Category Archives: Where To Fish

The Finest Four Weeks For Walleye Fishing Start In Early May In Michigan

The Finest Four Weeks

  • By The Fishing Wire

From now through early June is arguably the best stretch to score walleyes on northern natural lakes

By Jim Edlund

Muskegon, MI – Spring is here – and with it, great Walleye Belt opportunities to put the smackdown on marble-eyes, which are more easily caught during this period than throughout much of the remaining seasons.

While walleye season openers vary from state to state (some states remain open year ‘round), early-season walleye behavior is similar wherever you fish, following their annual spawning rite that occurs when water temperatures are between 42- and 50-degrees accompanied by the right length of day and night (photoperiod).

First, following the spawn, male walleyes will stay in relative proximity to shallow spawning sites up to the first major breakline for up to a month, feeding opportunistically. Contrary to belief, they are not guarding the spawn site; neither male nor female accompany the biological mass after the spawning process. After quickly depositing their eggs, female walleyes vacate to recuperate in nearby, deeper water, a process that can take days to weeks, only feeding when the meal is easy.

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However, combine something like a simultaneous spot-tail shiner spawn in the same locations and you’ll find a mix of both smaller males and good-sized females ready to feed after the metabolic drain of the spawn. Match the hatch? You bet. In many places (like Minnesota) the most popular live bait for early-season walleyes are spot-tail shiners presented on jigs. They aren’t cheap, but can literally be worth their weight in gold. Of course, you can also trap/seine your own to save money, but make sure you pay attention to AIS and legal restrictions before doing so, especially when it comes to transporting your own trapped bait. 

What makes for a good spawning site?

A good walleye spawn site typically comprises gravel substrate that the eggs easily cling to and provide the space for current or wind action to fertilize the eggs once the males deposit their milt. Rivers, streams, and creeks attached to main lakes are all good walleye spawn locations (and the areas surrounding), as are windswept shores, banks, and points or reefs on lakes lacking tributaries in and out that walleyes can utilize.

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Location

Focus on the aforementioned areas whether you’re in waders, on the bank, or in a boat. Gravel shorelines are a no-brainer and farther out, emerging weed beds in 3-12 feet of water are often gangbusters with post-spawn walleyes. Windblown shorelines, too, can be key, where wind stirs up the bottom, attracts baitfish, and brings in hungry fish. Especially as weeks progress following the spawn, start fishing a bit deeper on the sand flats, targeting both sides of the first break or any bottom transition areas of sand to rock or mud to gravel.

Presentations

Given predominant post-spawn water temps under 55-degrees, slower presentations often work best. A simple jig and minnow is a mainstay – especially with a spot-tail shiner – but you can also catch fish on other types of minnows or a soft plastic fluke or paddle tail, as well as classic hair jigs. Just don’t overwork your presentation, carefully making bottom contact and hopping or twitching the bait with a slow cadence. Given depths under 10-feet for much of the period, 1/8- to 1/4-ounce jigs are most often used. A lot of anglers prefer longer shank jigs with a bait keeper for hooking and keeping expensive shiners pinned.

Although jig and meat or plastic get the most play, don’t overlook stickbaits like X-Raps, original floating minnow Rapala, Mad Scientist Tackle Predator Jerkbaits, Husky Jerks or Storm Thundersticks – actually, anything with a long, minnow profile. Especially fished in lowlight or at night, walleyes will crush minnow-shaped crankbaits, which emulate what they’re eating – typically spawning spot-tail shiners or young-of-the-year perch. 

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Power Hours & Technology

While you can catch post-spawn fish during calm and sunny conditions, you’ll need to keep your distance to prevent spooking them. In clear waters, fish can often be spotted via polarized sunglasses, but that usually means you’re too close. This is where technology comes in. 

Sure, you can use forward-facing sonar, but with walleyes hugging bottom in most of these shallow areas, you’ll want to switch your transducer to landscape mode rather than forward. 

Side Imaging is really the ticket when locating walleyes on large shallow flats. Look for smaller pods of fish between a couple and a dozen and they’ll most likely be walleyes. Drop a waypoint, creep up with your trolling motor on low, and start casting from as far away as possible. If you spot larger schools of fish, say, 20-50 fish in groups, chances are you’re looking at suckers and it’s best to move on and keep covering water. 

To further optimize your time on the water, fish early morning, evening, night, and during windy/overcast conditions. And given these conditions, don’t be afraid to fish really shallow – as in right near shore up to about four feet. If there’s one thing anglers have learned over past decades, it’s that there are a lot more walleyes up shallow than we ever thought. With natural lakes coming alive with weed growth, all kinds of biological matter stirred up by wind, and the presence of baitfish – if the minnows are in skinny water during this time, the walleyes will be, too. 

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The Right Stuff

When picking out a rod and reel from the garage for early-season walleyes, it’s best to keep things on the light side. A medium-light power, fast or extra-fast action, 6’8” to 7’2” rod is perfect, typically paired with a 2500 or 3000 size reel for long casts. 

I’m a big fan of the budget-friendly DAIWA TD Eye paired with a 2500-size DAIWA TATULA MQ LT spooled with 10-pound braid and a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. If fish are super shallow, I’ll carry the same rod with a 1000 size TATULA spooled with 6-pound monofilament and tie my jig direct, the buoyancy of mono providing some extra loft to 1/16- or 1/8-ounce jigs in such skinny water.  

