I-Bay 5/1

[yukiginger]

Fishing Report

Your Name / Boat Name:yukiginger/the McQ

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s):5/1

Time on Water:6 hours

Weather/Temp:

Wind Speed/Direction:variable S or SSE

Waves: <1

Surface Temp: 47

Location:

LAT/LONG (GPS Cords):

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 3

Total Boated:2

Species Breakdown:1 steelhead, 1 small Atlantic

Hot Lure: black and gold stickbait

Trolling Speed: 2.0-2.5

Down Speed:

Boat Depth: 8-20

Lure Depth: 1-5

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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Pretty slow overall. Wondering if anyone else in the area worked their nets. Had all the action in probably a 1 1/2 hour span starting at about 9:00 I think. Tried hotter colors to no avail.

[andycapp21]

We were out Saturday and did OK. We trolled in close 10' or less from I Bay to Hedges. We caught fish just off Webster Park and a bit east of the park. I lost an orange J11 on a fish that was just peeling the drag off and there was no stopping it with 15lb test. You could really feel how strong that one was. I lost another J11 on a long line. The pole took a wack and then nothing another J11 lost. We caught a very large laker (12lbs) using a NK black and purple and browns using the J11's and an assortment of sticks. There fish all seemed to be in that area surrounding the park. All the boats jammed in one area with planner boards out. Some of you guys run the boards way the freak out. When I am crowded I pull the boards in and shorten up. We focused on staying shallow and short and did really well in the crowd.

[Pike Hunter]

We were out there on Sunday too. Trolled from Ibay to Webster park. We only did 2 for 3. 2 steelies. We lost a big one due to the failed release off the planer board. The board nearly sank and we had to pull out the planer board lines but it was too late. It seem as if the action is better on the other side.

[UpGrady]

AndyCapp,

Glad you had luck shallow and tight, very feasible in some boats, but I am certain that you are referring to the larger boats including charters, most of which will not go in under 7 fow and are running 3-5 lines off each board. Therefore, they rely on the boards out a mile to cover that really shallow water. It is a double edged sword because it takes a while to turn and to stear clear of others, but the bottom line is that I was working that entire area all morning without incident, it comes with the territory and spring fishing. Rule of thumb is to yield to the charters and give them the depth they want. I sacrificed many passes for charters on Saturday but looked for openings to turn and get back to my water depth. I know we all have a right to the same water, but these guys are trying to make a living and without them and their lobbying efforts, we would not have this fishery today.

Actually, there were two bigger problems out there than boards way out, one of which were a few small boats without a clue on speed, puttin' along at about a 1.5 clip and clogging things up. The second were the boats deciding to stop dead in the middle of the pack to fight a fish. These two things alone can cause immense issues in this type of fishing and these guys need to be more aware of their surroundings.

[Pike Hunter]

Hans, well said. Like you, I do my best to make room for the charter boat. This has nothing to do with being scared of bigger boat however this is really about respecting the fellow Captains & crew who worked hard to make their clients happy so they can make a decent living and be able to feed their families at end of the day. Of course, you get to face a duel with recreational boaters when it comes to hugging the shoreline with your boards.

Your statement made me think back about yesterday what had happened yesterday when I had a boat that was running too close behind us. Before this incident, my friend driving the boat and I saw that he was crossing the path of a boat that was behind us. I immediately went to the steering wheel and took over to fix our course. It wasnt too long when the boat got very close to cutting out lines. I just stayed cool and kept our boat away from the other boat as we parted our ways.

[shameless]

Seems to me that if everyone knew the rules of the road there would be far less problems. When passing another vessel pass port to port, this gives any boat headed east along the south shore the inside line.