Fish Fest 3 Pictures

[LordBeer]

Figure it's about time I get some of these up. I'm pretty damn proud of a few of the fish I got. In the previous years I caught fish smaller then most muskie lures. Anyway..

The week started out better then anyone would of dreamed. The very 1st night we got this bad boy right off the boat dock.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/6744/meandmuskie.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/meandmuskie.jpg/)

17lbs 40in. I was in the cabin making drinks when it was caught. I thought they were fucking with me when they said Pat caught one. He got it on my brand new $17 bucktail. I made an error when purchasing it. It was to heavy to cast on my pole so I only threw it a couple of times. it was the lures 2nd time being used... Grrr..

We really did try to save the fish but...

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6744/muskielure.jpg (http://img205.imageshack.us/i/muskielure.jpg/)

It inhaled the lure and wasnt working with us in it's removal. Pat got a rather deep cut on his thumb while trying to remove it. Deep enough he probably need stitches on it. No way was he going to miss out on that type of fish action though.


I on the other hand did complete every one of my goals. The 1st one was to catch something while casting on my baitcaster reel. Learned how to use those types of reels just last year but didnt catch anything on it. This year I read up on using the crank and jerkbaits. I also did get a new baitcaster with the magnetic brake so I'd have an easier time with lighter lures. Worked out great. My other goal was a walleye. Did get a 15 1/2in one but the pic is still on my friends camera.

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2503/3lbbass1.jpg (http://img35.imageshack.us/i/3lbbass1.jpg/)

Was about a 3lb smallmouth bass. Put up a good fight too. He was jumping out of the water making quite a ruckus.

Also got a largemouth. Not sure what he weighed though.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2815/largemouthedit.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/i/largemouthedit.jpg/)

One of the nights I just went out solo in one of the smaller boats. had a pretty good time other then the outboard was kinda a pain to start. 10+ tries before it would go. After having about 20+ camera flashes shot off in my face, I shared my feelings with the photographer.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8286/doubledeuce.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/i/doubledeuce.jpg/)

It really is a beautiful lake. Might be going back up in Sept for a few days. Timber Bay Resort on White Sand Lake WI.

[Wibby]

Good pics, I missed out on a week or so fishing trip on the Missouri River around Pierre South Dakota with some family friends. Would have been fun to go because I heard they've been catching walleyes like crazy these past few days.

[FiLTHY_SNiPER]

That second picture is awesome :D

[LordBeer]

I'm starting to learn a little more about good walleye spots in Chicagoland. Still need more info though before I plan an outing. Last couple of weeks I've been running to Montrose harbor in Chicago fishing for perch. I'm really starting to like it there since it's 15mins from home and there is free and ample parking. Well it's ample if you get there by 5am. Too bad no one 16 and over can keep perch in the harbor during July.. I guess that is when I'll be looking for a local walleye spot. Still got one more weekend though. :D

@ Filthy - I wish we had some video of that thing when it was still kicking. Would of been pretty funny to have seen 4 drunken goobers running around that fish 3 Stooges style. We did feel bad it died. Oh well. I'll get a few more pics up shortly. Have one more that just zooms into it's mouth.

[LordBeer]

Here is a real good one of it's teeth You'd be amazed at just how sharp they are..

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4461/teethz.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/i/teethz.jpg/)

And a few of the rather small walleye.. Worked out ok though since a slot limit was in effect.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2081/walleye1.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/i/walleye1.jpg/)

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/719/walleye2t.jpg (http://img195.imageshack.us/i/walleye2t.jpg/)

Everyone in our group got at least 1 walleye. We did really well using a bottom bouncer setup. Although a jig and a minnow would probably of worked just as well. :dunno:

[papasan9]

awesome, good pics.

[Wibby]

Got to go fishing yesterday afternoon, didn't have much luck, it was windy as hell so trolling was tough, because of the wind we weren't going to fish just waste some old gas in the boat so we didn't bring any of the bait but we did bring the poles so they wouldn't be sitting in the back of the truck. We decided to give it a try and had to borrow some bait from some friends that were out on the lake. After about an hour or so of fishing we finally found some fish but were only able to catch one, good thing too because walleye are a pain in the ass to bring in the boat without a net. The fish wasn't the biggest, probably a little over 12 or so inches big enough to keep and will make a good meal for a person. Going out again tomorrow pretty early hopefully we'll do better.

