2009 Fishing Blog

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01/05/2009 10:54 pm

Alex's Archive

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It begins...

Went ice fishing on Winnebago on Saturday. Guys I went with caught a couple perch right away, then not anything else for a while. Moved to a new spot and as we were driving around saw a guy who was picking up fish off the ice and filled a 5 gallon bucket half full. So we stopped a little ways from them but weren't getting anything. They left after a little while so we moved in and one guy caught a big eel pout, a number of white bass were caught, and some perch. I caught 1.5 perch, cause the first one fell off right at the surface and I stuck my arm halfway down the hole but couldn't grab it. The second one was a nice 11". All in all, it was cold.

	PackOne - 1528 Posts 01/06/2009 @ 10:59:35 AM
I went out on Wissota (a lake I really don't like for some reason) this Sunday as well. I don't think I even marked a fish for three hours. We left. It was not cold, the Mr Heater works great in the Frabill. Highly recommend it to anyone.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Ignorance is bliss to those uneducated 02/08/2009 @ 07:12:59 PM
It was so nice out today and I couldn't stray far from home since I was on call for work so I went to Gander and bought a hand auger and pole to fish on the pond with. Then I found out that I had thrown away the rest of my Gulp red worms so I had old 6" Gulp worms, 2" powerbaits grubs, or 3" Gulp minnows. Decided to try cutting a piece of the 6" worm and put it on a treble hook buckshot jig, and didn't get a bite. But it was as much about scouting as fishing anyway, and I found out that it's a lot deeper than I thought, something like 14 feet in the main channel. So that one decent sized perch I caught last fall maybe wasn't as much of an aberration as I thought. Probably try to get out and do some more depth finding again, and I think I'll try the minnows next time.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jon - 3375 Posts 02/08/2009 @ 10:24:16 PM
Do you have some sort of death wish Alex? Didn't they just have to rescue a load of people off the ice down in your area? Honestly I didn't pay attention to the story much, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a good situation. Crap, it's nearly tropical these days. It's gonna hit 50 this week in the south part of the state probably.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - But let history remember, that as free men, we chose to make it so! 02/08/2009 @ 10:51:21 PM
The only rescue I heard of lately was in Lake Erie, so...no. There was at least 20" inches of ice here, and little chance of a large chunk of ice breaking off and floating away like on Erie. Plus I've watched enough Survivorman and Man vs Wild that I think I could handle breaking through the ice on a pond. Use your arms to pull yourself back on the ice, crawl across the ice to keep weight distributed, and then strip naked because soaked cotton keeps you colder than the air and start a fire to keep yourself warm and prevent hypothermia. Also you can use snow to dry yourself off.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - 2079 Posts 02/10/2009 @ 10:16:25 AM
or because the chances of you saying "Oh shit, I'm in the freezing water and my body doesn't want to move" rather than "OK body, stay warm, we're going Bear Grylls on this mother" you're probably going to end up an icecube.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	PackOne - Well you can get this lapdance here for free. 02/10/2009 @ 10:54:49 AM
I have at least 300 filets in my freezer right now.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 03/29/2009 @ 08:43:37 PM
Fished all day on Winnebago on the 15th, kept 6 perch.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 04/04/2009 @ 06:01:08 PM
I had the 2009 version of my own little tradition today. Every spring I go to get a new license, and as long as I'm at Gander anyway, I figure I might as well check out the lures and such. Maybe take a winter's worth of fishing magazine and TV show hot bait recommendations into consideration for some new tactics, replace things that I ran out of last year, buy more of stuff that worked last year, check out the clearance and sales items, etc. Lets just say I think they had to use the biggest plastic bag they have available at checkout. Although that was probably mostly due to the fairly large square shaped tackle box I bought. My best deals I would have to say are some Rapala crankbaits. They had prepackaged sets of 3, medium to small size. I think they were originally like $12, but they were on clearance for $8 and then it was another 25% off of that. So I was literally getting 3 baits for the price of 1. I think I bought 5 sets. Then there was a smaller cheap tackle box with a leader, crankbait, spinner, bucktail, and topwater all big fish sized for $23. 