Take Home

The bounty of shallow, early-season walleyes in natural lakes doesn’t last long – about a month after the spawn, so best get while the getting’s good. Following this period, you’ll notice fish on or past that first breakline, and fish behavior and subsequent presentations need to be changed. So, have fun during the month of May, keeping mind of lake-to-lake slot limits, regulations, and walleye year class densities to determine what you keep for the fryer. 

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SPRING WALLEYE GEAR from WHITEWATER

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NEW Riparian Jacket FEATURES:

The Riparian™ Jacket is a hardworking, two-layer rain jacket built for ultimate weather protection. Constructed from tough mini-ripstop stretch nylon with a smooth polyester lining, it’s designed for durability and easy on-and-off wear. A dual storm flap design, combined with a waterproof, windproof laminate, and fully taped seams, forms an impenetrable barrier against the elements. The three-piece hood features multiple adjustment points for a customized fit, while hook-and-loop cuff closures help lock out rain. Strategically placed reflective tape ensures visibility in low-light conditions. AquaGuard® zippered handwarmer pockets keep your hands dry, while two chest and two waist pockets offer ample storage for gear. A heavy-duty D-ring provides a secure attachment point for your safety kill switch cord, making the Riparian™ Jacket a reliable companion for any storm.

MSRP $269.99

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NEW Riparian Bib FEATURES:

The Riparian™ Bib features adjustable suspenders with a silicone grip-enhanced design and low-profile buckles ensure a secure fit, so you can focus on the catch not your gear slipping. Constructed from durable mini-ripstop stretch nylon with a smooth polyester lining, these bibs offer flexibility and comfort, while leg zippers make them easy to slip on and off. A dual storm flap design on the main front center zip, along with a waterproof laminate, fully taped seams, and zipper storm flaps, creates an impenetrable barrier against wind and rain. AquaGuard® zippered handwarmer pockets provide a dry refuge for cold fingers or a secure place to store your belongings. Multiple reflective tape placements on the back and chest enhance visibility from all angles. Two spacious cargo pockets on the legs provide ample storage for essentials such as your phone, keys, or an extra pair of gloves, ensuring everything you need is within easy reach. The two Velcro waist adjustments allow you to dial in the fit for maximum comfort and secure wear throughout the day.

MSRP $269.99

About Whitewater

Whitewater performance fishing apparel gives anglers distinct advantages whenever Mother Nature’s unpredictability conspires to ruin angling adventures. Whether faced with wind, rain, snow, sun, or extreme temperatures, Whitewater apparel equips anglers with the ability and confidence to overcome the elements, so they apply their focus and energies on fighting fish, not the conditions. Whitewater is a brand by Nexus Outdoors, headquartered in Muskegon, Michigan, USA. Learn more and order at whitewaterfish.com.

Young Coho Salmon Offer Fantastic Early Spring Fishing In the Great Lakes

  • Fisheries

Big Fun in Small Packages

  • By The Fishing Wire

By Jim Edlund

Muskegon, MI – There’s an electricity in the air this time of year along the Great Lakes as anglers turn out for an annual bite that’s tough to pass up. As soon as the launches open, you’ll see all manner of small boats (and pier fisherman, too), forming lines to chase near-shore coho salmon. 

Although these fish leave something to be desired in size – with most fish between a pound and 3 pounds – their table fare is excellent, with many anglers preferring the young, bright red flesh for everything from grilling and baking, to pan frying and filling up smoker racks – to the larger species that occupy the Great Lakes. 

One angler who loves the annual rite is charter captain and Great Lakes Angler editor, Mike Schoonveld, of northern Indiana, who started fishing them this spring in March. 

“What happens is the cohos that were two years old last fall migrate to the south end of Lake Michigan, because that’s where the water temperature stays in their comfort range the longest. Once they get down here, there’s no place to go. Then, in the spring, when the water starts to warm up, the fish that are in the southern basin of the lake storm the beaches in Indiana, southern Michigan, and the south side of Chicago, because those are the parts of the lake that warm up the quickest,” noted Schoonveld. 

“Basically, what you’ve got are two-and-a-half year-old cohos in the lake crammed within a few hundred yards of the shoreline and streams,” added Schoonveld. 

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Where Schoonveld fishes off the Indiana coast, limits are five cohos per person, but he says you can also catch the errant brown trout, lake trout, steelhead, or Chinook salmon. And the chance of a mixed bag only increases as spring progresses. Average cohos right now are 16 or 17 inches to 22 inches – “basically eater-walleye size.”

The bite is ongoing and will last until the water temperatures reach the mid 50s, around May 1stduring a typical, warm spring. The bite can last through the middle of May if temperatures stay cooler. 

Even when it does warms up, Schoonveld says you don’t have to abandon the fight, just move a few miles offshore where the fish migrate to colder water. But then you lose the advantage of fishing near the shoreline and have to be cautious on what days you go out if fishing from a smaller boat. 

And when the fish leave the Indiana coast, they tend to follow the shorelines up the Lake Michigan coast. There are typically fish off the north coast of Chicago by May 1st, as well as up around Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin. The same thing happens over on the Michigan side with fish moving from St. Joseph towards Grand Haven. 

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Small Boat and Tackle Friendly Bite

One of the coolest things about the annual coho bite is that it’s accessible to anglers with smaller, multi-species boats, as well as pier anglers. You don’t need a large charter boat to access these fish, with a lot less worry about the weather given proximity to shore. And you won’t see a lot of large boats out on the bite either; most are still iced up where they’re moored for winter.

