dogboy - 11/12/2009 7:15 AM

I started fishing Gb about 9 yrs ago,
talk about stumbling into a gem, we had gotten some insight to go exploring on our own, found fish way out in the bay, and then got a tip about fishing the river.
pretty much you could google Green Bay muskies back then, and you might find a stocking report, and thats about it. Kinda funny how far its come since then.

We were new to trolling, pretty much took some cranks, casted them out there a ways, clipped on a board and drove around, and we had great success doing so.
as time went on, we became more proficient at trolling, what baits, where, all that good stuff. year after year better and better,
believe it or not, even had a 13 and 15 fish day out there. ( I know others have had more than that)
but eventually, after learning so much, I think it began to affect us negatively.
the last few years we started to network with buddies, calling eachother when we got a fish, or seen some caught, and really, sometimes its the best thing to get everyone we know on board for the day to get some fish going, and on the other hand, it sometimes screws up a guys gameplan for the day.
before we started talkn to eachother out there, we would set up, fish the style we do, hit the spots we want, and be pretty relaxed about it.
now, with everyone talkn to everyone, and you wanting to be on fish all the time,
you get a report, and it tends to throw you off your game.
essentially chasing someone elses dreams. we hear of a fish or two in U-bay, we go running, seems im more of a scatter brain out there now having fished a lot of that water. too many spots, oh so little time.
I dont know what it is, but the last 2 years out there have sucked for me, get some fish here and there, but nothing like I used to, multiple fish days were the norm. 1-2 fish in a day was somewhat disappointing in some respect. knowing we couldve done better is what im getting at. now id be happy to get those 1-2 fish days. Once i started fishing how everyone else was fishing, well, I started getting lesser results.
Anyway, the point im trying to make, is that learning a body of water for yourself, and the way you fish, in my eyes is the best thing you can do. fishing how someone else tells you to doesnt always work out.
The best thing to do in your situation is do a little homework, guessn read some reports, pump yourself up a lil bit, head out there and look for the boats. ( you cant miss them!) hehe
and start playing with whats in your tackle box. obviously it doesnt hurt to grab some shallow raiders, baby DR's, grandmas, whatever else people want to name-drop on, but by starting out and going about things your own way, or how you should think you should approach a body of water, can end up handing you dynomite results.
I cant tell you how many times ive fished a lake for the first time, and had a succesful trip in doing so. isnt that how we all end up revisiting lakes that we try?
Ok, i'll end this now, There is tons and tons of information out there about GB,
and many many guys willing to share it, and if you put a decent amount of time in on that body of water, it will show you some of the heaviest fish you will encounter.
But please do the system a favor.... when you do land that fish over 50 out there, please put her back. Lots of guys will read fishing reports, but skip over the stocking, reproduction, and status of the fishery up there.
I believe it had hit its peak, and we are starting the downward slope.
Preservation is the key to others having success out there.

Good luck to ya!