found fish but they wont bite?

[cvanderweyst]

I found a 27' midlake hump surround by 40'-80'of water.

It is just crawling with walleye. I put the aqua-vue down and

there were multiple walleye in the screen at any given time.

The frusterating part is I cant get them to bite. I have tried fatheads, shiners, crawlers, leaches, and frogs on jigs, lindys, slip bobbers and spinners. I would like to try ripping a crankbait across it but it is a very small hump and it is difficult to make the crankbait dive that deep. It is a deep lake loaded with tulibee, and alot of the fish look very large. I have been out there 3 times over the last month and the fish are still there. I have caught and released one fish each time out (27" 26" and a 23") but not on the hump where i see them with the aqua-vue. Im wondering if these are just inactive fish. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

[hhguide]

Give me the spot. haha no i would maybe try a plastic of some sort something they haven't seen either a gulp minnor or crawler I have gotten fish to bite using that method before. good luck your lucky to find a spot like that

[buddha]

Maybe you ought to think a little outside. Try to target the aggressive fish with a large crank or even live bait. Start a ways off the hump and give the crank time to get down and work the area all around. Sometimes the larger and faster will pick off the aggressive fish.

[Team Otter]

Are the fish "belly on bottom" or up a ways?

[cvanderweyst]

no, they are not laying on the bottom they are slowly cruisin around within 6in to a foot of the bottom.

There is a few scattered rocks on the hump and thats where the fish are, if you get off the edge at all the walleyes are gone and there are bick suckers sucking on the bottom.

Next time out I am going to try to find some monster shiners our red tails and see if a bigger bait entices them.

I am thinking about buying a crankin rod to set up with leadcore for situations like this. Alot of my crankin arsenal consists of shallow running baits. I lived near Lac qui parle and rarely seen water over 15ft deep.... make that 10ft deep.

[cvanderweyst]

i have also tried a GULP crawler, shad, and leech. I am thinking either a really large bait or maybe a really small one?

[cvanderweyst]

hhguide: I think I saw you or launched next to you on minnewaska last week when I was prefishing for the fall classic. Do you have a maroon or red tahoe/suburban with H&H in the window?

I cant tell you my secret spots I think you are one of my fishing competitors:)

[fishinmajishin]

What size fish did they look like? I've ran into not-so-active fish like this many times mainly during the summer months. frustrating. I know you said you've tried jigging, but I've found one method that works for me. try a jig with fat head or rainbow, nothing too big. let it sit right on the bottom and just keep the slack out of the line. probably a 3/8 oz. or 1/2 oz jig for your 25' depth. bump it up a few inches and let it sit again. If they bite but can't get a hook set try a short stinger hook. you need to hover right over your bait so boat control can be tricky if it's windy.

[Eric S]

Hey, try a 12-15 foot snell with a sinker as light as you need and lip or tail hook a big sucker or redtail go over it as slow as posible and it will entice those inactive fish, with big suckers hanging on the edge thatwill probably do it. you will have to talk to jason and we will make a trip up there some day and try to get something going for you.

[wishing for walleyes]

I would try out a salmo chubby darter.

[andrew chadwick]

I would try a small, small jig. something like a flu flu tipped with a waxie.

[andrew chadwick]

or go back at night.

[Team Otter]

If the fish are off the bottom, they will feed. Start well above them and work down to them. I would try vertical jigging with similar equipment that you would for ice fishing or hair jigs. Also, focus your efforts during the "power hours" for a few trips and see what happens.

[cvanderweyst]

I have tried the 3/8 jig with a fatty, laying it on the bottom and also slowly bouncing it across the hump. I thaught the slip bobber would have done the trick for sure.

Hey Eric I also did the lindy thing with a 10ft snell and a tail hooked shiner. You two need to make it up here sometime so I can teach you how to catch some walleye. Hows the "Lunker Bunker" coming along, are you going to have it done before winter?

You and Jason should sign up for the fall classic on waska next year. I can win prizes if I can get teams to sign up for next year.

Otter: I think your right about concentrating on the

"power hours" or maybe the night shift. It is a very clear lake.

[Northlander]

I like jiggin spoons and jiggin raps/shads in these types of spots. Play the wind. In the fall I find some big fish have selective feeding windows and when they eat they do prefer big meals. The last 3 walleyes I cleaned had only 1 thing in them and they were 9" perch and or what looked like creek chubs.

We dont have any tulibee/whitefish etc. in kost of the wtaers around here.

I like to start out agressive on a spot and if that dont work than go to slower presentations. If Im all the way down to a lindy rig or slip bobber and they wont go then its time to move on to fish eating at the time.

If its a clear lake early and late and cloudy days will pay off like others have said.

[minnesotatuff]

hi, lots of advice... its pretty exciting having a place like that to fish. nice icefishing spot! ...maybe some icefishing jigs now? jigging raps with minnow head or even crawlers, or other jigs/rattle jigs. technique is what will get them to bite.

regards,

minnesotatuff

[cvanderweyst]

I went and hit the secret hump tonight for a while and caught a 20" largemouth and a 5lb northern. Then I came back about an hour after dark and the baitfish were just stacked in there on my depthfinder (assuming they were tulibee). Oh yeah, I also went and hand picked the biggest shiners I could find. Anyway we slowly worked across the hump, I was using a lindy with a 10ft snell and a shiner and my friend had a chartruse jig and a shiner and he hooked into this dandy 29". It was the only walleye that was hungry but we also caught 3 largemouth over 18" and a couple of northerns. It was a beautiful, calm, full moon night.

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[bullrushin]

try rapala [email protected] This plug runs really deep! Used this on Frances Case, Gets them when others wont

[blue_healer_guy]

Not an expert, but the first thing I would do in your situation is a slip bobber with live bait.

[hhguide]

cvanderweyst shoot me an email.