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| Finally! After a so, so month of fair to just good fishing, the last few days have been quite the opposite! Finally fast and furious fishing off of Ashtabula, Ohio is happening with a more then excellent grade of quality sized Walleyes and a handful of Steelhead and even a Coho Salmon thrown in for good measure! We’ve finally turned the corner with the water temperature and have crossed into that magical 60 degree plus mark that seems to be the most important ingredient to a consistently good bite around here. Something that should have happened well before Memorial Day but has just lagged and lagged this year due to our unusual cool spring thus far. |
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| Unfortunately the fish are not where they would or should be normally in the late spring and early summer. And just a reminder to everyone that summer doesn’t even officially start till June 21st. These fish should still be in the 40 to 50 foot of water range with some days even a good bite happening in the “skinny” water, 20 to 30 foot. None of the skinny water ever paid off for me this year and in hind site, I spent way too much time trying to get it going in there. We had a week or so where we did do the best in the 50 to 60 foot range but that was rather short lived as well. Most of our better catches till now have been in the 65 foot plus of water. And now, well into the 70’s, 10 to 12 miles and even more away from the harbor. Already. Ugh. |
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| And along with mid summer fish locations, we have also had to revert to mid to late summer fishing techniques to catch these offshore deep fish. That includes super deep long leads on Jet Divers, wire line and crank baits along with deep Dipsy Diver set ups and even finally a few downrigger fish! I had in desperation on some past days thrown down the downriggers in just to show 110% effort on my part but never caught anything on them till just a few days ago. Have we all missed these way offshore fish this spring? It’s a million dollar question. Fishing for weeks now by myself, I have had next to no help out there looking everyday with hardly anybody else running trips up until now. There’s a lot of water out there and I have personally been spending most of my time looking where “they are supposed to be”. Something to remember possibly for future years to come if we struggle in the water where “they are supposed to be”! If I’m still in business, Lol! |
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| So besides being happy that we are catching good fish well offshore, I am equally saddened that these long runs are starting up already. This is normally the part of the year where I make the bulk of my profits before everything starts going back into the gas tank. But things at the marina pumps are starting out quite painful already. Every tank of fuel that I have already purchased back at my dock thus far this season has been exactly at the ridiculous price of $6 dollars on the button a gallon! (insert shocked emoji face! Lol!) The only saving grace was I was only fueling up about every 3rd day. Well, that ship has now sailed and I am already burning more gasoline then that in just one trip! YIKES! As always, most of my guys are being super generous at the end of the day and that honestly is what keeps me interested and making these charters feasibly possible. Thank you so much guys! You really don’t want me to retire, do you! Lol! Fish on! Capt. Walt Trophy Charters |
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