From todays paper, I know its not from Kipawa, but its a beauty and thought some would like to see.
(http://i66.tinypic.com/2rws56f.jpg)
Wow, nice fish...
Meh, I've caught bigger that that at Kipawa up around Corbeau Island. 10:30 at night on a full moon using a 5 1/2ft ultralight outfit with 4lb test and a black ugly bug with a worm. Buddy missed it with the net first shot. Definitely the highlight of all my fishing experiences.
Actually Hodgey that is a fine fish but I would imagine it's not all that unusual out of Erie is it?
Cheers
Quote from: smitty55 on June 09, 2019, 12:56:35 PM
Actually Hodgey that is a fine fish but I would imagine it's not all that unusual out of Erie is it?
I think 11.25lbs is a bit unusual. Anything over 8 lbs I think is a Citation fish. I here of guys occasionally bragging up 10 pounders, but 11 is really large. State record is 17lbs...Geezzz Louise!
In the early 60s, my Dad and I caught numerous walleye bigger than 11 pounds in the western basin of Lake Erie. I moved to Ottawa in 1966. Closest spot for huge walleye now is the Bay of Quinte. Lots of walleye caught between 10 and 15 pounds during November and December each year. Our biggest walleye in the Kipawa area has been a 31 incher weighing over 12 pounds. Hopefully, she is still swimming around.
Jay
Quote from: Jay Thomas on June 09, 2019, 05:32:07 PMOur biggest walleye in the Kipawa area has been a 31 incher weighing over 12 pounds.
Jay, that is one huge walleye.
Those are fish you want to catch and take a picture of but don't want to eat. They would not taste that good.
Even the big ones in Kip-take a pic and release. They lay 500,000 eggs.
http://www.askwalleyefishing.com/how-many-eggs-does-a-walleye-lay.html
http://www.joelnelsonoutdoors.com/ask-me-anything/2017/7/3/hx93ylsahc4zevyp7xxgcr5us3kiza
there are surely some monsters in Lake Erie.... Charters there are great fun and best way to find them if unfamiliar with the migration patterns...
Any walleye that size is a really nice fish.
The walleye in my avatar picture is 32 inches long from the Bay of Quinte. Caught after dark on a cold November night while casting off the dock. My friends and I caught a few large fish that night. (all released)
This was the fourth one I hooked roughly that size in about 30 minutes. That was about 10 years ago. Funny thing is I never made the time to go back again. Life getting in the way.
Maybe fall of 2019.........??????
Some great fishing in the Maumee River (tributary to Lake Erie) in the spring and fish move East in the summer. Last chart I took out of Mentor (East of Cleveland) the fishing was too good. We were out for only a few hours before we had our limit. Not as much fun as Kipawa and the scenery wasn't as good. No monsters like the one in the post, but we enjoy these monsters in the winter:
My wife and I went out early 4th of July. We had our limit in a little over 2 hours, including this 29†beauty my wife caught. This was her first Lake Erie walleye fishing trip. Because the Lake was flat and the weather steamy, she really enjoyed it. The fishing was tremendous, with us having 3 out of our 4 poles going at once and only two of us on board :o. Like BH said not as much fun as Kipawa and no where near the beauty, but still a great day out on the water.
(http://i68.tinypic.com/303fq5h.jpg)
Beauty Hodgey, but why the heavy tackle? Are you running planer boards?
Congrats to your wife on that beauty walleye.
Jay
Quote from: Captain Hali on July 07, 2019, 10:42:48 AM
Beauty Hodgey, but why the heavy tackle? Are you running planer boards?
Thank Captain! No planner boards....... yet ;D
My Intel had suggested fishing in 50-55’ ftw and to troll using deep diving lures or dipsy’s. So we ran 2 lines with deep divers, running hopefully down 20’ and two lines on downriggers set at 38’ and 42’. We outfitted each DR line with small spoons as was suggested by my Intel. We caught fish on both combinations and on multiple colors. They didn’t seem to care that morning what was shown, they bit ;)
Quote from: Jay Thomas on July 07, 2019, 11:56:04 AM
Congrats to your wife on that beauty walleye.
Jay
Thanks Jay! She might be hooked ;)
Quote from: Hodgey1 on July 07, 2019, 01:01:21 PMQuote from: Captain Hali on July 07, 2019, 10:42:48 AM
Beauty Hodgey, but why the heavy tackle? Are you running planer boards?
Thank Captain! No planner boards....... yet ;D
My Intel had suggested fishing in 50-55’ ftw and to troll using deep diving lures or dipsy’s. So we ran 2 lines with deep divers, running hopefully down 20’ and two lines on downriggers set at 38’ and 42’. We outfitted each DR line with small spoons as was suggested by my Intel. We caught fish on both combinations and on multiple colors. They didn’t seem to care that morning what was shown, they bit ;)
I wondered about the heavy gear as well Hodgey. Just for comparison's sake, I deep troll (down to 90 FOW) with various spoons behind a magnum dipsy using a St Croix Premier PC70HF rod and a Shimano Tekota 600 line counter reel spooled with 50 lb Suffix 832. Your gear (pictured) looks heavier than what I'm using.
Jay
Jay & Captain Hail, I’ve been found out.......... I’ll come clean....... I don’t make a ton-O cash, unfortunately :-\. Back in school, when I should have been studying, I was instead working in a factory second shift and buying motorcross, road bikes and chasing tail. Problem is now, many years later, I like to do expensive things and don’t make big $$, so I do the best as I can afford to do with the available cash. 8) Winter time is snowmobiles and summer time is motorcycles and now boats and fishing trips.
