Kevin J Legg

Very nice. Weeds are bad up river as well. Nice to see you are catching a mix of big and smaller fish. Good for the future.

Tough morning. Lots of current and weeds. We went 5 for 7 with one short. Fish were all eaters with nothing in their stomachs.

In the late seventies I did some graduate research work on river muskies and know Steve LaPan. I am going to give DEC a call and see if they have any information on the river walleyes. I also heard talk of walleyes seen by divers but I am certain their populations are higher than in the past. Many are being caught incidentally by bass fisherman and guides which was a rarity in the past.

Roybee, I need to replace some trebles myself. Rubber net really helps.

Prof T, Another great morning. I decided to sleep in due to rain but could have likely got a trip in.before it hit. I haven't weighed any but a 31" that was a little over 11 lbs. Seems like 25 inches is 5 lbs. and you can add around a pound an inch after that. They will weigh more as eggs mature throughout the winter. Heaviest ones seem to come in late fall or through the ice. I was chatting with a couple of the A Bay guides and discussing where these river walleyes come from. Some think from stocking in Ogdensburg, other think Quinte, and others think Black River and Chaumont. Perhaps they are even reproducing locally. I'd sure like to know where these river fish are reproducing so we can do what ever is needed to protect and enhance this great fishery. Does anyone have any actual data on these fish? I'm certain that Pro T and I would be happy to volunteer for any study or enhancement projects concerning SLR walleyes.

Justin, The walleye bite here has been nothing short of incredible. Limits nearly every outing and nice quality fish. Limited yesterday and this morning! I may take you up on the deer hunting offer as they issue no doe permits and bucks only with muzzleloader is some of the area that I hunt. Not often do people offer to come help harvest excess doe. I do have doe tags for the other area I hunt and you can take doe with muzzleloader.

I was greeted with a spectacular display of Northern lights at 4:30 this morning. They only lasted about 20 minutes. First fish hit about 5/00 and the I caught two more by 6/00. The 28" was hooked deep and added two 24".

I also use it for fish tacos. Not many bad ways to prepare it and often simpler is better.

Prof T and I fished together this morning and caught another limit. Lost a couple and released a 28".

Esox, I run stick baits. Storms, smithwicks, and bombers all work.

Justin. Glad to see you got to hit the Big O. I've only been twice and we got a couple each time. Not a real hot bite. The walleye bite has been so consistent on the river it's hard to justify running to the lake for a couple salmon. If the salmon bite picks up I will give it a try but hunting season is coming quickly.

Waning moon, new moon, waxing moon seem to be less of a night bite. Morning and evening are hot.

Esox, I'm not very patient. If I hit a spot and don't see bait or catch fish I move on. If there is bait I may give it two tries without a fish. If I catch a fish I'll fish it till I troll it twice without a fish and then move. I may move back to a spot later if it produced. I also have areas I fish at night and others I fish after sun up. Just keep looking and experimenting. Most people won't work at it like Prof T and I have to figure it out and as he stated, you can't catch fish with a weedy lure so that needs to be checked and a feel is super important.

Prof T I hate outings when everything seems to go wrong (told you a word we have for that) but at least you got fish. We had a lure get hung up on my buddies shirt and we took the shirt off and got trebles out when we finished fishing. Fish are still around but you have to find them. Good bite once you find them.

Very few weeds

Fished with my good friend Don Crist that was involved in developing the technique we use. First time I've had him out this year. We went 6 for 9. Caught two on long lines in 25 fow and the rest on bottom bouncers. 22", two 23", two 24", and one 26".

Fished 4:30-7:00. Went 7 for eight with largest one 29". I've had better luck in 40-55 fow than in 30-35' range.

Nice fish

Tried the geese again this morning and we got skunked. Fog did us in again. Could have shot some passers but we like them to commit to the decoys. Birds have been in this field for a month and decided to move from their roosting pond last night. Go figure. Didn't hear any shooting this morning.

Quick trip out last night from 9:00-11:00. Lots of weeds but got 3 and lost 2. Biggest was 27". Geese again didn't cooperate this morning in the fog.

Prof T, I may try the walleyes tonight and after geese in the morning.

Nice job with your son. My son never caught the hunting bug even though I took him often when he was young. However he still remembers our time together and we still try to spend time together sharing other interests. He does have a great appreciation for the outdoors. Short trips, snacks and action is what kids seem to like.

I have another shoot planned for Thursday. Nice change from slaying walleyes.

The fog was very thick till around 9:00. After it lifted and the birds could see the decoys we did ok. Ended up with 7. Both dogs behaved and retrieved flawlessly. That makes for a special hunt even though the fog made the birds a little uncooperative.