Plus, you don’t need downriggers to fish springtime cohos. The fish are high in the water column and susceptible to shallow-diving crankbaits fished on standard gear.

“For whatever reason, they love orange,” says Schoonveld. “There are literally millions of cohos so you can catch them on pretty much anything, but you’ll probably catch them faster if you’re using orange-colored lures – and most bite in the top several feet of water. There’s no reason to use riggers to get your baits down 15, 20, 30 feet or whatever. Most anglers are running bigger planer boards or walleye-sized line planers.”

Of all the crankbaits Schoonveld runs, his favorite is the Storm Rattlin’ Thin Fin, but says Flickr Shads and Rapalas are fish-catchers, too.

In terms of gear, when fishing occasionally with buddies, Schoonveld runs 12 pound hi-vis monofilament on his trolling rods, but if he’s making daily trips, he’ll size up to 20-pound, which stands up better to the use and abuse.

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Schoonveld says orange is the color de jour for spring coho salmon.

“I like the anti-freeze colored lines so I know exactly where all of my baits are when running planar boards. And I use 20-pound fluorocarbon leader to attach to my crankbaits.”

With three lines allowed per angler and up to four anglers total in his 21-foot boat, Schoonveld has become accustomed to running up to 12 lines – typically three planar boards off port; three off starboard; plus Dipsy Diver’s and downriggers in the rear, just because he has them.

“But 85% of the fish will come on the planar board lines. I don’t use weights or anything, just whatever the lure will dive. And maybe 10% of the fish will come on the Dipsy Divers and you’ll catch one or two fish on the downriggers. The ‘riggers are permanently mounted on my boat, so I figure why not use them.”

As far as rods, he’s using the same kind of gear walleye trollers use – in his case, 8’6” medium light trolling rods for the planar boards. He does go heavier and to nine feet with the Dipsy rods and the same thing for his downriggers.

“We’re not really expecting huge fish, so I stick to light walleye gear for the cohos. Later in the season, we’ll start catching bigger fish regularly, so I’ll move up to medium or medium-heavy rods.”

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DRESS FOR COLD DESPITE WARM LAND TEMPS

While the tendency is to dress for fishing according to land temperatures – which might even be in the 70s as spring progresses – Schoonveld advises anglers not to forget that we’re in a time of year when Lake Michigan water temperatures are in the 30s to low 40s.

“Even if it’s 50 to 60 degrees on shore, it’s more like late-season ice fishing out on Lake Michigan. You’ve got wind, rain, sleet, snow, and squalls will blow through. It can get chilly if you’re not dressed for the part.”

To combat the weather and stay comfortable on his daily coho forays, Schoonveld has been wearing the aptly-named Whitewater Great Lakes Pro Insulated Jacket and Bib, and has been impressed.

“The past few weeks have been pretty cold and I’ve worn the Whitewater suit and it’s performed. From shedding water, spray, and easy clean up from blood and scales, it’s been great. And comfortable. It bends at the knees and elbows and all the places you move when getting in and moving around a boat setting up a rods and fishing.” 

He also says that the suit is warm in and of itself, not requiring the layers he’s normally worn underneath other winter parka and bibs he’s used in the past.

“Besides warmth, you also need to make sure you take the precautions necessary for this time of year,” added Schoonveld. “I wear an inflatable PFD underneath my Great Lakes Pro jacket, and I file a flight plan.”

TABLE FARE

When asked if he has a favorite way to prepare cohos, Schoonveld says he has “dozens of favorite recipes.”

“There’s really no bad way to prepare them. The easiest is to fillet them, leave on the skin, add a little bit of seasoning and salt and lay them on a high grill for six or seven minutes. That’s absolutely perfect. But I’ve had them fried, which my kids used to like, and lately I like to smear them with a Panda Express Thai Chili sauce and grill them like that. My wife likes them grilled with ranch dressing. And you can smoke them. Bake them. Whatever. I’ll also make salmon cakes, fry them up, and eat them on a sandwich with a slice of cheese and some tartar sauce. In fact, that’s what I just had for lunch. But like I said, there’s no wrong way to cook coho. They are probably the best eating of all of our Great Lakes salmon.”

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About Whitewater

Whitewater performance fishing apparel gives anglers distinct advantages whenever Mother Nature’s unpredictability conspires to ruin angling adventures. Whether faced with wind, rain, snow, sun, or extreme temperatures, Whitewater apparel equips anglers with the ability and confidence to overcome the elements, so they apply their focus and energies on fighting fish, not the conditions. Whitewater is a brand by Nexus Outdoors, headquartered in Muskegon, Michigan, USA. Learn more and order at whitewaterfish.com.

Targeting Spring Bass with the Right Gear

Targeting Spring Bass

  • February 17, 2025
  • By The Fishing Wire

In just a few short weeks, anglers across the United States will be gearing up for one of our favorite pastimes: spring largemouth bass fishing. Depending on where you are located, spring bassing could mean cool, crisp mornings, long days in the sun and rod-bending action for hours. No matter if you’re flipping soft plastics into heavy cover, casting buzzbaits or just plugging the shoreline of your favorite lake or reservoir, you’ll benefit from a good pair of fishing gloves.

