What am I doing wrong????

[HTHM]

Just returned from another skunking on the Grand. I put-puted from the dam to Erie, marked all kinds of fish, but not a single hit or anything! I was running a deep-diving walle-diver, my son was running a deep diving Rapala, and the only fish we took home was a pickerel that someone gave to me at the dock.

I am trying to get my son into fishing so he has something other than video games.

BTW it is now 5 trips that I have not caught any pickerel, and I am frustrated.

I was running the same pattern that Garry 2r's showed me and nothing!

Thanks

[purekgw]

the grand always produces for me down there for cats to day got about 10-15 cats and a nice carp

[Hooked]

Could be just that kind of day, it happens to all of us. Next time you go down there, have your son try a worm harness, with some weight of course, and you a crank-bait and see what happens. Worm harnesses usually attract all kinds of fish, so there should be action for him anyways. I have heard for some time that the pearl white Big-O's do pretty well on the Grand. It takes sometime to learn the intricacy's of the Grand. I am sure you and your son's day will come.

[jwl]

the Grand is just tough to fish sometimes because it's so muddied up,play around with colours a bit, where you trolling?dirfting? Sometimes your best bet on the Grand is bait...worm harnesses, drifting minnows, jigging with twisters.

[modny]

always switch it up

 

if u are trolling for an hour and no bites, you are proably doing something wrong.

 

even though the watter can be muddy, try dark colors like perch/ black greens, try reds whites, gold, silver blue/ firetiger's etc

 

try some harnesses aswell, gold blades will produce,

 

eerie deeries work super even try trolling a jig.

 

look for holes and humps and drift white/green/ or black twisters and a 1/4 oz jighead tipped with worm over the holes..

 

even catfish/ grunts are known to hit cranks, which will def give a great fight aswell.

 

good luck!

[Greencoachdog]

Live bait!

[Garry2Rs]

To break the skunk maybe you should buy some minnows and still fish.

You can catch Cats and Sheephead in front of the dam and on both sides where we trolled in the afternoon.

Down at Port Maitland there is some slow water around the boat lifter and around the fishing boats that was always good.

If the lake isn't to rough, off the ends of the breakwall, and on the lake side of the breakwall were also good spots.

For trolling, You might want to down size as well as try a darker pattern.

I think that I told you, my most successful lure was a Rattlin' Rap in Baby Bass pattern. It was a small one, I think it was a #5.

Edited July 10, 2008 by garry2rs

[BITEME]

CRAYFISH......sudden Bass Death!!!!!!!!!

[splashhopper]

I am trying to get my son into fishing so he has something other than video games.

BTW it is now 5 trips that I have not caught any pickerel, and I am frustrated.

 

 

How old is your son?

 

My daughter is 10 yrs old and just started fishing with me this year.

Her first cast ever, she catches a 30 lb carp... whooo hoooo!

 

HOWEVER.

 

She prefers going for rock bass and blue gills as she outfishes her daddy by a margin of 10-1 ! lol

 

I had to get MY OWN EXPECTATIONS of what i THOUGHT would be HER fishing expectations out of the way and just enjoy the time with her .

 

I hope this helps

.

 

God Bless

Splashhopper and Botbot

[corvette1]

try running spinners with worms with a gold or silver blade

[corvette1]

try running spinners with worms gold or silver blade

[Guest Johnny Bass]

Not even a sheep head? Thats strange.....Did you troll the same depth all day?Try trolling shallower for the pickerel, or deeper for the sheep head. Also downsize your lure. Baby O shaped lures work great in bright patterns. For sheep head, silver and blue is the best color but anything will work.

[JohnF]

Just returned from another skunking on the Grand. I put-puted from the dam to Erie, marked all kinds of fish, but not a single hit or anything! I was running a deep-diving walle-diver, my son was running a deep diving Rapala, and the only fish we took home was a pickerel that someone gave to me at the dock.

I am trying to get my son into fishing so he has something other than video games.

BTW it is now 5 trips that I have not caught any pickerel, and I am frustrated.

I was running the same pattern that Garry 2r's showed me and nothing!

Thanks

 

Join the club. I've been out 4 times on my little piece of river and been skunked, at least by the usually dependable bass. We hauled in a few hammerhandles the other night, but even the rock bass are laughing at us. It's getting pretty discouraging to tell the truth. These are spots that will always give up at least one or two smallmouths. We've decided that the flooding right around bass opener weekend must have traumatized the bass or something. Doesn't seem to have bothered the pike though. I've thrown every kind of lure I own and twitched and jerked it every whichaway but nada. Rob says he's never had a shutout like this before on the river.

 

On the kid front - my son is about to turn 32 and I'm still trying to get him out fishing. I guess I'll just have to wait for grandkids or borrow someone else's.

