|
|
A Good Man to Take Along
Todd Consbruck & John McAllister |
|
| |
It’s that time of year again when everyone is feeling the urge to get out of the house and tackle some early season fishing. For walleye and sauger, this means vertical jig fishing in tailraces and open sections of fast flowing rivers.
To be honest, both of us are self-proclaimed average jig fisherman. Neither of us is really a “jig maestro” like some of the true jigging experts out there, especially when it comes to jigging with two rods. Jigging two rods is tough enough for the back partner, but just a plain nightmare for the guy running the boat if the depth changes very often. However, early season jig fishing levels the field for everyone a little bit and we can always hold our own just like you can when it comes to early season fishing. The perfect way to do this is put a third or fourth guy in your boat that will fish all on their own, and we don’t mean another person!
We learned a long time ago that early season walleyes and sauger are usually very predictable about where they will be. Annual spring spawning runs put the fish in search of suitable spawning habitats that are usually below dams on river systems, along riprap, or in the upper reaches or creeks and rivers in reservoirs without riprap dams. Sauger tend to hold slightly deeper than walleye and tolerate current better, both fish come in shallow at night and remain relatively deeper during the day. In those locations, particularly during the day in current conditions, walleyes and sauger will be on the bottom or within inches of the bottom. Although crankbaits are a viable option, a minnow presentation in that 0-6” window of feeding opportunity right on the bottom is usually the key to success.
Our early attempts at jig fishing years ago produced an occasional fish, but nothing with any consistency. We, like everyone else, couldn't wait to get the boat out and fish. So off we went dropping the boat in super cold water with enthusiasm and excitement, but that enthusiasm soon faded with lack of success and cold fingers.
Unfortunately, as we began to fish those feelings of excitement carried right down our arms and through our rods to our jigs. Most of the time looking back we think we were too excited, jigging like mad men full of youth and vigor and not paying attention to the task at hand. We were jigging too aggressively and literally turning fish off. We were not doing a good job of staying in contact with the bottom and staying in tune to what our jigs were doing. We’d also read too many articles about the “lightest jig being the best jig” phooey. Sometimes the bigger jigs are the best options, let the fish tell you. If you can’t maintain bottom contact, your jig is probably too small. We were also not changing our presentation quickly enough to a slower pace; because it was obvious the fish were telling us to slowww down.
Fortunately for us, one thing we are good at is being observant. One afternoon below a tailrace in South Dakota on the Missouri River we watched a gentleman in a boat near us catch walleye after walleye while we were catching fish sporadically at best in the same eddy. Naturally we focused in on this old boy’s technique and set up, which to our amazement, was nothing more than a plain split shot about twelve inches above a small aberdeen hook. How could this be? He wasn’t using fancy jigs with propellers, hot colors like chartreuse or lime green, not even additional rattles or a bead for color. All he had on was a plain hook baited with the same fathead minnows we were using below a small split shot. This simple rig the old boy was using was knocking the fire out of those fish!
We immediately broke out rigging and bobber boxes to come up with the appropriate tackle to set up some rods. Big problem was though, even after changing over to a split shot rig, neither of us was catching fish anything like our neighbor with the ancient tiller boat. We could catch a few fish here and there, but nothing with any consistency. We knew we could do better, what were we doing wrong?
Did we have heavier line?
Was our bait somehow different?
Were we simply missing the bites?
Were we staying close enough to the bottom?
Were we imparting a different action?
Was our boat control different?
What were we doing wrong?
Then it dawned on us.
The old boy was leaving his rig “dead” on the bottom, just like someone might fish for catfish. He was just letting the natural action of the river pull him along ever so slowly, keeping his line vertical with the tip of his rod. He really wasn't even holding his poles (ancient rubber pistol grip Zebco’s); they were just left in the rod holders on the gunnels of the boat. No motion, no jigging, he was just letting the minnow naturally bump along the bottom. This imparted a very subtle action that was letting the river and the bait do the work. On this particular day, and many days since, the key was letting the rig do the work, not working the rig.
