Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Labour Day Port Maitland Walleye, September 2, 2008

Lake Erie was flat- just a gentle wind from the south west of less than 5 km. The skies were blue and it was warm.

Went out with a family of three kids, Bruno and his wife Bow. We fished in his boat, a 19 ft Lund Pro V Gary Roach edition. He had it booking along at 50 mph with six of us! He had it equiped with the 997 Humingbird side finder and it was my first experience seeing how it works. It was truely interesting to see how it works and I can see it be a smallmouth bass drift fisherman's biggest asset.

The screan was full of fish, bait at all depths but primarily between 20-40 ft and 60-90. Fish were mostly between 60 to the bottom with only the odd fish up higher. We trolled between 1.5 mph to 1.8 mph and tried as much as 1.9-2.0 when we had the slow period. 1.7 was the most productive all around.

We started slightly west of Port Maitland (straight out from Grant Point) and set up in 90 FOW at about 8:00 am. Finally got 10 rods in the water when the first rod went off then the second went off with a double header. First fish was the biggest of the day at 8 lbs 12 oz. Watermelon 82 Walker Deeper Diver behind the inline Planerboard 220 ft using Blue Berry Muffin Yeck #6 Colorado and Pink Metalic #4 blade in the front. The other was around 5 bls on a Black 82 Walker Deeper Diver back 240 ft behind the diver pulling a #6 Colorado Yeck Puss'n Bouts blade on the back and a metalic Purple #5 Colorado on the front.

Then there was a slow period for about one hour as we trolled Northwest into about 77 FOW and the screan started to show alot less. So we changed our troll to go back towards where we started and that helped get things moving at a slow pick as they would come in pairs.

One other fish came on the Blck 82 diver behind the Planerboard out 240 ft, but the boat divers started to fit more fish with the 107 Purple Walker Deeper Diver on a three setting taking two fish and losing one. It was set out 130 ft towing a Purple Thunder Yeck #6 Colorado with a Metalic Purple #5 colorodo blade in the front on the worm harness. The other 107 Walker Deeper Diver was the Glow Frog on a 3 setting out 130 ft and using Monkey Puke #5 Colorado on the back and a black/green #4 Colorado on the front.

7 colour Leadcore hit two fish with Blue Berry Muffin Yeck #6 Colorado and Purple Thunder Yeck #5 Colorado on the front.

Fullcore never got bit, a flat lined 20 Tail Dancer never got bit, the riggers never got bit and I tried a Spoon behind a diver and it never seen a fish.

Ended the day at 1:30 pm and on the way back something went wrong with the big motor. A squeal sound came from the motor and it wouldn't start after we shut it off to check it out. Had to come in the last two miles on the kicker motor. Good thing it was calm. That was the only low part of the day.

Shane Thombs