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Flushed with our success on Saturday, we headed out to WB this afternoon to attempt a repeat performance. Our hopes were dashed however, as three hours of trolling the entire line-up of proven/suggested/"sure looks fishy - I'd eat it" offerings led to a total catch of ONE. A mentally challenged, foul-hooked, 12" walleye. We're blaming the recent weather, that's our story.
Lucky for D-Mack that he begged off on the trip - some questionable albiet long-winded excuse involving hungry children, a missing wife, possible employment obligations, and other nonsense long since discredited and forgotten.
Spied on the other fishermen via the binoculars and only saw one other hook-up by a husband & wife team in a Lund (I think it was a Lund, a nicely rigged boat) with so many planer boards out it looked like a bunch of yellow & red ducks were giving chase. We assumed a husband/wife team - could have been a clandestine meeting of the wayward on the waves!!!
Still a nice afternoon to be on the water - not too buggy, not too hot, not too windy, and not too crowded.
BTW, who's the lone troller sportin' a pirate flag?!?!
W2D
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That husband and wife team you saw in the nice Lund was most likely Tom Pettingill and his wife, Jean. As you probably know, he's the head of sport fisheries for the state. She would have been the one reading a book.They caught a couple walleye off the feedlot flat.
But it was slow for all of us. I had the same fish short strike my crawler harness twice, and had 2 other strikes, but no fish. Fished until well after dark, both trolling cranks off planer boards and rigging, a total of 5 1/2 hours. It's a different place this year with the higher water.
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Single main, no kicker. 
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My son and I were out there this morning, we boated a small wiper and had one of the big boys on for a minute before it got off. You can always tell it's a big wiper when you can't get the rod out of the holder because it's pulling so hard. Paddler is right, Tom and his wife always troll with four side planners in a nice Lund. I've seen them out there a few times over the years and she likes to read those books. Sounds like the weather will be changing next week so maybe the catching will improve. What was the lure you were using to catch the walleye? WH2
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We managed to pickup 7, 6 wipers and 1 good eye. Had a few miss the clauser minnow, was fishing between the big power poles and the North marina. Some of the guys out there think the wipers are race horses or something. Some of the other fisherman? LOL. trollers were lapping me in my boat all afternoon.
It was a very nice afternoon on the bay for bugs and such.
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I'm not familiar with a Clauser minnow, what does one look like? We never made it over to the area you were fishing but in years past the catching has been good there, sounds like I better try it again. How fast were you trolling? Thanks for post and welcome to the site,it sounds like you had a good day on the bay. WH2
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[reply]I'm not familiar with a Clauser minnow, what does one look like? We never made it over to the area you were fishing but in years past the catching has been good there, sounds like I better try it again. How fast were you trolling? I'm attaching a picture of the water level at the south marina ramp, it's as full as I have seen it. Thanks for post and welcome to the site,it sounds like you had a good day on the bay. WH2[/reply]
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Hey Curt , a "Clouser Minnow" is a good pattern fly . I use to tie up a rainbow version for the Green and did well with it . I think he just has the spelling wrong but I did a search for a pic for you . [url "http://flytyingworld.com/PagesD/clouser_minnow.htm"]Clouser Pic [/url]
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Thanks for posting the picture Randy, if the minnow is white or chartreuse like the picture, I can see why it would work at times. When the wipers are on the surface I troll jigs the same color and they can be killers when the baby shad get the same size.
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