[LordBeer]

Not that I'll be in SD anytime soon, but what lake were you on? I'm always curious about the bait and tackle used as well. :yaya: I was hoping to get out once during the week but work kinda bogged me down. :( So it's going to be Montrose Harbor at 4am Sunday. Slip bobbers and minnows work great there. I still cast though. Doubt I'll ever get anything there casting but it's just fun for me. By the way the Rapala X-Rap Shad Xtreme Action Slashbait looks terrific underwater. They arent kidding when they say Xtreme Action. That thing moves all over. Just wish I had it in more colors. :dunno:

[Wibby]

Not that I'll be in SD anytime soon, but what lake were you on? I'm always curious about the bait and tackle used as well. :yaya: I was hoping to get out once during the week but work kinda bogged me down. :( So it's going to be Montrose Harbor at 4am Sunday. Slip bobbers and minnows work great there. I still cast though. Doubt I'll ever get anything there casting but it's just fun for me. By the way the Rapala X-Rap Shad Xtreme Action Slashbait looks terrific underwater. They arent kidding when they say Xtreme Action. That thing moves all over. Just wish I had it in more colors. :dunno:

Actually right now I'm back in WY for the summer. But we use the same bait and tackle for WY and SD, nightcrawlers on a colored spinner that we make. We do pretty good with that combinations, but obviously there are other things that you can use. Today we went out and stayed out on the lake for around 6 hours fishing. We didn't have very good luck for the first 4 hours, by that I mean not even a nibble. Of course it didn't help that there was a walleye tournament going on and boats were everywhere. But in the last 2 hours my dad and I caught 7 walleye before we went back in. Sadly I didn't get any pictures before they were cleaned but this won't be the last time we go out and catch some fish.

[FiLTHY_SNiPER]

@ Filthy - I wish we had some video of that thing when it was still kicking. Would of been pretty funny to have seen 4 drunken goobers running around that fish 3 Stooges style. We did feel bad it died. Oh well. I'll get a few more pics up shortly. Have one more that just zooms into it's mouth.

lol. You ate it tho, right?

[LordBeer]

I dont think you're really supposed to eat muskie. Since they're the top of the food chain, all the toxins and pollutants concentrate in them. We didnt eat em. We did drop em off to be mounted though. It'll be ready in about 9 months.

[FozzyBear]

Nice pics!

Please excuse the stupid question, if it is one, but why not fish during the day? Or is this early early morning?

I'm not much of a fisherman, so I have little to no experience.

[SoupyC]

Fish tend to go deeper as the sun comes up to stay cooler, so the best times to fish are usually earrrrrrrrly morning when they're close to the surface, eating bugs and other smaller fish (that feed on the bugs as well)

[LordBeer]

The walleye also have excellent eyesight. They like to press their advantage over their prey. Makes sense though, why waste the energy hunting during broad daylight if you can hunt at night and see exponentially farther then your prey. So the best times to fish for them are during times of less then optimal lighting. Night, overcast, etc.. Fuller moons at night are pretty good as well.

Also, Montrose Harbor was a bust for me today. The other two guys I was with caught about a dozen good sized perch (around the 12in+ range) 45mins before I showed up. The bite dropped off when I got there though.. :( Oh well, time to figure out my walleye spot for the month of July.

[LordBeer]

Forgot to mention what one guy pulled up out of Montrose the other week. A RC Helicopter. Not one of the REAL fancy ones but still about a $100 chopper. Looked like it was down there for a while. I wonder if the pilot was trying to do this...

nW150U-RuTE


I believe I found my new lake for July. Deep Lake in Lake Villa IL. This info I've been getting on this place looks REAL promising. Lots of weeds, lots of structure, and lots of Bass. $15 to rent a rowboat for the day and there is a bar on site. Best thing is it's only about an hour from Chicago. :D Now I just need to wait for my new order of lures to come in. Aside from some more Rapalas and some shrimp/crawdad looking lures, Im going to be trying out these Kastmaster lures. It's a type of spoon. I've read a bunch of rather favorable things about them on fishing forums. We'll see if they can deliver. Anyone here use them?

http://www.acmetackle.com/scripts/kastmaster.html

Hmm, kinda wish I had ordered some weedless setups. Oh well, I'll just have to go browsing at Bass Pro Shops again. :D

[atomicbob]

Yes. I've used them. You can chunk those things a mile and they do catch some fish.

[LordBeer]

Your opinion on it is most highly valued AB. :bow: Now I'm just going to be impatient while I wait for em. Nice to hear they cast well. I prefer casting more then watching a bobber or trolling. I guess it's the gamer in me that wants to see just how far I can wing it out there.

[atomicbob]

How hot is it in Chicagoland? Good fishing weather?

[LordBeer]

This week has been really nice. Mid to high 70's and the humidity isnt bad. Last week was fairly hellish though.

[LordBeer]

Wow AB! Those Kastmaster things go farther then anything I've ever seen casted before. I almost cant track it with my eye before it splashes! Still havent gotten a fish with it, but there hasnt been a good time to use it yet. Everywhere I've gone it's been to weedy. They wont really get to shine until August when I plan on using them at Montrose Harbor for perch.

