The Midnight Bite

Here it is now, mid-July and not the ideal time for onshore walleye fishing on Lake Erie. But this 'new breed' of walleye break all the rules we've all lived by since the dawn of The Erie Dearie. It is all about the weather, always has been, always will, which dictates how an animal interacts with its environment. This new brood from an incredibly warm winter is quite different from the 'normal' walleye we're all used to deep water fishing for miles out in open water during the hot summer months. During this past autumn I noticed they preferred extremely shallow water. I mean a mere several inches of water at times! Shining a headlamp at them didn't bother them, would not spook em. They had no fear and are ferocious eating machines hitting on any type lure, even just plain worms.
It was just after the Super Moon in November when I was fishing down at Memorial Park on Route 83, five blocks from my house, fishing out of connivence mostly. There were anglers on each rock pier, including the iron boat launch. No one was getting bites and the last guy to talk to me before going home told me good luck. I told him as soon as those clouds break it is on, but his spirit had already been crushed and he called it a night. Half an hour later the Moon came through and I caught 26 walleye. Kept only 1.
Last night I went down to the boat launch shortly after midnight just to walk my dog and check on things. Noticed bait fish jumping out of the water. Ducks were skimming the water scooping up fry. A green heron was on the launch, something I had never seen before, greens being so shy. But there was so much bait fish circling about when I returned with my rod we fished side-by-side and I landed 3 before the rain set in. Released them all.

Lucky Stone

so, yesterday was Saint Patrick's Day. didn't realize it. always St. Patty's Day for me. but here's some northern exposure along with a story. i've been finding these 'brain' bones my entire life, but with the onslaught of the Zebra Mussels they have become nearly impossible to find in all those white shells. ironically, the brow-beaten 'sheep head' or Freshwater Drum eats the invasive Zebra Mussels. and i still find these bones, though not like in my youth, as i find small things. simple equation; more food, bigger fish. walking the frozen beach in my moon suit i come across this incredible skull sticking out from the rock solid, frozen sand. at the slightest touch it breaks into a million shards of white crystal and disintegrates back into the dust we all come from. but from all that freshwater drum skull dust i see it - the largest to date of 'Lucky Stones' ever and probably ever will be! this fish had to be enormous! i can't even estimate, would probably do this monster an injustice. but i hope this photo of comparison paints a picture in one's mind.

words from the Wik;
A lucky stone is actually the unique ear bone or otolith of a Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), commonly known as the Sheephead Fish.[1] The Sheephead's otoliths are quite large and look almost polished and ivory-like. In times past they have been worn as protective amulets, made into jewelry, and traded into areas far from the fish's native range (such as Utah and California). Lucky stones (otoliths) have been found at ancient archaeological sites, where they are thought to have been used as good luck charms to ward off illness.[2]

Lucky stones wash up on beaches along the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie. This white "stone" is desirable to collectors as the letter L and the letter J appear naturally on these "lucky stones". The J stones come from the left side of the fish and the L stones come from the right side of the Freshwater Drum

SweetWater Brewery Fly Fishing

                   

Had a sweet time fishing the Chagrin River with SweetWater Brewing http://sweetwaterbrew.com/# guys. It was actually my very first time getting my feet wet in that river. The bottom terrain was unfamiliar, but hospitable, limestone and gravel, deep pools, much deeper than I'm used to in the Vermilion & the Rocky. Had brought along (feet) spikes, but never had to use them. Would like to return to the Chagrin River when I have more time to dig in, more time to put the camera away and fish.

http://sweetwaterbrew.com/#

Fishing Story #5

It was the night after the Super Moon, November 15th that I caught the most walleye I've ever caught in one fishing trip.

