Spring Winds Doth Blow

[CoyoteSpinner]

Mama wind - or spring wind - the ventures continue.

Ok - so I'm still on hunt for a First Walleye. Hearing all the talk of wind whipping them horny spring spawners into action in the waves - I thought - lets go!

Ventures began last Friday (fool's day!) with a Maiden Voyage of the CoyoteSpinner's little flatbottom. Big mental debate - Willard - Hyrum. Hyrum won first. GREAT day to be out. Cool, windy, but Sun - warm-ish. Not much for fish. Had a nice planter on - then off. After working counter-clockwise around the lake and really not spotting up much - I got to the inlet end. Wind started out sw-ne, so I figured ok - go across, on the way back, wind at my back. HA - about half tank left on the electric - and now I'm on fish around the cliffs, but the Mother Wind kicks up in the OPPOSITE direction, so I'm running out of time, running out of battery, and heading for home. Was going to stop by the cars and play a little, but a fellow had it set out with his two dogs an kids. I wished them well and headed on. GOOD thing. By the time I hit dock ( and didn't have to grab the oars - sigh) Mother Wind REALLY kicked up, and the white caps hit before I was able to land on the trailer. Just LOVE loading up in a galestorm! So - no fish - great weather, safe voyage. Still beats a day at the office!!!

Sat - had a little bank-tangling along Bensen, Cutler. Not too much happening, oh, except the WIND! Yah, mother
brought the white caps again! Saw a nice family - two small kids (daddy - help me with this - "spiderman pole" NICE!) I had left my little rig home knowing we were in for wind and lightning, and there they are paddling along. Bold! Got windy, got wavy, the caps came on - they made it back safe. No bites for me.

Moved to the bridge and played for a while. After getting checked by the DNR - who went on to tell me Wallaye have been pickup up right there. Did I have a white curly jig? Did I spend time and time clearing green muck off it? Did I hit on any Walleye......, uh - no. Did manage to get some tugs - those silly yellow bellies. Little fish against big mountains!
No Crappie, no channels, and no - no Walleye.

[CoyoteSpinner]

So my boys got an itch to go camping. Monday to Tuesday we hit Willard - Willow campground. We have it to OURSELVES, literally. Well, except for - of course, you guessed it - Mama Wind came to join. We setup camp, and then floated the harbor for a bit - nothing much showing on the finder. Pretty barren really - where's all the prespawners! So after some hotdogs, chips, and coke - we wander the shore - in the WIND. I try the North Dike, and the waves a just-a-smashing against the shore. I'm thinnin' Walleye love the waves and the wind right? Uh, no - not so much. Maybe a bit too rough even for them.

Later try a nice little cove where the waves crashed around, and calmed behind. Dropping out one of my bullet sinker 'rigs' - I watch my rod go BENDO big time, and SET, CAMERA, ACTION - it fought like a dickens, but it got landed all the same - a nice Cookie Cutter joins the party. Now my boy was on the fishin thing! (as opposed to chasing quail, or playing with "snakie" - such original names - KIDS!) So we try some more - get a couple more BENDO-MISSOs. Tried a pearly white curly tail on a jig and chartreuse under a bobber. Nada.

Next day we hit the south end (after a visit to S&E) and play the docks and shore around the harbor. Tried some ice-jigs under a bobber. My waxworms disappeared - with not a dink. Crawlers didn't get touched. But crawlers on the bottom got a bit hit and run, and after a good tug-o-war, landed another chunky Cookie Cutter. Tried a few more things, but got no more action.
Did stop briefly by Mantua on the way home. Couple casts, but no bobs. Lake is completely open, watched a nice bass boat launch for an afternoon outting.
May not have found a ton of fish, but sure was nice to get out and enjoy spring while it was enjoyable, the rest - well, it's part of the adventure, no!!!

[jekern1015]

I really need to get out again, thanks for the report.
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