walleye
05-20-2011, 06:44 AM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hubbard Lake, Michigan
Posts: 914
walleye
Just getting into my second season with my new boat and my new way of fishing, trolling for walleye. The lake by my house is 8,800 acres and its been a struggle getting into the fish. Last yr I fished a ton from july to september and only managed to bring home about 8 fish!! Caught quite a few but just couldn't get on keeper sized fish. This yr i've been out 4 times now and have brought 6 home in the last 2 trips out. They are not huge but really good eaters!! Nothing beats some fresh fried walleye!!!
05-20-2011, 09:05 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: northeast kingdom in vermont
Posts: 234
Glad you're getting into some keepers this year Walleye!
I lived near there for one summer and fished that lake a few times and never caught one fish. I grew up fishing Walleyes on Lake Erie out of Monroe, Michigan, and we used a totally different method on the big lake. Hubbard lake is a tough fishery! I finally gave up on it, and went over to the back water of the 5 channel dam on the Ausable river and fished drifting the stump fields there, using jigs and leeches. Caught the biggest Walleyes of my life doing that. It's tough fishing - lots of snags - but worth every bit of it.
I lived near there for one summer and fished that lake a few times and never caught one fish. I grew up fishing Walleyes on Lake Erie out of Monroe, Michigan, and we used a totally different method on the big lake. Hubbard lake is a tough fishery! I finally gave up on it, and went over to the back water of the 5 channel dam on the Ausable river and fished drifting the stump fields there, using jigs and leeches. Caught the biggest Walleyes of my life doing that. It's tough fishing - lots of snags - but worth every bit of it.
05-20-2011, 10:15 AM
#3
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hubbard Lake, Michigan
Posts: 914
It is a really tough lake NEK. I'm from the Flint area originally and grew up fishing small lakes for largemouth mostly. Not a lot of thought ever really went into that, it was just fish the shorelines and weed beds and ya either caught some or ya didn't. I now love the challenge of fishing bigger water and trying to figure em out! I also fish Thunder bay on Lake huron which is an amazing walleye fishery with some real hogs, but is twice as tough to figure out as Hubbard. Still get my butt handed to me every time i go there, though i did get a couple out of there this yr, both between 22&25 inches. But i had a guy in my boat that has alot of success out there so i can't count it as a personal victory, but was cool to put a couple hogs in the boat!
05-21-2011, 07:13 AM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: northeast kingdom in vermont
Posts: 234
The method we used on Lake Erie, back in the 50's and 60's probably won't help you on Hubbard Lake - but it just might work on Lake Huron. It's a very simple - old method - just drifting, using an old June bug spinner and worms. Sometimes, an X4 Flatfish with a bit of night crawler on the treble hook worked real well slow drifted. We just let out a lot of line with the spinner on it and if the fish were holding shallow that worked without any weight, but sometimes that didn't work, so we put a small sinker a couple of feet ahead of the bait - and that was deadly too on the right days. We rigged the June bug spinner with a long shank # 2 or #4 hook with no snell. When you get a hit - you drop some slack in the line and let the bait sink and just let the line come tight as you drift, and you will feel the fish on as the line tightens. We caught a lot of 6 fish limits using that method. I know - This kind of fishing limits you to days when the wind is just right - so most folks have switched to trolling - but I never will. It's a thing with me - I hate trolling - always have. Good luck with the Walleyes.
05-23-2011, 05:48 AM
#6
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hubbard Lake, Michigan
Posts: 914
Thanks for the tips NEK. I do plan on getting more into casting and drifting for them this yr. Also this lake holds some giant smallmouth and pike that dont seem to ever get fished very hard. So many fish to catch, so many ways to catch em, and so little time!!!!!!!!
05-23-2011, 10:14 AM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: northeast kingdom in vermont
Posts: 234
Yeah - j76 - most folks concentrate on the Walleyes. I remember the year I was there, someone caught a monster Pike through the ice on a bluegill rig. I didn't know about the Smallies though, and that is my favorite fish. I was working long hours then and didn't get to fish near as much as I wanted to. We were starting up the power plant over in Lincoln.
I know the Walleyes are supposed to be better eating - but in my opinion - that is all they have going for them. They fight like an old wet sock compared to Smallmouth Bass.
I'm having fun now - learning to fish these lakes in Northern Vermont - especially Lake Champlain. What a wonderful fishery.
Tight lines and bouncing bobbers.
I know the Walleyes are supposed to be better eating - but in my opinion - that is all they have going for them. They fight like an old wet sock compared to Smallmouth Bass.
I'm having fun now - learning to fish these lakes in Northern Vermont - especially Lake Champlain. What a wonderful fishery.
Tight lines and bouncing bobbers.
05-23-2011, 05:59 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: in the woods or on the water...
Posts: 4,832
Doesn't get any better than fishing Smallmouth on Hubbard Lake.
What a gem!
