May - none between 40-55cm.

Thanks Garnet.  Going to rig my salty holder just for trollin'.  Good tip.

Awesome vid Ohio! Those smallies will be OOS but glad to see the pumpkinseed stacked like cord wood

Thanks Bill. I'll put some Williams' and Mepps syclops in the bag o' tricks.  Seems like the consensus is they'll still be up shallow.

I thought the same Akri, weird there's pike all around but this one.  Just lookin' out for other species besides perchin.

Thanks fellas.

Akri, from what I've read online there are no confirmed pike in the lake. Otherwise I'd be bombing those warm bays long casts on a twitch and stop retrieve.

Jimmer, that's what I'm looking for bud.  Just general techniques - never fished for lakers this early in the season especially out of a yak with no electronics.  My feeling is they'll still be in the upper 25-30 feet water column.

Was also thinking of trying a 3 way rig, heavy bell sinker on the bottom and a stick or crankbait running 4-6foot back. 

Regardless, after a long winter and spring of not getting on the water much I'm actually looking forward to perching; love a good perch taco feed. Makes good competition between me and the GF too (even though im mostly baiting and takin' em off the hook).

Keep em coming boys.  Old school early season laker and whitie techniques welcome - before the time we could see them on our fancy gadgets lol.

Reef.

Good day all,

The long weekend upon us, I have been invited to cottage on the North end of Horn Lake (Burks Falls Area - near Ahmic Lake).

Been doing a little internet research and note the lake has a population of Perch, Smallmouth, Lake Trout and Whitefish.  Smallmouth are out of the equation as they will be OOS.

I'll be low tech, fishing from a yak no electronics besides the Navionics app.

Can anyone advise info on surface temps?

Practically I'll be targeting perch with worms in the warmest bays, but wouldn't mind trying my stick at lakers or whitefish (maybe a tall task with no sonar but I'll give it a shot).

Going in "blind" so-to-say, how would you approach targeting lakers and whitefish this time of year.

Please feel free to PM.  Anyone who's asked me of info the past can attest that I share my knowledge with members via PM and I'm a vault when it comes to specifics unless I'm the first-hand experiencer.

Many thanks in advance,

Reef

The fenwick will suit you just fine.  My two cents would be to bring a reel that holds the most line it can with a decent drag system. Salt water species are a different beast and can peel line in a blink of an eye if you tie into a good one. 

First time in Florida with my Canuck set-up got spooled by a medium-sized Jack that left me speechless, even the small ones will test you.  Also, heavy mono or floro leaders, them teeth will slice right though braid like butter.  

Awesome report!

Nice Fish! Love this water. Thanks for sharing