Fishing with Dan and Matt...8/8/2025

[Capt Juls]

I had set the alarm for 2:00am, but the dogs decided that 1:30 a.m. should be the time I got up, so I did. Luckily, I still had 7 1/2 hours of sleep, so all was well.

Made some coffee, fixed some cat food for my half-feral cat, who decided that he would rather live under the house than in the house with the newest dog, "Ella", and went out on the back deck to check the weather.

The forecast was calling for 7-15mph out of the SSW, this morning. The stars were shining, and the "Sturgeon Moon" was lighting up the entire landscape. The air temp was around 70 degrees.

I was meeting my two-man crew at Catawba at 6:00am. Dan Dagget and his friend, Matt Allen, are down from Wisconsin for three days for some Lake Erie fishing. This was day two for them. Yesterday, they said they only got 33 with 6 people fishing. Today, they would end up with only 24 keepers in the cooler with three of us fishing.

We tried 5 or 6 different spots, with decent marks below us each time, but the bite was slow/tough for us. Lots of missed bites, lots of little itty-bitty fish that went back, white perch, and the ever-entertaining Sheephead.

The fishing part was fun, with the company I had in the boat today. Dan had contacted me a couple of years ago and scheduled a trip, but Momma Nature said, "Nay-Nay" that day, so when he said they were coming without a boat for three days, and wanted to fish with me, that made me happy!

Matt is a restaurant owner in Waterford, WI....a place called, "Spanky's". Their "About" page on Facebook makes me want to take a trip over there, when I'm up in Wisconsin over Christmas! Check this out ...(This is not an advertisement...I was just very excited to have someone like him on my boat today. I watch all kinds of YouTube videos of restaurants, owners, chefs, and workers, so it was fun to actually talk to the owner of one.

About Spanky's Sports Bar and Grill

Spanky’s Sports Bar and Grill, a favorite dining and entertainment hotspot since 2017. In May of 2024, we moved into our new space located on the East side of HWY 36 in Waterford, WI. Our new space provides a larger space , larger kitchen and an amazing outdoor patio, allowing us to serve our loyal patrons and new customers with the same great TLC. Founded by Karen and Matt AllenSpanky’s Sports Bar and Grill has grown from a modest beer and shot bar into a bustling hub for homemade thin-crust pizzas, hearty sandwiches, and mouthwatering burgers, all inspired by Matt’s foodie passion and his extensive travels. A testament to their success, Spanky’s has been repeatedly voted as one of the Best Pizzas in Racine County in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and has become a in-demand pizzas in the area.

They both said they had a good time, even if the catching was tough for us, and I had a good time too.

I'm available to fish Monday, but then I get to have a colonoscopy mid-week (yay...lol), and Friday through Sunday are scheduled already. I do have availability the 18th, 19th, 20th...and the last week of August, right now.

My next trip is Friday, for walleye out of Vermilion with the Smith family. Jeanne Chapman-Smith is related to my long-time friends and customers, Jeremy and Steve Chapman.

Stay tuned...

Capt Juls