Walleye Express

Adam.

There were more ducks both flying and being shot at yesterday on the Bay, then at any other time I've been out this year. Now I got to get those 4 walleyes I took home from yesterdays trip in the smoker for tomorrow charter clients. Probably going to start out same place with the Zuris and fall back on the river if need be.

Hit the Bay this afternoon with the brother Dave in his G3. Fished from 11:00am to 2:00pm. He had to be back home buy 3:00pm. We went 8 for 13. But that don't tell the whole story. Brother Dave who just got back into fiishing this year, didn't want to use any stickbaits. Dave got spoiled this summer with our continous luck when together and pulling Rattlt Tot's with meat. So when we hit 16 FOW, he made it clear he wasn't going to change now. So he ran his side of the boat and I ran mine. Long story short. Capt. Dan using Yo-Zuris 7 for 9. Dave using Rattle tot's 1 for 4. I gave the poor schmuck his share of the fish. And want to warn anybody thinking of going to Frank's this weekend and buying some Zuri's. Brother Dave said he's buying every one on the shelf tomorrow. :D

If any of you hear that I died unexpectantly, get over here quick for some great deals. The wife still thinks I paid $5,000 for my jet Boat and a lot less for all the gear. A man with 10 grand to spend could walk away a very happy and legal thief if he timed it right.:no:

God BLESS our

REAL MISS AMERICAS!

This 19 year old ex-cheerleader (now an Air Force Security Forces Sniper) was watching a road that led to a NATO military base when she observed a man digging by the road. She engaged the target (i.e., she shot him). It turned out he was a bomb maker for the Taliban, and he was burying an IED that was to be detonated when a US patrol walked by 30 minutes later. It would have certainly killed and wounded several soldiers.

The interesting fact of this story is the shot was measured at 725 yards. She shot him as he was bent over burying the bomb. The shot went through his butt and into the bomb which detonated; he was blown to pieces.

The Air Force made a motivational poster of her:

(Folks, that's a shot 25 yards longer than seven football fields!)

And the last thing that came out of his mouth was...

… his ass!

If You Can Not Stand Behind Our Troops,

Please, Feel Free To Stand In Front Of Them!

Ya know whats funny? About 8 years ago I had a little scary episode at one of the Saginaw River launching areas, around 3:30am in the morning. So I went and got my CCL and started carrying whenever I fished at night. Well, I happened to mention this incident and what I did on one of the other fishing boards back then and all hell broke loose. That thread had over 3,000 hits and about 125 replies. Most of them giving me grief for carrying a gun while fishing. Seems both the attitude and the reasons for the attitudes have changed some in that short 8 years since then.

But it's a damn shame socially that things are like they are now. IMV these are the good old days when it comes to fishing. I know for a fact overall we have better fishing, along with the boats and the tools to catch them. Yet the total experience when participating in our sport seems to be frought with new un-friendly attitudes both at the ramp and on the water. Not by all of course, but it tends to makes one less approchable and less willing to help or approach others. Like I said, damn shame.

By the way, I just read that they caught the two (white) Lake Erie Samalies on Thursday. They were perch fishing right where they committed the robbery when apprehended. Probably just needed a few extra bucks for outboard gas to stay on that hot perch spot. Couple of real Bright Bulbs in those dark Crania's. Jeez.......... :no:

EUCLID -- The Coast Guard investigative unit is looking for two suspects who robbed a Euclid fisherman on Lake Erie Monday night around 7 p.m.

In Euclid, fishermen are watching the other boats on Lake Erie much more closely.

The innocent act of fishing has suddenly become a target for predators with a weapon.

The boating community has been buzzing about the perch fisherman who was robbed at gunpoint on the lake by two men.

George Degener, Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist, said that the suspects were in a 19-foot boat and pulled a gun on the fisherman.

The pair demanded the victim's wallet, cell phone and his boat keys.

The suspects then dumped the cell phone and the boat keys in the lake and escaped with cash and the man's fish.

Degener added, "Luckily, the victim had a spare set of ignition keys and was able to start his engine and return to the marina where he called for help."

As the fishermen returned from the lake today, many were shaking their heads in disbelief.

Don Howell had been perch fishing with his buddies, Dan Szanyi and Eric Boyd.

Howell said, "You'd never think that a robber on the water was possible. But the world has come down to that."

Eric Boyd added, "I've heard of carjacking before, but never heard of a boatjacking. This is ridiculous."

