Just another day on Pool 4

I finally made it down to see Dean around 2:30pm and after a short talk with him and getting my partner for the day Darrell in the boat it was time to hit the water. On my first few trips down I had to go solo, so it was nice to finally have someone to fish with. From a previous trip I knew there were nice concentrations of big saugers around but I decided we were going to look for a pitching bite that I have not figured out this year. We set up on a rip rap shoreline with a few hooksets but no fish to show. Around the first point I had a an 8lb fish crush my firecracker/chartruse ringworm. We were on a very steep break, when the fish hit he was only 3 feet down with us over 18 feet. Most fish have been quite agressive if presented with the right presentation.With a few shorts after that it was time to drag. First spot resulted in a few shorts with a real pig hooked in a current seam but not making it to the boat. It was time to move to a spot I knew the big fish were laying and really work it methodically. We pulled a few 8lb fish, many 16-22 inch fish and the 9 and 11 lb fish below. If you have confidince in a spot you really need to pound it, the fish are there you just need to figure out what will trigger them.
I can’t stress that there is no such thing as too shallow. Most of my time was spent dragging with 12 or less feet of line off my reel. The fish are also speed sensitive so vary speed until you find a range that they want and then fine tune that until you have exactly what the fish want. Purple head purple/chartruse tail was the leader for the day. Can’t make it down for a few days so leave some fish for me when I get back.

Nice!!!

WOW those are some nice fish and you said that you threw back some 8 lbrs as well.

Sounds like you had quite the day on the water, good job.

Now thats a handfull of fish .

Very Nice

Did those get released as well?
I hate to see those females full of eggs being transported around and stressed just for a picture.

Nice fish though.

Taking a photo of a big fish might be a bite stressful…but not as stressful as a knife or the wall…which they had every right to do.

Congrats on the big fish, the pictures and the release!

Wow those are some pigs!!!!!

Wow nice fish.

What was the length on the bigger one?
looks like about 31″

I can’t wait to get down to #4 and lay into some of those pigs

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Taking a photo of a big fish might be a bite stressful…but not as stressful as a knife or the wall…which they had every right to do.

Congrats on the big fish, the pictures and the release!

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Some people like to have the actual fish on the wall and that is their choice.

Onlyhawgs: congrats on the release

I still wonder what I will do when I get one over 32″.

(I had one two years ago in Canada that went 32 and I let her go. I think I can do better.)

that’s the number I gave myself. that if I get one bigger than that it goes on the wall. but I still struggle with the fact that I’m taking a fish that some kid may catch the next week. I dont think that it’s going to hurt the fishery that much to take a big female like that. because the number of healthy fry she will actually produce is low
compared to say a 20″ – 24″ female. and I see more of them being kept than the big ones. if you really want to make a difference let anything from 18″ to 28″ go.
and if you can afford to mount one that big it’s OK to do it. just dont take it home and keep it in your freezer till it is no good. then throw it out because you cant afford to get it done. that happens more than you think.
it’s not cheap to get a fish done. and most people are so excited they dont think of that when they do catch a trophy.

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Did those get released as well?
I hate to see those females full of eggs being transported around and stressed just for a picture.

Nice fish though.

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Can’t agree with you more…I will say that this website has always promoted Catch Photo Release and I have to believe that the rewards are really evident by the awesome amount of quality fish pictured here.
I have a large Beckman flat bottom net that I like to keep the trophy fish quietly in the water while I make ready to snap a couple quick photos…then you may have to gently move her back and forth until she goes on her own.

Tom,

Right on with the net … that’s exactly what I do.

Just because someone has the right to do something doesn’t mean it’s right for them to do it.

Congrats on the nice fish! I got the flu yesterday or I’d be out there after them right now.

John

Awesome fish and great report!
Chris

I never said that I dont agree with CPR, its with the right to keep a trophy fish if we want, not every angler is going to keep a big walleye just because they can, last year I released 6 that were over 29″ and in 2007 I released about 30 that went over 28″, the guys that I fish with haven’t kept any ether, its just that if we dont have that right. then it opens up a lot of doors for groups like (PETA)that dont want us keeping any fish or fishing for them in the first place, every year some jack*#! politician that’s on their side tries to get some law passed that takes our right to fish and hunt away. as for keeping those large female walleyes. I like to see them in the lakes and rivers just as much as the rest of you, but the fact is that the more big adult fish the harder it is on the young fish trying to become that next trophy, and what good is a lake full of 6 pound walleyes if it’s only going to slowly die out from starvation, I know that’s not going to happen on the river, but I have seen it on a lake in Canada with a bunch of 25″ walleyes that only weigh 2-1/2 pounds, and Since fish produce such a large number of eggs, a 5 – 8-pound female walleye would produce around 200,000, it takes only a handful of adults to maintain a population. In fact in walleye populations the maximum production of young walleyes usually occurs when there are low to intermediate densities of adults. At high adult densities walleye recruitment is usually reduced. This occurs because of competition between adult and young walleye or because of cannibalism. Therefore, you do not need to protect the maximum number of adults in order to have good recruitment or a lasting supply of trophy fish you need to protect the midsized fish.

I would have never guessed the contraversy created by posting pictures. All I can say is that I don’t have a problem putting fish in a livewell when water temps are under 45 degrees. All fish are released in great shape for some one else to catch. A camera flash on Pool 4 “sometimes” draws attention to your location. If you have ever fished this pool you would understand that keeping some areas to yourself needs to be done from time to time.

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camera flash on Pool 4 “sometimes” draws attention to your location.

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Have you ever tried this in a spot that is unproductive? Works great and lures in the other boats while you get the good spots to yourself.

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camera flash on Pool 4 “sometimes” draws attention to your location.

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Have you ever tried this in a spot that is unproductive? Works great and lures in the other boats while you get the good spots to yourself.

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When fishing a lake a marker thrown out in a unproductive spot will produce the same results so I hear, not that I have ever tried that myself

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camera flash on Pool 4 “sometimes” draws attention to your location.

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Have you ever tried this in a spot that is unproductive? Works great and lures in the other boats while you get the good spots to yourself.

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When fishing a lake a marker thrown out in a unproductive spot will produce the same results so I hear, not that I have ever tried that myself

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I did that on Tonka, I just put two markers in a line so you can use them as a reference point to line up your spot and, watch the boats flock to them and leave your spot alone.

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I would have never guessed the contraversy created by posting pictures. All I can say is that I don’t have a problem putting fish in a livewell when water temps are under 45 degrees. All fish are released in great shape for some one else to catch. A camera flash on Pool 4 “sometimes” draws attention to your location. If you have ever fished this pool you would understand that keeping some areas to yourself needs to be done from time to time.

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Controversy is a good thing it gets people to think

Sometimes a little time in the live well is a good-thing for the fish, especially large ones, it gives them a little more time to recover from the fight and the added oxygen and lack of light helps them relax.

that is if you have the rite system to take care of them without stressing them out more.