20 minutes into the troll our starboard inside board rod is pulled back. The flat calm waters made reading the board really easy and our steady 2.01 mph speed was easy to replicate. Ron was on it and slowly reels the board to the boat and then 250 ft of 15 lbs mono flatlining a Yo-zuri Blue and silver fish comes to the net and we measure it as it comes up 24 1/3 inches. Wow- that’s our under fish taken care of.
The sonar screen when blank after the fish was caught and we decided to run the middle and north shore of the Reach and it was evident the fish were instead in those areas. We started marking fish stacked up like firewood and we started marking big schools of bait.
Now a slight 6 inch chop coming down the reach from the east was making the scenario a little better as the waves were current to cut down the light penetration in the gin clear water. On our 1.7 mph troll Easterly into the chop we manage another fish, this time on the outside board Starboard side flatlining 30 lbs Powerprow with 20 feet of 100% Fluoro Trileene 12 lbs test 250ft behind the board at Reef Runner 800 Blue Prizm Blue (silver prizm inside a clear body) and pink belly. I was on the rod and got the fish in the boat with little fuse, but the fish was actually only slightly larger than our first fish making it our first fish over but it was definitely not enough to help with a competitive weight.
That made two fish on Blue and silver colours and after a few phone calls, the other boats were also doing them on Blue and Silver. That was enough to tell us to put 4 rods with that colour and look for active fish.
We trolled back down wind over the same area as the last fish and the same set as the last fish manages another walleye and John brings it to the boat. But it happened to be the smallest fish so far. Now we are looking for big fish and a phone call to Bruno fishing with Dave Viles revealed that the hot spot was still about 4 miles up the reach near the Gap. We pick up and ran to nearly the Gap and set up in 140 FOW. There wasn’t many boats in the area at all. Its no wonder Dave Viles was managing a good bite with lower fishing pressure. Dave’s boat had 7 for 10 walleye in the boat by 2:00pm and one was over 13 lbs!
After setting up again with some additional deeper sets for a bigger fish, the inside board rod on the starboard side with 75 feet out then 4 oz of weight and then 125 feet to the board pulling a Blue and Silver Manns Stretch 20, started pulling back. Before getting to the rod, the board then went light again and realigned and it was called a missed fish.
Ten minutes later the Outside board rod gets heavy on the flatlined 250 ft with the Blue Prizm Blue (silver prizm inside a clear body) and pink belly Reef Runner, but that fish comes unbuttoned. The same set on the outside board on the Port side then pulled back and Ron was on the rod. Taking our time we boat that fish and it’s the biggest of the day but still nothing to write home about. may be 8 ½ lbs for our second fish over 24.8”.
The sun was going down and time ran out. Lines were out of the water by 5:00 pm and an easy boat ride back to the Picton Ramp.
We had weighin at the cottage and Dave Viles with Gord Viles and Bruno manages a monster box of three walleye at over 27 lbs. The big fish was 13 lbs 8 oz and they reported they threw back one other big fish over the 24.8” mark so they could keep fishing, hoping for one more double digit fish. Best producer for them. 10 colour leadcore with a Fire tiger Renoski (shallow diver not deep diver).
Greg Ameil with friend Ed Barbosa on board took second place with 22 lbs and we managed third with a weight of 21 lbs.
Shane Thombs
www.fintasticsportfishing.com