Just as you’d wear a glove for golf or baseball batting practice, fishing gloves can help your game on the water by greatly reducing hand fatigue. Fish Monkey gloves have just the right amount of padding in all the right places plus a superb grip area that works as well when wet as it does dry to help relieve the pressure on your hands from making hundreds of casts every day. Another benefit: They offer good hand protection and reduce those fin pricks, scrapes and small cuts from hooks, gill plates, braided line and more. You can also virtually eliminate “bass thumb” —those scrapes on your thumbs from lipping and releasing largemouths—with a good pair of gloves as well. 

One of the most popular options is the Stubby from Fish Monkey. This design has been a best-seller since the first season it was introduced, and for some very good reasons. First, it was crafted for comfort and all-day wearability, with ultra-lightweight, quick-drying fabric and a second-skin fit, plus shorter fingers and cuffs (hence the name). The Stubby offers UPF 50-plus sun protection for the sensitive skin on the backs of your hands and has a non-slip silicone palm print. 

For those who want a bit more protection, check out the Half Finger Guide glove. It differs from the Stubby in that the fingers and cuffs are a bit longer. It also retains the same qualities of quick-drying fabrics, second-skin fit and UPF 50-plus sun protection too. 

And for something that’s a bit of both, there’s the Pro 365 Guide glove. It has a bit less coverage than the Half Finger but a little more than the Stubby—it’s just right. Designed for those guides, captains and professional anglers who spend long hours in the sun, it has unparalleled comfort, UPF 50-plus sun protection, padding where you need it and a wet-or-dry grip that won’t quit. 

Make the most of your spring bass fishing this year with Fish Monkey performance fishing gloves. Interested in becoming a Fish Monkey Hunt Monkey dealer? Click here for more information! 

A January Club Tournament Shows Why Bass Like Jigs

The Flint River Bass Club held its first 2023 tournament last Sunday at Jackson. In it, six of us fished for eight hours in a mudhole to land 12 bass weighing about 14 pounds.  There was one five bass limit and no one zeroed.

I landed five weighing 5.70 pounds for first, Doug Acre came in second with two weighing 3.36 pounds and had a 1.94-pound fish for big fish and Lee Hancock had three weighing 3.1 for third.  Fourth went to Alex Gober with one at 1.71 pounds and new member Scott Smith had keeper weighing .63 pounds for fifth.

When we started at 7:30 AM I could tell the water was very muddy even in the cove at the ramp. My first cast I found out how muddy, my crankbait disappeared about two inches deep.

I fished one place in the muddy cove without a bite for about 30 minutes. When I headed up the river to try to find some clearer water to fish, I was shocked and scared when I saw all the wood floating in the water.  Everything from twigs to logs twice as long as my boat covered the water from bank to bank.

That made me stop on a point and try to fish, although it was very muddy and almost every cast produced some kind of trash on my line and lure. After about 30 minutes the light breeze had moved the wood away from one side of the lake enough to run on plane if you were slow and careful.

I had hoped to go up the Alcovy River above the mouth of the South River where the water is often clearer, but when I got to the mouth of Tussahaw Creek I changed my mind. The wood going up the river covered it even worse from bank to bank and the wind had not made any open water at wall.

That condition made me go up Tussahaw Creek where there is often some clear water.  And it did get better above the bridge, I could see my bait down a solid six inches!

I caught a small keeper spot by casting a brown three sixteenths ounce Bitsy Bug jig with a green pumpkin Creepy Crawler trailer to a cement seawall. Of course I dipped the tails of the trailer in chartreuse JJs Magic. There are rocks at the bottom of most seawalls and bass will hold against them to feed on crayfish and baitfish.

I kept fishing seawalls like that and every one of my fish, two more spots and two largemouth, hit the jig on a seawall.  Lee was fishing the same area and caught his three on a variety of baits.

I invited the spots I caught home for dinner. When I cleaned them they had parts of small crayfish in their stomachs. That is why they liked my brown jig with the twin trailer arms!

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

11 Pound Guntersville Bass

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

 

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Fishing Report 1/18/24


I was on the water just a couple times this past week as the cold and wind were just not my
preferred fishing conditions. We did have some success, but it seemed like every time we
located fish the wind would blow us off the location and force us to have to move to make
the trip enjoyable.


We were preparing for the rattle trap season so all we fished, was the SPRO Aruka Shad rattle
bait the entire time we were on the water each day. The results were great for size and
average for numbers but getting ready for trap season that was a great result.


It’s time to set up your spring fishing days for bass or crappie, I believe it’s going to be a great
year as the numbers of small fish caught this past fall was impressive. Leaving me assured
that the lake is healthy and full of fish.

Come fish with me we have days available for the
spring we wish with great sponsor products Mercury Motors, Boat Logix mounts, Vicious
Fishing, Toyota Trucks, Duckett Fishing, Missile Baits, Tight-Line Jigs, Lowrance Electronics,
Costa Sunglasses, Dawson Boat Center, Power Pole, Lew’s Fishing and more.
Looking to entertain your customers we do corporate trips, family trips and have a group of
guides available to entertain your customers, or family so you can thank your employees for
the job well done or entertain a family affair. Call me today for details!


Bait Size Matters


As winter slowly moves on it is a time of year where size matters; at no time during the
fishing year is the size of your bait more important than now! If your wanting to catch big
quality bass, fish with big baits, like 7 inch swim baits, ¾ oz. jigs with large trailers that give
the jig a bulky look; even ¾ to 1 oz. spinner baits with large willow leaf blades will produce
that big bite.