Super Moon 4 AM

The water was smooth as glass. There were a couple of other guys fishing on the rocks by the boat launch, but not doing very well. As Kevin was leaving I said to him, just wait until those clouds finally break and that bright moonlight hits the water, it'll make these fish go crazy. And sure enough, after everyone left me there in the silence I prefer, the clouds opened up and I started nailing em! I caught a total of 24, only keeping one for the next day's dinner table. It was quite magically being out there in all that silence, and I was relishing it all when all of a sudden I heard the clanking of metal coming from the boat launch. I turn to see a giant buck staring at me. He stood for a moment, maybe enjoying the peace just as I was, then his hooves clanked away back into the silence of the night.

19th walleye

Outdoor Research's Astroman's Short Sleeve Shirt

I've been a fan of Outdoor Research products for years now. http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/ Recently I have been wearing/testing out OR's men's Astroman short sleeve shirt and as usually very impressed.

When out on the yak you can  expose your body to the merciless UV sun rays continuously for hours on end. It really wears me down at times and cuts my adventures shorter. This shirt has 50+ UPF and breathes incredibly well. Be sure to follow washing instructions as to not destroy the sunlight protection. OR products are guaranteed forever, but that is for defects. This shirt is made partially of nylon, which is very fragile, and I have snagged the shirt already and ripped it once in the three weeks of wearing. I used Tenacious Tape Max Flex Patching to repair it. It is also excellent for patching tent mesh and sleeping bags. https://www.mcnett.com/gearaid
I really like this shirt for beating the heat. Due to the extreme dryness of this Ohio summer though, I've not had the opportunity of testing it against mosquitos. Will keep you posted.

Fishing Story # 4

It was a blazing hot day at the Avon Lake beach. Had seen a large common carp lingering around the boat launch so I got out some sweet corn. 'Whatcha catching?' I asked passing two kids fishing the small creek that feeds into the lake by the launch. They were hooking creek chub with hot dogs. 'Cool,' I said telling them if they dry out the dogs they will stick to the hook better. 'I'm going to go over here and catch a carp.' I had one in a matter of minutes. Once again another carp was following underneath the one I was towing in with the 8 lbs line. I had the ultralight rod and it was bending so much I wondered if it would snap! The kids came running over. A guy was getting ready to launch his boat so I didn't have proper time to wear the carp down. It kept going under the rusted metal girder trying to fray and break the line. The guy went to get his net, but as I brought the carp to him he pulled the net away saying no, had to be tail first. What? That's not how I do it, and that is not how the carp wanted it either and with one last burst of muscled energy it pulled and snapped the tormented line. I shrugged it off. The real fishing would be later that night with Paul.
As soon as the sun had set Paul started nailing em. He landed a Fish Ohio channel catfish, but that was not the prize of the evening. Using a walleye lure he pulled in a 14 1/4 inch giant goldfish! I had heard rumors long ago about giant Lake Erie goldfish, but thought they must be koi fish. But no, there really is a population of giant goldfish existing in the lake! A call to ODNR confirmed it and they said just let it go back into the lake. So it was set free.

Do Carp Mate For Life?

Fished the Black River a few days ago because I keep hearing how fishing sucks right now. In less than 45 minutes I caught a 15 inch smallmouth, a 21 inch common carp, and another fat 23 inch 5.75 lbs common carp on sweet corn. (did not catch the bass on corn) The hook i use is a #12 treble, which is about the size of my pinky nail. Carp love sweet corn, but fishing with corn in a river can be tricky. And you have to be stealth with carp, the smartest fish in my opinion. After i crept down a tight, steep embankment to catch the fatty, I barely had a patch of land to stand upon. He put up a great fight and felt even bigger on my ultralight lined with weak 8 lbs. flourocarbon. As he was giving in, surrendering, I noticed something underneath, swimming under his shadow following every move until the final end. I don't know if fish maintain a mate-to-mate relation, I'm not sure, but it sparked a flame of sadness in me that burned hotter than the summer sun above. I took the hook out, took the photograph and measurements and let him gently back into the water. 

With this sadness I called it quits. What if my intentions were different? What if i was actually the angel of death? Back atop the embankment I looked back down. The two were again swimming side-by-side, just as I had spotted earlier and then took aim. Then I drove away in silence.... and shot the sunset.