belleswell
Tele-Meister
The Fishing Thread
I know I'm not the only musician here who enjoys angling. Lets see what
you've caught. Post your tips, tricks, and pics here. Maybe we can learn
from each other on tricks and tips. For me, the finesse presentation has
been key for fooling them. Light line, small hooks and long rods.
I'll start.
Lake Michigan King Salmon. I've been fishing for these since they were
re-introduced into Lake Michigan to control the alewive population. In
the 60's, the annual die off of these fish, (invasive bait fish), would
have them stacked two to three foot high, dead along the beaches. The stench
could be smelled miles inland. The solution was the King salmon and coho.
I started trolling in 1970 for them, and am now quite good at it. My present
boat is a 20' Pro V Lund. I can use it for inland lakes if the boat launch is deep
enough, and the the Great Lakes. I also have a small 12 foot Lund for the inland
lakes with shallow boat launches. Michigan is blessed with an abundance of lakes
with access for fishing.
Walleyes. These were caught in the lower Detroit river not far
upstream from Lake Erie, where in the spring, they migrate the rivers to spawn.
25 lbs for the two of them.
Bluegills and Crappie. These were caught from a public lake not far from
home. The average bluegill is 9 to 10 inches. The large crappie in the pic
was over 13. We release the larger ones as they do not taste as
good. The largest crappie we released that day was 16 1/2 inches.
That's a big crappie for Michigan.
This hybrid bluegill ( male bluegill x female green sunfish) came from our pond
They grow bigger than normal gills. Some are almost 13 inches and 2 lbs +.
This one was just shy of 11" and over a lb caught ice fishing.
I normally target bluegills and perch when fishing for pan fish, but years ago
a friend showed me a trick that increased my catch for crappie many fold. Just a dab of
this anise oil on your jig or hook. Then use bait or artificial lures as one would normally
use them. The scent of the anise oil drives them crazy. It is used for making rock
candy and comes in a variety of flavors. I buy mine at Meijers grocery store.
I've barely touched this bottle and have had it for
over 20 years. A little goes a long way.
Perch
This one came from our pond. The largest I've caught and released in our pond was around 15".
This one was over 12".
These were caught in Lake Michigan with minnows
Light line, small hooks, and long rods = trophy sized trout.
2 lb test leaders, noodle rods and size 14 wide bend hooks, and
a freshly tied spawn bag with a Kraft mini marsh mellow hidden
inside the bag for the purposes of buoyancy and flavor.
Steelhead (rainbows)
This trophy weighed 17 lbs 4 oz and was caught fishing with waders
in the surf of Lake Michigan using a 2 lb test leader. It took almost a
half hour to "worry" him to shore.
More steelies
Browns - Caught anchored in the discharge waters of Cooks Nuclear power
plant using smelt.
Glow Fish. These coho and brown trout were caught anchored in the
discharge waters of Cooks Nuclear power plant on the southern shores
of Lake Michigan. Old pic.
Lake Michigan Whitefish. I held the state record for this species for
quite a few years. I've since been de-throned. It weighed 13 lbs 4 oz.
I also held the state record black bullhead for years, which makes me
the only guy in Michigan with two state records on the books. Something
to hang my hat on.
Hard water. I make these "spring bobbers" for detecting light bites
when ice fishing. These are made commercially and sold for a few dollars
each. The cost on these used to be a buck or two. When the price
started pushing 4 dollars, I decided to start making my own.
Some craft store tubing and beads and some used or broken guitar strings.
I like the .010 size for these. When one gets bent up or pulls free,
I can now fix it for about 20 cents, half of which is for the small piece
of shrink wrap. Much nicer than a 4 dollar fix from a store bought one.
Never leave home without it on an ice fishing trip. If you can see
them on the flasher, you can catch them. A must when ice fishing.
Custom rods I build. Usually longer 10 to 15' noodle rods for light
line presentations. The thread art can take longer than the time it
takes to do the eyelets, cork, and reel seat.
One of the best anglers I know. We've not seen him this year as
much as last, but the two have a nest about a half a mile away from
our pond, so he has some perches over looking our pond.
Summer view of pond
Spring was here and then old man winter gave us one last taste
with a light dusting.
Feeding the bluegill
Knock knock
Surprise at the end.
