Looking forward to Walleye!

Picture courtesy: http://bit.ly/1lvl0Lf

After this long, cold, snowy winter, I am setting my sights on the spring and Walleye. As soon as the ice flows are gone (perhaps June or July this year), the Walleye will slowly become more active, as the waters begin to warm. Just the thought of some fresh Walleye on the grill is enough to get me through these last few cold weeks of winter.

I realize that it will soon be time to fetch Bucky, what is a Bucky you ask? Why my son-in-law and I bought the trusty old craft for a couple hundred bucks from a friend of his at work. A little hard work, and some soap and water and it turned out to be a great little boat to get us out on the water. We will need to mount the fish finder my wife bought me, and the trolling motor mount, just a weekend’s chore! Then we will wait for the ice to clear. The last time I remember this much ice, it was still coming down the river in April; let us hope that is not the case this year.

Bug's first ride on Bucky! She was 2.

Bug's new fishing pole!

 I have managed to gather up my Gander cards from Christmas and my birthday, purchased my fishing license and a new spinning reel. Tackle box is topped off so we are ready to go. I found a cute little pole for my granddaughter, she is so looking forward to going fishing this year, we will just modify a few things and make sure her hooks are barb-less! 

See the picture of the unique little rig I found, her mother insists on a pink Disney pole, but Papa knows what will hold up, so Mom can buy the pink one and I will keep this one ready in case of a disaster!

Walleye are one of the most sought after species in this area. They are a great tasting fish, and give you a nice fight, especially if you are using spinning gear. The first bites on spinning gear often come on Mister Twister’s, or other soft bait offerings and they continue to hit this all year long. As the lilacs bloom, Walleye cam be caught using crawlers, from shore or drifting the river. If you happen to be down by the St. Clair River in the evening, you will likely see anglers casting or walking the wall with twisters. Look farther to the river and you will see the boats drifting downriver waiting for a Walleye to take their bait. The mouth of St. Clair River, and into Lake Huron is a great place to fish, most nights if the weather permits, you will see the fishing boats gathered just north of the bridges. As freighter traffic picks up, you will often hear the big boats blowing a warning to the anglers to move out of the channel so they can pass up or down bound.

 
I think the best thing about early season Walleye fishing on the river is, that when it starts, it is a sure sign that spring has arrived, something we can all appreciate after the winter we have had this year! As we begin to count down the days to spring (March 20th), I hope you all take time to enjoy the beauty and sport this area has to offer. I look forward to continuing this blog, providing an updated report on fishing in the Blue Water Area, so fellow anglers know what is biting!