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Fishing with Wayne and Brenda Weeks 4-28/29/30-18
Wayne and Brenda came in from Sioux Falls, SD on Friday night, and were supposed to fish with me on Saturday and Sunday, but due to strong winds out of the NW, along with some rain, I canceled Saturday. Fortunately, they were able to stay and fish with me Sunday and Monday (today), since I had a cancellation a couple weeks ago, and forgot to find someone for today. Whew! That was lucky!
Yesterday, I was supposed to pick them up at their hotel at 5:30, but in my normal fashion I was early by 15 minutes. I was surprised to see them outside and waiting on ME for a change...lol
We hit Big Bopper's for some grub, and then headed to Catawba to launch. The forecast was calling for continued NW winds, but not as strong as the day before. And, as the day would progress, the winds were to die down. That all happened, but the one thing the forecast missed, was that the winds in the morning were still as strong as the day before. We ventured out anyway, and headed west to the cans.
It was a bit muddy there still, but we picked up two eaters on the first pass. We made a run NW a bit to make another pass, and it was gnarly...the lake was mad, and the run was rough, but we made it safe and sound. We didn't get anything in the second pass, which was frustrating, because I was directly behind Capt Kevin who caught 4 in front of us! We were running the same leads, same speed, same lures (except one that he had that I didn't, which I have now..lol), same fishing line on calibrated reels, etc. But, the little buggers didn't want my offerings, and it pissed me off...so, I left.
I headed east, and closer to the point off Catawba and put the nose on a SE troll. The water clarity wasn't much better, but I marked more fish there. As we trolled, we weren't getting bites, but when we hit 19 foot of water, we put three more fish in the boat in quick fashion. The top of Clinton Reef was void of marks, but I think there are good fish there still.
We ended the day with just the 5 fish, but I think Brenda was happy to get on solid ground after that wild ride. The waves did subside to 1-3 by noon, so it wasn't as bad as the 3-5's we were in earlier in the morning.
After a good night's sleep, I got up early and headed out the door at 4:45. I stopped for ice, before heading to Big Bopper's. Wayne and Brenda were checking out of the hotel this morning, so they met me there.
After breakfast, we headed to Mazurik's to launch by 6am. We headed out with calm seas, a light west wind of less than 10mph, and a beautiful sky that was just starting to wake the eastern horizon.
We headed north to Lucy's and set lines. The program was Bandits 45-70 back...Purple Mist, Blue Chrome, Chrome Barbie, Huff Daddy Chrome, and Khaki. The first two fish (just 16 inchers) came on the Purple Mist (stock color) 55 back. Speed was 1.7-1.9mph. We missed two more fish there that came unbuttoned too.
Not marking a lot on the line I was on, I decided to head east towards Gull Island Shoal. Well, I can tell you this...they are not on the west side of the shoal! So, I moved again...this time south to the NW corner of Kelly's. We were set up with the same program for about 20 minutes when I got a text from friends fishing out east.
So, I didn't want to give these two nice people another slow 6 hour trip, and after 3 hours, decided I was going to load the boat out and head to Huron, so they could do their other 3 hours over there.
I can't tell you where in Huron I was invited to, because I was asked to keep it a secret, and well, I like my friends and would like to keep them as friends, so I won't tell. Sorry!
I do think we could have worked out a limit over here by the islands, but after several "less than stellar" trips, my confidence was waning, and I needed a booster shot! I got it today, even if the fish weren't monsters that we all love to see hook up. They were good eaters, and the Weeks were very happy with their catch, and that made me happy. :)
Brenda did have a big 28 inch plus fish to the net, but it spit the hooks at the last second. At least she got to see it....sigh.
Tomorrow, I will be going out of Turtle Creek with a return customer that I always have a blast fishing with. Evan Parr is a young man who owns "The Other Side Landscaping" in Toledo, OH, and has a great enthusiasm for fishing Lake Erie. It's always a good time, so I'm looking forward to it.
Tomorrow's winds are out of the SW, and forecast to be 10-15mph, and warmer temperatures, so it should be a good morning.
Stay tuned...
Capt Juls