Post away. Show me some "deep color". lol Wicked Tuna
I know I'm not the only musician here who enjoys angling. Lets see what
you've caught. Post your tips, tricks, and pics here. Maybe we can learn
from each other on tricks and tips. For me, the finesse presentation has
been key for fooling them. Light line, small hooks and long rods.
I'll start.
Lake Michigan King Salmon. I've been fishing for these since they were
re-introduced into Lake Michigan to control the alewive population. In
the 60's, the annual die off of these fish, (invasive bait fish), would
have them stacked two to three foot high, dead along the beaches. The stench
could be smelled miles inland. The solution was the King salmon and coho.
I started trolling in 1970 for them, and am now quite good at it. My present
boat is a 20' Pro V Lund. I can use it for inland lakes if the boat launch is deep
enough, and the the Great Lakes. I also have a small 12 foot Lund for the inland
lakes with shallow boat launches. Michigan is blessed with an abundance of lakes
with access for fishing.
Walleyes. These were caught in the lower Detroit river not far
upstream from Lake Erie, where in the spring, they migrate the rivers to spawn.
25 lbs for the two of them.
Bluegills and Crappie. These were caught from a public lake not far from
home. The average bluegill is 9 to 10 inches. The large crappie in the pic
was over 13. We release the larger ones as they do not taste as
good. The largest crappie we released that day was 16 1/2 inches.
That's a big crappie for Michigan.
This hybrid bluegill ( male bluegill x female green sunfish) came from our pond
They grow bigger than normal gills. Some are almost 13 inches and 2 lbs +.
This one was just shy of 11" and over a lb caught ice fishing.
I normally target bluegills and perch when fishing for pan fish, but years ago
a friend showed me a trick that increased my catch for crappie many fold. Just a dab of
this anise oil on your jig or hook. Then use bait or artificial lures as one would normally
use them. The scent of the anise oil drives them crazy. It is used for making rock
candy and comes in a variety of flavors. I buy mine at Meijers grocery store.
I've barely touched this bottle and have had it for
over 20 years. A little goes a long way.
Perch
This one came from our pond. The largest I've caught and released in our pond was around 15".
This one was over 12".
These were caught in Lake Michigan with minnows
Light line, small hooks, and long rods = trophy sized trout.
2 lb test leaders, noodle rods and size 14 wide bend hooks, and
a freshly tied spawn bag with a Kraft mini marsh mellow hidden
inside the bag for the purposes of buoyancy and flavor.
Steelhead (rainbows)
This trophy weighed 17 lbs 4 oz and was caught fishing with waders
in the surf of Lake Michigan using a 2 lb test leader. It took almost a
half hour to "worry" him to shore.
More steelies
Browns - Caught anchored in the discharge waters of Cooks Nuclear power
plant using smelt.
Glow Fish. These coho and brown trout were caught anchored in the
discharge waters of Cooks Nuclear power plant on the southern shores
of Lake Michigan. Old pic.
Lake Michigan Whitefish. I held the state record for this species for
quite a few years. I've since been de-throned. It weighed 13 lbs 4 oz.
I also held the state record black bullhead for years, which makes me
the only guy in Michigan with two state records on the books. Something
to hang my hat on.
Hard water. I make these "spring bobbers" for detecting light bites
when ice fishing. These are made commercially and sold for a few dollars
each. The cost on these used to be a buck or two. When the price
started pushing 4 dollars, I decided to start making my own.
Some craft store tubing and beads and some used or broken guitar strings.
I like the .010 size for these. When one gets bent up or pulls free,
I can now fix it for about 20 cents, half of which is for the small piece
of shrink wrap. Much nicer than a 4 dollar fix from a store bought one.
Never leave home without it on an ice fishing trip. If you can see
them on the flasher, you can catch them. A must when ice fishing.
Custom rods I build. Usually longer 10 to 15' noodle rods for light
line presentations. The thread art can take longer than the time it
takes to do the eyelets, cork, and reel seat.
One of the best anglers I know. We've not seen him this year as
much as last, but the two have a nest about a half a mile away from
our pond, so he has some perches over looking our pond.
Summer view of pond
Spring was here and then old man winter gave us one last taste
with a light dusting.
Feeding the bluegill
Knock knock
Surprise at the end.
Post away. Show me some "deep color". lol Wicked Tuna