We understand that a lot of you reading this might think this isn’t the most exciting way you’ve ever heard of fishing and we’ll bet many of you have tried it, but effective is pretty exciting to us. Plus we’ve came up with many twists to this “dead stick” or “slow death” rig over the years that can also make a big difference. John likes to crimp a pencil eraser sized split shot or whatever it takes to maintain decent bottom contact above a small colored Gamakatsu or Mustad hook while using a St. Croix Avid medium light spinning rod that is 7’ long and filled with 4# Berkley XL. The colored hook on many days can be key, as can a small bead for color or a small float. Todd usually starts with a variation of this rig using a bass style flippin’ stick with a small bottom bouncer and a short leader to avoid snags and give the fish a different look. The flippin’ switch on a baitcasting reel allows the angler to let line out quickly with one finger as a hole deepens. If the fish prefer the split shot rig, Todd prefers an eight-foot rod that is very soft like a moderate action 8’ St. Croix. The softer rod can sometimes allow the fish to hang on a little longer and get the presentation a little further from the boat.
It also helps to have a boat like our Fisher FX that is easy to control in current or wind and a bigger boat spreads out the presentations of anglers both in length and width. We can use our MinnKota Auto Pilot bow motor alone, or even crank up the Mercury kicker in really heavy current.
The bottom-line of using this “do nothing” rig is to rely on its inherent simplicity and ease of use. Don't get to carried away with this rig. It is nothing more than a sharp hook and a weight system that keeps a minnow doing all the work you need it to do very close to the bottom. This rig pretty much fishes itself and you just reap the benefits. Even crappie rigs can be the answer in this “no jig” system. In fact, dragging a jig can be the ticket, let the fish tell you what they want!
In states where it is legal to use more than one rod, we prefer to concentrate on jigging one rod while also running a split shot rig or some type of “do nothing” in a holder. As you might have guessed, we’ve toned down our jigging style over the years and each of us starts with a different style. John uses a lift and pause technique most of the time and Todd usually begins with more of a hovering style that has less bottom contact but attempts to keep the jig very close to the bottom at all times. Always start your day with different colors, different sizes, and different actions than your partner. If one of us starts with a ¼ oz. ReelBait Baithold jig in Parrot and a plain Eagle Claw #6 hook for a split shot rig the other might start with an 3/8 oz. ReelBait Walleye Flasher in orange/chartreuse and a red VMC #4 hook with a pink and white floating bead on a short bottom bouncer (www.reelbait.com). It’s a cardinal rule in our boat to always start with different tackle until a pattern develops!
As you and your partner head out this spring for some early walleyes, remember to start out with four different presentation styles with the goal keeping everything close to the bottom in current areas. Remember, your minnow is usually the star of any presentation like this, let him do the work!
Keep score sometime and see which rod catches more and bigger fish. As often as not, the split shot rig will triumph. We guess you could say he is a good guy to bring along.
|
|
Boat Loans from the Eyes of a Lender
Todd Consbruck |
|
| |
Shannon Chase is one of the good guys in the banking industry. He keeps anglers from going in over their head on a bad boat deal but supports those looking to improve their fishing rig. We thought it would be interesting to get the prospective of a banking professional on securing boat financing.
“To be honest, I’ve kind of seen it all here at Citizen’s National Bank,” said Shannon. “It does strike me though that the happiest people I know getting loans are those buying a boat!”
Shannon feels it’s important for lenders to try to meet as many needs as possible for their customers and make sure they help borrowers make good decisions. “We like our outdoorsman and support them. We think outdoor pursuits are good for families and anything that helps build stronger relationships with children and families is certainly good for our communities.”
These are the tips Shannon shares for prospective boat buyers:
1. Buy a boat you can comfortably afford. Most lenders agree than no more than 64% of the gross income of a person or family should be “locked up” with monthly payments. This would include mortgage or rental, vehicle, utilities, etc. In other words, a borrower should have 36% “discretionary” income even after buying a boat.
2. Make sure you have looked around at different dealers on even the same boat. “We see wide variations on the same boat sometimes. Many times it’s explained by different motors and equipment, but other times not.”
