The Walleyes before the storm. 8-09-09

[Walleye Express]

After re-scheduling yesterdays (8-08-09) charter trip for next Wednesday because of the severe tunderstorms yesterday, the guy and his wife that I was supposed to take out today called for an up-date on todays trip. I suggested we take my Jet Boat out instead of the big one and see if we could hide from the high winds and possible tunderstorms predicted for today. We launched at 7:15 am and had 5 fish in the boat by 9:30. Then we went for over an hour without a touch.

But then the wind went down to almost nothing and it got 20 degrees colder right now. It got dark as midnight and you could both see and smell the rain out on the Bay. And just then 3 boards went back with fish on each one. Netted those and the 4th and final one goes back. Turn around and hit another double and it's over. This had happened to me a few times before. The calm before the storm can sometimes mean walleyes before the storm.

Edited August 9, 2009 by Walleye Express

[Adam Bomb]

Nice work Dan. Fish always turn on just prior to a storm. Twice ive gotten caught by those pop up storms with allot of electricty in the air. Both times the rods were popping too. A had triple on walleye and a double on salmon. Got zapped by the electricity getting those fish in though...Man that sucks. Get everything in and hit the road fast!

[Priority1]

GJ Dan.

I have experienced the same thing before. They get very active just ahead of a storm front. I don't fish the bay when severe storms are in the forecast. My son and I caught and released 28 walleye in 2-1/2 hrs, on the Titt. River just ahead of a storm. He was still in H.S. so we didn't leave the house until 4:00 PM. This was about 1990. We concentrated on a 300 yd. stretch of the river.

[Walleye Express]

That was one of the other times this happened to me. During a tournament on the Tittabawassee. Fish after fish for 20 minutes. And I knew we'd be safer near shore yesterday in my smaller boat versus out 6 or more miles in the open expanses, as the dopler radar showed the storms courses as moving through north of us all day, and they did. Remember me? I'm the sissy who won't go out or comes in when theres 3 footers or bigger. We might have gotten a little wet, but I could duck in anywhere close to shore in a flash in my jet boat to be safe.