How crowded are your waters?

[ck85abc]

Reason I ask, I was reading the archived threads and say this.

"looking forword to fishing the uncrowded waters of North Dakota again" That was in referance to fishing at sakakawea.

Well, I mostly fish sakakawea and if that is uncrowded I would hate to fish were it is crowded. You can go anywere and catch fish without a bunch of boats stopping right were you are and fishing.

[ck85abc]

Normally on sakakawea you will see 5-25 boats working a single point.

[Joe]

You all are missing the fun of those crowds. Many people believe the best way to find lots of fish is to go out to the crowd and jump in. If you want to have fun with that pick a good crowded weekend, you and a buddy both take your boats, set two or three marker bouys out perpendicular to the wind direction, and then slowly slide your boats along this while jigging for a while. Pretty soon you will have a crowd gathered around trying to do the same thing thinking you all must be slaying them. Another fun way to do it is to find a lake that was flooded leaving the trees in place. Start trolling some deep diving lures ten to twelve feet above the tree tops in a path marked with marker bouys. When people ask how deep your trolling inform them just a foor or two above bottom. The keystone capers show begins.

It's fun to play with the people with space behind their eyes.... :D

[Hunter]

How crowded? well on sunday a 1/2 mile drift we were doing we had about 300 other boats for company! Got to love the Detroit!

[ck85abc]

I guess sakakawea is not so bad. I hate it when there is more than 5 boats fishing the same area and usually leave unless you were really slaying them.

[Sluggo / NY]

We troll the eastern basin of Erie out of Barcelona, NY. Our idea of a crowd is having more than two other boats within sight! If it were possible, we could run boards out 500' on each side and never have a problem. One drawback is..try to get any useful info when there's no one to talk to! Once in a while I hear from Gilligan out there, but I said "useful"! Good Fishing, Sluggo (Chris)

[Geeb]

We fished Sak on vacation 2 years ago and thought it was heaven compared to what we are used to. We had no one cutting our lines, etc. I even through out a marker bouy one day, something I usually will not do in Kansas.

[wheels]

Everybody seems to be touching on how crowded the lakes are with fisheman. What about sharing these favorite lakes with the pleasure boaters, water skiers, and jet skis. That is what makes my fishing hole too crowded.

"Friends don't let friends fish for trout!"

[The Eyes_Have it]

Hey Geeb, where you from in Kansas and where do you fish?

[Tracker185]

I have no problem w/ Jet and water skiers, Except !!!! Why can't they Ski over the Deep water, and let us anglers have the shallow water. why do you want to ski in the weeds for. If they would just stay in the middle of the lake I think the fisherpeople and the jet/waterskiers would get along.





Hey it's just a Boat!!!!!





T185

[Peanut]

I don't know how you Americans cope with all those people on the water! When we go on our annual trip to Northern, SK, our guys make a fuss if they see another truck parked at the launch, or another boat on the lake.

One year we went three days, three lakes, and saw one boat other than those in our group. (Naturally we drove in and fished right beside him ;) )

There is more traffice in the central and southern lakes, but I can't imagine it being anything like what you must deal with.

derrek.

"It's the weaseling out of things that sets us apart from the animals.... Except the weasel."
- H.J. Simpson

[DaveB]

The Mississippi is too crowded until the general MN opener. After that, us river rats almost have the place to ourselves.

[pwrfshn]

Amen!!!!!

[Dave in Mpls]

I primarily fish a secret little lake in MN called Mille Lacs....perhaps you have heard of it. Hardly a sole on it, particularily on opener! :)

[Hunter]

Its really not that bad,, can be a pain if 99% are jigging and 1 guy decides to handline right through the middle of the pack! Also the yahoo's showing how fast theyre big bad outboards are right through the middle of the pack are really upsetting,, no consideration for anyone else!

[DaveB]

You mean hardly anyone on it during the WI opener this weekend-Correct?

[Bob J pool 12]

I fished pool 12 this morning, had the river to myself.Man that's nice,just a couple of barges out there.Got to love IT.

[Gilligan]

Now settle down Sluggo.. I always give you useful information; like when I told you to try 1/2 oz jigs in 3' of water at the breakwall when water temps were mid 80's! I think you caught 2 carp and a sheepshead that day. }>

[Kolby]

Last year I caught a jetski in a planer board. Put up one heck of a fight!! Didn't taste to good though. Oh ya, almost forgot, always keep an extra rig ready to go for that cruising Four Winds ski boat that comes idling right by you for the hundreth time. It seems all these people are doing is driving around the lake looking at the shore and lake houses. Imagine that. Get on a Lake to look at houses!! Anyway cast this rig out with a few floats attatched, the lakewater colored floats work the best. when that boat comes by and takes the bait, hit the freespool and feed em plenty of line. Be sure to smile and wave while all of this is taking place!


Good Luck,

Kolby

[work2fish]

One nice thing they do at some lakes in the Denver metro area is designate no wake zones for fisherman. These areas are buoyed off from the rest of the lake and it gives fisherman in busy lakes a place to go to get away from the crowds and waves -- somewhat. The last time I went to Chatfield Reservoir for example, the water in the middle of the lake was stirred up like a washing machine and there were just so many boats on the lake.

