Help! Guide cancelled, but Dad still wants to fish!

[Tennessee Jed]

I was going to take my dad fishing with a guide this Friday on Greer's Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, AR, but my guide cancelled. Unless one of you guides wants to make an emergency trip down south, I am stuck with the following scenario:

My wife will let me use her 21' Bayliner with an I/O 305 Mercruiser. The boat has no trolling motor, and no fish finder. (Don't worry--we are remedying both shortcomings soon, so I won't be so helpless from now on...) I do have three 2 oz. bottom bouncers between the two of us, about a dozen different crawler harnesses, several crankbaits and countdown Rapalas, and a few Eerie Dearie type rigs. Forgive my tackle shortcomings, as I have mostly fished for trout (gasp!) the past few years.

I'm pretty sure I can find the fish because the guide took me to a couple of places and we did pretty well. The wally's have been in about 25' of water on some rock ledges. Not much brush, but I am concerned about losing all the bottom bouncers, especially since this will be my dad's first time using them.

A couple of questions: can I run the Merc at this depth without scaring the fish while bottom-bouncing or trolling the cranks? Do you use crawlers or minnows on the Eerie Dearie's?

What would you do to make the most of this situation? I think my dad would be pleased even to catch a couple of walleyes--it's been almost 25 years since he caught his last one.

[chadk66]

I am assuming you don't usually have much wind where your at. If thats the case you can probably just park the boat over the spot you want to fish and vertical jig with some jigs and minnows, crawlers,or leaches. you can pickup jigs at the bait shop when you get bait. Also, you can use any type of lead sinker with a bottom bouncer rig in you use a little enginuity. Also, don't rule out slip bobber rigs even at that depth, you should be able to get those at the bait shop too.

[Hawgeye]

Chadk66 is right, but if you are going to spend some money, the best spent is on a good anchor. Find out what the locals use for anchors around there and get it. The reason being is because depending on the bottom, some anchors perform better than others.

With that, some jigs, slip bobbers etc, you can fish with the best of them. Anchor on a ledge and let the boat drift back and forth up and down the ledge. If you find a depth or spot they hit the best, a second anchor could really pinpoint you on the spot. You can get a pretty good anchor for around $40 and another $15 for the line and you are set! From that anchored position you can do many things, jig, pitch jigs, cast earie dearies and retrieve, cast cranks in shallow and retrieve out...Lots of options, even bobber fishing!

[Tennessee Jed]

I appreciate the advice! It seems that you favor keeping the boat in one spot. Is this because you think the motor would disturb the fish if I tried trolling or controlling a drift?

[Hawgeye]

The motor typically will not spook fish in water deeper than 10'. Fish are used to motors running all over the lake. They are not capable of logic. I have fished with a 60hp tiller for years and when the conditions were correct, would use that over an electric backtrolling any day. In fact, when I had a tiller, backtrolling with the the big motor was my preferred method. TO a fish, there is no difference from a 225 OPTi from a 40hp 2-stroke. If you can slow the boat down enough to use the big motor, go for it. Speed is the issue here.

[RANGER]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-07-01 AT 08:50AM (CST)[p]Jed,

No! These folks are trying to help you out with consideration of the "limited" tackle you have, including the boat and it's shortcomings (soon to be corrected). That motor may not be capable of trolling "down" to Walleye seduction. If there is wind - drift fish it. If no wind, find the hot spot and anchor over it and exploit it. Lindy Rigs can be bought almost anywhere, pick up a few - they're GREAT for Walleye.

This is NOT a disaster! You could be rigged to the eyeballs and not catch a single fish - BUT - you're spending time with your Dad - THAT'S WHAT MATTERS! Really!


RANGER


"KEEP YOUR LINES WET, YOUR POWDER DRY and THE BEER COLD!"

[AquaMan]

Both good posts above, however, before you anchor and bobber or jig, you should first determine where the fish are. Trolling shad raps is a great way to locate the fish. Run one with a bouncer and one without. This will give you two presentations. Also try pulling a 1/2oz jig with a twister and a minnow is a good way to cover water. If the wind is in your favor, let it pull you around. Sometimes all you need is a good breeze, a jig that will stay down there and a minnow.

When you locate fish, stop and jig for them till they stop biting and continue your previous efforts.

The worst thing you can do is to assume the fish will be in the same spot as last time and wait for the pattern to match your presentation and location. Cover lots of ground quickly with the shads and you will at least trigger some aggressive bites.

Work those ledges. Find the remote midlake humps and secondary submerged points. Run the line with the Bottom Bouncer on the deep side and the one without on the shallow side. If you are concerned with loosing them, get a couple of extras. Forward troll down the ledge or point and backtoll back up to give your self some variation in presentation speed. Often the change in direction is all you need. You have all the basics to provide a successful day if you can control your boat to meet the pattern. But you have to find the fish first!

Good luck and just enjoy the day on the water with your Dad. You already caught the best part of the trip, the fish are a bonus. :-)

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

Eric@crowncomputerinc.com

[mikie]

Since I'm a dad myself, let me say that a day with my son fishing (in his wife's boat, for godsake; "my boy married a woman with a boat!") will be pleasure enough. Any indication of the trouble gone thru (from gathering tackle to posting this message) would only add to the thrill. Take the old man fishing. Catch or not, you'll both be blessed. m

[Ron]

As Aquaman said, don't assume they will be in the same place they were last time - they move around a lot more in reservoirs than they do in natural lakes. Doesn't hurt to try the spots, but if they don't produce, move on. If you want to try the guide thing, I fished the lake once. The Fairfield Bay rental office recommended a guide. He is thin, walks with a limp and has an older Ranger Boat. Nice guy and we did quite well when it was supposed to be a bad time for walleyes. I don't remember his name, but he seems to be well known in the area. Hope you can put together a good day for your dad.

[Tennessee Jed]

Truly, you guys are the greatest! I don't take fishing time with my Dad for granted, by any means. We bought a place together on the Little Red River a year and a half ago, and in fact spent about half an hour tonight casting around for trout. Once I found out there were walleyes in the lake above the dam, and that they were more accessible than I had heard, Dad and I WERE ON IT! And yes, though he thinks I'm the greatest, he still can't believe what a wonderful woman I married a little over a year ago.

I learned a little more how wonderful she is last Sunday, when she went walleye fishing for the first time ever. She wanted to spend the time with me, and loves to eat walleye, at least since I introduced them to her with the first batch I caught a month ago. In spite of some crappy weather, she caught a limit of four, but we could only keep two because she showed off by catching two in the slot limit!!! Sadly, I must confess, the 20"-er she caught was bigger than my biggest walleye so far. But, it looks like we'll have many more chances to try to top one another.

Thanks again for the advice! With your help and a little luck, we'll do fine, I'm sure! Now if you guys could just help me get out of the conference call my boss is trying to get me to attend in the afternoon...

[Hawgeye]

One more idea, If you plan to use the big motor and want a real great and cheap way to slow down the boat, bring with a couple 5 gallon pails and tie them to the back of the boat and throw them in the water behind the boat. Your dad may give you a funny look but it is not a joke, they work great. They work like a brake and will help slow you down. Trust me, alot of us on here use these and they really work great.