manitoubass2

lol, so true

Love the pics!!!! Man those look delish!!! Here is a few of my own from recent

We had a feed last night, and I opted for the traditional flour/eggwash/breading/fried method. But for breading I used a mix of cornflake crums, Crispers salt and vinegar flavor crackers, and some croutons all smashed up and mixed.

Turned out really nice, good flavors and some crunch. Kids loved it

Thanks for your help. The link you posted was much better then the one i was using.

 

http://www.mnr.gov.o...L02_163615.html

 

What pound test would you run for the braid and the fluoro?

 

Thanks,

 

Lovetofish

No problem, glad to help! But like previously mentioned, I never get to target those fish. Might wanna get some of the other to chime in for recommendations???

Depends on your set up etc I suppose, but I'd think it would depend where your fishing and the depth.

The heavier the braid, the more it floats. But the lighter the braid the better the fight will be.

I'd think 6-8lb braid would be good, and match the diameter up with the fluoro

With the smaller braid you can get great casts, and you could also use a hi vis to help as well.

Again, the fluoro leader would depend on what depth you wish to present your offerings

I've never fished these species,

But if your float fishing with a baitcaster I'd use braid with a fluoro leader the length of the depth your want to achieve.

Braid floats, fluoro sinks like a rock.

Check out the MNR website or pick up a copy of the regs for the rest of your questions

http://viewer.zmags....8a2#/29e578a2/1

The actual books are available at baitshops, your local MNR offices, local convenience stores (in some cases)

Best of luck to you!!!

Lately, I've been a big fan of cooking my walleye more like trout.

Pre heat oven to 400

Make tinfoil bags that fit 2 walleye fillets in each, spray with Pam no stick butter spray.

Put walleye on the tinfoil, season with pepper, lemon pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt

Add 3-4 thin/small slices of onion on top of the walleye and add about a teaspoon of butter.

Wrap up the bags and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes

Remove bags from oven and let sit 5 minutes, open carefully

Crack your sixth or seventh beer, then proceed to eat.

I like to have this walleye with steamed asparagus and a baked potato, with a small side of maple beans

Northwest Bay Rainy Lake for me

Fish for walleye all day then crappie on the way back to the launch

I just downloaded it for no reason,

I only have iphone 3g.

My god I'm not tech savy at all, says right there my phone wont support it.

Good waste of a half case of beer

Awesome report Simon!!!! Man Jack just looks so happy and content. Your a great Father .

At this point, you must have one hell of a photo album!!! I know alot of people dont use them these days, but I do with my better pics, if you keep one, bring it down next time, or I'll bring mine up there. Gotta be a ton of great stories between both are families

Look for those crappie in shallow bays Simon, 7-10 FOW. If there trees or overhanging branches, all the better.

Real early ice-out river pike "can" be a tricky sort. When the river is flowing high, muddy and cold, you'd think you have to go shallow and warm. So, to back bays. Yeah.. but not always, and quite often not right off the start of the season.

 

Thing is, the fish do get there but depending on forage, spawn time, clarity and water levels, each year can vary. And spots on the river such as flooded out back bays that could be there one year but not the next, aren't generally good spots. Back bays that always exist in low or high water springs which fish can pattern to and count on each year, are better.

 

Before all that back bay stuff on the rivers though, I have personally always found the "earliest" pike to be relating more to what their forage is. On the Moose it was often walleyes and suckers. The walleyes at ice out love the incoming creeks more than anything, and pike would often be found there or in eddies nearby. The suckers preferred sandy shallow pools on the backsides of islands or, in some places the incoming creek mouths as well. Again, pike would be around. And walleye staging spots too... pools and eddies below rapids... there's some pike.

 

Those "dirty" water temps you note in the 30's to mid 40's, would certainly think that high sun to dusk would be best to have them feeding, and some days ya might have to go to super slow presentations or even still dead meat if it's overcast and cooler.

 

The pike do quickly enough get to those back bays after ice-out, but there can somtimes be a 2-3 week period for river pike fishing that's better in the other places said.

OK, this is the stuff I'm after, thanks Moosebunk!