Fisherman George Crosier said, "Oh, yeah it's scary out there for somebody to do that."

Crosier added, "I've heard of them doing that deer hunting. They pull guns on people. But not on the water. I've never heard of it on the water."

At Wildwood Marina in Euclid, some fishermen are now talking about taking guns onboard for protection.

Larry Bolton said, "To think I can come out here and get robbed is sickening. Makes me think about carrying a gun with me or something."

Earl Noonan nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah it's scary. It's not safe anywhere anymore."

Debbie Zeledonis said, "In all the years I've been coming here you never heard of anything like that. Down here, everybody knows everybody. Robbery on the water is disgusting."

Zeledonis added, "We fishermen trust each other. It's always been that way and suddenly that trust is getting ripped away."

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Coast Guard 9th District Command Center.

© 2009 WKYC-TV

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:08 am Post subject: ice jigging the river

im from up by traverse city and have only been on the saginaw river a handfull of times but every time, i have used like 5/16 oz. leadheads. last year, i saw everybody using the jigging raps. using leadheads, you jig out until your jig stays on bottom, maybe six or so feet from the hole using fireline. with the raps and there swimming action, don't they travel way down stream to far? just wondering how far they go they go away from the hole. and when you jig them, you don't bounce bottom like a leadhead do you? like i said, i never tried these in a river. what size?

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:36 am Post subject: Re: ice jigging the river

Yes, depending on the river current, Jigging Raps will sweep downstream from the ice hole just like any offering your using will, but usually not as far as you think. Their stream lined body and (down) tapered tail finn design cuts the current way better then do plane jig heads. It also sweeps forward in the current when jigged better/easier. So your jigging and sweep angle stays more sharp to the bottom then does just about anything else with the same weight. And you always want the Rap to settle after a jig just above bottom IMV. I usually strive for about 4 to 6 inches after it settles, and sizes #7 and #9 are the most popular for the river. Walleye swim during winter almost exclusively (belly to bottom) fallowing the bottoms contour, and look up for their food. When they take a jig off the bottom it's because they seen it being jigged up and fallowed it's path back down. Then (in most cases) they have to position themselves (tail up) to grab it. Capt. Dan.

Ya, I figure like this. I've had that boat and motor for 21 years will little more then time ware problems with it. Had the same set of plug for 9 years. So she really don't owe me a thing. I'm glad they fixed it so fast though, as when I got home I had another message, and I booked a trip for tomorrow on the river. Fate give'ith/fate take'ith away.

One more thing Adam, and this is embarrassing. I totally forgot your dads name yesterday. And it was driving me nuts. Hell, I've know him as long as I have your uncle Tom. I've always been a Faces man, just cannot remember names that well.:D

Funny deal with the boat. I get home from the bar and I have a message on my business phone from Lindys. "the motor is fixed, come pick up your boat". I almost stopped back in the bar on the way back home for the second time. Took Chet a whole 30 minutes after I droped it off to fix it. New Eletric Choke Solinoid $84.00. Ten minutes labor $40.00. And you guys thought the big money was in chartering.

My fishing board recently had a chat with John Gillman, a very successfull local Walleye pro from Freeland Mich. Thought I'd share the transcript with you guys here.

2009-10-24 20:00:44 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: John. All of us here at saginawbay.com would like to thank you for your willingness to share with us some of your fishing wisdom. There should be no other post in this fish chat section by members until the main chat is over. If there is John, please politely ignore them until the main pre-submitted questions that are asked by me are answered. Then at that time John, you can choose to stick around and answer any fallow ups or new questions that may arise. I believe you told me that this is the only site on the entire Internet that you have ever considered joining, and for that we all thank you. It is indeed a shame that many of the fishing pros are afraid to interact on very few of the other fishing boards out there, because of the ridicule and slams most get for no apparent reasons, while trying to help out the common anglers. Tonight John, I'll be asking you some questions that I have pre-typed and/or taken from some of our board members. I'm guessing most will be mine because frankly, we still have many members who still think "Mark Martin" is a race car driver. And even though I know of your many years of fishing tournament successes, most may not. Anyway, here's the first question.

Question from Bob Charmicale/ChamookMan. John, I'd like to know how you feel this economy is going to effect the future of Walleye tournaments? And if think it has already?