3 of those baits they had there separately priced for a total of $45. Of course all those baits meant new tackle boxes so I bought the aforementioned large bait box which I actually need for stuff I bought last year still and I got one of 20 compartment flip row boxes for the crankbaits, which was also probably a past due purchase. Also I walked by the pond today, one guy was fishing but not catching, water is still pretty cold, didn't see any fish in the shallows yet.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	PackOne - Push the little daisy's and make em come up. 04/13/2009 @ 10:48:03 PM
I got to go ice fishing once this year. Limited out, still have the fish. Not looking much better for the summer action.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Who controls the past now controls the future 04/14/2009 @ 12:58:57 PM
Last Saturday we finally found a motor for my Dad's boat. Went to New London to pick up a 1998 75HP 2 stroke Merc. If he can get installed ok it should be a pretty nice upgrade from a 77 that didn't have trim/tilt and wasn't oil injected. So things are looking much better for my fishing season.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 04/17/2009 @ 02:00:23 PM
Caught my first open water fish yesterday in the pond, little perch and whatever pan fish variety that is in there that I don't think I ever figured last year what it really was. It's like a smallmouth bass shaped sunfish. At any rate, my point here is actually that I took a half day off of work for this weather!!!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - How do you use these things? 05/03/2009 @ 03:13:37 PM
Anybody go fishing this weekend? Catch anything? I probably won't get out for a couple more weeks.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - 2079 Posts 05/03/2009 @ 05:05:41 PM
I might go fishing in Hawaii...		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Refactor Mercilessly 05/03/2009 @ 05:37:36 PM
I went out to the pond a little yesterday, but my game plan was about a month off. One nice sunny day and I start thinking it's the middle of June. I'm heading out now again to see if I can do a little better job of finding the fish.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Ignorance is bliss to those uneducated 05/17/2009 @ 11:41:22 PM
Fished Winnebago on Friday. Kept 1 17" walleye, threw 1 small one back, my dad caught a 15" bass, and then there were some sheephead of course. Fished Fox Lake today and we boated 12 fish, I think it was 5 largemouths and 7 northern. 1 follow and 1 strike by muskies.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	PackOne - 1528 Posts 05/18/2009 @ 06:40:55 PM
Juding by day one of my internship, I will not be fishing much.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - 4605 Posts 05/18/2009 @ 06:45:02 PM
Planning on working day and night? Sounds like a fun internship.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 05/18/2009 @ 09:50:00 PM
18" bass from yesterday [Click to Enlarge]		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - I don't need to get steady I know just how I feel 05/18/2009 @ 09:50:22 PM
30" northern [Click to Enlarge]		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	PackOne - You analyze me. Tend to despise me. You laugh when I stumble and fall. 05/19/2009 @ 09:46:36 AM
Sarah Wrote - Yesterday @ 06:45:02 PM Planning on working day and night? Sounds like a fun internship. It an awesome intership, just not in town and plenty to be done.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jon - 3375 Posts 05/21/2009 @ 05:17:56 AM
PackOne Wrote - 05/19/2009 @ 09:46:36 AM It an awesome intership, just not in town and plenty to be done. It an awesome writing internship? That's unpossible.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Refactor Mercilessly 05/23/2009 @ 07:15:05 PM
Only managed one bass, but it was the biggest one I saw. Kind of annoying when you can see them sitting there and they don't even acknowledge the 10 different baits I throw at them. Had to use a live crawler to get a hit. 16.5" [Click to Enlarge]		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.
Alex messed with this at 05/23/2009 7:15:27 pm