The thing many fishermen do not realize is that slow lethargic large bass pick their prey and
the bigger the better as their feeding is very selective and large presentations entice that big
fish. I know you all have heard that saying that this time of year (winter) you’re fishing for a
few bites; I believe this is true so if the bites are limited than the presentation of large bait
becomes even more important. Size does matter; large bass are selective, they want slow
moving baits, easy prey and that large presentation as they can lead you to that 30-pound
sack we all hunt in winter fishing. Large baits do have some negatives as some days it can
reduce the number of bites, but the bigger fish make it all worth it. Be color aware as
wintertime fishing color does matter!


Some of the baits I like with large profiles are ¾ to 1 oz. Spinner baits with big willow leaf
blades that get to the bottom easily and becomes a great large profile bait to slow roll on the
bottom this time of year. I also like ¾ oz. football jigs you combine that big jig with a Missile
Bait D-bomb trailer or Drop Craw, or big Missile Craw and it will produce big bites with this jig
as it really entices those big females. Don’t underestimate the power of a big swim bait, some
of those very expensive large swim baits when worked slowly over shallow grass can become
your best friend; these baits can be very expensive, but wintertime proves their worth.


Big baits produce big fish, and you’ll have a big time on the water; you just have to get on the
water to prove it; call me I’ll help you become a big bait fisherman!


Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service



Come fish with me I am booking for the fall and would love to take you fishing call today 256
759 2270. We fish with great sponsor products Mercury Motors, Ranger Boats, Boat Logix
Mounts, Toyota Trucks, Cornfield Fishing Gear, Costa, Duckett Fishing, Dawson Boat Center,
Vicious Fishing, Power Pole, and more

Right Place, Right Time For 50-Pound Musky

You have to be in the Right Place at the Right Time with the right tackle For 50-Pound Musky

  • By The Fishing Wire

Park Falls, WI –Duncannon, Pennsylvania fishing guide and St. Croix Rod Ambassador, Joe Raymond, must be living right. Almost a month to the day after catching a 7.1-pound personal-best smallmouth bass that many believe to be the largest ever recorded on the Susquehanna River, Raymond caught another fish that has the internet buzzing. This one, however, was over twice as long and seven times heavier. No, it wasn’t a smallmouth bass.

“I was taking some time off and bass fishing up at the St. Lawrence River,” says Raymond, who always carries musky gear on the deck of his Rockproof River Rocket when plying the waters of the storied fishery. “I’m not a musky expert… just an enthusiast,” Raymond emphasizes. “I was scouting some new spots for bass the night before the full moon. Some of my areas have been getting a lot more pressure, so I was just exploring on my day off.”

Raymond was marking bass and working some scattered rocks along a grass line at about 5:00 PM when his Legend X spinning rod doubled over.

“I hooked a three-pound bass and was fighting it back to the boat when I saw a big musky charge up with gills flared right underneath it,” Raymond recalls. He describes the fish as a bona fide supertanker. “This fish was as fired up to eat as they come, but I couldn’t throw back at it because I wasn’t rigged up,” he says. Raymond unhooked the bass and hurriedly grabbed his musky rod.

After tying on a substantial chunk of white rubber, Raymond started fan casting with his Legend Elite Musky LEM86HF. “I couldn’t locate the fish on my electronics, so I was just casting and ripping the bait along that grass line,” he says. After about 20 minutes of rip… pause… rip, Raymond says his lure hard-stopped and he set the hooks into “all the weight in the world.”

The St. Lawrence River has some of the biggest muskies to be found anywhere and claims a historical world record – a 69-15 fish caught by Arthur Lawton in 1957. “Historical” because although the catch is still recognized as the NY state record by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, it was disallowed as a world record by both the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association amidst much controversy – like so many other old musky records. That said, there’s no arguing that the St. Lawrence has produced numerous documented muskies over 50 pounds. Over the past few years, Raymond himself had already caught three fish there 55 inches or greater.

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And he suspected the fish he was tied to might be his biggest yet.

“I was pretty sure the fish with my lure in its mouth was the same giant that had followed my bass to the boat,” Raymond says. “It was fighting like crazy… just dug and dug and dug, but I’ve been fooled before; I’ve caught 44-inchers that I swore were going to be a whole lot bigger. I had my drag totally locked down and was giving this fish everything my equipment and I had to get it into the net as quickly as possible.” When he got the fish near the boat, his suspicions were confirmed. “I’m sure it was the same fish,” he says. “Long, deep, and incredibly girthy all the way down through its tail. The fish was still punching and surging, but I saw it was well hooked, so I backed off the drag a half turn. I knew I had her.”

Raymond slid the giant into his net. He taped the fish at 55” long and 27” around.

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“I was shaking and just wishing someone else was there to share the experience,” says Raymond, who spotted some people on a nearby beach and idled over with the fish in the net to ask for their help with a couple of photos. “They were interested in what I’d caught and were happy to help. They were so nice,” he says. While Raymond didn’t weigh the fish, he speculates it was somewhere just north of 50 pounds, making it the heaviest of his life — a statement backed up by common musky length/girth weight calculators.

After a couple quick photos, Raymond spent a few minutes observing the fish in the water before releasing it and watching the tank swim away.

Takeaways

When reflecting on the experience, Raymond wouldn’t comment on whether or not “living right” has anything to do with his recent good-fishing fortunes. But he does offer a few observations.