2009-10-24 20:04:51 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Hi Guys, Thanks for having me! I think the economy has taken it's toll on tournaments. I hope things turn for the better because I feel tournament anglers bring a lot of new cutting edge information to the weekend anglers! In the last few years the price of boats and equipment rising at the rate it has does not help!

2009-10-24 20:05:12 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Question From Mark Smith. If you could only have ONE crank bait in your tackle box, what would you choose? Follow up, and if you could have two, whats your 2nd choice? (softwater season) Mark Smith aka msmith5531 thanks.

2009-10-24 20:10:01 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: The one crankbait I would have would probably be a #5 Shad Rap. Second would be a Husky Jerk! I do have a new favorite and it is the Madeye Shad from Spro. I do not want to sound like I am advertising here but I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the promotion of this bait with the guys I fish(Team) with and we are excited to be a part of it. It is similar in size to a #5 Shad Rap ecept it is equiped with Gamakatsu hooks and has a unique paddle tail. It, like the #5 Rap can be casted or trolled.

2009-10-24 20:10:32 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Capt. Dan Question 1. John, if you had only one fishing technique or disciplines you could pick as your own (ace in the hole) when it comes to tournament fishing, what would that be and why?

2009-10-24 20:26:00 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: My number one favorite tournament technique is trolling spinners. I have cut my teeth here on Saginaw Bay pulling spinners and have a lot of confidence with them. I almost exclusively use 1 Oz. in-line weights and try to stay at 1 mph. With this combination I can target the fish on my electronics because I feel confident where the bait is in the water column. There are times that I do troll faster than 1mph and slower than 1mph, I try to let the conditions dictate that or let the fish tell me what they want. Mixing it up and changing helps to get a feel for what works best that day. All of my best tournament finishes have come in a trolling situation and again I feel it is due to my confidence from doing it so much here on Saginaw Bay. If I can troll spinners at any event I will.In many situations and at different bodies of water you cannot troll so my confidence lacks! Confidence is probably as big a factor in fishing as anything.

Capt. Dan Question 2.

What are you favorite tournament baits/cranks/tackle and techniques when fishing Saginaw Bay?

My favorite baits on Saginaw Bay..Obviously spinners.. Chartreuse beads with Silver or gold Blades.I keep it very simple. I do also like the rainbow holographic blade from Northland. Anyone that knows me, knows that this is the combination I pull almost exclusively!! All of the tournaments I have excelled in on Saginaw Bay or any open water event have been with that color combination. As far as crank baits I have always loved Rapala, probably like most. I use the Deep Husky Jerk, size 10 and 12 and #18 Rapalas trolling. The # 5 Shad Rap casting the man made Island is also a go to for me. I do have a new favorite though and it is the Madeye Shad from Spro. I have been fortunate to be involved with this bait and it has been exciting getting it off the ground and promoted. It is similar in size to the # 5 Shad Rap and runs similar also. It does have a unique paddle tail and is equipped with Gamakatsu treble hooks. I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about it and to generate questions or interest. You can email me at [email protected] with any questions about it.

Fish Chat: Capt. Dan Question 3. Do you have a BIG FISH strategy at all on Saginaw Bay, that may differ from your (just fill the box) strategy?

2009-10-24 20:30:48 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat:

This will probably sound redundant to some but my BIG fish technique for Saginaw Bay would be to fish the bottom. Again this is due to past experience and success doing it. I would pull 2 oz. bouncers or 1 oz. in-lines in the mud!! I know that the bay has evolved in the last few years and it seems as though where ever in the column you fish you catch a lot of fish. I still believe the Big girls lay on the bottom. I realize they suspend but I would still always target the bottom. I feel the biggest fish are in the inner Bay, but to catch 5 is almost impossible. You need to run North to get consistently bigger fish! The tournaments keep proving that!

2009-10-24 20:31:16 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Capt. Dan Question 4. I've seen you work on the water and I must say you are a speed demon. You sat up and fished 3 different spots around me one day on the Bay, and I bet you never stayed in any of those 3 spots more then 20 minutes each. What were you looking for in that short period time and what didn't you see that made you move so much?

2009-10-24 20:37:15 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: As far as moving around, I will do that frequently. Over the years I have learned to use and trust my electronics. If I am not marking (catching) fish, I move. I think that a lot of guys will relax, sit back and keep trolling. As a tournament fisherman my time is limited so I try to capitalize and find fish. As for Saginaw Bay I always move if I am not Marking fish. With today's electronics it helps out immensely!! Invest in good electronics and try to use them to benefit your success.

