Moving back in some ? It was a weird and wild week for us aboard "The Trophy" this past week. We experienced everything from heavy seas to very calm sea conditions to eventons of water spouts ! Everything from 25 mile runs to mere 12-15 mile runs. We had phenomenal fast fishing and even slow fishing that we had to work thru and yet thru it all, we somehow continued to "Get I Done" ! And just like a Nomad, I rarely fished the same area twice all week. But things are changing... There is no doubt in my mind. The last two weeks of relentless ferocious winds which we have been having and somehow have fished thru has busted up the really big schools that have been laying some 20 miles offshore of Ashtabula Harbor. On a positive note, it seems like some of the fish that were out there have moved back in by some 5-6 miles. On the not so positive note, the ones that are in closer once again are all mixed up with the nasty stinking Sheephead. I hate that more then anything. I kid you not... I would rather deal with 5 footers then have to work as hard as I do and my crew has to do when we get inundated with the huge damn Drum which seem to always fire up this time of year. I just hate it. HATE IT !!!
Monday was very rough, probably as rough as the day before when we cancelled last Sunday. This time we elected to go. It took longer to get out to the fish then it did to limit out. I cranked it out 25 miles in a stiff northeaster and with the very first rod out, it was as fast as we could go. Totally awesome ! Tuesday started out choppy but became very manageable. Fishing was good but it felt different. The screen on the fish finder was strangely blanker and we worked hard to catch our last few fish. Something which was was unheard of just a few days earlier for weeks on end. Wednesday on a hunch I stopped short and fishing was very good amongst a spectacular display of waterspouts. I was sorry I didn't think of snapping a few pictures of the beasts but it seemed like I was always the busiest netting fish in the height of it all or undoing tangles that my buddies the Sheephead had created for me. Thursday again met us with a howling stiff cold front and heavy north winds. Again we decided to push on out there but this time the long run north just so we could ride the wind and waves back was futile and a waste of time and gas as we went hours and hours with next to nothing till we got well south. Somehow we salvaged the day. But wow, what a difference a day or two can make around here !
The next few days the weather Gods cooperated nicely and with a pretty good idea of where we needed to be, we sorted thru and toughed thru the zillions of Sheephead to eventually end up with some pretty impressive limits of Walleyes. Not in record time mind you but still very respectable considering the travel time still involved and the fact that we were catching a couple two three Sheephead for every 'Eye that we ended up boxing. Good enough. Just a lot of work. A LOT OF REALLY HARD WORK !
So this is it. Couple of more days and we flip the page to September. Unreal. I did manage to cover my remaining upcoming open date so the next first available opening at this point is Tuesday Sept. the 14th and the 21st and 23rd. I will go either Walleyes or Perch on those dates, depending on what my guests and the weather dictates. I will start carrying all my Perch gear by then for sure. Hard for me to believe that I am down to my last few weeks of Walleye fishing for the 2010 season. Other then the weather, it's been an unbelievable ride. I am not hearing very favorable early results for this years Walleye hatch and sadly as I have tried to brace my guys all along, next season we may very well be faced with reduced Walleye limits which may last for many years to come meaning that we may never again see the loads of Walleyes in the fish box of "The Trophy" as we have in this summer of 2010. Time will tell and I refuse to worry about it. Just like the saying goes anymore that everyone uses, "It is what it is" ...
Capt. Walt
* REMINDER There are no fishing licenses available at the marina this summer. You need to get them ahead of time ! Questions, CALL ME
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