“If you spend enough time on the water you’re going to run into big fish,” he says. “And if you are spending that much time on the water, you’re going to have learned a lot and be a good angler. I don’t think there’s any more to it than that. I’m on the water all the time and it increases my odds of big-fish encounters.”

Raymond says he was fortunate to locate a trophy fish on a body of water known for giant muskies at the right time. “Anyone who puts time in chasing muskies knows what a grind it usually is,” he says. “Timing definitely matters. You can go days without catching or even moving one, then you hit a feeding window and the switch flips and you might see and catch several. That’s why I don’t guide for muskies; I really don’t want that kind of pressure… plus, I don’t want to ruin musky fishing for myself. I caught that big smallmouth on the same lunar period a month earlier – the day before the full moon. I was lucky to find both of those fish right when they were ready to eat.”

While Raymond wasn’t targeting muskies, he was prepared with the proper gear because of his knowledge of the fishery and his previous experiences there. “Like I said, I’m no musky expert, but I do make my living on the water, so I know the value of being prepared with the right equipment to take advantage of opportunities,” says Raymond, whose favored all-around musky setup is a St. Croix Legend Elite Musky 8’6” heavy power, fast action rod paired to a Tranx 400 reel spooled with 80-pound Smackdown braid tied with an FG knot directly to a custom Seaguar AbrazX 130-pound fluorocarbon leader.

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“The 86HF is simply the most versatile musky rod you can get and anyone who’s fished the Legend Elite version will tell you it’s in a class by itself. It’s amazing how a rod that powerful can feel so unbelievably light. There’s always one in my rod locker when I’m fishing anywhere near muskies.”

Finally, Raymond dives into big muskies and what makes them so special… and so vulnerable.

“There have been fish like mine – and bigger – caught all up and down the St. Lawrence in the past decades,” Raymond says, “but they are becoming fewer and fewer. It’s sad to see what’s happened here. It’s still a viable destination and there are monsters here, just not as many. The water has really cleared up because of the zebra and quagga mussels, which has reduced the amount of grass and altered the fishery. And then you’ve got the VHS virus plus all the gobies eating most of the musky eggs. I don’t think the outlook is good. We don’t really see small fish here anymore, which is a bad sign.”

Raymond says if you are fortunate enough to catch one of these big, old St. Lawrence muskies – or a big musky anywhere – you’ve really got to be extra careful with them. “Other than taking a couple of photos and measuring it, this fish was kept in the water the whole time. That’s important. And when you do take them out, despite their size and how resilient they may seem, they’re actually more fragile than about any other trophy fish. Gravity alone can injure a fish like this, so how you lift and handle them matters.”

Whether you fish the St. Lawrence River or any other body of water where muskies swim, trophy fish time is happening right now and will continue through ice up. So, follow Raymond’s advice and get out on the water. They may be known as the “fish of ten-thousand casts,” but one of those casts could end with the fish of a lifetime.

Contact Joe Raymond or book a trip with him through his website, susquehannasmallmouthguides.com. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

About St. Croix Rod

Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world.

How Many Bass Do You Have To Catch To Find A Pattern?

A few years ago a friend fishing with me caught a small bass and said “Now we know the pattern to fish today.”  I just laughed.  I am no professional fisherman, but I do not think one fish sets a pattern.

    Bass fishermen search for a pattern each day, the kinds of structure, cover and depth fish seem to be holding and feeding, and what kind of food they are eating.  Discover a good pattern and you can catch fish all over a big lake doing the same thing. Pro fishermen are pros because they can usually find a good pattern.

    On the other hand I work to catch every fish I can find.  In my mind there are always some bass shallow and they are more likely to be feeding and easier to catch.  Sometimes I find a small pattern, maybe fishing the front edge of a grass bed, the back post on a dock or a rocky seawall. 

    In a recent tournament a club member stated, “The bass are not in the grass beds today, I never got a bite in them.”  My response was that was odd since my biggest three fish hit in grass beds.  Patterns are elusive for fishermen like me!

    The Sportsman Club Classic last Sunday at Bartletts Ferry proved this to me.  In the tournament that 8 fishermen qualified to fish, we landed 29 bass weighing about 29 pounds.  In eight hours of casting, there were three five-bass limits and no one zeroed.

Wayne Teal won big with five weighing 10.69 pounds and his 3.85 pound largemouth was big fish. Raymond English came in second with five at 5.86 pounds, my five weighing 5.49 pounds was third, Jay Gerson placed fourth with two sat 5.09 pounds and Kwong Yu came in fifth with four weighing 3.77 pounds.

Two weeks ago I fished Bartletts four days, three in practice and one in the Potato Creek Tournament.  Last week I camped and fished Friday and Saturday and then the tournament Sunday.

Bartletts Ferry has many water willow grass beds and are usually a good place to find bass feeding.  In the 7 days I fished I tried many of them and worked a variety of baits through them. I never got a bite.

Of course, Wayne said all his fish hit in grass beds on baits I had tried!

Finding a pattern is great and I have found a few over the years.  At Guntersville a few years ago I caught four bass, three over four pounds each, by pitching a jig to the right front post of docks in less than three feet of water. My partner and I never got a bite around other posts that day!

Sometimes two fishermen can be casting the same bait to the same places but only one will catch fish.  Often there is a slight difference in the way the bait is worked or some other unnoticed factor.