2009-10-24 20:37:33 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Capt. Dan Question 5. John, I've heard some say that it's your positive attitude that keeps you in the game during tournaments. But I know through personal fishing experiences myself that the bag of tricks one has, along with attitude can be worn down when you've exhausted all the options. So what keeps you and your head in the game when all seems lost and the fishing SUCKS?

2009-10-24 20:41:09 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: As for keeping a positive attitude sometimes that is tough. You can only control so many things.The weather is a huge factor in walleye fishing as all of you know. Try to do the best you can with the conditions you face. As a tournament angler sometimes it is frustrating because the experienced anglers will shine, and a big part of that is the fact that they have fished a certain body of water in many different conditions. I think that for myself I am not as knowledgeable as others due to the fact that I have not played the game as long. What I try to do in that situation is focus and fish harder. I typically have a different energy level than most and in certain situations that helps me. Lastly, It is always better than working!!!!

2009-10-24 20:41:43 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Capt. Dan Question 6. We recently had a post subject that caused some tempers to flare up a little on our site. It was about "Big Bite Bio Baits" and their own product quality, effectiveness and success rates when compared to the Berkley Gulp Product. I've personally never used the Big Bite product for comparison, but found myself defending what I know personally to be true about Gulp. And that is, "that you can re-use the Gulp product after its initial use" if you reconstitute it. I know you are a Big Bite and Spro fishing gear Rep. But I also know from our brief meeting that you are (IMO) an honest man willing to share good information with anybody willing to listen. (I did not quite get that feeling President Bush got when he first met president Putin "thank God", but I'd trust you to drive my boat.) And that's at the top of the latter with me. Anyway, to both be fare and introduce to us what might be a new product for us guys to use on the Bay, could you give us an honest overview of your own experiences with Big Bite Bio Baits, how you run them and any other tid-bits on products you use that would enhance our fishing catch rates? And it may be helpful after you've answered this question, to take a few questions about the products from the gallery. As this is my last pre-submitted question.

2009-10-24 20:49:57 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Big Bite baits is a scent impregnated plastic. It is a bass plastic company that is now breaking into the walleye market. The guys I travel with, Tom Keenan, Pat Neu and Dean Arnoldussen are all involved in helping to promote and develop some new baits. We have the Bio-Minnow, Bio-Bug jig and the new Bio-Crawler. All of these baits we have used with good success. It will not dry out and is not immersed in liquid substance. Some of these items obviously compete with Berkley. Berkley has done a fabulous job with their products, they work and a big part of their success is also their marketing budget. Big Bite has decided to employ some prostaff to get started and I have been very fortunate to be one of them. We are introducing the items to the public and hopefully people will give it a try with an open mind! Locally, Franks has some of the products and will have more this spring. I am more than willing to discus the products with anyone and you can reach me via email, which I have given above. The Bio-bug is a jig designed similar to a fuzzy grub but the body is scent impregnated and it is a Gamakatsu hook. The body is also attached to the head so it does not slide. The Bio-Minnow is also scent impregnated and comes in 9 color combinations and 3 sizes. 2.5, 3, 4 inch. Lastly the crawler comes in natural and 5 other colors. I have used it for jigging and also on spinners trolling. Please check out the items also on the Big Bite website at bigbitebaits.com.

2009-10-24 20:51:37 [Message] Chamookman -> Fish Chat: John - What's Your favorire River technique ?

2009-10-24 20:53:36 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Chamookman.. My favorite river technique would be live bait rigging. Although in the last 2 years I have been handlining and it is a riot!

2009-10-24 20:53:46 [Message] ozzgood2001 -> Fish Chat: John-who was your first sponsor and how did you approach them or did they approach you?

2009-10-24 20:55:36 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Ranger Boats. I have been with them since I started and I appreciate what they do for tournemet anglers!

2009-10-24 20:57:12 [Message] Reel Fishn -> Fish Chat: John, I know everyone says they troll 1 to 1.5, I have been next to you and you seem to troll slower than that??

2009-10-24 20:59:50 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: I do typically troll at 1, some times I do troll slower than that. It depends, I let the fish tell me what they want. There are many situations where you may make a turn and all of a sudden you get bit. So I do mix it up a lot!