The other amazing thing is the size of some of these boats. On a relatively small lake, you barely get the thing up to speed before you have to turn around and go in the other direction. That's life in the Big City, I guess...

Mike/CO

[Pitts]

Hey I fished Redwing this weekend on Sat and with 2 tourneys going on it was to say the least it was crowded but I was jigging as was a lot of people but some of the pros were pulling 3 ways and catching fish also.
I talked to 3 or 4 boats with tourney people and they were real nice and courteous and even if ya hooked a fish or snag most people there realize that it does no good to swear and gripe about other boats.
Just shut up and fish and have a good time.

We took home 4 eaters, 3 sauger and 1 eye, the sauger were yet to spawn and the eye was a male. My kids and I caught probably 20 fish total in 4 hours fishing or so and it was a good time even fishing among 100 boats.


Pitts

[Keith Krych]

My home waters are Lake St Clair, Detroit river and the St Clair River. This area has more registered boats than anywhere in the country. We also share the water with lake freighters, commercial tugs and barges. It's CROWDED OUT THERE!!!!

On a typical Saturday in the summer, we can expect every ramp on the lake and rivers filled to capacity, plus all the marinas empty out. That’s a lot of boats!

We fish early and fish late, and take a break in the middle of the day.

Keith Krych

#207

[ck85abc]

One thing I noticed with my little experiance with tourny fishing is that the tourny fisherman are the nicest when it comes to not coming in and fishing were you are.

[bladebait]

I have been catching big walleye on the Columbia in either February or October and not been able to see a boat for 5 miles in either direction. I've also been to L.Sak during the Gov. Cup, and while some community holes were getting pounded pretty well we found our fish on several of the points and flats that were not being fished. One of our best spots was a mudline formed when a herd of cows waded in the water for a drink and stirred up the bottom. Out on some of our waters in Washington and Oregon crowding is relative. At one stretch last weekend there were a couple hundred boats fishing for springers (salmon) while my boys and and I had a huge slough virtually to ourselves about 15 miles down river while we fished for 2-4 lb smallmouth in shallow water with grubs and rattletraps. Go figure, many people will wait an hour to launch to fish in a crowd to maybe catch a salmon when the could wail on bass and have the water to themselves. bb

[Drifter]

Sakakawea is heaven compared to MN, I have had the pleasure of living and fishing in both MN and ND and lake Sakakawea is one of the best places to find walleyes to fish by yourself. Be thankful for what you have in ND. I left home 10 years ago and I always seem to be trying to get back.

[Lou in Alex.]

Theres a number of lakes in town here. When I moved here 5 years ago- I thought these lakes would be packed on the opener.The first year I figured why even try- and traveled to fish the opener-the next year I decided to brave the crowds and stay local.Upon returning to the ramp at 10am opener morning- I was quite suprised to see that there where only 3 other vehicles at the access besides my own.Seems that everyone in town- goes out of town for the opener.Also- I do most my fishing at night. I might see a boat-but they look like their heading home. Its all good.Good luck on the opener to all-Lou in Alex.

[bob oh]

That's the price you pay when you live where everyone wants to live!!

[steve(IL)]

T185 -

If you're casting to shore, keep a Muskie rod next to you with a big,
yellow Five-of-Diamonds Dardevil on it. When a jet skier or ski boat threatens to cut between you and the shoreline, jump in the bow and start swinging it around getting ready to cast - all the while staring into the eye of the driver. The get the idea pretty quick and veer off.
If not, let 'em have it. The first run is pretty impressive, but they tire quickly. Regulations on the Chain say they are supposed to stay 150' from shore and jet skis are supposed to stay 150' from boaters.

[waterhawk]

I rarely see more than 10 - 15 boats in one spot in the lakes I fish. I never fish within the crowd, but have had success fishing the outskirts of an area being pounded by fisherman. I think, especially in shallow water, that the fish work their way out of areas of high pressure.
I'm finding that a lot of people are learning how to walleye fish out here in Washington. I enjoy helping them out, but it does irritate me when they charge me like a heat seaking missle, disturb my quiet little spot, pull right up to my boat, and yell "Ya catchn' anything?". I'm usually pretty honest, but in that case my answer is always "nope".

[SUPERTROLLER]

Only 300 boats last weekend? Must've been because the rest of the Lower Peninsula opened up for Trout and Inland fishing for Walleye and pike that the traffic was down. Last time I was over there it looked like between 400 and 500 boats within eye-sight when we fished just down from Elizabeth park to about Lake Erie Metro Park. It was croded but not many real problems. We drifted down and slow trolled back up using short leads on the lines. We catch as many trolling back up as we do jigging.

[Atomic Eye]

Yeah, And I fished my favorite walleye reservoir in New Mexico from the shore last weekend and caught and released a very nice limit of nice male walleyes up to 22". Made me feel good about F+L+P instead of just using all the high tech stuff in my Lund.

Crowded? Nope, not a single soul near me.

Atomic Eye (New Mexico) -- "Gone Fission!" ~~~<}}}:>

[Capt. Paul]

Try to fish Lake St Clair on a good weekend in the summer. Normal boat traffic makes an average 5-6 foot chop on the entire American side of the lake. Makes early morning about the only time you can get anything done.

[tj]

i think i seen you on opener you were in one of a bizillin boats i seen on sat