Pewaukee Lake

Some people think that the up close
photo of a fish makes it look artificially large,
but I prefer pics like this because the beauty
of the fish is what I want the pic to focus on.

 Water Temperature = 72 degrees

Today was the most summer like day we have had so far this year.  Before embarking on 8 hours worth of yard work I went out with a friend for a quick morning out on Pewaukee Lake...only my second time ever fishing this lake.

It turned out that we only really fished for about 2 hours due to engine problems so we never really found any sort of steady pattern.

On an unrelated note, my mother-in-law
sent me a picture of her personal best
perch caught in Portage...9"

I ended up with 4 bass...three small male largies and one nice 17" smallie.

All fish were caught on a 1/16 oz green jig dragging a crawler in 12-13 feet of water.

I included two pictures of the same smallmouth to demonstrate two different ways of photographing fish.

Fishing with Kids

A mini double header!

Water temp = 73 degrees
Wind = Light from the northeast

I took my niece Grace out fishing for two and a half hours tonight.  We had a great time and thus tonight's blog post is dedicated to some simple rules for getting a kid (or wife) into fishing.

1. Keep the trip short and let her decided when to leave.
2. Go to a lake that has steady action.
3. Fish do not need to be big to be fun.
4. Nothing beats watching a bobber go down.
5. Only go out when the weather is nice.
6. Hand her the rod when you get a bite.
7. Bass are pretty easy to catch and put up a tussle.
8. Go to lakes with bathrooms nearby.

Grace caught this one all by herself!

9. Snacks are important if out for any length of time.

Grace has more patience than most adults I know, but that doesn't mean I take advantage of her good nature and make her fish for what I want to catch.  Instead, we go and catch 12-16" bass and panfish under bobbers.

To be fair, going out and catching fish like the ones we caught tonight doesn't excite me when I am fishing on my own.  But watching how much fun Grace has reeling them in totally renews the experience.

Portage Trip #2 - Memorial Day Weekend

Tim with a bass caught
sight fishing the shallows

Nice little walleye caught
on a jig and slip bobber

Spent Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend in Portage, WI.

Weather was absolutely beautiful...mostly mid 70s and sunny with hardly any wind.  Too nice to catch fish most of the time.

Water temperature was 65-66 degrees.

The fish have started moving into the shallows.  Bass can be seen moving up onto beds, crappies are spawning, and bluegills are starting to show up in the shallow weeds as well.  Muskies are hanging out cruising the weed flats for prey.

It might be a small walleye,
but Tim isn't picky when
it comes to walleyes.

Probably about 11" crappie.

If you are a bow fisherman...NOW IS YOUR TIME.  I must have seen THOUSANDS of carp in the shallows.

It is important to note that if you can see a fish, a fish can see you.  Position yourself accordingly.

For the weekend we caught (about):
     25 Largemouth Bass
      8  Walleyes
     12 Crappies
       4 Bluegills



I also lost a giant catfish...maybe 20 lbs... why do they always bite on my ultralight?

We caught the bass mostly on nightcrawlers...single hook through the nose with no weight.  Cast the shallows and let it slowly sink.  A twitch every now and then and the shallow bass couldn't lay off.  Unfortunately, all the bass were males around 14-16 inches.  The large females don't seem to be up yet.

Crappies were caught in about 7 feet of water on slip bobbers with a 1/32 oz jig tipped with a minnow.  Many guys were casting the shallows, but remember, not all fish spawn in the
super shallow water...in fact, the bigger ones usually don't.

Walleyes were caught on a variety of presentations, but the primary bait of choice was a leech under a slip bobber in 7 feet of water.  Most of the walleyes were on the small side...13"-18".

All fish were released except two 17" walleyes that swallowed my hook too far for me to release them and be certain of their survival.

Remember that when using live bait, if a fish is given too much time, it will swallow the hook.  To avoid this, I use jigs under my slip bobbers.  This seems to reduce the swallow rate by about 90%.

