11/25 Long Calm day on the Big E

[Lynn M]

The day started by awaking at 2:15, about 45 minutes before my alarm was set to go off, which is not unusual when I have fishing on my mind. I made the 3 hour jaunt from Goshen, IN to the Mazurik launch, noticing the outside temps on my truck were showing a chilly 20 degrees at times, which was 5 to 10 degrees colder than what I anticipated. I was just hoping my outboard would start and stay running at those temps.

I launched around 6, well before dawn, and made the chilly ride out to where I thought the water clarity would be fairly decent.
I started checking for marks on the Garmin and most of them came in the 32 to 40 fow. The morning started fairly slow, and the sun was beginning to rise by the time I got my first walleye. My program for most of the day was a speed of 1.4 to 1.7, pulling bandits, Smithwick P10, DHJ14's and DHJ12's. The bandits seemed to do the best and white based lures were better than chrome and gold. I got a few at 60 to 70 back unassisted (no weight) but I would say the majority were deeper. I also use the Precision trolling app and was setting most of the boards at 50/20, but I also caught at 50/15 and 50/25. So the majority of my fish were caught at 20 to 25 feet down.

The bite really picked up mid to late morning, and I was soon shedding my hunting coveralls to try to cool down. Again, it was difficult to keep lines in the water, just fishing alone. BTW, I would much rather fish with others with me, but because of entering the tournaments this year, and not personally knowing anyone else in the tourney, I fish alone, just in case I land that 12 pounder . I definitely have mixed feelings about being in the tournament because of this, but maybe next year some of my buddies will enter as well.

Most of my day was spent north of Kelleys, but I did run down a couple miles southeast of Kelleys to give it a try there. The further south I got the more stained the water got and there were not as many marks there either. So after catching a couple, I went back up where I started the day and finished there, fishing for about an hour or so after dark trying to land that trophy. The trophy didn't come but it was another great day on the water. I lost track of how many I netted, but the biggest was a 26" fatty must have been at least 6 to 7 lbs. but didn't get an actual weight on her.

I got off the lake around 7 and made the 3 hour drive home, fighting sleepiness most of the way. With what the forecast is showing for the coming week, I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to get out there today.

All the Best!
Lynn

[Capt Juls]

Great report! Man...that was a long day for you...glad you made it home safe.

[itsbob]

Tough fisherwoman for sure.Long drive, fishing from dawn to dusk alone in that cold.Thanks for the post.

[Capt Juls]

Tough fisherwoman for sure.Long drive, fishing from dawn to dusk alone in that cold.Thanks for the post.

Lynn is a man's name too....

[Lynn M]

Lynn is a man's name too....

Thanks for that clarification Capt. Juls! Yes, I am a biological male the last time I checked and I identify as a male as well, LOL.

[itsbob]

My bad Lynn.Long day regardless.Thanks for post and clarification.

[Lynn M]

Not a problem, itsbob! Not the first time that's happened and I'm sure it won't be the last. BTW, itsbob, I enjoy your posts, so keep them coming

[Ternest]

I just wanted to thank all of you that share your knowledge on this site. I just started getting serious about catching fish the past 2 years. I would always go out, a few times a year. Aimlessly drive around the reefs out of wild wings regardless of season. I'm set up pretty well now and have learned a lot. Though I have much to learn yet. We put fish in the boat consistently now. And a lot of what I have learned has come from reading the posts you all share. Lynn I too come from Goshen IN. I plan to head out for one last shot at that... 13 pounder now... in the AM. Mostly I just love the big water. I dont recall ever going out and not having fun. I just told my fishing buddies if they wanted to fish they had to enter. Anyway good luck to you all be safe