Lower Detroit River- Pulling Wire

Fished the lower Detroit River this morning besides the east wind, cold rain & no fish the morning wasn't bad. I jigged for a few hours and decided to call it a poor choice of vacation days. I noticed the few fish being caught were by handliners and I'm looking for help in setting up. How far up from the sinker do you start your leads? What pound test line are the leads and how long? Are you guys using floating jointed Rapalas? What color and size? I inherited the reels and want to start handlining. I would appreciate any advice from the vetrans.

Yes, once again "Gotcha" was pulling wire and catching fish.

[RANGER]

Stinger,

www.offshoretackle.com has the equipment for handlining, and this is a good discussion of the "art" of handlining that was bantered around on a previous thread:

http://www.walleyecentral.com/cgi-bi...eraldiscussion

Julia Davis (Juls) is our resident expert here at WC. I am sure that she would be most willing to help you with this.

Hope I'm not being presumptuous, Juls. If I am, I'm sorry. ;)

[Homer]

Stinger:

That must have been you out there in the Tracker, as it was the only other boat I saw jigging this morning. We made three fishless drifts by Horse Island, and headed over to the cross-dike for perch. Ended up with a couple dozen, and probably threw back just as many small pike.

Are there any guides in the Detroit area that specialize in hand lining? I have fished the river for years but only jigging. I would like to try handlining but it seems like it would be better to learn from an experienced angler versus buying the equipment and trying to pick it up on my own.

Fish Tales

Homer,

I was the idiot in the blufin by myself couldn't convince anyone to fish in the rain with me I was working just North of the Metro park I stayed until about 10:30 and decided to call it a day.I didn't see a fish caught except "Gotcha" ( nice five pounder) and he even stopped by to check my sanity. I wonder how bad this rain is going to muddy up the river. I would like to get out a few more times this year let me know how you do. I know your putting your boat away you have been saying that since I found this web sight. Thanks for the info on handlining I think I'll give it a try, sometimes the water conditions lend itself to trolling.

Ranger,

Thanks for the info. My success in jigging is keeping the jig just off bottom in the strike zone. If I use rapalas is there a rule of thumb on how high from the shank and how long your lead is to keep the lure in the strike zone? What pound test are the leads made from? Any setup comments would be appreciated.

[Homer]

You may have gotten there after we moved on to the cross-dike. We started at daybreak and fished wallyeye for about an hour before moving on. I saw three other boats while we there: Gotcha and one with the name Fishcatcher (who were both handlining), and a Tracker (who was jigging).

My guess is that the rain and the northeast wind are going to muddy up the water, but I can't say for sure. The combination of my soaked equipment and our lack of success today makes it unlikely that I'm going back out this weekend.

[Hunter]

I was out hunting ducks near Fighting island today, the river is brown, there might be a blue strip running down the U.S. side.

Fish Tales wait until spring and ask on here for someone to show you the ropes. Springtime there is alot of handliners on this board.

fish tales, give me a jingle.

redbone190@metroshores.net

bob piette

[JoeC]

Most handliners use 2 or 3 leads. If you are a beginner, use 2. It is easier to manage. Buy already made wire harnesses to attach your leads and weight. Attach your your shortest lead (7'-10') on the lowest available point on the wire harness (usually a foot or less from the weight). Attach second lead as close to the first as is available. It should be 13'to 17' long. Most fish will be caught closest to the bottom but not always. Use 15, 18 or 20lb. mono for leads with swivels. Use small clip to attach to bait. Charteuese, orange and fire tiger are gooed color rapaplas, but the key is to try different colors until you have success. Keep switching colors and sizes. Don't stick with something that isn't working. Once you find the right color, switch all you baits to that color until it no longer works, then start swithing colors again.

Good luck!

Joe C.