Damn it... It is tomorrow yet!

[Nainoa]

Well Here I am, stuck at work, waiting for Proofs... Killing time before I head off on yet another fishing adventure...

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Lake Winnibigoshish, in Northern MN... #2 Walleye Fishery in the state.

Last weeks report said "The bite is so hot right now that you could drag a rusty barn hinge across the bottom and still catch a fish!"


So of course... Nainoa has a big Camping and fishing onslaught planned... Managed to find a guy to straighten my Skeg... And Oh.. What's this... Massive Cold Front is decending down upon us in the next 24-36 hours!

(Which BTW... For those of you in the know on my Skeg situation... The guy looked at it this morning and said "Pfft... That's nothing... 95% chance you would be fine!" But for $60... I'll have that 5% chance fixed before traveling out on a Massive lake in potentially stormy conditions!)

***

Hey FM (Or any other Walleye guys for that matter!) Have any tips for Walleye fishing in a cold front?

[fitnessman]

S L O W.

You fish well, so you know this. Slow down, hit the area's that you know hold the eyes and slow down.

Of course, live bait will be the best bet.

Good news on the Skag.

I am leaving for a two day Walleye outing Friday on Ohio's largest inland lake (10,000 acres). No beasts like lake Erie, but some good fishing and time with friends.

Turn on your PM's!!!!

[Nainoa]

S L O W.

You fish well, so you know this. Slow down, hit the area's that you know hold the eyes and slow down.

Of course, live bait will be the best bet.

Good news on the Skag.

I am leaving for a two day Walleye outing Friday on Ohio's largest inland lake (10,000 acres). No beasts like lake Erie, but some good fishing and time with friends.

Turn on your PM's!!!!

Okay... I have...

The Cold front that slammed in was COLD... WOW...

When I first got up there on Thursday afternoon at 2:00, it was 86 degrees.

Set base camp up at a Fever pitch... Launched the boat... I tooled around for five minutes making sure everything ran right, and good... Then since the wind was calm enough we headed out from Cut Foot Sioux (The Adjoining 2700 acre lake we were staying at) headed through the channel AKA "The Gap" and out onto the Massive Lake Winnie.

The wind was from the east (Not a Good sign) So we headed out to some flats that are well known as Walleye Providers...

The Graph was packed... But we couldn't buy a bite... Drift sock, Every form of live bait and all...

Then the cold Front finally SLAMMED IN...
We changed up from Live Bait about an hour before Sundown, and started pulling in some decent Pike... Though the Pike of Winnie, traditionally seem to be some angry bastards, compared to their brothers in other lakes... And my one buddy is kind of a pussy... So he got bit twice and stabbed by a hook a third time, while he winced trying to release the fish, instead of "Taking Control." So I spent a bunch of time giving him friggin first aid.
(Note to self, I need a better first aid kit!)

It got near Sundown, which was when my girlfriend and the second group of people were showing up.
We headed in... Satisfied that we at least some some fun action in the pike.

Things kept getting colder and colder...

My girlfriend was bringing up the bedding... I told her to plan for cold... So she brough one extra blanket...

The friggin' pre-dawn low was 48 degrees, with a cold yet humid rain and I just have a summer tent...

GF liked it, since it meant we cuddled all night for warmth!

***

Friday was damn near a wash... High of only 56...
Took my gf on a hike (She loves Nature hiking.) Then took her out on the boat to teach her how to fish. (Also to find out if she gets sea sick.) Strangely she gets car sick, but is just fine on the boat!

I took her pan fishing... And then did some trolling... I piked up 6 pike and the Jessica Alba of a 2 pound bass that my buddy had me keep for him to eat...

Other than that it was pretty slow, as I spent much of my time attending to my girl.

Came back in... Made dinner... Hit prime time... Once again, just couldn't get into them... Kept picking up Pike...

***

Friday night it got colder than a Witches Tit...

Some of the guys started drinking hard... And the crew on my boat (Normally guys with their heads screwed on straight) got caught up in it, and got hammered.

Saturday, the weather started improving a little... Unfortunately we got a late start while my crew tried to sleep off the hangovers...

Went out with the gf, and took her fishing... She finally turned a corner and started catching some perch...

Came in, picked up my full Walleye crew and we hit All the known hot spots that were within 10 miles of camp...

Couldn't buy a bite... And when we did it was jumbo perch...

Finally just as sunset was approaching I had one of those "Damn it, I'm sick of this!" Moments...


I slapped on my Perch Style Tail Dancer... Tossed it out, and started high speed trolling...

Wouldn't ya know it... Started just SLAMMING WALLEYE.

Ran my newly repaired skeg through an unmarked random sand flat, which took off some paint. Jumped up from 20 feet to 1.2 in the course of about 10 yards! Found out later that the bouy that had been marking it had broke free... (Thank God I didn't hit that thing on plane!) Luckily all it did was take off some paint.

I returned home just as the sun set, with a handful of magnificent Walleye in my bounty...

Why high speed trolling shallow during a cold front picked them up I don't know... My only theory, is that the water temp (Which is Balmy for up there this time of year.) Kept them suspended... Then when prime time came they activated and hit in the shallows.

***

I came in to find my gf, and "The Drinking Crew" were all hammered...

Apparently the guy who I guess you could call my Best friend... Decided to get drunk and start slamming me, in front of another guy who I've just managed to patch things up with... So I got to come in... Celebrate my bounty for an hour, like a war hero... Then get caught up in some stupid drunken teen drama...

So they laid a bunch of out of context crap on me... I turned around and said...
Number One... I don't care.
Number Two... As long as you respect me, I respect you...
Number Three... I don't care!

Then I cooked my fish, while "The Drinking Team." Did their stupid trash talking thing.

It was a pissy way to let the air out of a fishing trip...

And I definitely won't be taking those people with me the next time I plan a fishing trip.

[fitnessman]

Speed trolling: I found this out one time while Saugeye fishing (cross between a sauger and a walleye). Front came in hard while we were out, I turned a corner to stare @ 3'ers. I quickly turned around to head back into the dock...Figued what the heck I will throw this Rattle Trap out and troll in..With the wind I was going around 7mph...WHACK..Nice eye! In a one mile stretch we pulled two tickets.

Go figure.


Choose your fishing partners wisely. Why I enjoy drinking at the camp site, as many of my buds do, the golden rule is it may not interfere with the trip. To include start times. You mess up, you won't be back. It meant to fun and one drunk SOB can ruin it for everyone.

I camped Fri and Sat night *COLD*!!!!!