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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Weekend Report: April 30-May 2 2004
Friday: Did not fish! To much stuff to do!!
Saturday: Rainy and start of cold front
TIPPY-JAMES: Visibility was great once again as it always is. 10+ feet.
Weeds are AWESOME and fish are holding tight to the cover. Look to throw shallow running Bulldawg, gliders and topwaters over these new weeds during this time. Fish are starting to move more, so these lake should turn on hopefully by this weekend.
Started out on Tippy. Water temps were around 56-58 degrees. Targeted the main lake shallows with weeds once again. Starting moving fish around 8:30 in the morning. From 8:30-9:30 I raised 11 different fish. One fish had a huge white scar on her head and she followed 4 different times and even swam with the sucker for about 15 minutes. Most fish were slow and low. 2-3 feet behind and about 2 feet below. Fish were moving on STC gliders and Black and Gray Mag. Bulldawgs. The fish were coming out of about 3-5 feet of water and very slow. Moved to James around noon and saw 4 fish in James. All fish were over 36 but once again most were slow and low. Only one fish made an attempt to eat the bait. The STC glider in black and white got the follows on James as well. Moved back to Tippy around 1:30. Moved 4 more fish on the southeast side of the lake off of shallow weed flats. Black and Silver Mag. Dawgs once again moved the fish, but once again slow and LOW! Got off the lake around 4:30. Cold and wet with NO FISH in the boat!! Talked with several bass fishermen that saw a lot of muskies swimming around the shallow flats. Muskies are NOT done spawning on Tippy and James.
Total for Saturday: 18 follows. 11 on Mag. Bulldawg and 7 on the STC Glider
SUNDAY: 2nd day of cold front, windy and zero cloud cover.
Webster: Visibility around 4 feet in places and as low as 2 with the wind in others
Weeds are really starting to show up and are green as ever. Make sure you take advantage of them before they are gone!
Fished out on Webster on Sunday. Water temps ranged from 58-61. Had 2 great guys out from southside of Indy. We started out on the typical shallow flats. STC gliders and Superman Bulldawgs got the nod for starting positions. Both lures produced follows but once again nothing really excited. The sucker got nervous several times and made long runs, and was all over the place from time to time. Windy conditions caused me to fish the less beaten flats and decided to switch to the Jackpot, one lazy follow from it.
Pretty slow conditions: 5 follows, 1 STC Glider, 1 Jackpot, 2 Shallow Invader and 1 Bulldawg.
Finally Shawn got hit on the Superman bulldawg but lost it, never saw the fish, but it stopped the bait dead and seemed like it was one of nice size. Dropped my clients off at 6:30, they had to get home before 8:30. With a few hours of day light left I went back out and decided to throw topwater till dark. FINALLY, I got one! After 2 days and a ton of follows, I was very happy to hook up! As I reached down to grab the net, the fish made a run towards me and the boat. Well, I am sure you can tell what happened next. With 12 feet of slack line, you guessed it, another fish lost! O well, the joys of fishing by yourself!
Total for Sunday: 5 follows, 2 fish hooked, 2 fish lost! Bulldawg and Topwater
Great weekend to be on the water!
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Didn't domuch better myself Mike, we had around 12 follows, several around 40", one about mid 40's. no takers, though if I hd about 4 more feet I am sure one of the 40" looking fish would have inhaled the lure.. instead he made a fullspeed turn last second next to the boat and disappeared rather then tease me by folowing through any 8's.. Saw one fish caught by someone else, fat 42" fish... Sunday...man I wish it was still raining like it was saturday.. only saw 1 fish and that one almost got run over by me as I was pulling into my dock.. small fish, maybe 28", stilltossed a lure to him as he swam away, he did o9t even give it a glance.. I just hope the neighbors around me do not dump anything in the channel this year in their illegal attempt to erradicate the weeds, its bad enough that every weed off of Kuhn that gets cup up by props eventually floats down my channel, we have idiots trying to kill the weeds on their own, illegally.. Let the property asscociation take care of it, even if they do not do the best job.. |
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | Fished Webster on Friday, got on the water at about 3:00pm with my two clients for Saturday. I decided to take them out on the water on Friday since the weather man was calling for a cold front and rain all day Saturday so I wanted to get them on the water to do some fishing.
Weather was perfect, pre-front with the air temps around 72-75 over cast and water temps 60-62.
We put 2 fish in the boat and lost 3 or 4 others, all fish were small with the biggest being a little fat 28". All fish came from up on the flats with weeds on erratic jerk baits and cranks. We did raise a few nice fish but they had LOCK-JAW:-(
Woke up Saturday morning to 44 degree air temps and water temps dipping down to 57-58. We got on the water at 6:00am and started to see fish right away. It wasn't long till one of the guys had another little scrapper on and then OFF:(
We put 3 more little guys in the boat on Saturday before the wind changed from the N/W and it started to get colder.
