2011 Fishing Report
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Vision Quest BIG JON K.O.T.L.  report for:

Friday April 29, Saturday April 30th, Sunday May 1st

Started off Thursday hoping to fish but 60 MPH winds made that a done deal.  Looked at MUD city inside and some greenish water out a ways .
Had very little intel. when we got here, so we decided to start off Jordan on Friday in 45-52 FOW and work the green  water.  Took a while to get em going and first fish to hit the deck was a Coho.  Once we figured a couple things out we worked a spot and took several kings and a couple more chunky Coho’s.  Biggest fish was 19.8#.  All rods fired (slide divys, riggers, multiple cores and clean lines pulling body baits).  Things slowed so; we racked and headed east to check out the Welland water for a bit. Got bit a few times there including a nice 13# Atlantic that ate a DW purple frog down the “chute”.  Finished with a 15 for 19 score on silver fish. 

Saturday, headed to Jordan and our fertile water was now clean. Lake O. is a trip-here today-gone tomorrow.   Worked the greenish/clear water for a bit all the way in to 40 foot and watched a bunch of boats inside trolling but did not see rods moving.  So, we decided to rack and head to the Canal where the water would be colored.  Hit first King on mag DW frog on set up.  Put 3 kings in the box there but needed more. At 11am and the clock ticking, we went to a Coho program to try and put fish 4 and 5 in the boat.  Almost worked and we went 3 for 7 in an hour and a half.  Those spastic wild Coho’s are a handful when they bite short. (Coho’s  4 and Team VQ 3). However, only one would measure 20”.  Decided that if we were going to get at least one more, it needs to be a king because the Coho’s were small and we may need to get bit 5 more times to get one keeper, so we went to a 50/50 King-Coho program and took a couple shots and a Laker that ate our surface Coho bait but no more tourney fish hit the white coffin. Went in with a 7 for 12 day and only 4 to weigh. (Not what we expected after Friday)

Sunday, decided not to follow 44 boats west and head back to Canal with about 10 others.  Took 4 fish there in first 2 hours inc.  a Coho.  Things dried up and boats left including us.  Decided to head back west and on way back, we scanned the 50-60 FOW looking for temp. and marks.  Found balmy 47 degree surface water that rolled out there and decided to stay in it hoping to find some SHARKS.  We needed a big box and running inside and fishing with 30 boats probably would not get it for us.  So we stayed out in that 50 FOW and worked east and west toward Jordan.  We took 5 more Kings out there as well as a couple shots but did not take any big guys as hoped for.  Finished with 9 fish on 12 bites and improved our placement to 15th. Another tough day of tourney fishing but that’s fishing….

Tournament fishing makes us all better and we try to learn from every experience.  We had many positive things go in our favor and missed very few hooked fish.  Our decision not to troll in tighter on Saturday cost us an easy top 10 placement.  But decisions are just as important as the boat and toys we have.  The guys who can put it all together two days in a row earn the Big “W” along with 15K.

Congratulations to all the money winners this year, see you in Wilson.

April 15th, 2011

Did some pre-fishing today with Kenny, Chris and Kevin in prep. for our one day steelhead tournament this coming Sunday (was cancelled due to gale winds). Bay still 47 degrees.

Fished in a nasty NE wind today (15-25 knots) and it was "chilly".  Took bites right away this am.  Decided to call it quits when conditions no longer became fun.   1 cores with the custom WD/OB's were smoking... 9 of 10 bites came on them today www.greatlakestackleshop.com (check spoons and WD dreamweaver size).  One other came on 3" black and silver Renosky and a 1Core. Also one rigger fish down 14 ft as well as a chunky bonus smallmouth. (smallmouth also ate a WD/OB spoon)

Fun day out except for cold and wind.  Quit early with 10 on the bite meter for today.

Won't be back on the water until next week some time.

Captain Pete

April 13th, 2010

Today, we had two great guys aboard for the day; Charlie and Steve.  Steve usually brings good luck and he did this time along with some rain and cool temps.

Bay temps wete 47.3 degrees for starters and the skies were overcast with 10 MPH wind from NE.
Trolled for the first two hours without a bite before they started or maybe it was until we found some fish.

Once we did, we went 10 for 17 and the boys went home with smiles and a limit of Lake Erie steel.  Biggest fish was an 8.2# hen and the others were 2.5 year olds from 17"-22".

Copied from Charlie's e-mail:

Capt. Pete-
Attached is the "Shimano" ringtone. I would like to thank you once again for an excellent experience from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and look forward to my next opportunity to fish with you. A beautifully maintained boat and tackle, a knowledgeable Capt. and mate and  patient, through instruction can only result in a wonderful time! My "Gold Standard" has always been: Would I take my wife on this trip? An enthusiastic two thumbs up to you sir.  Thank you again and please pass my best along to Kenny!
-Charlie

1 cores did OK but 2 color cores off boards with WD spoons did better today.  Took 3 rigger bites also. Riggers set from 7 to 14 foot down with small baits worked.  Also, took a few 3" Crystalina renosky fish today. Fish are definitely eating small baits this year and liking a 1.9 to 2.3 mph troll. Nice day to be on the water today.

Captain Pete

Sunday April 10th, 2011

Beautiful day to be out on the water., despite a questionable forecast the day before.  Day started with dead flat water and the sun coming up... WOW what a nice AM. Water 42.6 -43.2 degrees. East end of Bay stuffed with shiner minnows again but spread out to State Street today. Bite not as good today as yesterday again.  Took a little longer to get to the fish going. 16 on the bite meter today... Fish back down again for us.  Some clean sticks run 50-70 but cores also today, plus a couple violent rigger bites  .   
Second face tan of the year.  Felt great.  Maybe some wind tannage also cuz the South winds ripped eventually. Good to see a lot of boats out fishing and boating again today. Hmmmmm.  Not sure what to think of the fishing so far...  Def. not BONZAi but def. fish around and near shore with shore anglers still doing well.  Curious to see what lies in the days ahead 

Saturday April 9th, 2011

Beautiful day to be out on the water. Water 42.6 degrees. East end of Bay stuffed with shiner minnows. Bite not as good today as yesterday.  Took a little longer to get to the "sweet spot" after doing some AM roam trolls. 19 on the bite meter today... Fish a little higher in column today.  Clean sticks run 50-70 back did better that 1Cores today.  Plugs better today..  Natural colors "shined" with sunny conditions.  renosky 3" Crystralina's, 3" shallow Kabooms and 2" Chatter baits (trick sticks) First face tan of the year.  Felt great.
Good to see a lot of boats out fishing and boating today.

Friday April 8th, 2011

Maiden Voyage for VQ-4 today.  Good start to 2011. Bay temp 42.6 degrees. Water color-good Found productive water and also eliminated some dead water. Had Ray, 3-C-U Mike F., Mike V and Ironhead out for about 6 hours of Bay trolling today.
Was not long into the trip and... "fish on".  Ironhead dealt numerous blow after blow to the fish including a rigger fish that dies in 7 seconds. (impressive reeling). Had 6 or 7 doubles today. Most fish are 2.5 years olds and need to eat more.

Steelies: One of the fish had a left pectoral lip and one of them had a right pectoral clip.  Both were 2.5 year olds (18-19") or so and 3-3.5#

Found LOTS of minnows around the Bay today, some schools 15ft thick...  Steelies had much minnows in most of their bellies. Dreamweaver WD's and SS's took most bites and RENOSKY 3" Crystalina stickbaits back 50-100 took some also. (spoon bite better   )

Fish bite meter showed 25 today.  Be back out over the weekend. Be on 68 if anyone wants to say hello.