3. “Non-Current” boats can be a great buy, but recognize depreciation has already started and that the book value of a boat is essentially at the used boat level of that year. A prospective owner should think through how soon they will trade the boat, it doesn’t make sense to buy a non-current boat if you plan to trade right away.
4. Make sure your boat down-payment combined with monthly payments always keeps ahead of the depreciated value of your new boat. Getting “upside down” on boat value makes it hard for you to trade again and all banks generally avoid loans like this.
5. Make sure you know what equipment you want to add to the boat up front. It’s not a problem to include such items in a loan, but many times clients want to add larger motors, newer electronics, tarps, and other items six months down the road or just after the loan has been signed. Almost every lender requires additional fees or even additional loan or refinancing papers for these additional requests.
6. Boaters and everyone else like to beat up their banker over interest rates, it’s reasonable to do so in a nice way. The best way to get lower rates is to have a good credit history, provide additional collateral, keep your payment years shorter, and even have a co-signer (spouse or parent) on the loan.
7. Make sure you consider the cost of insurance and remember you are required to have insurance at least to the extent of the loan amount.
8. Try to have some type of monthly budget laid out for you lender when you go to speak to him or her. This helps clarify your financial position, especially if you are not a current “full” customer. Simple layouts of income and expenses are very helpful.
9. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of manufacturers lending promotions. Often they are good deals for those looking for short-term loans but not great for longer terms. Most banks will be as competitive as they can, but recognize that manufacturers use these “offers” for marketing.
10. If you are seeking a loan on a used boat, lenders will generally question why a boat is valued the way it is, particularly if the boat is over “book” value. This is where you have to explain the value to your lender, perhaps there is a larger motor than standard or the boat comes with $4,000 in additional equipment. Lenders do understand the “book” value on a boat doesn’t always tell the whole story. Pictures of a boat and even testimony about a test drive or independent mechanical report also help prove “value”.
11. Explore using your home equity. Many times this is the best way to finance your next fishing rig to take advantage of tax implications like deductible mortgage interest.
As you can see, Shannon has some good advice that can help you with your next boat loan whether you use his financial institution or yours.
Shannon is now banking in Colorado Springs with Pinnacle, but you can call (888) 474-4261 or you can visit the Citizen’s National Bank website at www.cnbwisner.com
|
|
Walleye Up a Crappie
Todd Consbruck |
|
| |
Did you know that #2 & 3 Colorado spinner combinations are deadly for pre-spawn crappie? Yes, the same ones you use for walleye! Think about it, if crappies hit Mepps, Beetle Spins, and RoadRunners, why wouldn’t they hit a spinner rig?
Pre-spawn crappie love spinners and minnows offered on bottom bouncers. This technique has worked with great success for us in lakes such as tree-filled Kirwin in Kansas or the relatively wide-open Willow Creek in Nebraska.
To go after these tasty fish, break out your walleye trolling equipment. We’re not kidding, go grab your line-counter rods and reels, your 1/2 -2 oz. bottom bouncers, and all of your spinners. Your line-counter reel will give you instant repeatability and the long limber rods are easy on the delicate mouths of crappie. Using this tackle takes a different approach than most of us are used to. Fishing for crappies seems to take even slower speeds than a typical walleye angler might use, think “just fast enough to turn the spinner”. The longer rods also require you have a long handled walleye net like a Beckman’s or Loki as opposed to a typically shorter, smaller net most of us use when jig fishing To target crappies, we almost always rely on our bow trolling motor, a MinnKota Auto Pilot, a motor like this makes boat control “hands free” and very easy. Use your electric motor to move just fast enough to keep the spinner rotating and use enough weight to keep the bottom bouncers very close to vertical. We simply drop our bottom bouncer rigs to the bottom and reel up just a little bit, noting what the line-counter says for line out to have future reference if we catch a fish at this depth. Reeling up slightly keeps your bottom bouncer and spinner just off the bottom, lessening snags. If there is thick timber on the bottom of a lake like Kirwin, you may have to raise the rig even higher off the bottom, usually fish will chase though so it’s not a problem.
