Deer Creek...Slammin' Slimers 5-31-24 (With Video)

[Freakyfisherman]

Heard tell there were some walleyes showing up at Deer Creek…as well as a lot of rainbows.  Decided to pass on Willard and hit DC on the 31st…the last day on my fishing license.  (Yeah, I renewed it.)  Whiffed on the walleyes but got lotsa tugs from the ‘bows.
 
Launched my tube at the Charleston day use area about 7 am.  Saw a whole lotta geese…adults and young’uns…waddling out into the water as I pulled in.  A couple of deer too.  Good start to a wildlife day.  Water level is high so easy launching for tubes, kayaks and small boats.  Air temp at launch was a cool 40 degrees…warming to a bit over 60 by noonish departure.  Water temp rose during that same period from 57 to 60.  Not quite prime wallie water yet. 
 

First water skier running the shore just before 7:30.  But no other water skiers or wakeboards…yet.  That will change with school out and the water warming up a bit.
 
Started seeing fishy evidence not far from the launch area so sent down a couple of whirly flig walleye rigs…with 3-way sinker setups and worm harnesses.  Had my first inquiry within a few minutes of launch.  But ‘twern’t a walleye.  ‘Twas an 18 inch rainbow.  Not the targeted species but fun tugs.  It hit the chartreuse perch whirly flig.
 

Worked big S turns going south toward the island…on the shallow east side of the lake.  Watched TV to try to find “the right stuff”.  Saw some marks that looked either perchy or toothy…but none liked what I was offering.  Sonared from 12 feet out to over 25 feet of depth.  Didn’t see much in water over 20’.  Saw most fishy marks in 14 – 17’…with more in the shallower end of that range.
 
Didn’t catch my second fish until about 8:30…just as I turned around to head back north to keep from running into a group of 3 boats soaking power putty or pitching lures for trout.  Saw them catch a couple.  Then my rod with the fire tiger crawler rig went bendo and I had my second ‘bow.  Woulda druther had a walleye…but I got no pride.  I kept it too.  Had a request from a sis-in-law that makes good chocolate chip cookies to bring them a trout or two. 
 

Worked my way in and out of different depths, at different speeds, using different lures and rigs…getting back to the upper part of the Charleston arm.  About the time I was nearing my original launch area I got busy…one acrobatic rainbow after another.  Kept my limit of 4 and released another 10 or more.  Most were healthy 16 inchers.  Only a couple smaller.  Several about 18”.  All healthy and with good red meat when filleted later.
Got one sequence on video of a double.  Hooking up with a second trout while battling in the first one.  Double pleasure.  Released both of those since I already had my limit.
 

Didn’t catch anything besides bows.  Had a couple of “perch pecks” on my crawler rigs but no hookups.  Although I tried at least 8 different colors and patterns of whirly fligs, about the only two that produced consistently were what I call “chartreuse perch” and the universally deadly “fire tiger”...both rigged with either a single hook or crawler harness.


Not many fishing boats on the water.  Most were smaller craft with only one or two anglers.  Some were trolling…others soaking bait.  Saw most boats catch a fish or two.  One larger boat had 6-8 tanglers on board…some soaking bait, some pitching lures and one soul in the bow waving a fly rod.  Saw one of the kids bring in a trout…probably on power putty.
 

Had all the fun I could stand by about 11…and was running out of worms.  Some problems are better to have than others.  Got home in plenty of time for my afternoon geezer nap.


LINK TO VIDEO

Pat,
It stinks you didn't score the illusive walleye, but glad you got some action.  I am crossing my fingers to do a trip up to DC on an evening this next week with my son. I have never done any fishing on Deer Creek in the afternoon into the evening. He caught his first walleye there a few years ago when I rented a pontoon boat for a 4 hour trip with all my kids. We didn't catch any trophy sized ones, but we got into quite a few. I am plan on doing some jigging when my oldest and I go out. Four years ago, in the first week of June, was when I caught two 28 inch walleyes, on two consecutive casts. I saw groups of big eyes cruising around my tube that day. I am hoping we at least find some eater sized walleye. I still need to figure out a trip with you. 
Gabe