One thing I failed to mention (and it is important) is that ice out occured here the second week of March (if I remember correctly). Whne I first hit soft water, I was deadsticking large sucker minnows shallow at a feeder creek (which is also a prime sucker spawn in the area). I did really good at first with fish around 30", but it was slow fishing. 4 hours you would get 3-4 good bites.

as the ice left the area (there was still some in the shallows area) it was really slow stick baits producing bites. Like super slow, twitch/let sit for 1-2 minutes repeat.

As that spot became less active, I started finding them moving of the mud flat to a shallow rock area with some current. There was alot of light penetration and the water was warmer. But on one spot in that stretch, the shoreline bends and produced some current. There is a large boulder there, and as I watched baitfish go through, I could pick up a few more decent bites. At that time, it seemed to move in waves of active fish. Still nothing huge though.

As it died off there, I found them on a shelf downside the rapids, using it as an ambush point. This spot has alot of big rock, but no weedgrowth, and it changes depth quickly. This area is known for me to collect all sorts of fish throughout the year, walleye, panfish, pike.....

Then the water temps rose to 43, and I started getting bit one day when I was getting really good walleye. I did a report and had a bunch of eyes in the 25-31" range a few days before season closed. Thats when the pike were biting in anywhere between 4-20FOW, chasing baits into shore aggressively. This spot has leftover weedgrowth, sand, mud and even some branches on the bottom. But this is a walleye pre spawn area, so if I fish it, I only really wanna fish the top of the water column. When the water dirtied, we tried, but couldn't get bit.

I'm thinking they might have moved into a back bay near a sandbar. It's sheltered from current, but there is current on the west point of the bay. I can fish the bay, but not that point on the west side. It's walleye spawning grounds so Im' not going to fish there.

I'll keep trying though. I'm pretty new to pike, so I'm actually having fun tracking them and trying to figure out the pattern. They just seemed to be one step ahead of me right now, lol.

Those high water areas in bays you mentioned, it's like that here to. No fish really move into whats not naturally under water year after year

Thanks again for the help guys, alot of good advice to consider

Next time try drop offs near tribs/creeks and check the pot holes...

 

We got some smallies really late in the year(dec) on main shoreline drop offs near river mouths... These are the same rivers they spawn in... So if they are at the mouths in the winter... And in the river during spawn... They can't be far prespawn... That's here anyways...

I'll give that a try MM, thanks for the suggestions

Your reports are always epic, thanks for posting them

Color in ever photo is always amazing as well, they just pop!

Many of us in southern Ontario (I know you do) don't have a season for smallies until the end of June so we might not be the best resource. In-fishermen should have some info.

True.

I better eat some fiber so I can go through some back issues...

I find smallies in tribs here in the spring...by accident mind you... Some early walleye spots are rocky sections of tribs to the Larry....and sometimes it's stupid how many smallies are in there... But that's mid may to mid June....that's spawning time for bass here...So I don't know if that's tge time period your having trouble with

It's the pre spawn time MM. I've tried for the past few years to pattern out smallies this time of year and I can't figure it out. When they are making beds however, there everywhere of course. Same with the rest of the year.

I know one thing about the smallies here that holds true, the bite is always tough for 2 days after the water level fluctuates more then a foot, same with walleye. I've usually still been able to find pike though during those periods.

I'm fishing tons of structures for pike, and transition areas. Maybe it's more to do with the water clarity???? If the water remains stable, it should clear up in the next two days. No rain or heavy winds in the forecast and it seems water levels are high, but stable.

Maybe the next couple days will be better.

Thanks for the replies guys, any help is always appreciated!

I was doing really well in my spots, with various approaches, before the water rose and turned to choco milk.

Slow retrieving black/silver flat raps and firetiger worked really well. Also a large Williams silver/pink spoon with a 6" monnow on the treble produced as well.

I thought the spawn was done about 10-12 days ago, because they were on the feed and aggressive. I never caught any giants, but numerous fish from 30-35".

Some of those came in 3 FOW, a few others were 13-18 FOW right before walleye closed. In the deeper water it was jigs with large minnows

It's tough fishing that dirty water though

Ok, I'm looking for some guidance here for two fish, pike and smallies.

