Fishing Forum

Just spent the last 4 days at Starvation pre-fishing and fishing the Classic. Chad Miller was my partner, let me tell you that anyone would be lucky to have that guy in their boat any time. Not only is he a wickedly competitive fisherman, but just a pleasure to be around.
The bite was extremely tough. Starvation had been fishing really well the previous month but getting tougher by the day the last few weeks. Most people were struggling just to find fish and everyone was struggling to find quality fish.
This was only my second real walleye tournament and the first in Utah. Day one was a real eye opener for me, by 2:30pm we only had one fish in the livewell, a 13 incher. In the last hour we found an active pod of fish and boated 4 in short order and then they shut off. We needed 1 more for a 6 fish limit. Literally at the last minute before we had to pull up for the run in we both hooked up. Chad was measuring and culling while I drove back. By the skin of our teeth we finished day one with a 6 fish limit at 6.58 lbs and enough for 8th place.
Day 2 started out much better. We had a limit in the livewell by 8:30 and were culling the rest of the day. the struggle was to get any bigger fish. We ended day 2 with a 19 incher for our big fish. Our day 2 weight was 8.42 lbs with a .2 deduction for the big one being dead. It was enough to move us up to 4th place for the tournament! In all honesty, I was just hoping to finish in the top third to see if I could really be competitive.
Roger and Debbie Shaffer ended up 2nd with Don Bakula and Barry winning the overall. What a fantastic group of people and what a great time!
[#0000bf][/#0000bf][#0000bf]I will be forever grateful for the kindness and friendship I found with Roger and Debbie Shaffer on this board. Roger taught me most of what little I think I know about walleye fishing and were it not for his encouragement and [#0000bf]egging[/#0000bf][/#0000bf][#0000bf] on I wouldn't even have thought about entering this tournament.[/#0000bf]
He's right, I am addicted to the game now. How lucky I feel to have had the opportunity to enjoy the friendship and mentoring of one of the best in the game.

I don't have any walleye pictures but here's a couple of the monster perch we were catching. I lost count of how many 13" plus perch we threw over the side.
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Wow that is one fat perch good on ya!
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Right on! I'm sure you would still have had a good time even if was even tougher fishing. I was up there last weekend and it was tough for me for the walleye so I ended up fishing for perch, good decision. Of course, I didn't have any pig perchies like the one you caught, good job.
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sounds like you guys did well considering the conditions, thats a great group of guys and it sounds like you are hooked [laugh]. congrats the top 5 finish not bad for second tourney .
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Well Todd it was a good time and kind of a tuff tourney.
Hang in there my friend as I think you have the drive, desire and willing to learn to be a major contender in up coming tourneys.
As far as your partner goes - well it allways helps to have a "ringer" in the boat with you []
Really proud of you guys on a great finish with the bite being as tuff as it was and having some of the better walleye guys in the state (and out of state) competing on this one.
Deb and I had a good day sat. boating some nice eyes and being in first place on sat.
Sun. was a different story as we struggled all day with small fish and finally popping a 23 incher 5 min. before we had to run to the weigh dock.
We were satisfied with a 2nd place showing considering the class of eye fisherman competing.
We boated over 40 walleyes in the 2 days so I can't really complain about the bite. If you could find em you could do well but the fish were really scattered as you allready know.
Again buddy congrates and lets hit Starvation again before hard water hits.
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I'm ready when you are. I want to go back and get a few more of those jurassic perch!!! I almost had a heart attack when we kept throwing 13 plus inch perch over the side on Sunday.
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I too had a good time fishing with you Todd. I must say, you did a great job with the boat and I truly believe your boat control in this tournament was the key to hooking into as many eyes as we did. Also, staying positive on Saturday and not giving up kept us in this one. I mean, it's not very often I have to hit 9 spots to finally find the active fish....but we did and with just enough time to get a limit to keep us in it.

You're a good fisherman so keep up the good work! I have a feeling you'll be in the money more times than not at Starvation.

Chad Miller
Chadmillerfishing.com
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Todd:

Sounds like a great outing and thanks for posting.

So if one wanted to fish for perch what advise (depth, bait etc) would you give?
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[quote WET1][#0000bf]I will be forever grateful for the kindness and friendship I found with Roger and Debbie Shaffer on this board. Roger taught me most of what little I think I know about walleye fishing and were it not for his encouragement and [#0000bf]egging[/#0000bf][/#0000bf][#0000bf] on I wouldn't even have thought about entering this tournament.[/#0000bf]
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I just thought I would second this notion. I got to know Roger earlier this spring. He took me out on an afterwork Willard outing, and gave me a crash course on willard eyes, and bottom bouncing; I quickly figured out that he is the real deal [shocked]. Nevertheless, I was amazed at his friendliness and generosity to a small timer like myself, giving me pointers in PM's, and up to the minute advice a few times I ran into him on the water. Hail to crankem, a hero to many! I hope to get to know some of you other guys as well. I'm a real walleye enthusiast, and it looks like we have a lot of great guys on this board, who are
are also great walleye anglers[:p].

+1 from me for all the posts on this thread. All you guys have welcomed me into the fun stuff and I have learned more than I should have,........ now I am an addict. I have been confident in the past few years jigging for walleye but never knew how to bottom bounce for them. Thanks to Roger for taking me under your arm and giving me some good effective fishing techniques and a little bit of the personal determination to fish with the pros. I am still new but I think in a few years I will be able to enter some bigger tourneys and be able to hold my own weight. I just need a steady parter that has the drive to stay on the water as much and as long as I do. You guys are all great and I am happy to be able to consider you as friends not just fellow BFTrs. Sorry I missed the weigh in Roger I know I was supposed to be their but I had a few things that HAD to be done Sunday. Nice job staying up in the top 3, anything could have happened with that storm blowing in.(at least you had your lucky Deb in the boat with you and not me, I cant pull all the weight for you like she does...[laugh]) I hope to meet up with you guys if you end up going out to Starvation again this fall, we will make up for me missing out in all the pre and after parties at the tourney. Sure wish I would have chosen a different night to come out and have a beer with you guys, BTW thanks for the beer chad and the new secret lures I am looking forward to seeing how I do with them.

Todd, Chad, NICE JOB on the fishing. You guys deserve a trophy.........Oh wait you already got one hahahaha thats awesome. I sure wish I had one too.... maybe next year. Bet all the home work you put in this summer helped you get some other places to go to as the pressure built up in all the popular spots. Hope to get see ya out again soon. I know I will have to make it out a few more times for I have not really fished for walleye in the fall due to the conflicting hunting seasons. I will make time for it this year even if its in between hunts. LETS GO FISHING GUYS.
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The perch are everywhere there's weeds. The bigger ones seemes to be from 15 to 25 feet in the weeds. I've caught them on harnesses and jigs both. There are good weed beds in Rabbit, Salterus, and above the bridge.
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Congrats on placing in the tourney, Roger is a great guy, just don't pick up some of his bad habits.[:p]
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Thank's for the kind words guys. I've allways been willing to help out with showing people a few effective tricks for putting walleyes in the boat.

Bad habits.....come on Pete. I've learned em from some of the best old buddy [:p]
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I always thought that catching lots of fish was a good habit. .....[sly]
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