We do use our rod holders for the most part and put slightly lighter bottom bouncers on the outside rods to spread out the offerings. Since you are going very slow, it’s also possible to fish almost vertical which also helps reduce snags. It might be a good idea to use a shorter 30 or 36” leader in heavier timber conditions or even a rig with a floater, at this speed the floater can help give your presentation a little lift. We generally hook the minnows through the lips or through the eyes, hooking minnows through the eyes definitely increases the durability of your minnow and also causes the minnow to struggle more to remain upright, sometimes a key when using any presentation.
Don’t forget crappie suspend so make sure you run your baits throughout the water column, especially if you mark fish high in the water column. It can also pay to just use a plain snell on the bottom bouncers if spinners aren’t doing the trick. Effective colors for crappie can range from nickel to florescent depending on water clarity and the mood of the fish. The big thing is to remember that this isn’t the time to use your #7 blades, usually the smaller blades work better.
Another great part of this technique is that bonus fish like walleye, white bass, and even northern pike or perch are also quite common when fishing this rig. There’s nothing like catching crappie after crappie then suddenly having a 5# walleye hammer your rig!
The Fisher FX we run in tournaments is a fantastic boat, but let’s face it, we’re not excited about bulling our way into timber in this boat. Using this technique we can take advantage of the beam width to further spread our lines and when pulling spinners at low speeds it helps to have a low profile boat like the FX that “hugs” the water and doesn’t get blown off course easily. Plus, by being outside the timber we are usually targeting the most active fish anyway.
The big advantage of a bottom bouncer and spinner rig is that it allows fisherman to cover water more quickly than a traditional jigging approach and is relatively snagless even in timber-strewn lakes. The line-counters allow you to quickly return your rig to the exact depth and you can use your expensive equipment a little more throughout the year.
To find crappies, particularly in March and April, we target areas adjacent to spawning areas. Our favorite location is near standing timber adjacent to old roadbeds and meadows in deeper water. Crappie will also set up house on main lake points, adjacent and over brushpiles, and sometimes very near dams.
Do yourself a favor, load up on some ReelBait spinners, especially the two-hook “back bead” models. The nickel perch and nickel fluorescent red are our two favorite colors with the fire tiger and rainbow trout a close second. In extremely dingy water, the rainbow trout can really shine. Pick up a few pre-tied snells while you’re at it. Al Patterson is a big Nebraska Walleye Association sponsor and it’s not every day we can support a Nebraska tackle company, look him up at www.reelbait.com. We also plan to experiment with using walleye flasher jigs on bottom bouncers this year (yes, it will work though it sounds odd) and using them to cast with or just hanging below slip bobbers.
Walleye fishing for crappie is something you definitely have to try! |
Serious Trolling Tune-up
Consbruck & McAllister
Walleye are going gangbusters in every lake and river during late spring and early summer. It’s easy to find them because the food cycle is perking up in most locations and walleye are rapidly putting on weight by feeding ravenously. Walleyes can be caught during May and June using various patterns and almost everything seems to work. It's not uncommon be successful anywhere from 1-25’ deep.
Unfortunately, the odds start to tip in the favor of the walleye in late June or July. The available forage blooms and is more than adequate to meet the needs of walleye. The walleye pickings become a little slimmer for us fisherman because we are competing with more “real” forage and less hungry fish.
Successful fisherman change right along with the walleye and one proven summer tactic we love to use is trolling for walleyes. It makes sense to follow forage out into the basins of lakes and reservoirs and target walleye feeding on suspended forage and/or seeking cooler, more comfortable water.
It’s common to read that open water trolling was “discovered” as recently as the 1990’s. We believe open water trolling was probably invented long before the first Rapala, it just wasn’t popularized or written about in great detail by tournament fisherman. Lakes like Harlan County Reservoir in Nebraska have had anglers following nomadic schools of shad and the walleye they attract since it was first stocked. Forerunning anglers used (and even still use) seagulls to locate fish out in the open water. Sonar hadn’t even been invented yet. Finnish fisherman were probably rowing out in “da middle of nowhere” while guys were still wearing fur hats and paddling with their line in one hand on a fjord after zander (European cousin to walleye).
