Fishing Report
May 18, 2012
The last five days I fished with my cousin Bruce Kellogg and his friend Roger Mohring both of Ionia, IA. The first day we tried for lake trout because Roger had never caught one. We were not successful but did catch 2 northern pike and one walleye and a 10” salmon.
The next three days we fished for smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike. We caught 51 Smallmouth bass from 8” to 17”; 28 walleye from 12” to 22” and 16 northern pike from 18” to a 40” trophy. On the last day they needed 10 northern for a possession limit so we fished just for northern pike and caught 11, and also caught 2 walleye and 3 smallmouth bass.
This was some of the best bass fishing I have seen, the walleye fishing was spotty some days good and some days fair. It will get better with some more warm days. The northern pike fishing is good if are just targeting them.
4/25/2012
Well the ice has been off for over a month and I finally got out fishing, it’s been a very busy spring.
On the 21st I took Glen Bollinger of Brockway, MT and his son Cory Bollinger of Miles City, MT. We had a pretty good day light winds and they caught 11 fish. Three of the fish were lake trout that weight 9, 11 and 14 pounds. The other eight fish were northern pike that weighted 5 to 10 pounds most were 7-8 pounds.
Hopefully things will slow down a little and I can get out more.
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR FISHING! ! !
3/23/2012
The ice is finally off !! While doing a deer survey I saw that the ice is off everywhere except Rock Creek Bay and by the time you read this it will probably be off there. Time to get the boat out and chase lake trout and northern pike.
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR FISHING ! ! !
2/28/2012
I went to Florida with a couple of friends and stayed with friends that winter there. We fished four days; two days on the flats inside of Everglades National Park on the Gulf of Mexico side and two days on the Atlantic ocean side fishing on the edge of the drop-off.
One day on the flats we fished with a chum bag out we caught 13 different species, two kinds of catfish, two kinds of mackerel, a remora, a blacktip shark, red drum (redfish), sea trout, ladyfish, blue runners, pin fish, and mangrove and lane snappers. The second half of this day we went fishing for sea trout and caught several. The other day on the flats was tough, it was too windy, but we did manage to get one redfish each by sight cast to them. After the redfish we went fishing for sea trout and caught several.
On the first day of the ocean fishing I caught a blackfin tuna that weighed 22 pounds and a dolphin (Mahi Mahi). Monte Reder of Miles City, MT also caught a dolphin (Mahi Mahi). A Dood of Bozeman, MT caught a reef shark, two mutton snappers, a large barracuda and a king mackerel (kingfish). Day two was the big day we caught cero mackerel, a mutton snapper, 16 dolphin (Mahi Mahi) and two sailfish. After Monte missed a sailfish each day I had a take that I finally got a hook in it was a good fight 15-20 minutes after which we took pictures and released. With only about a half an hour left we started chumming the bait. A Dood had two lines cut by king mackerel and Monte had a take that turned into another sailfish. After landing this sailfish we called it a day.
This was two days of great fishing our guide was Mark Houghtalling of Magic Fingers Fishing Charters and would highly recommend him, he definitly knows what he doing.
Jan 23, 2012
That’s right, after 17 years as a fishing guide I’m know a fishing outfitter having taken the test last year. Having received the Outfitter License, I will be able to better serve you on your fishing trips. Compare my website to the others guides and outfitters fishing Fort Peck Reservoir. On comparison you will find that I’m the only guide or outfitter that offers a guarantee, I fish with the clients more hours per day, and I provide lunches which few of the other guides and outfitters provide. Check the others and you will find that I’m the most economical for a two person trip. Thank you for your time and business.
Bernie
2011 Fishing Results
The following are my fishing results for walleye in 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 listed for comparison.
|
Year |
2011 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
|
Number of fish > 1 pound | 48 | 366 | 298 | 239 | 198 | 95 | 124 | 104 | 143 | 110 |
|
Number of fish < 1 pound | 253 | 413 | 204 | 222 | 170 | 91 | | | | |
|
Total in pounds | 541 | 688 | 595 | 545 | 635 | 443 | 427 | 523 | 573 | 454 |
|
Average in pounds |
2.14 | 2.00 | 2.20 | 3.21 | 4.66 | 3.44 | 5.03 | 4.01 | 4.13 |
|
Hours |
509 | 380 | 411 | 410 | 375 | 377 | 409 | 373 | 416 |
|
Fish/hour |
.50 | .78 | .58 | .48 | .25 | .33 | .25 | .38 | .26 |
|
10-pound-plus |
4 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 8 |
Several thing come to light for the fishing year of 2011. The number of walleyes
under 1 pound dropped a lot while the number of walleyes over one pound was
the third highest over the years. The total pounds is the third highest and average
weight increased over the last couple of years but is still lower than the early
years. The effort which is walleye per hour decreased over the last three years
and the number of ten pound plus walleyes also decreased.
So what does this all mean? I don’t know why the numbers of walleyes under one
pound fell so much of the pass years but suspect these fish are being displaced
by the northern pike. The number of walleyes over one pound is still relatively
high compared to all the other years. The biggest thing that determines the
number and size of walleyes is how you fish. Vertical jigging is the slow method
while pitching jigs and pulling bottom bouncers are both intermediate in speed
and trolling crankbaits is the fastest. All this translates into the more ground you
cover the better chance of finding biting fish.
The reduction of fish per hour is related to a lot more days spent fishing for northern pike and this reduces the
effort expressed in walleye per hour. The type of fishing pitching jigs versus
trolling crankbaits is a big reason for the low number of walleyes over 10 pounds.
