The Wau Bay

[Gotem]

Did anyone venture over to Waubay this past weekend? How was the fishing? Planning on getting over there in the next couple days.

[Scott Steil]

I haven't heard any reports from Waubay this weekend. Either the fishing was really good and people are sitting on their hands or there was nothing worth reporting.

Come on guys, I know a couple guys who went out there this weekend.

[bklimek]

I was out on Waubay this weekend. Fished out of Hagens Farm. Participated in the Trap Attack this weekend. Saturday we did well and of course Sunday was a different story. A little front came through and made fishing tougher. We did okay but not as well as hoped. Still some nice fish brought in. The winners had 15 fish that weighed around 11 pounds. The biggest was a pound. The average size was 10-13 inch perch. I never found that secret bait I caught them on everything. Small spoons with minnow head and if they wouldn't hit that I would have another rod ready to drop a small jig with maggies down in seconds and would nail them. Color didnt seem to matter. I had good luck on chartreuse. The winners caught there fish on gold. It was mixed as to what bait to use. It came down to presentation and being on top of a good school.

[Gotem]

Fished around Hedtke Island on South Waubay tonight and only caught 1 perch. There was probably around 50 vehicles there and I don't think I seen 5 fish caught. Going to try it up north this weekend.

[Guest]

Gotem, The real key is to find a school of your own. I realize this can't be done in 30 mins. but if you have a day or two, take off and start cutting holes, drop down and find the aggressive fish. If you don't have a taker in 5 mins. move until you do. Then when you find a good school cut out in all directions to follow them when they move. Its like blimek said stay with the aggressive baits until they slow down then use a smaller presentation. When they move check your outer holes and pick them up again. During the Trap most teams said the fish shut off at 9am but we caught fish throughout the entire time with our best fish comming between 10:30 and 11:00. Just because there are 50 cars in an area doesn't make it the best place on the lake. Usually its exactly the opposite.
My $.02. Good luck...........D.C.

[Gotem]

D.C, Did you move a lot during the trap attack? I just went out after work the other night, so I only had a couple hours to find fish. I drilled 30+ holes and the fish I did catch was not by the group of vehicles. The wierd thing I have been seeing this winter is that one Saturday we were off on our own and caught a ton of perch. The next day we went back to the same exact holes and nothing. Just can't find them in the same place two days in a row. Hope to get up north were Trap was this weekend.

[Guest]

This year the fish were in tight small schools. We caught most of our fish out of 2 holes, however 6 of the keeper fish came away from those holes and they were the only fish there. Those fish wern't aggressive and had to be finessed. We did find them the day before but they had moved 50-60yds. from our old holes.
I would like to know what determines school size and what triggers perch into feeding in one spot. Last year these same fish were in huge loose schools where we could drop in and stick 4 or 5 then move to the next hole and do it again. Any ideas?........D.C.

[ifishsd]

Maybe it has to do with less perch in the lake? Waubay has been produced alot of perch the last two years.