Been going around to a few different lakes in the Chicagoland area. No real stories until I was at the Lemont Quarries with my GF. It was her choice to go back to Lemont. All we had gotten there before was mosquito bites but the area looked REAL promising. This time we managed to pick up about 3 small sunfish. I was honestly happy to get anything, but most importantly my GF got her 1st fish of the year. She is finally able to bait her own hooks now as well. Now I just need to get her tying her own knots and it'll be perfect. :D

Did have some casualties at the lake though.. I lost a rather nice Rapala husky jerk when my baitcaster had a major birds nest. It sunk into the rocks while I tryed to fix the nest. Then right after that my 15lb braided line snapped while casting a 1/4oz lure!?! I think I damaged the line trying to get the rapala free. That or I just dunno my own strength! :bs:

Going to try for some Rainbow Trout later this week. :thumbsup:

[LordBeer]

Had one hell of a day at Herrick Lake in Wheaton IL. GF and I each got a tiny little bass to start things out. A few hours later nothing much was going on. Our worms we bought from the concession stand were in sorry shape. Half of the dozen were already dead and had become a kinda 'worm paste'. Nasty stuff but also hard to fish with since the worms would come apart on the hook. :thumbsdown:

Although something out there was still eating them. The bopper went WAY down and for the 1st time ever the drag started to go on me. I knew it was a pretty decent fish since the little bass never even came close to testing the drag. I tighten up the drag and pray I can reel it in. Few moments later he starts splashing up and making a ruckus. I meanwhile hope the 8lb line will hold.

managed to bring in my 1st catfish. A rather respectable 24in 6lb Channel Catfish. Biggest fish I've gotten! :woot: Although when I was trying to clean em up for a picture he finally snapped the line and decided he didnt enjoy my company. Fine with me though, I wasnt looking forward to unhooking the guy. I have no idea how to handle a catfish let alone a big moosy one. Just wish he hadnt run off with the rest of my slip bopper tackle. Still a good end to the day. :D

Time to buy a net now..

[LordBeer]

I've been doing fairly well at a little secluded lake in Wheaton IL. It's a really nice lake but it's almost a mile walk from the parking lot to the lake. Works out well though because it would seem most anglers dont want to be bothered with the walk. There isnt much fishing pressure on the lake. Most I've ever seen on it at one time is 4 people and that includes my GF and I.

Anyway we've been having a great time getting some nice Catfish out there. Every time out we've gotten at least one. Last time out there Michele actually outfished me and got two decent catfish. The one I got was bigger though.

Here I am performing surgery on one them. Was rather difficult getting the hook out of this guy.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7121/0830091827.jpg (http://img21.imageshack.us/i/0830091827.jpg/)

Here is my 1st 2lb catfish out the lake.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4291/0830091828.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/0830091828.jpg/)

Michele's 1st Fish on the new pole I bought her. It's pink because some of the profits go to breast cancer research. It's a real nice setup that's much better then my spinning combo. She got this little guy as we were packing up to head out. I'm super glad she didnt get skunked the 1st time with that pole.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5046/0830091913.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/0830091913.jpg/)

Michele and her 2lb catfish. She caught two before I had even gotten 1 damn fish. She did outfish me that day and is now all cocky about it. :(

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/9616/0906091753.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/0906091753.jpg/)

My 2 1/2lb Catfish. I was happy to catch this guy after Michele's two. Was REAL happy to see he weighed more then Michele's. This guy put up one hell of a fight and really didnt want his picture taken.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/797/0906091904.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/i/0906091904.jpg/)

Here is my dinky little bass (and Michele's finger) I got the 1st time out there. Wasnt a big bass but it was a bass. Got a good fight out em..

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/3392/downsized0830091738.jpg (http://img15.imageshack.us/i/downsized0830091738.jpg/)

I have to say I got one of the Lip Grip tools about a month ago, and I love it. The mechanism that grips the fish is really easy to use. You cock it and press the button when it's in their mouth. *cha chin* You got em. I also really like it because of the built in scale. Although, I've noticed all my fish seem to weigh less after I put them on the scale. :hehehe: I did buy it to make walleye and pike and easier to handle, but I've yet to get either type of fish in IL. Ah well, it's still a nice tool to have and I'd recommend getting one. The Orginal Lipper 26 is the one I bought because it has one of the best locking mechanisms. It holds the fish firmly but doesnt cut into them. Was nice that it came with a leather holster as well.

[SnaKe]

Nice job LB. Those catfish look to be the perfect eating size.

[LordBeer]

Thank you Snake. Next time I'm out there, I'm bringing a few of them home for dinner. I really wanted to keep a couple of those guys but we didnt have anything to transport them home in. Add to that, I didnt have a fillet knife. :( We'll be ready for them next time.

I know there are plenty of weird baits for catfish but a worm on a slip bobber has been working out extremely well. I'd imagine the 'stinkbaits' might be able to attract catfish from further away, but I dont see why I'd change what's working on that lake. Also, I'd be pretty horrified if one of those stinkbaits spilled in my car.

I loved catching that 2+lb guy. The bobber kinda wiggled a little and at 1st I thought it was a sunfish. Moments after the little wiggle, the whole bobber vanished like someone tied a brick on it. *BAM* I knew it was something of size. He was splashing all over and I honestly didnt think I'd land him. When he got close to shore, he started to fight his hardest and did a complete 180 in a last desperate run for freedom.

I know catfish dont have the glam factor of bass, but they sure are fun to catch. Also I know catfish have a stigma attached to them because they're bottom feeders. That is a pretty clean lake though and a little mercury wont kill me. I wont eat any of them out of the rivers around here though. Every river has DNR warnings about PCBs and such.. It's a shame. Anyway, cant wait to get back out there and put some of them on the table. I can already imagine the rewarding feeling of catching/cleaning your own dinner. :D