2009-10-24 21:00:07 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: What size blades are you favorites on the Bay John. Have you ever tried what I call thumpers? #7 & 8's? Ever use any of Tommy Harris Blades?

2009-10-24 21:03:06 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: I have not used those blades! I typically use #4 or #5 but this year at Lake Erie I made the cut and did for the firts time use bigger blades. I will again in the future. Again it was a confidence issue and from now on I will practice with larger blades and if it produces bigger fish I will definitely run them on game day!

2009-10-24 21:03:36 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Ever use any Keel Sinkers versus Bouncers?

2009-10-24 21:06:11 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: I almost always use in-lines (keels) over bouncers. I know sometimes that the vibration of a boucer may have an effect but my confidence is for the most part with in-lines. I will always use bouncers next to the boat though. I almost exclusively use 1 ounce also!

2009-10-24 21:06:34 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Last year on a few days when it was dead calm, I used what I call the "Haul and Stall". I would key my TR-1 to almost idle speed and then key it back to 2.3 MPH or higher. This caught me some fish. Have you ever tried this?

2009-10-24 21:08:57 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: I have! It was in Dunkirk New York and I was pulling spinners on lead core in 80 feet of water. 3 colors of lead so the spinners were suspended, I would take the boat out of gear and let them sink. As they would fall I would get bit. I caught all of my fish that day using bthat technique!

2009-10-24 21:09:20 [Message] ozzgood2001 -> Fish Chat: john-when do you like to go shallow for eyes.. i mean 5 feet or less. besides the obvious answer when the fish are there lol

2009-10-24 21:12:08 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Obviously in the spring or fall. I prefished the PWT championship with a fellow travel partner in the spring of 2008. We caught fish on spinners in 2-5 feet of water 10 feet behind the board with no weight. It is very similar to what is done in Green Bay and we applied it here and it worked, problem though was not quantity but size!

2009-10-24 21:15:07 [Message] chuck -> Fish Chat: JOHN Thanks how long a spinner leader do you use behind your keels

2009-10-24 21:16:50 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: All of my spinners are tied the same, about 5 feet. I also always use florocarbon line, again it is a confidence thing.

2009-10-24 21:17:16 [Message] Chamookman -> Fish Chat: Thanks for the time John and good luck next season !

2009-10-24 21:17:21 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: John, I want to thank you again for coming in tonight. Also be sure to get those answers that did not post tonight to me in an E-mail so i can add them to the chat for the guys.

2009-10-24 21:17:34 [Message] jauls -> Fish Chat: Thanks John

2009-10-24 21:17:40 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Thank you, I appreciate that!

2009-10-24 21:18:11 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: We'll get the bugs worked out and you can come back for another chat if you don't mind.

2009-10-24 21:18:26 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: Definitely!

2009-10-24 21:18:52 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: One more thing, we have to fish one day on the river day or night. The night has been rocking the last few times out.

2009-10-24 21:19:29 [Message] jgillman -> Fish Chat: We will for sure, I need to pick that brain of yours!!

2009-10-24 21:20:06 [Message] chuck -> Fish Chat: Thank you all for putting this together.

2009-10-24 21:20:28 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: No problem Chuck and don't be a stranger on the board.

2009-10-24 21:20:45 [Message] capt.dan -> Fish Chat: Good night John.

Wrote my fish biologist buddy an E-mail asking a question and requesting the trawl results for this year. That question and his reply below.

Dave.

Been knocking the hell out of the walleyes on the river lately, both day and night. Attached is a picture of a small 5 incher I pulled out of the stomach of a 6 pounder from last night. I've also recently seen perch fishermen pulling up one juvenile walleye after the other on the river using small minnows, as the river is gorged with small shiners and shad. This whole scenario got me thinking about something. What is the science and thought processes for doing the Fish data Trawls in September on the Bay. Wouldn't a big amount of these juveniles that you base your spring spawn data and findings on, be in the river and out of Trawls way (so to speak). And please let me know what the Trawl result and findings were for this September on the Bay (if you have them). Thank's Dave. Dan.

Dan:

I'm glad to hear the fishing is keeping up. The thought process is that in the late summer or early fall, that year's production of juveniles (young-of-the-year or what we sometimes call age-0s) would be large enough to catch. If we trawled in the summer or spring, they would just be fry or small fingerlings. By September, they are catchable. What you and others are mostly seing and getting in the river are yearlings or age-2s. We see a lot of those in the trawls too and in our gillnets. Yes there are lots in the river but there are still lots in the bay too. We don't have to be able to access all the fish during a survey, just sample consistently in the same place and the differences we see from year to year should represent genuine change (trends). Also I suspect the concentration of fish in the river may be greater in October than early September when we do our survey.

