Is it me or is the lake empty?

[Y.I.Oughtta!]

Been out the last four weeks and getting completely shut out. Two weeks in a spot between Gino's and Metro Beach. Last two weeks at Harley Ensign DNR launch. Even dinks would be fun to catch! My kid said I'd make a bad Eskimo cuz we never catch anything over 8" to bring home. Oh well...I'm getting great exercise walking thru all that snow. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. We've been fishing both minnows and grubs in about 5 to 7 FOW. We're thinking that The Raft next weekend would be worth a jig. Anybody have any luck there?

[fishnpbr]

I've been out 5 times so far and have yet to bring home a fish. I have fished at Fiarhaven, Selfridge, and Metro. A couple of those trips I did have a few decent fish 8-11" but never enough to consider cleaning, 3 or 4 at best. Put them all back to swim another day. Lots of small fish, and decent fish that won't hit anything. Oh well, I'll be out Tuesday bright and early to try again.:)

[stinger63]

As for larger sized perch it seems empty but the fish are there,They just wont bite for some reason.Alot of people with underwater cameras are seeing them.

Theres plenty of gills and panfish that want to cooperate though.:cool:

[double trouble]

if you are seeing fish or marking and not catching you ARE doing something wrong. Fish are dumb and will bite. remember that mid day the fish will turn off. do not fish then unless you are staying out all day. fish early and get to your spot. learn how to properly jig a spoon or jigging rapala.
Us old timers are happy to teach you. you WILL get fish to hit. the people I fish with ask why I out fish them and they also want me to jig fish in for them. experience helps a lot and so does confidence ,but technique and a sense of what fish want help too. I have shown 2 younger people this week how to get better and both were very good students. Watch look listen and ask questions. There are guys on this site who are very good fisherman and will be willing to go out with you and teach you some new tricks. That is a start . The fish are just starting to come closer and with the cleaner water the fishing IS picking up. Don't get discouraged. just get some help and go fishing.

[yellowbelly80]

i speared a monster today but only saw two fish and got both of them

[Mark Sylvester]

if you are seeing fish or marking and not catching you ARE doing something wrong. Fish are dumb and will bite. remember that mid day the fish will turn off. do not fish then unless you are staying out all day. fish early and get to your spot. learn how to properly jig a spoon or jigging rapala.
Us old timers are happy to teach you. you WILL get fish to hit. the people I fish with ask why I out fish them and they also want me to jig fish in for them. experience helps a lot and so does confidence ,but technique and a sense of what fish want help too. I have shown 2 younger people this week how to get better and both were very good students. Watch look listen and ask questions. There are guys on this site who are very good fisherman and will be willing to go out with you and teach you some new tricks. That is a start . The fish are just starting to come closer and with the cleaner water the fishing IS picking up. Don't get discouraged. just get some help and go fishing.

Would you be willing to get together and maybe give a class to some of us that may have forgotten how to hold our mouths in the right position???
Hey...................I'm gettin' desperate!!!
I got a classroom right outside!!!

[Michael Wagner]

Would you be willing to get together and maybe give a class to some of us that may have forgotten how to hold our mouths in the right position???
Hey...................I'm gettin' desperate!!!
I got a classroom right outside!!!

" Sly" Is this what you call "the old dog learning new tricks" :evil: (Joeker has been hiding so I have to step up) Mike

[Dare2gothere]

There's some good advise there... fish are preditors, especialy perch. Catch a keeper, right then and there, cut him open. What you find in his stomach is the key to what you want to fish. If you find zebra mussles, the fish are foraging, use a teardrop or a small spoon with a spike or waxworm. If you find small bluegills-baby perch-minnows, this means they are looking for substantial food, use a jigging rapala-large spoon or obviously minnows, tip these rigs with an anise egg-minnow head-waxworm. Aggressively fish the latter, this brings fish in, and simulates a smaller fish with captured food, or a wounded bait fish. If the fish are bitting lite, slow yourself down and pause longer presentation. Admitedly, I'm a big beleiver in jigging rapalas, they work for me, and I beleive I can go out any day and find fish with one. Once I find them, It's just a matter of how to fish it. Just my opinion, hope it helps someone who might be a little off coarse fishing "too small".