Let’s say you venture out into the middle of your favorite lake and find schools of baitfish with larger fish present anywhere from 20-24’ and another group of fish that seems to be 37-40’. What do you do?
We suggest you break out four trolling rods and line-counter reels
On the first planer board we would try to run the lure approximately 18-20’ deep or really just above the highest marked fish because fish orientate “up” and studies have proven walleye are reluctant to strike a bait trolled beneath them. To run 20’ deep or so on 10# mono, we let out 35’ of line, then attach a 2 oz. snap weight, and then run out another 80’ or so of line. At this point it says 115 on our Daiwa 27 line-counter reels. This amount of line and weight with most moderately diving lure roughly gets us down to AROUND 20’ deep. To recap, we have 35’ from the weight to the lure to reduce spooking, we have 80’ to the board, and we can run the board as far away as we would like from the boat to even further reduce spooking. Then all we have to do is remember the “numbers” so we can go right back to the same system if we catch a walleye. It’s not that you have to be exact, it’s more that if you catch fish you can instantly repeat your presentation with the line-counter reels.
We would rig our second board with a lure to target fish that might be even higher in the water column that we are missing on the electronics or even to draw fish to the surface. Our intention on the second board, ran on the shallower side of the boat, would be to have a crankbait or ReelBait spinner with a smaller weight (1/2 – 1 oz.) or even no weight to run shallower, well above the fish. On most presentation like this we may only put out 50-100’ of line then attach the line to board.
Next would come our lead core presentations. Leadcore can then be used to get our lures close to the 40' depth where we are also marking fish. In 40’ of water at 1.5-2 mph you might typically use 5 or 6 colors of 18# leadcore. Leadcore is very speed dependent, the slower you go the more it sinks.
John prefers to use Penn 310 or 320 reels loaded with 18# lead core and a 10-20’ Fireline leader, just using a rubber band to mark his distance out. Todd prefers to use Daiwa 47 line-counter reels so he can remember a “number”. Fireline increases the ability to “read” your rod tip, mono gives more cushion when the fish is closer, each imparts a slightly different action to the lure. Use whatever you like, but make sure your leader has a lower breaking point than the lead core to reduce the chance of breaking your lead core. Lead core can last for years without needing replacement if you don't break it off. Most any trolling rod will work that has a good backbone and limber tip but the Scheel’s rods, Bass Pro Shops trolling rods, and Ugly Sticks seem to be best. Don’t be afraid to use a 10.5’ rod when pulling lead!
To join the lead core and mono we use a simple system but it’s hard to describe. Simply tie an overhand knot at the end of your lead core and trim off the tag. Next, make a loop with the lead core. Use this loop like you would use a hook eye to tie a Palomor knot with your leader material, then slide the Palomar down to the overhand knot and clip both tag ends. This is a great knot, holds super, and goes through the eyes on a rod well. Essentially you tie a palomar knot with your leader line onto the lead core and the knot at the end of the lead core holds the leader from slipping off the end. It’s easier than it sounds. If this doesn’t work for you, try using a #18 barrel swivel as an attachment point.
Whatever you do, make sure you start with varied selection of lures and/or spinners. It's also funny to us about how much we hear about color not being a factor; tell that to the fish is what we say because sometimes it sure is a factor! We also strongly believe that some individual lures just "work better", if one Wally Diver or Shad Rap is hot, sometimes we believe the action or other characteristics just make it a better lure than another of the exact same model, even of the same color.
If you want to be more precise, pick up a copy of “Precision Trolling” because trolling depths are highly dependent on speed, line diameter, weight, an the lure used. We focus more on repeatability more than precise depths, but it can be a key and helpful to start to know the lure dive depths and this book goes into more detail on trolling.
For some quick advice we'd offer this.
1. Troll downwind if you can, makes everything easier.
2. Be speed sensitive. This means remember leadcore dives less at high speeds and if you mix spinners and cranks you need to stay at the 1.8 mph or less range.