And yes we have our preliminary findings for this past years hatch. The good news is that our September trawling catch rate of YOY or age-0 walleyes and the spring hatch year class of 2009 was yet another new record!. Huge numbers form all over the bay. Bigger numbers than any time we have surveyed (since 1971) and even bigger than the huge 2003 year class. This bodes very well for the continued high level of walleyes in the bay. The bad news is that the 2008 year class was much smaller (measured this year as yearlings), but we knew that. The bay now seems to be establishing strong and weaker year classes of walleye in an alternating fashion. This is a sign that the population is nearing capacity and "density-dependent" feedback mechanisms are beginning to kick in and regulate the population size.

This was fully expected and is not necessarily a bad sign. This is typical of most walleye populations, but most populations only pull off a strong walleye year class say every few years surrounded by two or three weaker ones. Saginaw Bay seems to only endure one weaker one and then its right back to very strong ones. This walleye population continues to impress.

We have yet to do all our aging of our specimens and then I'll know more about how growth rates are trending. I.e. we have more to learn from last months collections but this is our initial observations. Things are not perfect on the bay, our perch are still not surviving well and that population/fishery is at the lowest levels we have ever measured. Perch are important to the bay, I suspect that they drive fishing pressure (effort) as much or more than walleye even do.

Our initial observations are that the bay's prey base is holding up nicely. Despite the expansion of the walleye population, the abundance of prey has not declined appreciably (in abundance but it has changed in composition).

We have some new research planned for the bay including a statistical catch at age model that will help us understand the dynamics of the walleye population. We have some other ideas in the planning stage but are not funded yet. I'll let you know more about them if they get the nod.

Ever wonder what 6 pound walleyes eat? They eat smaller 5 1/2 inch walleyes. Pulled this little guy out of one of the big ones we kept from last night. Best argument I ever seen for Big Cranks/Big Fish.

Me and Reel fishin spanked the BIG ONES tonight on the river. Kept a one man limit to donate to the brothers retirment party this coming Saturday. Marks big one was over 8 pounds, she went back. Damn shame the picture turned out fuzzy.

Jim.

This subject alone IMO brings to the surface feelings of varying degrees in each person. Seems when I was younger, I was perfectly content to let the world cruise along on it's own merry course as long as it didn't cramp my style. Who was President, Senator, Congressman and what their policies were, seemed to effect me very little if at all. As long as I had a job, gas money, could go hunting and fishing when I wanted to, and have all the female companionship I needed, life was good. Why worry about what my elected officials were doing.

But this complacincy is the cancer these poloticians count on you ignoring until it's to late and they get their own idea of govenment. If you don't pay attention and the responsibility to put out your campfire when you leave the woods, the woods can and sometimes does burn down around you. Some people put that responsibility on a higher rung on the latter then others. It's not that the others would not help (if need be) to put the fire out. They'd just prefer to live their lives unhindered and unworried by such things, (who wouldn't) and trust that people like you would let them know in the nick of time, if their house and their families lives might be in any real danger from this fire. What I see in the white house and congress right now is one big group of pyromaniacs.

Never said there wasn't any good things in this country. That's why I passionetly defend our rights as best I can in my miniscule capacity. But don't think those rights are devine dictate and cannot be taken away by power hungry officials. I hope you never have to tell those lovely kids on your lap what America used to be like.

When the smoke clears and the coming war is over I wonder what the new flag will look like?

What, aren't you loving the CHANGE? And you've already seen the new flag Jim. The one with Obama dressed in his Arab robe looking like the Christ, with radiant beams of light shooting from his head. I've done everything a man can in a common citizens position. I've sent more letters to my congressmen & Senators this year then I ever have. The last one concerning his army of Communists loving Czars that he appointed, with all the Mow and Lennon loving people on it. Now I see the new government wants to take over the internet, so even those letters I send get censored and don't get where they are supposed to. The days of electing an official with your views to represent you in the government while you go about working, raising kids and enjoying life are over buddy. We may need to purge this plague apon our rights the same way we did the british. People who don't watch FOX news or the Glenn Beck show, is only hearing what Obamas Pied Piper machine is feeding them. The biggest CON and minipulation in the history of the world, that would make Hitler and Musolinie proud is being purpritrated on the American people. We all need to wake up and at least get passively involved or the America we know is over. Any other flag questions?:eek:

Thank's Steve.