[double trouble]

There's some good advise there... fish are preditors, especialy perch. Catch a keeper, right then and there, cut him open. What you find in his stomach is the key to what you want to fish. If you find zebra mussles, the fish are foraging, use a teardrop or a small spoon with a spike or waxworm. If you find small bluegills-baby perch-minnows, this means they are looking for substantial food, use a jigging rapala-large spoon or obviously minnows, tip these rigs with an anise egg-minnow head-waxworm. Aggressively fish the latter, this brings fish in, and simulates a smaller fish with captured food, or a wounded bait fish. If the fish are bitting lite, slow yourself down and pause longer presentation. Admitedly, I'm a big beleiver in jigging rapalas, they work for me, and I beleive I can go out any day and find fish with one. Once I find them, It's just a matter of how to fish it. Just my opinion, hope it helps someone who might be a little off coarse fishing "too small".

i have never cut one open on ice but you have a very good idea . I think your techniques will cut down on the learning what the fish want time. I as well think I can jig fish in and then pick them off. My rapala bite has been off this year so I switched to spoons . It has worked well. I have had to resort to minnows many times this year , which is unusual. I tip my spoons with a dead or a live minnow. just depends how strong the bite is. Very few fish on spikes this year. Yes I will take anyone out who needs a refresher ,but we all know that I have had some bad days too. I usually can count on 5-15 keepers .You have to follow the fishes seasonal movements. The fish are ready to stage and spawn soon. right now I would concentrate on either shallower water that you can see bottom , the 12 foot deep area off geno's for big fish, the salt river out 1/2 mile, the back basin at metro, or the condo's at brandenburg. all are good mid season spots. In a month the trenches and beaches will turn on . It depends when the water starts to warm and the minnows get active or the fish start feeding on bloodworms .

[oneeyedclarence]

I've been out 5 times so far and have yet to bring home a fish. I have fished at Fiarhaven, Selfridge, and Metro. A couple of those trips I did have a few decent fish 8-11" but never enough to consider cleaning, 3 or 4 at best. Put them all back to swim another day. Lots of small fish, and decent fish that won't hit anything. Oh well, I'll be out Tuesday bright and early to try again.:)

Hmmmmm, 5 x 4 = 20:D I'll take em:D

[Mark Sylvester]

" Sly" Is this what you call "the old dog learning new tricks" :evil: (Joeker has been hiding so I have to step up) Mike


More like the Ol' Dog needing confidence!
I guess anyone can git em' when there biting!!!
The real fishermen get them when the bite is tough ........as it has been!!

[Peter the Great]

show me :bowdown::bowdown:Please

[boardstifff]

just a thought. bought minnows last year with that receipt.didn't want to waste them at days end threw them in my pond to feed my fish. spring came along, and so did a lot of fish dying,could this have something to do where the perch have all gone. just my 2 cents???

[Chinhooker]

Sign me up. What time does school start?

[Y.I.Oughtta!]

Thanks for the advice. Certainly one of our problems would be that we've only been able to fish midday, but hey, any good jigger would find some bites, right? No problem, we'll get back out there, dig some holes, work on technique and feed the lake with our unused minnows. Perch is what we're after and perch is what we'll get. If not on teardrops than on something else. If you ever see two guys and their boys sliding their gear along on a pink sled (yeah, I know, but it's the only thing big enough to carry the gear) stop by and say hello and laugh at our empty bucket.

[double trouble]

I used to be "mad at the fish". It was a tag line we used to get fired up.
It came from an old timer named country bumpkin who used to charter out of harbor beach. He would get stumbling drunk every day ,but the boat stayed on the trailer and he stayed at fisherman's center cleaning everyone's catch. One day we asked why he didn't fish anymore and he said in his southern drawn," cause i ain't mad at the fish anymore."
You need a little of that anger too . It makes you want it. It makes Kevin van Damn go out in weather we all know is unsafe. It makes you fish all day when the fish aren't cooperating.It makes me stay with it when my back hurts from leaning over a bucket all day. It makes me force myself to fish the right way when i catch myself getting lazy when jigging or trolling.
By the way , School commences Tuesday at metro if I get any takers.We can work on jigging fish in , fishing by sight , and fishing attitude.