3. Always put out your planer board lines before the lead core. It reduces tangling. Just move your lead core rod to a mid-boat position to re-rig a board.
4. Don't overlook ReelBait Colorado or Tomahawk spinners off planer boards.
5. A quick and easy rule of thumb is 35' to your lure, a 2 oz snap weight, and then out to 115 on your Daiwa 27 to go ROUGHLY 20' deep. This is a very rough rule of thumb depending on line, boat speed, fullness of reel, etc. Use long, limber rods with a good backbone for trolling. It's tough to beat the Bass Pro P & K trolling rods.
6. For leadcore, about 6’ of 18# leadcore will usually dive 1’ in the water at 1.5 mph.
7. When removing snap weights, make sure to maintain tension on the fish and work as a team. One partner reels the weight into the other one who grabs the line on the fish side of the weight; he or she removes the weight, never giving slack to the walleye.
8. A long handled net with "snagless" netting like a Beckman's or Loki is a great investment for trollers. It’s no fun to dig cranks out of nets all day.
9. If you aren't using Berkley walleye scent or some other product, why? You are really making mistake. The stuff is worth its weight in gold some days.
10. Make sure you have rod holders mounted appropriately in your boat. In Todd's Tracker Tundra or John’s Fisher FX18DV, we like to have two bases off the stern, two on the gunnels near the stern, and two more about 7' from the stern. We use the back four for lead core and the amidships positions for board rods generally. Always have your planer board rods in a near vertical position to help keep upward pressure on your boards so they ride better.
11. Repeatability is the key with trolling. Catch a fish, go right back to the same exact presentation. Line counter reels make repeatability easy, but rubber bands knotted on the line and counting passes on level wind reels both work equally well, though less convenient. The main thing is to find the sweet spot where the active biters are and then keep returning to it time after time. This means more than a "geographic" location. The sweet spot can also be the distance from the boat to the planer board – don’t forget that.
12. Invest in a GPS. It's wonderful for safety, but absolutely puts you right back at the same speed and same spot. It will also give you a reference to relocate a moving school of fish.
13. A cheap downrigger is a 4-10 oz snap weight. It works great. If you want your lure to run near the bottom, run the weight about 20' above your lure and let it "hit" bottom on free spool one or two times while going your anticipated speed. You can always reel up when you lures digs bottom.
When the fishing gets tough this year in 15' of water with a Lindy rig, head out for the great wide open or at least wave at us. You never know what might be out there. For sure they'll be less boats, and maybe an untouched bonanza of walleyes that you didn't even know existed!
I LOVE GREENBACKS
Todd Consbruck
You pack and check everything twice, three times, four times. You look for your ID's. Did I bring enough clothes? Will it rain or will it snow this year, it always does one or the other. Is everything alright with the suburban, is my oil ok on the boat and should I crimp a bunch of hook barbs and put those lures in one box so I don't forget to do that on the water.
You pull out of your driveway hoping for good weather, good fishing, and to catch up with friends. For me it's usually after work on a Wednesday and before you know it your in Fargo or somewhere crashing around Midnight, trying to get a few hours of sleep or if you have enough guys driving all night to be at the launch at sunrise.
Ahhh, the border. Things seem the same as they did when I was a kid going into Canada. You get asked a few questions, fess up to some beer and smokes and away you go. Only twice in my whole life have I had to pull over. You get the feeling the border guard wants to go along.
Pretty soon you realize you are actually in Canada.
The roads are made from different materials, the signs are in French, and you wonder how much faster you can go than the 100 km sign without getting pulled over. Winnipeg looms and you know the way around the city to the east. Geese are everywhere and you wonder why the city never seems to grow any further east or southeast. You pass the Maple Leaf pork sign and think to yourself, I'll be back to the neighborhood some night this week :)
Do we go to the Red or the Winnipeg? I always think I'm going to the wrong one, the bite is better at the other.
Suddenly you are in the Red River drainage heading north, maybe a skim of snow or frost and you are looking for the road to Pine Falls.