That is why I find it difficult to figure out a pattern. I get frustrated and think maybe the fish are there, I am just doing a little something wrong.

Once again I camped at Blanton Creek Georgia Power campground. Knowing their discriminating rule against boat owners, I reserved a site on the water.  When I arrived after 4:00 PM there was a map on the board with my name on it.  A sign said set up and check in the next morning.

When I went to my site the wind was blowing fairly big waves into the bank, so I set up and parked my boat on the site, completely out of the road and off the grass.  An hour later the campground host drove up in a golf cart to tell me I could not park my boat on the site.

We talked for a while and he was very nice, explaining a few years ago someone with a boat caused a problem how they parked, so Georgia Power made a rule no boats in the campground.  So they punished every boat owner for the past four years for the actions of one.

He let me leave my boat there for the night since it was Thursday but insisted I move it first thing the next morning.

Unfortunately, two club members that had reservations to camp but not on the water had to cancel since they could not charge their batteries.

    Maybe someday Georgia power won’t punish all boat owners due to the past action of one slob.

A Bartletts Ferry Tournament Shows Never Give Up!

We knew fishing would be tough at Bartletts Ferry for the Potato Creek Bassmasters tournament last Saturday.  The weekend before it took only 11 pounds to win a local tournament with 47 teams fishing.  In local tournaments like that there are usually some very good fishermen that know the lake well and fish it several days a week to keep up with what will catch bass.

    In our tournament 18 fishermen cast from 7:00 AM to 3:00 Pm to land 51 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 64 pounds.  There were three five bass limits and two fishermen didn’t weigh in a fish.

    I managed to win with five weighing 7.26 pounds, Doug Acree had five at 7.05 for second and Stevie Wright came in third with four weighing 6.01 pounds.  Glen Anderson had three weighing 5.90 pounds for fourth and his 3.71 pound largemouth was big fish.

    I went to Blanton Creek Campground on Wednesday to practice and try to figure out something on Thursday and Friday.  Blanton Creek is a very nice Georgia Power campground about five miles by land and three miles by water from Idlehour Ramp where our tournaments are held.

    I like camping there, it has nice shady sites with electricity and water hookups and a good bathhouse with hot showers.  As usual, when I pulled up to check in the attendant said “you know you can not park your boat in the campground.” 

I have run into that problem every time I camp there.  My boat batteries have to be charged every night or I can not fish the next day.  They want me to leave my boat in the ramp parking lot, where there are no outlets.  And I have to take off all my electronics and take all my tackle with me. I am very uncomfortable leaving it exposed in a parking lot.

Some trips in the past I have been able to park my boat on my campsite, assuring the attendants I would not park it outside the gravel area or on the roads.  This time I had gotten a site on the water, one of only about ten that allow you to keep your boat in the water and run an extension cord to it to charge your batteries. 

    Although written rules in the campground say no vehicles should be parked anywhere other than on the gravel camp sites, there were six to 12 trucks and cars parked outside campsites beside the road every day.

    So they do not allow anyone to park a boat in the campground since someone might park outside their campsite, but they do not enforce the written rules for cars and trucks.

Seems very unfair to me.

I was shocked to win the tournament.  My elbow started hurting the week before the tournament and I got a sharp pain in it every time I tried to cast.  Thursday I tried to learn to cast with my left hand, and got pretty good at it, as long as I didn’t care where my bait went.

I cast about 20 times Friday and my elbow hurt so bad I stopped. I spent most of Thursday and Friday riding points, looking for places where I could drop a bait over the side or heave it out with no target, let it sink then drag it around with the trolling motor.

I started Saturday morning on a rocky bank where I could heave my spinnerbait toward it and not care much where it hit. I hooked and lost a fish on my third cast, then lost another a few minutes later.  That was not a good start.

I next went to a hump with some hydrilla on it and heaved a topwater bait out, and got a good keeper on my second cast with a topwater plug.  After that I caught three on Trick worms on seawalls. Fishing them allowed me to cast in the general direction, often landing my bait on the bank, then pulling it into the water.

After the sun got high I got my fifth keeper dragging a small jig on a point with some brush. Then, with less than 30 minutes to fish, I went back to the hump where I caught my first fish. 

With five minutes left to cast I hooked and landed a 2.5 pound largemouth on a spinnerbait.  It was my biggest fish of the day and culled a 12-inch spot that weighed less than a pound!  That made the difference between first and fourth or so.

Never give up – even when every cast hurts!

Is September the Meanest Month for Bass Fishing?

    Last Sunday five members and guests of the Flint River Bass Club fished our September tournament at Lake Oconee.  After eight hours of casting, from 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM, we weighed in eight bass weighing about 15 pounds. There were no limits and one fisherman didn’t have a keeper.

    Alex Gober won with three bass weighing 4.93 pounds. Brent Drake placed second with two at 4.31 pounds and had big fish with a 2.92 pound largemouth.  Don Gober had two keepers weighing 3.62 pounds for third and my one bass weighing 1.80 pounds was fourth.

    Oddly enough, a Facebook memory showed up Sunday showing one year ago I placed fourth in the Flint River tournament at Oconee with one bass weighing about 1.80 pounds. The more things change the more they stay the same, I guess.

I always say September is the meanest month for bass fishing.  The water is as hot as it gets and the oxygen content is as low as it gets all year.  The fish have been beat up since early spring, seeing artificial baits just about every day. So they are as smart and wary as they can be.

