The evening started with a few pike and bass on a topwater spook, but soon a thunderstorm started rolling in the distance. Since my motorized canoe doesn't go faster than walking pace, we had no chance of outrunning the storm. Instead, we took shelter on shore in a nearby forest. After the rain, the water was more stained, so I decided to switch to a hot pink X-rap just for kicks. Very soon, I caught a nice channel cat on it. Thinking it was a fluke, I kept casting, but it wasn't long until I caught 2 more! Perhaps this was a pattern...hmmm
On the same jerkbait, I caught my first walleye of the season. Again it was a tad large, so it was released quickly =)
The next day, I decided to hit the same spot again, and I caught a whole assortment of species:
Funny enough, I was trying to catch walleye on an 1/8th ounce jig and grub. However, I ended up catching everything but walleye! Even the 20lb carp took the 1/8th ounce jig. We landed over 10 pike in a few hours before the sun came up, and we found that the key to enticing strikes was really aggressive rip jigging! Perhaps downsizing had an effect too, who knows!
If there's one thing I've learned, it's that there's no finite rule to fishing. Even the wackiest of presentations can be deadly!
PS: In both these outings I was looking for walleye, but since a newbie at walleye fishing, I had no idea what to try and where to look. If anyone has any spots (don't need to be specific) or general tips on catching walleye during this time of year and during the summer, I'd appreciate hearing them!