When I bought my first boat two years ago, I got the “your going to do what†look from my precious bride. She dyes her own hair and goes to the buy one get one hair solan for Hair doo’s and waits for the 30% off coupon at Kohl’s to ever replace her thread worn clothes. I on the other hand ::) go on fishing trips and buy boats, motorcycles and snowmobiles ::)
Sooo, then I have this boat I just bought and want to troll Lake Erie. Wife by the way starts questioning her reason for marring me ;) but I know why ;) So I bought used Downriggers that I had to repair and bought the cheapest trolling rod reel combo’s with the highest ratings I can find, which were Okuma Great Lakes Trolling combos.
The St Croix pole when paired with the Shimano reel together is $170 + $180 = $350, the Okuma combo’s “with my Fish USA coupon†were $55 each. They definitely are burly.... but lets face it, when trolling Lake Erie at 2.0 mph with 4 lines that can tangle, once a fish is hooked, they’re basically taken for a drag and not overly played like we do in Kipawa with light tackle. If I stick with the current plan, ie: continue to enjoy boating and fishing, i will upgrade as money allows. Right now, I have to continue to use the cheap-O equiptment.
More coming clean, I fish a St Croix rod while jigging in Kipawa ;D don’t tell anyone, especially my wife!
Nice fish there...wow...and hilarious back story Hodgey. And you're getting away with one in my estimation...she must cherish you very much. I have no idea why you would use this gear or that gear for trolling or fishing on Lake Erie. Last time I went we used regular spinning tackle like we'd use on Kipawa. That was many moons ago and we weren't trolling anything...just drifting/jigging. But, there again, the tactic of trolling causing angst and controversy.
(Just kidding there folks...no intention to start a dust-up about trolling again)
Just under 18...
Great fish Hodgey and awesome story. It is not always about the equipment you use or even the fish you catch, it's the time spent with family and friends enjoying something you love to do. Again congrats on the fish.
Quote from: T-Bone on July 08, 2019, 08:04:44 AM
Nice fish there...wow...and hilarious back story Hodgey.
Quote from: Ozzy30 on July 08, 2019, 10:05:44 AM
Great fish Hodgey and awesome story.
Thanks T and OZ. I'm never certain if my sense of humor comes across in type the way I intend ::)
I am very fortunate to have a wife that puts up with my shenanigans.... It maybe due to the fire roast walleye bites I made for her and friends Saturday night :)
I think we are all fortunate to have understanding significant others to put up with the time we spend on the water. I even had my wife looking at my neighbours 1850 Lund this week and the amount of room it has. She didn't say yes but i did not hear a no either. Oh and Hodgey I personally enjoy your sense of humor. Somedays we all need more of it.
@Ozzy30 isn't
not saying NO really saying yes in wife speak ;D
In my case it seems to say "She will see how I behave over the winter time, and she might buy me a new boat"
After a week of consuming adult beverages, fishing for days and burning the candle at both ends, I thought we might as well get some more fishing in on Monday. We just got home Saturday night from Kipawa and my brother was flying out on Tuesday and was excited to get out. Monday was our best shot at Lake Erie and the weather conditions looked right, so off we went after I got out of work.
Here is one of the beauties we hooked into, I know its no record breaker, but it's the largest I've seen with my own eye's at 31" and 7.5 lbs. I thought at first I'd snag something until I felt the shake. I handed off to my Son-In-Law and wished I'd got my brother on the pole, but he was driving the boat at the moment.
(https://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo213/hodgey1aolcom/IMG_5061_zpsleqrzzry.jpg) (http://s377.photobucket.com/user/hodgey1aolcom/media/IMG_5061_zpsleqrzzry.jpg.html)
What a beauty. Don't forget the recipe I gave you. Cook it and get fatter and happier.
Nice Eye Hodgey1 !!!
Jay
Nice walleye Hodgey, But I really like those JBL speakers. I used to have a set, Best speakers I ever had.
Quote from: puckster_guy on August 08, 2019, 06:18:56 PM
Nice walleye Hodgey, But I really like those JBL speakers. I used to have a set, Best speakers I ever had.
Puck, the JBL’s rock, my favorite also. I still have a giant teenager living inside my head at times and why my garage is wired for sound. It makes cleaning fish, way more enjoyable.
That's a beauty, and by what's on the table it looks like you had a good day. What caught my eye was the two racks hanging by your speakers. I also am a bone collector.
Quote from: Captain Hali on August 09, 2019, 09:27:29 PM
That's a beauty, and by what's on the table it looks like you had a good day. What caught my eye was the two racks hanging by your speakers. I also am a bone collector.
Thanks
@Captain Hali , we had a great afternoon fishing. We only had 3-4 hours of time because of work, but we still caught plenty. I was a bit burnt out from our week at Kipawa, but I wanted my brother to experience the amazing fishing occurring on Lake Erie right now. I can’t begin to tell you how many fish we were marking.
We live in a very rural area of NW PA on 30 acres. The deer population couldn’t be any better. We have been butchering white tails in my garage for 30+ years. I love venison, which has carried down to my children. My son in law harvested two deer last fall with his bow. The meats already gone, we make the best venison burger on the planet :D
Nice Fish!! Man I gotta get out there!