Buckeye
07-17-2005, 09:35 PM
I promised a full report so here it is.......I just returned from the other side of the lake. We fished out of Wheatley 3 mornings last week and did well. We were due east of the ramp between 8 and 11 miles. Sunday 10 for 11, Monday 7 for 12, Tuesday 8 for 15. I only kept count of solid hookups....we must have had an additional 3-8 knockoffs each day. Notable fish include one that was close to 13# and a beauty that was 31" and just over 15#.
We started out running "normal" steelhead spoons i.e. bright colored silver backed medium and large Stingers, regular sized Silver Streaks, Mini Streaks and Racs spoons. We found tiny perch in the stomachs of the fish we caught on the first day and started experimenting with gold and copper spoons in yellows, greens, and oranges the next day. We found the best spoons to be a large Seasick stinger w/copper back that my daughter stuck a black ladderback on (this caught all but one on tuesday), and thanks to a local that goes by the handle "Catman", bumblebee(gold w/black spots)small Stinger was hot.
By the 3rd day we fished nothing but small copper and silver Stingers and Pa's Fintails. They were hard to get a good hookup on the small hooks but everyone we talked to at the ramp came in with 1 to 4 fish except us. The smaller spoons made the difference. I would suspect they will soon start feeding heavier on the smelt and the larger spoons may take off.
Every fish except one was caught between 30' and 38' down in 60'-64' of water. Dipseys caught as many fish as the 'riggers. Best dipsey set up was #3 at 75'. Speed was 2.8 to 3 on the GPS but there is a sharp current that goes from west to east that must have spun out the spoons while trolling west since we caught few fish trolling that direction. Anything slower was very productive for small walleyes and sheephead.
The locals all say the bite is just getting started. I hope to find time to return for a weekend at the end of the month or early Aug.
The other 4 days we fished the mornings and limited on walleyes off Leamington. Nothing big but lots of fish and suicidal on mayfly rigs. Fun stuff and great eating.
One more note....we landed 3 fish with lampreys attached and had several more with marks from them. Evil looking things....
We started out running "normal" steelhead spoons i.e. bright colored silver backed medium and large Stingers, regular sized Silver Streaks, Mini Streaks and Racs spoons. We found tiny perch in the stomachs of the fish we caught on the first day and started experimenting with gold and copper spoons in yellows, greens, and oranges the next day. We found the best spoons to be a large Seasick stinger w/copper back that my daughter stuck a black ladderback on (this caught all but one on tuesday), and thanks to a local that goes by the handle "Catman", bumblebee(gold w/black spots)small Stinger was hot.
By the 3rd day we fished nothing but small copper and silver Stingers and Pa's Fintails. They were hard to get a good hookup on the small hooks but everyone we talked to at the ramp came in with 1 to 4 fish except us. The smaller spoons made the difference. I would suspect they will soon start feeding heavier on the smelt and the larger spoons may take off.
Every fish except one was caught between 30' and 38' down in 60'-64' of water. Dipseys caught as many fish as the 'riggers. Best dipsey set up was #3 at 75'. Speed was 2.8 to 3 on the GPS but there is a sharp current that goes from west to east that must have spun out the spoons while trolling west since we caught few fish trolling that direction. Anything slower was very productive for small walleyes and sheephead.
The locals all say the bite is just getting started. I hope to find time to return for a weekend at the end of the month or early Aug.
The other 4 days we fished the mornings and limited on walleyes off Leamington. Nothing big but lots of fish and suicidal on mayfly rigs. Fun stuff and great eating.
One more note....we landed 3 fish with lampreys attached and had several more with marks from them. Evil looking things....