Labor Day Weekend

[Bigonfish]

The bad news first: the weather kept us out of the water for a better part of our stay on TFF so the tube discussion below was pointless. The good news is we managed to take a nice cruise around the flowage on Sunday when the weather stabilized and (almost) didn't hit anything so no damage to our props, lower units or hulls to report. All I can say is I envy you people who have the ability to enjoy the flowage on a regular basis. The scenery is unbelievable! As for the fishing I caught a nice 18.5" smallie - my biggest ever, because the girth of that fish was enormous and he fought like a bull, and a nice size northern on Friday while fishing in the rain. I managed to loose another smallie that seemed even bigger than the one I caught but the best part is I hooked it right at the dock by pitching a superfluke under my boat's hull. I also tried casting bucktails along the Big Island shoreline across from Fort Flambeau for muskies and generated some strikes but for whatever reason they were missing the lure. I guess they wanted to play, not eat. Overall I am a bit disappointed with the results but I’m blaming the crazy weather and the cold front, not the flowage. I'm hoping to return in the future, maybe even for the annual boy's ice fishing outing this winter.

[DonH]

Too bad about the weather on your trip and the effect it had on the fishing. Maybe I can put a bit of perspective on the weather/fishing connection. I was going through some old Infisherman magazines recently. The article I'm referring to was written in the early 90's and was based on the early days of walleye tournaments and the focus was on some lakes in Minnesota and the Missouri River. There was a tournament around 1977 or so on the Missouri River. There were 120 boats with 2 man teams. The tournament was either 2 or 3 full days of fishing. It was held in May and a cold front came in on the first day with flurries. Total catch for the entire tournament - ZERO, Nada, Zilch. Not one walleye was brought in.

I must admit, this article made me so happy, it brought tears to my eyes. Imagine the frustration knowing that 1 single fish can win you a bunch of money, and all these walleye pros end up getting skunked. See, I'm tearing up again!

[Bigonfish]

to me being on the water is already rewarding. If I catch a fish - its a BONUS! And the beauty of being a recreational (and simetimes too laid back) fisherman is when walleyes don't bite, I switch to bass or pike or whatever... Why couldn't I find a single bluegill to keep the kids entertained is beyond me. But thanks for sharing, Don! It made me feel a little better.