Portage - May 17 and 18

The pink jig pictured here
is a must for all fishermen

Hungry little guy

 I spent the weekend visiting my in-laws in Portage.  May is a great time of year to fish the shallow drop-offs and flats on their lake.

The Kalin's Grub strikes
yet again.  Sadly I was
fishing by myself and had
to try to photograph this 25"
walleye without help

This trip showed how important it is to try different techniques when you know the fish are in a certain spot.  Too often fishermen give up and just say "I guess they are not biting."

These fish wanted nothing to do with a bait on the bottom.  It had to be suspended about two feet above their heads to get a strike.

Carly with a 17" eye

 After trying many different presentations, we found that a 1/32 oz jig with a crappie minnow would catch fish in numbers.  Once changing to this, we caught 5 walleyes in about 30 minutes.  These fish ranged from 13" to 16" in size...we caught 5 more then next morning.

The largest fish (posted on lower left) was caught on the 5" Kalin's Grub and a 1/8 oz jig.  

May is one of my favorite times to fish, no matter what species or body of water...however fish are very vulnerable at this time.  I have nothing against keeping fish to eat every now and then, but I strongly encourage all fishermen to practice CPR (catch, photograph, release) on a regular basis.  Limit the fish you consume to species that you know are abundant in the body of water you are fishing, and make sure that they are not still in the process of spawning.  ALL FISH FROM THIS TRIP WERE CPR'ED.

Wednesday, May 14 Evening Trip

Carly and I went out for a quick three hour trip this evening.  With the east wind and colder temperatures, the fish were NOT active and they were NOT shallow.  The key was working a slow presentation in about 8 feet of water near spawning areas.

There were a lot of people out working the piers, but they are only catching small males.  If you want bigger fish, they are still deep.

The water temperature was up to 57 degrees so I thought some active fish might be interested in a rattletrap or spinnerbait, but they weren't.  After a wasted hour, we switched tactics.

Our success came on a wacky rigged YUM brand worm for Carly and a Kalin's Grub on an 8th ounce jig for me.

We ended our last 1.5 hours of fishing with 8 bass and a nice little pike.

Make the Perfect Fish Fry!

So you have caught a live well full of fish and you want to take some home to eat but don't know how to cook it.  I am certainly not a master chef, but my dad taught me a few things about cooking fish.  Here are some suggestions.

I prefer to fry: smaller walleye, perch, white bass, and bluegill.

Fried Fish Directions:

1. Clean and completely debone fish.  Cut out any dark meat (especially on white bass)
2. Dry the fish completely
3. Brush fish with lemon and season with season salt or a seasoning of your choice.
4. Crush a sleeve of saltine crackers and mix with an equal amount of Shorelunch fish breading.
5. Dip fish in egg and coat with breading mixture.
6. Fry until golden and flaky.
7. Enjoy!

I prefer to bake: larger walleye and crappie.

Baked Fish Directions:

1. Clean and completely debone fish.  Cut out any dark meat.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
3. Lightly brush olive oil on fish
4. Season to your liking
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until white and flaky

**If you want to add a touch of crunch, I like crushing pretzels or Rice Crispies, brushing the fish with butter, then topping it.  Drizzle a little extra butter on it and bake following the directions above.

Finally, any good fish dinner has a quality tarter sauce with it.  The store bought stuff is garbage, follow these directions for an amazing sauce.

Tarter Sauce Directions

Mix:

1. Half cup of Miracle Whip
2. Two tablespoons of sweet pickle relish
3. Two tablespoons of sour cream
4. Two tablespoons of lemon juice
5. Two teaspoons of finely chopped onion
6. One eight a teaspoon of salt

I highly recommend doubling or tripling this recipe. 

Upper and Lower Nemahbin

I was given a tip that the bass were biting on Upper Nemahbin.  I went to check it out.

The water temp was 56 degrees.

I was able to find the fish.  The water is so clear it was difficult not to.  Found a ton of nice sized crappies and bass on the north side of Upper...I could see them...they could see me...they didn't bite.

Maybe a little wind and some chop on the water would have improved my luck.

Ended the trip with nothing but dinks...oh well...