[Joeker51]

" Sly" Is this what you call "the old dog learning new tricks" :evil: (Joeker has been hiding so I have to step up) Mike

:16suspect:16suspect

I'm still here. Just under the weather lately. Did get out yesterday. Motely crew managed to finally pull 18 convicts the largest running 10". Most seemed to be males the larger ones females. Stunner again took most of my fish. Funny it only seems to work in one area on the lake............SANG.:rolleyes::16suspect It was an early morning bite or a late afternoon bite. Dinks throughout the day. At least they're starting to show up......get away from the crowd.;)

[Y.I.Oughtta!]

Thanks for the post and the Tuesday invite, but I gotta work all week.

Try not to catch 'em all. In the meantime, I'll be practicing my jigging in my head and reading these posts for good advice and inviting spots to fish come Saturday.

[Dare2gothere]

Nobody is gonna laugh at your empty bucket, if they do, they're not really fishermen. Fishermen know that a full bucket is mostly rare, there's guys out on the ice that have 30-40-50 years experience, and some days their results are poor at best. There is nothing wrong with asking a fisherman how he's doing and what they are biting on. It's fun to catch alot of fish, and there's nothing wrong with spreading the news around some.

[fishnpbr]

double trouble I'll be at metro myself on Tuesday. I'd appreciate any advice or pointers. I should be there by 0730 or sooner. Silver F-150 with black and burgundy pin striping, scout fish trap, all black carharts.

[SomeYahoo]

if you are seeing fish or marking and not catching you ARE doing something wrong. Fish are dumb and will bite. remember that mid day the fish will turn off. do not fish then unless you are staying out all day. fish early and get to your spot. learn how to properly jig a spoon or jigging rapala.
Us old timers are happy to teach you. you WILL get fish to hit. the people I fish with ask why I out fish them and they also want me to jig fish in for them. experience helps a lot and so does confidence ,but technique and a sense of what fish want help too. I have shown 2 younger people this week how to get better and both were very good students. Watch look listen and ask questions. There are guys on this site who are very good fisherman and will be willing to go out with you and teach you some new tricks. That is a start . The fish are just starting to come closer and with the cleaner water the fishing IS picking up. Don't get discouraged. just get some help and go fishing.

I can 100% vouch for this as I was one of the lucky two to be schooled by DT this week. Read carefully all that he said in this thread as I can 100% guarantee it will put more fish in your bucket. That said, nothing beats going out with an "old timer" (don't know if you are really old yet DT), and seeing the methods in action.

Thanks again! Can't wait to get back out to see how much I remember!

[MIfishinGuy]

I used to be "mad at the fish". It was a tag line we used to get fired up.
It came from an old timer named country bumpkin who used to charter out of harbor beach. He would get stumbling drunk every day ,but the boat stayed on the trailer and he stayed at fisherman's center cleaning everyone's catch. One day we asked why he didn't fish anymore and he said in his southern drawn," cause i ain't mad at the fish anymore."
You need a little of that anger too . It makes you want it. It makes Kevin van Damn go out in weather we all know is unsafe. It makes you fish all day when the fish aren't cooperating.It makes me stay with it when my back hurts from leaning over a bucket all day. It makes me force myself to fish the right way when i catch myself getting lazy when jigging or trolling.
By the way , School commences Tuesday at metro if I get any takers.We can work on jigging fish in , fishing by sight , and fishing attitude.

ahahaha this is great, i went up there (harbor beach) in 2002? or there abouts and we were slipped right across from the country bumpkin. too bad i didn't get the opportunity to talk to the guy. (only caught one keeper, 36" steelhead, i got it mounted so no need to get it cleaned!)