I used to say by September bass in local lakes know the name and price of every lure Berry’s Sporting Goods sells and can probably tell you where to find them on the shelf in the store!

I had a good feeling I could catch a bass out of grass beds on topwater first thing that morning, and I guess I was right.  A few minutes after starting I caught a 13.5 inch largemouth on a floating worm. Unfortunately, the size limit at Oconee is 14 inches so it did no good.

    After more than an hour of trying that pattern with no more bites, I saw a lone dock back in a cove. Often a single piece of cover like and isolated dock is a good bet for a bite.

I got no bites around the dock but while scanning around it with my forward facing sonar I spotted a small brush top off to the side of the dock. It looked like a fish was holding beside it. I cast a small jig to the brush and it never hit bottom.

I set the hook as my line moved out and landed my one keeper.  Without the Garmin Panoptix I would never have known that brush and fish was there.

Later in the day, as seems usual lately, as I idled over a point I spotted some brush and rocks out in 15 feet of water on my sonar. I took the boat out of gear and cast a shaky head behind the boat as it stopped. When it hit bottom my line jumped and started moving toward deep water.

Unfortunately, that direction was across the back of my boat. I set the hook and a strong fish pulled back, and I could not control it. It cut my line on my prop!

I fished grass, blowdowns, docks, rock piles and boulders the rest of the day and caught a few short bass, but no keepers. 

The last one hit with less than five minutes to fish. I cast my weightless worm to the edge of a grassbed, saw the grass a foot to the left wave as a fish came out of it and hit my worm.

Just like the first one that morning, it was 13.5 inches long! But thats not why i fish!

Fishing Is Inconsistent At Lake Guntersville

    Lake Guntersville is special. On the Tennessee River in north Alabama, it is a grass filled bass factory. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ranks it in the top ten bass lakes in the nation most years.

    When big tournaments are held there it is common for five bass limits weighing more than 20 pounds to come to the scales, and catches of five weighing 30 pounds are weighed in most years.

    But there are two sides to this story. Bass clubs in Alabama send in tournament results and the state compiles it in their BAIT report. That report shows Guntersville has a lower percent of anglers catching a keeper bass in tournaments than all but three other Alabama lakes.

    Fishing can be great there but the whole lake looks “fishy.”  When you stop on a point or in a cove and see hydrilla, water willow and eel grass everywhere it is hard to decide where to cast. It looks like a bass could be anywhere, or everywhere.

    The Sportsman Club fished there last weekend and our results are more like the BAIT results than the results of pro tournaments or tournaments fished by local fishermen that know the lake well.

    After fishing from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM Saturday and 6:30 AM to 1:30 PM Sunday in very hot weather, we brought 21 keeper bass weighing about 45 pounds to the scales.  Nobody weighed in a five fish limit and three of the nine fishermen didn’t have a keeper.

    Guntersville has largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. The length limit on smallmouth and largemouth is 15 inches and in our tournament a spot had to be 12 inches long.  About 14 of our bass were largemouth, six were spots and one a smallmouth.

    Raymond English had bad/good luck and won and had big fish. His boat motor would not go into gear so he had to fish around the ramp both days, but caught six keepers, four largemouth and two spots, weighing 15.14 pounds for first and his 5.40 pound largemouth was big fish.

    My six, three largemouth, two spots and one mean mouth, weighing 8.80 pounds was second, Zane Fleck had three largemouth weighing 7.97  pounds for third and Billy Roberts had three largemouth weighing 6.13 pounds for fourth.

    I went up on Wednesday and camped at Guntersville State Park, a beautiful facility with good shower houses.  As usual I was shocked at the number of huge motor homes and fifth wheel trailers that came into the campground, were set up and the folks went inside. 

I seldom saw anyone else outside except midmorning when some came out to cook breakfast and then came back out late in the afternoon to cook dinner.  I guess it was just too hot to leave the air conditioning in their home away from home, but I don’t understand driving to campground on a beautiful lake and staying inside almost the whole time.

I spent Thursday and Friday riding around looking for deep fish on ledges on my electronics. Guntersville is famous for its deep ledges as well as its grass beds. I found many schools of fish but could not get them to bite. One local guide told me they were inactive and would not feed unless current was moving from power generation, and there was no current the whole time I was there.

Saturday morning I started on a grassbed a guide had suggested, and caught two short bass and one barely 15 inch long keeper.  At about noon I was fishing down a bluff bank, mainly keeping my boat in the shade, and caught a keeper spot. Then a little later on another bluff bank a good keeper largemouth it my small jig in a treetop. Those three put me in third the first day.

Sunday the grassbed produced only one short fish so I headed to my shady bank early.  I caught an unusual looking fish, it looked olive green, not green like a largemouth and not brown like a smallmouth.  I looked it up and it was a cross between a spot and a smallmouth, called a “meanmouth.”  It had a patch of “teeth” on its tongue like a spot and, according to what I found on the internet on my phone and a text to a local guide, it was considered a spot for size limits so I could weigh it in.

I stayed on that shady bank the rest of the day and lost a keeper spot and caught two short spots. Then, with ten minutes left to fish, I caught a keeper spot.  At 1:17 I thought to myself I could make two more cast before running in. That cast produced a hit on my small jig and I landed a barely keeper largemouth, giving me second place. 

I didn’t have time left to make my last cast!