Will be back out there this week from Thursday to Sunday. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I have a question for you guys since the dnr won't answer my e-mails. Is it legal to fish an unatended sucker line in indiana? See a pontoon that had a sucker line out with nobody around. Sucker was hooked with a single treble in the tail and a spinning rod was in the holder. My dad hooked it by accident. I will turn them in if I could know. |
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | Todd,
I'm almost positive that you cannot leave a line unattended while fishing.
I will find out for you, email me and tell me where you were fishing and I will report it.
I hope you let the sucker go 
Edited by Musky Fever 5/4/2004 7:36 AM
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Todd,
Here is some info:
FLOAT FISHING
Float or jug fishing is the use of any buoyed container (made of any material other than glass) that suspends a single fishing line and a single or multi-barbed hook.
As many as five floats may be used, but only one hook may be attached to each float line. Each float must be marked with the user’s name and address, and all lines must be in constant visual contact.
Float fishing is NOT allowed on lakes and reservoirs for public safety.
TROT LINES
A trot line (also called a set line or throw line) is a fishing line with smaller lines attached to it extending out into the water from a fixed point, such as a boat dock or tree. You may fish with no more than one trot line at any one time. The trot line must have no more than 50 single or multi-barbed hooks. Each drop line on a trot line may have only one hook. Trot lines must bear a readable tag clearly showing the name and address of the user, and be checked at least once every 24 hours. It is illegal to use a trot line within 300 yards of any partial or full dam structure on any stream or river. Trot lines are NOT allowed on lakes and reservoirs.
Hope this helps!
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | Hey Mike,
What about a rod and reel, did it say anything about leaving them unattended? |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Ralph,
Good to hear from you, finally.
I am still working on finding out about unattended rods and reels.
I will let you know as soon as I hear from them. |
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Posts: 2361
| It is illegal to have an unattended line on the Chippewa Flowage, oh.......wait.........this is in Indiana aint it? Unattended rod and reel should constitute a set line. Also many states have laws against live bait on set lines. And this was a lake right? Hard to believe it was legal. Sucker fishing at its worst... |
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Going to Webster on Monday with guide Chris Walker. I was a HUGE bass fisherman now LOVE the musky. I am interested in joing a musky club. I live in Matteson Illinois. Anyone been to Webster or going this weekend. Let me know and I will post the results of Monday.
Thanks,
Pgaschulz |
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Matteson?closest club would be Sothside MuskyHawks. Though you do not necessarily need to join the closest. If you plan on fishing Indiana a lot you could join one of the Indiana clubs, Webster lake Musky Club or Hoosier Musky Club. Was not on Webster today, but as of late the fish have been seen both Deep and shallow,following a variety of baits. I have had nearly 35 fish follow to the boat this year with one finally being caught today by me (36"), all in Indiana lakes. Actually about to lauch the boatright now and see if the night bite is working. Despite living in chicago I chose to join a club in the area where i fish 98% of the time. On the southside there is another Musky Club, Midwest Musky Club, but they are nota Muskie INC club, the others I mention are. |
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | The best club for you to join would be the Midwest Musky Club. (708) 460-4352
They meet on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30, the meeting are held at the Village Sportsman's Club on 115th and Laramie in Alsip, the dues are only $25 a year.
If you want to get anything out of a club, you have to go to some meetings and get involved. |
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Fished today with Guide Chris Walker on Webster and Mike you are right. We lost 3 fish and had over 50 follows. YES 50!!! We stopped couting after 30 and that was before the noon siren. A lot of BIG fish follows. We started the morning in Echo bay and then worked the flats then the Island. We had a 50+ follow there. Just couldnt get them to strike but they sure wanted to follow. Yes glide baits and SS Shad worked well. Water temps 67-71.
Hope this helps.
Bob |
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Posts: 75
Location: ft wayne, IN | ToddM--
I just discussed your question concerning the unattended line with Jed pearson of the DNR here in IN and he tells me this type of fishing is TOTALLY ILLEGAL and a common practice among our lake residents. The only unattended lines allowed in IN are trot lines as described by RF above and tip ups and they both must have name & address attached. It is ILLEGAL in Indiana waters to leave an unattended fishing pole, reel, and line in the water fishing while unattended for ANY period of time. That is one of the worst ways to KILL a fish for sure.
JK |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | Hey guys, if you want to report this guy, he's on the barbee chain. I can give you directions to his/hers pontoon so you can write the numbers down. [email protected] |
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Webster-Tippy-James