	Alex - You've got to trust your instinct, and let go of regret 06/02/2009 @ 10:41:17 PM
Slackin a bit. Went to Fox Lake on the 30th with my dad and brother, few bass that absolutely inhaled my spinnerbait, dad and brother caught some walleye including a 23" on a spinner bait, I had one follow that I think was a muskie but didn't get a great look at it, had a little live bait out and caught a bluegill and crappie, and everyone had a few small to medium northerns.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9475 Posts 06/18/2009 @ 11:04:27 AM
[Click to Enlarge] [Click to Enlarge] [Click to Enlarge] Went fishing with Craig after work yesterday. First 2 are the same 11-12 incher. Last one is a 9-10 inch one. Are these perch? If so, they're the biggest I've seen. Then the heat and lack of beverage (and perhaps the cigar) got to me and I left my lunch along the shore. Good times!		Rate this comment Yours: Total: Rated 1 times.

	Alex - I was too weak to give in Too strong to lose 06/18/2009 @ 01:42:33 PM
Indeed, they be perch.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - Since 1980! 06/19/2009 @ 12:53:02 PM
and it was indeed the cigar. You know the fish can smell that crap!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Jeremy - 9475 Posts 06/19/2009 @ 01:53:08 PM
I didn't mean I left those, or other, fishes along the shore. I mean I barfed.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Carlos44ec - Knuckle Sammich 06/19/2009 @ 06:24:08 PM
and I said that it was the cigar that made you yak. When I said the fish can smell it, I meant the smell of the cigar smoke. They don't like it.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 06/22/2009 @ 11:43:52 AM
Fished Sat afternoon + evening on Winnebago. Kept 4 walleyes in the 13"-14" range which we didn't catch till later in the day. Caught a few largemouth and a smallmouth before that, biggest of each was about in the same as the walleye. The usual sheephead were caught as well, plus the most rock bass I've seen a while. I think 5 of them. 1 bluegill, and then when it was pretty much dark out my dad caught a 24" flathead catfish. Sun morning went to Fox Lake and had about 4 or 5 each of northern, bass, and walleye, mostly caught by my dad. He didn't measure all his northern by I think I had the biggest at 27". He had a 20" walleye, none of the bass were that big except for one that he missed. We were in 3-4" feet of water and his spinnerbait was maybe a foot down over the side of the boat and he had the trolling motor control in one hand and was playing with that when a big bass hit his bait right by the boat but he never set the hook. I think I saw a muskie cruising the shallows (it was either that or giant carp, which is quite possible as they were jumping all over in other spots) and at one point and my dad thought he had a hit by one but nothing too concrete in that category.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - I was too weak to give in Too strong to lose 06/29/2009 @ 12:39:42 PM
Went to Fox Lake Saturday with dad and brothers. My dad caught a 42.5" muskie, numerous other follows and a few missed strikes. Only had 1 or 2 bass but a number of northerns, biggest was 32". Sunday on Winnebago it was very windy. Basketed one walleye for a while but couldn't find him any friends so he was released. Had another catfish, sheephead, rock bass, largemouth, smallmouth.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/02/2009 @ 07:42:08 PM
The Saturday trip was more exciting than that sounds. Early on there was a boat with 3 guys trolling not too far from us and they had something on a spinning reel that they were pretty excited about, and 10 minutes later they landed what looked like a 40"ish muskie. Not sure what # test they had but I'd guess they were more walleye fishing than muskie fishing. We found other fish in the area with a few muskie follows and some caught northerns. But water visibility wasn't great and the muskies seemed to be coming up from below more than chasing from behind and I was being lazy with my figure 8s and twice pulled my lure out of the water right as was a fish was striking. Which is why I need a head mounted video camera for fishing because that would've been some sweet footage, they were both 40" fish splashing half way out of the water. Eventually my dad caught this one: [Click to Enlarge] Also I fished with a 6" plastic worm in 6' or so of not that weedy water, which is something new for me, and caught a 30" northern which was pretty exciting. Bit more fun catching that size fish on 14lb mono on a spinning reel as opposed to my medium-heavy bait casting rod with 50lb braid that I use most for game fishing.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/14/2009 @ 07:04:22 PM
Fished Bago on the 5th, kept 4 walleyes all 15-16" and one bluegill. All my fish, which it was about time that I had a trip like that. My dad did lose probably the biggest walleye at the boat. There's a decent crop of big rock bass out there too that we've found this year. Not sure if they would taste any good?		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/16/2009 @ 07:20:13 PM
Alex Wrote - 07/02/2009 @ 07:42:08 PM Which is why I need a head mounted video camera for fishing because that would've been some sweet footage, they were both 40" fish splashing half way out of the water. These would probably work, http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/c090/		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 07/20/2009 @ 08:58:50 PM
5 walleyes yesterday, 14" to 18". We dropped a marker on small reef and were fishing there and had caught 2 walleye I think and we'd drift past the marker then drive back up and drift again. Then these other chumps were all up in our grille trying to fish the same spot but I don't think they caught a single fish. Only other species we caught was sheephead, but I think I broke my personal record with an 18"er...have to get out the exty drive...half an inch short. Well, my Winnebago record sheephead anyway. Only other excitement was we saw a pretty decent sized dead sturgeon floating on the surface. And we did have 3 or 4 double headers and I think 1 triple header, but those fish were all sheephead except 1.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Sarah - How do you use these things? 07/20/2009 @ 09:08:09 PM
Haven't been fishing in awhile, but just got a picture from my aunt, my uncle went fishing in Canada and caught a 55 1/2 inch musky. Frickin' huge!		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - Ignorance is bliss to those uneducated 08/31/2009 @ 11:59:42 AM
Well, it's turned out to be kind of a lame summer for fishing, both in number of times out and overall success. Since my post I think I was on Winnebago once and didn't do much. Then 2 weekends ago hit Fox Lake and didn't see a single fish over 4" long all day. I'll blame it on the fact that summer lasted about 2 weeks this year. Hope to get out more in September though.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.

	Alex - 3619 Posts 09/09/2009 @ 09:06:16 PM
Bago last Sunday and Monday, only sheephead Sunday, small walleye and one decent 15" largemouth on a crankbait plus more sheephead Monday.		Rate this comment Yours: Rated 0 times.