Took the boat out for the first time this season...finally! Either I've got to put paddles on the boat...or a motor in the kayak...but one thing for sure, I was way overdue in getting behind the wheel of a boat this season!

My wife was feeling a bit off from seasonal allergies so she gave me the nod to go ahead and just fish alone this morning in the boat. I sure missed her 'auto pilot" skills, but did manage to hook 4 fish overall...only landing two.

Three lines went in at 9 am...2 downriggers with dodger/Spin-N-Glows and a large sized Dipsey Diver with a yellow perch colored spoon on it. First 2 fish were cisco, and since they have a small mouth and soft lips the hooks pull out very easily...right at the boat so I missed netting either one. Dang!

A short while later, both down rigger rods "popped" with fish on...and this time they both made it into the cooler! It was quite a fire drill with the double header and being solo, but as luck would have it, while I played the first fish the second one just hung out as I loosened the drag and placed the motor in neutral.

Since there is a two fish limit on lake trout, I was done for the day at 10 am. I told my wife that I would not stay out all day and roam around looking for other species to fill the creel with!

Happy Father's Day All!

Awoke on a windless morning and made the quick drive to Lake Michigan for some early morning paddling yesterday that would also involve fishing. The water was so calm I almost scratched my initials into the reflective surface near shore just to see how long they would last before dissolving. Mornings like this were made for kayaking...and fishing!

The plan for fishing was to troll for lake trout and cisco in about 25' of water, but since a variety of species are present one never knows what will turn up on the end of your line. Made the first cast and started to paddle forward to get the line taught and allow the chrome Flicker Shad to reach a target depth of around 10 feet. As soon as I started to watch the rod tip for the right amount of "twiggle", it bent backwards and started to bounce. Yee hah...fish on!

After a few minutes of excitement a beautiful smallmouth bass came to hand for a quick release. The smallies are in pre-spawn mode right now (season is closed), and they are starting to pair off with mates. During my time on the water I had several encounters with numerous small schools of bass that almost had the appearance of "swarms". When you hooked a fish and brought it close to the kayak, the balance of the "team" would follow it up and surround the boat. It was actually kind of intimidating!

The next fish was a perfectly sized lake trout, which struck the same lure that had tempted the bass a few minutes ago. That one slipped onto my stringer for today's lunch on the grill once I returned home!

The water temp at the surface ranged between 47 and 51 degrees, and all the fish seemed to be suspended in the this warmer layer of water above the cooler thermal down below. The bite was fairly light, and each fish I caught today was barely lip hooked...which makes for a very easy release! Had quite a few strikes that only amounted to a few head shakes, and I suspect that they were striking in a lethargic way.

The chrome lure kept the fish interested, and many more bass came to my side but no more lake trout...or any other species for that matter. I stopped trolling to jig now and then, but trolling produced the most fish...which ended up tallying to eight fish. I switched lures a few times to see if it made any difference in the catch rate. Some caught fish and others did not. All crank bait styled lures.

The water stayed flat all morning, and made my time on the water very relaxing. The water was a clear turquoise with some teal mixed in as the sun got higher in the sky. A pair of juvenile bald eagles made several passes overhead. They know that the fish are easy pickings at this time of year because they are close to the surface at times!

Every so often I would come upon small groups of carp at the surface, showing off their goldy brown and bronze scales like the diamond plate patterns on a toolbox lid. Lake trout, cisco, white suckers and bass were also in view nearly all of the time in the clear depths below. What a splendid day to be out and about on the water! Enjoy the coming weekend everybody!

I gave up my beloved bird dogs and upland hunting and retired in 2014. That's when I returned to fishing. My how things had changed. My once treasured Mitchell Garcia 300s were obsolete so I essentially started over.
One of the most effective new techniques for our clear water Western lakes was the drop shot. Until now I have pretty much been a traditionalist using spinning gear with braid and fluorocarbon leader. I have been using an 8-10 foot leader so I could quickly retie if I broke off without losing time in the water.
I fish Lake Powell for a month each spring and fall. (A benefit of that is I have the privilege of fishing with Graywulff May 6-13.)
Wednesday I got really fed up with line twist on the drop shot rig. Literally had to stop and cut off a large section of knotted braid three times. After researching on YouTube Wednesday night decided to go with a swivel between the braid and fluorocarbon leader.
Advantage, line twist is gone. Done. Nada. Disadvantage, I am restricted to a shorter leader and I have to be constantly aware of the swivel so I don't reel it up to the rod tip.
I would very much appreciate hearing what everyone else is using for drop shot plus any advice.
Thanks for your feedback.
Jim