Get to Clarks Corner, get the licenses and herd everyone through the rest room one last time for the day. Suddenly it hits you that forgot food for the boat. Grab a few things and head to the ramp. The road is still nasty and you still thank the paper company for having it. You wonder why the province or town doesn't put in a better launch facility. Oh well, you're just glad to have anywhere to launch.
There are license plates from everywhere, usually Manitoba, then Iowa, Minnesota, ND, SD, NE in order of numbers. What a mix of rigs! You get everthing into the boat, try not to forget anything and getted backed in. You think to yourself, why do the same guys park in the turning area every day, oh well, at least the road isn't icy today. You back in, pray she starts and idle around a bit. You just realize that your buddies are going to get mud and rocks all over your boat, oh well. It's a small price to pay.
Now you're heading north. If you are lucky you have a windshield. Locals are fishing the river in snowmobile suits and you try to be respectful but make a good pace too. You are trying to remember where the two big rocks are and remind yourself to "stay right" most of the way, especially at the mouth.
Out to the rocks we go, ooops. Too many boats, someone must have saw someone catch something. Maybe we'll fish the snowmobile sign side where the first 14# walleye came into the boat years ago.
The kicker motor drops, fires and 1.8 mph is achieved. Linecounter rods with lures are handed out. Let's go with the "Husker Barbie" 8 shad rap, a #5 orange and gold Hornet and a Thunderstick Jr. with the red bill. Pour some Berkley Walleye Scent on the lures and send them out until they tick bottom. Yup, we crimped the barbs.
Remind the guys to check their drags, leave them a little loose and put on the clickers. It feels good to have the kicker going, everything is working and you're on top of the world. You wonder how many guys out here fishing you know or have seen the past ten years.
A few hundred feet and the first 18" fish, up north we call that super.
Zzzz zzz z z z zzzz FISH ON.
There is a scramble as someone grabs a rod and you kick the motor down a notch because it might be a big girl - in your mind you already know it is. You want to grab the net to get ready but you know it draws more attention than a helicopter at a state fair.
The reeler says "I'm down to 20', she seems pretty good." You extend the net and make sure the boat is pointed away from everyone. The other rods are up and out of the way, the kicker is in neutral.
Zzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz z z, "Ohhhhh man, back out to 27". Now you KNOW, this is a greenback and she just realized what happened.
She comes up to 5' and you still can't see her but you all know it's the one. You're standing on your back deck in your goose hunting clothes and you want so badly to put in a big fish for your friend, it's their first trophy and you don't want to miss with the net.
"Go easy, you're doing fine. Get her up one more time and I'll get her. I promise."
You sense more than see that she's coming. Focus on the head and net her quick.
In the bag...
My God. After a summer of normal fish no one knows how to act. You are shaking like a leaf and you can't believe it. A 10, 12, or 14# walleye doesn't look real in your boat. It looks like another species. They are SO big. The head, the eyes, the fins, the belly. They are as thick as your leg.
"OK, can you hold her?"
"Just like this and support her belly. You're going to release her right? Good man. Ok, let's get a few quick pics and video."
The other boats know now and they redouble their efforts, some make a trolling pass coming way to close. Others talk about it on the radio. Some are thinking big deal, "Been there, done that".
Your buddy leans over the side of the boat with the fish in his hands. You can see on the video later how the big girl realized she was free, but they always hesitate for a moment as realization washes over them. Then she's gone with one might tail swat and swam off, splashing everyone's face on the rail in the process.
The proud angler can't walk, can't speak, and can't focus. His only relief is slumping back in a chair on the boat. The other guys want to fish, and right now!
"Wow, that was awesome. She was so big. I've never seen a walleye with eyes as big as a 50 cent piece."
Everyone else is teasing about the rod position he used, how she ran a few times, how they were worried about the net job.
Everyone high fives and you try to decide whether to keep going or make the same pass again. Lines and hooks are checked and you know why this is your favorite week of the year.
Later you clean a few fish and wonder if the bears around this year, by morning you'll know for sure. Nothing like a fish fry with a few snowflakes in the air.
