i need some help.. catching mostly junk fish

[sswonger]

this is the first year i have fished with my own boat. i fish out of turtle creek. i have been out 5 diffrent days, i drift or cast and have caught mostly junk fish..lots of sheephead.(thinking of renaming my boat SHEEPHEAD).any info to help me out would be great..i feel like iam close to getting eyes but getting a little frustrated..i have a lot to learn, but iam having fun doing it eyes are just a bonus..thanks for any help or advice.

[high drifter]

Don`t be so hard on yourself. It`s just the nature of the beast. It so happens that the sheep like the same baits . AND BOY !! DO THEY LIKE THEM !! We were east of kellys yesterday and friday.Pulling 40 jets and spoons at 70 to 80 back.Best colors were Wonderbread , superman,Watermellon,and Chickenwing. We got 21 Walley for both days for 3 of us and 150 sheephead.Some times 20 sheep between a walleye.You just gotta keep pitchin them back and smile .Then say The Next one will be a BIG OLE EYE !! Yesssss ! So its not just you or your skill level !!It could be Mother Nature or God just testing our PATIENCE !!

[kick it up a notch]

try trolling its not hard you will need trolling rods and dipseys if you do not have planner boards . Line couters are nice but you can count wraps to tell how much line is out when you decide which way you want to go post again letting use know what you gonna use can help some more. GOOD LUCK


by the way probly cought 80 sheephead on our trip this weekend n 18 walleye

[sswonger]

i tried to troll a little bit but my speed was a little fast about 2.8..was thinking of trolling against the wind to slow down but was worried about the boat control. next year i will get into the trolling act with a kicker motor..i have a swim platfrom all across the back so i need a bracket for the kicker. with the cost of the boat,gps,fishing gear,and dock rental..hard to get the wife to let me spend more this year..next year upgrades will be kicker,bracket,and rod holders so i can troll. i have a few dipsy and jets, might try again. thanks and good luck

[sswonger]

high drifter thank you for your response. makes me feel better..the thing is i love to be on the water,then friends and co-workers want to go.which is fine but they all want to pitch in and pay for gas and bait,which is great but i feel some pressure to produce some walleye..i know they like the trip and understand that this is my 1st year, i learn new things every time out which is awsome...i think its the money... i am far from a captin, i just like to fish.. thanks again and good luck

[kick it up a notch]

what kind of motor do you have and can you get a drift sock that would help and you can also buy a troll plate for your outdrive

[bocajemma]

You don't have to troll to catch walleye. Regardless of if you are drifting or trolling you are going to catch junk fish. Listen to what the fish are telling you. If you are drifting and casting using a count down or something and every time you do that specific technique you catch a sheep head, change it up. Fish higher or lower or change your weight change the speed, move to a new spot or whatever until you catch a walleye and then try to reproduce that technique. We limited out Sunday. We caught 7 drifting, and then switched to trolling after the wind died and caught our last 5. We tried trolling higher in the water at first and where just hammering huge sheep head. We lowered our presentation and started catching mostly walleye. When we were drifting it was the opposite. If we ran our baits low we couldn't keep the sheep head off. Had to fish high to catch the walleyes. If you are catching only junk fish, change up your presentation.

[walleye2go]

Sent you a pm Shilo.

[wakina]

This is the spawning season for Sheepshead and the males are super agressive, they most generally are in the upper 1/3 of the water column. In cleaner water and if you are casting from the bow of your boat you can see pods of sheepshead everywhere this time of year. They are very prominant in the reef complex during spawning season.

bocajemma: You have given some very sound and excellent advise!!

[sswonger]

thanks for the advice....i will try these techuiques this weekend...once again thanks.. good luck