Wulp.
The River walleyes are back pretty much right on fall schedule. But these first few arrivals appear at first glimpse to be a lot bigger then the usual first arrivals of recent years past. And again, the little 7 to 10 inch walleyes that plagued your catch for 3 years in a row seem to be absent in the catch again so far this year. But the big walleyes we caught last Friday were fat, well fed and carrying plenty of half mature eggs to do their part keeping the string of natural productivity going. All were caught using two of my favorite techniques. Pumping Lead Core with #5 shad Raps and jigging jigs tipped with a variety plastics.
And even though the water temps are ideal and the river is full of tiny little shad, the perch river run has yet to show much results. Fishermen are finding a few good numbers and size on the Bay. But it sometimes takes a few moves to different locations to find them. We’ve had some strange and over all cooler weather this summer. I believe it kept a lot of the walleyes in the inner Bay this year. I did find a 6 inch perch in the stomach of one of the 4 pounders I kept Friday. I generally throw back anything bigger for better taste value, and we threw back 3 walleyes at or over 6 pounds. The top 2 pictures were throw backs. And I’m not sure how this would effect the perch numbers or their time table for entering the river, but it might. This of course could all change tomorrow. That’s how fishing is. But if you get out, be safe, fish smart and tight lines. Capt. Dan.