Should we go back to Winnipeg for a little entertainment or to meet up with Rob? Walleye, pierogies and Kokanee is on the menu tonight. Tomorrow we dine at the Manitou. Their scallops and foccacia would put the French Laundry to shame.
Maybe the Red is hot, that could be fun too. Decisions decisions.
A few more times out. Hopefully lots of fish, maybe everyone gets a trophy, maybe they don't. You see the gill nets and imagine the dead walleye. It seems a rotten way to go after such a majestic life in such a majestic waterway. You get a little steamed but it's not your water or your country. Every moment the last day is savored. Time moves far too fast, even if the fish aren't going.
Now you're on your way home. The boat is a little tired, a little messy - but pretty happy because she has done what she was born for.
A feeling of dread sets in though. You know how lucky you are to have fished here, good fishing or not, but now work looms. You miss your wife though, and the kids and the dogs. The dogs always miss you the most it seems. You wonder what's happened in the world. It's the only time you don't read newspapers all year long.
Will these same Canada's be in your field over you decoys later this year?
Will the gill nets ever get under control?
Will the world record be broken?
Should you get some pierogies to take home?
Why can't I get gravy on my fries in Nebraska?
How will fish taste without vinegar?
Suddenly you're trying to decide what kind of perfume to buy the wife at the border store. Hmmm, seems dumb but your wife always is happy when you bring home something nice.
Better put a bottle of Gibson's Rye Whiskey in the basket, can't get that at home.
What sizes are Logan and Campbell? Logan would like a moose t-shirt, or something with a big toothy fish. Campbell can have Logan's shirt from two years ago. Daddy is broke. It stinks being the youngest.
Now you are in the US border crossing. "Yes sir, yes sir, no sir, just four fish, no sir they aren't frozen, yes I still live in West Point, no sir I don't have a drugs, firearms or even a tank."
"Pull over. We gotta look."
"Ya, I'll untarp it".
Lucky us, they look through everything, opening every hatch. And no, they are just doing their jobs, I'm not upset, just mildly annoyed as the other cars go by. But you don't think you look much like a terrorist except for the long whiskers and faraway look in your eyes.
Look at the beets piled everywhere.
Things are in English only again.
Your last thought is I wish I could go with the guys going north on I-29. Is that guy fishing or duck hunting, hmmm.
Todd
The Paint
Booth is Now Open
John McAllister
Some people think I am nuts, taking a perfectly fine crank bait and changing its appearance completely. But have you ever had a color pattern say in a wally diver that you just know would be a fish killer in a shad rap? I have spent hours trying to duplicate a color scheme from one lure maker to another, and just as long developing my own unique color creations.
One of my favorite tricks of the trade is to use common markers. You would be amazed what you can do with them. Add a red bill, give a solid chartreuse body black tiger stripes or my favorite change is to give a crank a color fade by using the marker and then rubbing the color with finger nail polish remover on a cotton ball. The remover fades the new color over or into the base color that was originally on the crank bait. You can create one of a kind looks that only you have. Now the neat thing with using the markers is that any color you put on, can easily be removed with fingernail polish remover, and then you are right back at the base color that you started with.
Another easy way to change or duplicate a crank baits appearance is with finger nail polish. Go to your local department store and check out the selection of polish. It is endless. Now you might get some funny looks in the check out line or the polish isle, but you will be the only one that knows what you are doing. Finger nail polish also comes with its own applicator in the bottle. These brushes work fine for applying the polish to the crank. Once again if you don’t like what you have created, polish remover enables you to start over from scratch. One of my favorite things to do with the polish is to add a G-fleck pattern with a sparkled enamel topcoat.
Last but not least is to use common model paint. This involves a little more work; it usually takes 2 to 3 coats to get a good coverage on a crank. I use common model brushes and once I get the color and look I want, I use a spray topcoat acrylic sealer that you get at the hobby section at the department store.
These are just 3 ways to duplicate and develop new paint schemes on you favorite cranks. Give them a try it is not much to it and who knows you could come up with a killer scheme that only you possess. |
