A few fishing reports......

[goodyy7]

6/28 & 6/29/05 - Easter Lake

Fished Easter a couple of times this past week searching for some eyes with no luck on them. They were pretty off and most other fish were as well. Tuesday was a little better, with quite a few crappie on cranks. Bass and cats were tight to shore and got them slip bobbering with leeches. Wed was tough out there....Fish was out there to prove it (and did worse than I did I might add ). Got a few fish here and there but no trolling bite and the finesse bite was real tough with no eyes once again.

6/30 & 7/1/05 - Big Creek

Managed to get a couple of nights to chase fish at Big Creek this week and the eye bite is still pretty tough. Only managed a couple in both nights of fishing. BOth nights were virtually the same, other than my dad joined me friday night. Thursday I worked the north end and friday the southern end, trolling and finesse fishing. Trolling only produced a couple of gills on spinners with no fish on the cranks thurs and trolling gave up no fish friday. Slip bobbers and jigging did produce fish....lots of gills everywhere I went and a nice mix of other fish: Around 100 gills (most over 9" with some over 10") in the two nights, some cats, some bass, a bullhead - my first of these from BC (shhhh, dont tell Ryan ), green sunfish, drum, and some yellow perch (gotta love that!!). One walleye each night was it, and they didnt get in the boat until 9pm each night. Lots of fish, but not many eyes.

7/2/05 - Rathbun

Got down to the big lake for a few hours yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately I think the best bite was dying when I got there. Within the first half hour we had 4 eyes in the livewell, lost a decent 20" or so fish and a few others, and had released a 21" fish. Bite slowed big time after that in that spot. Moved to another spot to finish the day and put a few more in the livewell to restock the freezer with a batch of 14-16" fish. Also picked up a few crappie, white bass, and a small channel cat. Beautiful day to be on the water and I do feel sorry for whoever missed it.

goody

[Mr.Seaguar]

Goody you have mentioned the big blugills on Big Creek in the past. I`m gonna have to head south to see this for myself come winter. Do you ever anchor for walleyes? Thats all I do after July 1st. Slip bobbers, vertical jigs. Even hook and a worm. I call it my mayfly imitation, lol. I fish deep structure. Have a good one.

[goodyy7]

Those gills are big and rod benders if you can find them come winter. Lots of folks cant or do and then clean out a spot and wonder why they arent there any more. Duh.

I do quite a bit of anchoring and vertical jigging/slip bobbering for eyes, but not deep. I CPR and bringing eyes out of water deeper than 20ft or so will kill them 90% of the time so I dont do it. That is where a lot of them are at, but it just isnt worth it to me to do it.

goody

[Mr.Seaguar]

Now Goody, if 90% of the walleye pulled from 20' of water died, Spirit lake would not have a walleye left in it.

I hear ya on the people who wonder why they cant catch fish anymore. Lake Keomah near Oskaloosa is the same way. Parking lot full of Black Hawk county plates and people taking out two pails full of blugills a day. Suddenly they quit biting, what a surprise. No one knows why. Anglers Bay perch fishermen same way.

[goodyy7]

Well, not all lakes are the same, but I am guessing a lot of eyes die in Spirit even, but think the depth there is closer to 27-30ft. I have been sitting on the main basin of spirit perch fishing and seen eyes released only to come up 15min later with air bladder expansion problems. I have even had it happen to me out there. It happens more than we know. I have had eyes pulled from 18ft on some waters die and on some lakes it is more like 30ft. On Big Creek that Magic number seems to be about 30ft, Little River is a little over 25ft, Lake Miami it is 16-18ft and a Lake I fish in Minnesota is more like 35-40ft.

Lots of studies done on this and I wrote an article on it for IO a year or so ago here: Iowa Outdoors: Deep Water Fishing -- A Death Sentence?

I should not have said 20ft as a catch all and 90% is maybe a little over shooting, but I would feel very comfortable saying that a lot more than half of all fish caught below a lake's "bends depth" do eventually die.

As far as bucket fishermen, they annoy and frustrate me more than anyone....too bad trying to educate most of them is a wasted effort and lost cause.

goody

[IceJohn]

I have been fishing farm ponds in southern IA. alot this summer.The action has been red hot on tube jigs.Tons of slab gills and crappies.Some even come come home with me.P C has been acting up.darn BUGS.hope to report more.moving camper to better spot.So I can spend more time by Bloomfield I am still looking for some one down that way to fish with alot .Or some one from around home to share gas exspense for road trip for 4 or 5 days at a time.

[Matt Johnson]

IceJohn,

Sounds like you're still hitting those ponds for monster panfish. I've said it before and it's probably starting to sound like a broken record, but I will eventually make it down your way to get in a little ice fishing with you. We should try and plan something for this winter, or else if you want to make a trip up into MN let me know and we'll hook up...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Mr.Seaguar]

I dont mean to hijack your post. I think a fishing education course could help to let young fisherman learn to do whats right for the future of the sport. Older guys have made thier minds up.

[chirodoc]

Were the gills on Big Creek out in deep water? My friend from Des Moines says he's never had much luck from shore.

[IceJohn]

Mr.Seaguar,I agree a 100% the young are the future of our sport.The club I belong to put on fishing clinics,fishing derbs summer and winter,and casting contest.I always have time to help the kids.Catch and release is a big part of how I fish now.I fish4 or5 days aweek I am retired so time on the ponds is easy for me.People on this site should help the kids when ever they can.ICE JOHN FISH ON

[goodyy7]

No, not really....well, I guess that depends on your definition of "deep." Most of my gills this summer have come in 12ft of water or less, near rocky/weedy areas. Most of them are accessible from shore (some with a little work though) by I am by boat most of the time. If I am in a spot and am not bit in the first 10min I am gone to another spot until I find a hot one. THis may take 10spots or so before you get a good one, but once you get on them they can be pretty big fish.

goody