 

JF

[spyder3g]

Grand River is not an easy river to fish. It is not Rice or Pigeon lakes where you can get a bite anywhere and doesn’t really matter what to use. What you need to know on the Grand.

1. Where to fish

2. What to fish

3. What to use

Now, in July, the cranks in the murky water produce almost no results. For sport fishing (no live baits) you should use twisters or tubes.

Use a 1/8 light jig head and a twister. You should move it constantly with very slow speed on 10 – 25 cm from the bottom. I use white, brown green tail and brown orange tail twisters. The line is 4-6lb. Fishing rod/reel is ultra light or light. Tight the jig head to your line – no clips. This setup is for small, silver and rock basses and sometimes walleyes. Just last Sunday I got a 15lb carp on the white twister and 4lb Stern mono line was good enough to take it on the shore in 30 minutes.

If you want walleyes – try heavier jig head to move/drag it slowly almost on the bottom of the river with stops to produce a zigzag pattern. Here you can use tubes, but twisters are fine as well.

 

In late August-October try your cranks (fats are better). I use Japanese Yo-Zuri or Duel cranks with a great success. Rapala is not as good for Grand, but much cheaper.

http://www.yo-zuri.com/Products/Prod3dMicro.htm

http://www.yo-zuri.com/Products/ProdLiveBait.htm

http://www.yo-zuri.com/Products/ProdHardcore.htm

http://www.hottackle.com/index.php?cPath=2...a27697c05052b32

 

Now is where to fish.

Just look where anglers are and go there. Ask them and they can help you. I fish between Caledonia and York. Forgot – you should have waders to fish there.

 

Good luck!

Edited July 10, 2008 by spyder3g

[danbo]

Your trolling speed is probably too slow. Warmer temps call for faster lures to trigger fish to strike.

Anchor & cast next time you mark lots of fish. It could be Drum,Carp,Catfish,Smallies,whatever.

Try fishing close to bottom first. If fish are "suspended" then you have to fish your lure a bit shallower. for them to see it.

Use something with a spinner to send out some vibes.

[Zubris21]

All my walleye luck has come with a bottom bouncer (usually 3/4oz-1.5oz) and a worm harness with a double hook. (Jiggernault makes a good product just make sure you DONT get the wire leader kind) tag a nice dew worm onto the double hook and drift/troll away! could be tough if its weedy where you are, but give it a try either way!

[HTHM]

I am trying to get my son into fishing so he has something other than video games.

BTW it is now 5 trips that I have not caught any pickerel, and I am frustrated.

How old is your son?

He is 15...

[HTHM]

Thanks for all the advice! I will be trying out these other ways soon. Any other advice is welcome too!

I was thinking I cursed myself when I named my boat "Lure Laundry"

[Canuck2fan]

I know the feeling got skunked fishing for bass on my river too. Thankfully my "spot" not a river has been producing about 10 to 30 smallies a trip or I would be going nuts too. I don't know where the river fish are this year but the water is really cold for this time of year so I figure that has something to do with it?

 

I don't know if it will work but if you try live leeches on a trolling bait a lot guys on erie swear by it for the eyes and any other fish will attack a leech too!!!

[PALEFACE]

Just returned from another skunking on the Grand. I put-puted from the dam to Erie, marked all kinds of fish, but not a single hit or anything! I was running a deep-diving walle-diver, my son was running a deep diving Rapala, and the only fish we took home was a pickerel that someone gave to me at the dock.

I am trying to get my son into fishing so he has something other than video games.

BTW it is now 5 trips that I have not caught any pickerel, and I am frustrated.

I was running the same pattern that Garry 2r's showed me and nothing!

Thanks

Braided line is a must if you are trolling the lower Grand. Use a rod with a soft tip and back the drag off a bit. For lures, you can't go wrong with ANYTHING but stay under 3" long. Try lures that dive deep, but also try lures that run as shallow as 3 feet. Try crashing bottom in 8 feet. But also try fishing "up high" over 20 feet of water. You can catch fish in any depth and they are quite often suspended off bottom. Don't give up on trolling yet. With the warm water, the best way to contact the active fish on the river is to troll fast and cover water. The walleye fishing on the lower Grand should be peaking or tailing off right about now. As the water temps increase, the fish can't eat fast enough to keep up with their metabolism and the fishing slows until it cools off a bit. I think that the majority of the fish re-locate for the month of August. Where though? Oh, and one other thing, hand hold the rod. The only way I can describe a walleye bite there is that you feel a grinding sensation through the braided line. Many times, they will let go before you feel the weight of the fish. If you're trolling and you feel that grinding sensation, hit'em! You won't feel that if you leave the rod in a holder. Good luck!