I've got the bass fishing down pretty well for all seasons on the river, with the exception of early spring. I just cannot find them at all.

For pike, I've gotten alot better the past two years, and I've had alot of success. It's not early spring that has me frustrated though. It's a dramatic rise in water in the river. It was around a 5ft average, now its over 10 ft average. With that of course the water clarity goes to nill.

I have a few go to spots for pike. One is a shallow mud/sand bar at a creek entrance. The other is a ambush point downside the rapids in 6-15FOW. The other is a small bay full of boulders, trees and lots of cover. It's also got a current seam on one edge, with a shallow sandbar on the other point. Water in the bay is 2-7FOW.

Me and the kids went all weekend, and couldn't locate a bite at all. My thoughts with the water clarity, was to use smell and or lures that move alot of water. We used large minnows deeper in the water columns, burned and jigged spinnerbaits, and tried various speeds with wake baits.

Colors I focused on were black, chart, and clown. All with no luck.

Does anyone have advice on where the bass are this time of year??? Or where pike will go in these water conditions??? Also, water temps were 45-47 degrees throughout the weekend.

The bite never dies, it only relocates.

How you figure out when and where is up to you, and will dictate how well you fare.

Some of my biggest walleyes come in shallow water 3-6FOW, on sunny days, around 1-4pm.

Go figure.

Good to know. I take my nieces fishing from time to time (and hope to take my nephews a lot when they're older) and I'd hate to make them throw a good eating sized fish back if they didn't have to. So anyone under 18 can't keep a musky even if it's above the slot size? Interesting, can they even fish for them then?

Call the MNR and ask them.

for the record,

This is one situation where I'd prefer helping, rather then calling the tips line.

I think it's fairly safe to say they kids fishing OOS are doing so ignorantly, and not a deliberate act against the resource.

Obviously that might be up to the person viewing though, and subject to the circumstances

All it takes is a talk and some advice (like Ron).

Tell them exactly whats up and why.

Boys being boys = bullsh.... IMO.

Take the time out of your day to teach the kids about the resource, the seasons, different species, how/when/where why etc.

It'll make you feel good at the end of the day, plus you know your doing the right thing.

and nothing wrong with telling them how the regs are enforced either. Many young peoples first experience with the law or the things they hear about it leave them second guessing. Tell them exactly how it is, in a friendly manner of course.

I fish with kids from my reserve all the time, and it takes alot of talking to get them to understand, but it's totally worth it. Plus you get some new fishing buddies for your kids.

GBW, I think you did pretty good though for being caught off guard.

Edit... and tell them where they can get the regs, and if possible, how to read them

Those pigs would eat the perch we get up here.

I'm jealous

Anywhere there are walleye you will find them shallow this time of year.

So, IMO, if you can find the right structure or location, of course you can catch them from shore.

It's just gonna take a little bit of work.

and MM, I'd bet you are right on the money with your comments.

We also have lake walleye in the river at certain times of the year, and some remain in the river year round. No way to tell for certain, but I've always thought the color differences could tell part of that story.

Take a few cups of corn starch and add into a plastic bowl.

Slowly add some water while stirring it. It will get really firm even though it looks liquid.

Tell your kids you'll pay them $20 if they can use the cornstarch to mould a small snowman

It's a little messy, but good fun.

My kids are dying laughing right now, trying so hard to figure it out...

hahahahahahaha

My oldest daughter says" is this the stuff the terminator is made out of"?

so fun

Its a good thing he doesn't jump in the water when its still cold out. They say their ears can get infected because it takes the water longer to dry in cold conditions. Makes sense.

 

manitoubass2: no issues with the ears on yours? Are they labs?

Nope, none at all. But I have them come inside when it's cold out. Were just walking home from the river though, I'd suppose it would be an issue if your boating though??? I get ear aches if I'm wet and cruising in the boat.

One of my dogs is a husky, the other is husky/sheppard mix

The water temps won't stop my dogs at all. As soon as the ice is pulling, both of them are in the river.

Simon, I never wanted dogs either, but the kids wanted dogs so they got their way, lol. They grow on you though, and there great company thats for sure.

I'm sure Roloff will be a boat pro in no time, and he sure has a great place to live.