Will they accept phone calls? If so, I do better talking one on one in matters like this. But I don't want to start out cramping their style if writting is best.

VN Healthy looking walleye. Fantastic Fishing Dan.

Thank's Guys.

What an outstanding walleye fishery the Saginaw River has turned into these last few years. Starting with Gary Parsons chat with us last February and his coaching both me and members on my site about the use of lead core line, that technique has breathed new life into my fishing enthusiasm and turned both spring and fall river fishing into a whole new fishing experience for me. And with the jig fishing producing as back-up so good and so soon this fall when the core lets us down, I have not once thought about or missed any other fall sport, or the outstanding Huron Ohio walleye fishery or any other place that historically produces great walleyes this time of year. What for, this fishery is 1 mile from my house. I feel truly blessed that I can sign off this web site and be catching walleyes in 15 minutes. I wish every Great Lakes Fisherman member could be this lucky, because it's truly like I died and went to walleye heaven. :grin:

The way things started out this morning, I wasn't to sure we were going to fish at all. The Ol'Jet drive (completely out of character) didn't want to start right up like she usually does. Seems I flooded it and it took quit a while to get her to start breathing again. But she finally started and we were off. The river was like glass and I thought this might be a good thing. I could fallow along the ledges a lot easier as we trolled, and keep the lead core and lure in whatever depth I wanted to on the ledge, without getting pushed off to either side by the wind. Well, it did work out that way, but the fish didn't seem to like much of anything in these spots, as everyone we seen and talked to who were both jigging and trolling had ZIP/NATTA.

So onto plan "B", Vertical jigging. That paid off great. My Client "Jim" hooked the first one and it must have been nice. It would not come off the bottom and simply made deep pumps on the rod. But it got off half way up. The fish today seemed to come in spurts, but we managed to catch a 2 man limit by 3:30pm. All were released after a picture to continue their upstream migration. I've posted a few pictures of some of them. I also caught another tagged fish (see picture). The tag was removed and the info will be sent in tomorrow.

Really, i need to reset my priorities....I need fish more..until then I will live vicariously

Phishy.

If your living vicariously get your gear ready, because we're heading out in an hour with a client from Fowlerville this morning. We'll be keeping the fish today so bring your cooler. See you at the ramp.

Me and Reel Fishin launched the boat at 6:30 this evening and headed directly to our first lead core spot. The graph was wall to wall bait and huge hooks stacked around them. On our 2nd pass right at dark I caught our first walleye. But then even though all the signs stayed positive, the fishing went dead. We made another 5 or 6 passes but the bite (at least there) was over.

On our way back towards the ramp we could visually see baitfish being busted at the surface in one of the Marinas under the lights around the docks. I told Mark those are probably white bass, so lets slide in there and throw some jigs. Well, we tried jigs for a while with no success, so just for kicks I tied on a #9 Sinking Rapala. Took a cast on top of some busting bait and WAM, fish on. But it was not a white bass, but a nice walleye. I rigged Mark up with another Rapala and the fun was on. We finished up going 4 for 7 in short order until the bait stopped jumping and the walleyes quit as well. What a blast. :D

The wife and I caned 8 more pints of walleye tonight. While they were pressure cooking I made up some walleye patties from 2 of the other jars we did earlier. Wow, first those fresh crappie sandwitches yesterday and now these golden brown beauties. God they are good.

I had about a dozen clamped to my hat at one point, but that hat blew off my head and out of the boat one day and I lost a few. I was always going to have something made up with them just never decided what.

99.9% are taged at the Dow Dam in Midland. Neither mark or I had a pen to write down the number, so he went back with the others. I guess as an after thought, we might have removed the tag and turned in the info, but we didn't.

Hey Mike.

I got an anonymous E-mail this morning chastising me for not removing the band from the walleye we caught yesterday, and sending it into the DNR to be recorded. The person also wondered why I would not simply "at least" keep the band for a souvenir, as he was told by a DNR official that only about 1 in every 1,000 walleyes caught by fishermen are banded. So I sent that person this photo with the statement "That I must be doing something right then". :eek: