justtracytrolling

Thanks Kevin, your posts got me to try my riggers with blacks and deep cranks! Got my biggest eye of the weekend using my riggers after I had given up on them. Just a 5 pounder but fun with the short setback..

Thought I better post the pic your way!

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quadruple! 3 browns n smb...then completed the slam...small tiger

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Drag screaming...lost

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3 browns 2nd pass...sun is up walleyes seemed to slow...first eye was td9 off the rigger

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2 fish first pass! 20, 23

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Nothing but brown after brown this afternoon and evening...all 13-18" hopefully the morn will be better, only thing we didnt catch was a tiger today...walleye, browns.smb and lmb...bet the tigers will come tomorrow

Justin

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I thought the browns bite was great this morn until we got over a dozen tonight! Didnt matter what we ran as long as it was down 23-25 feet and goin fast...best was a rapala tdd9 in foil perch...im down to 1 of them as the other one came apart at the bill....all small 13-18 inches...couldnt keep em in the water.

Justin

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Otisco has been flat, but we rode 3+ footers thru the causeway last nite...little hairy...didnt even get to troll after taking the boy bass fishing...

Justin

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Best setup was 5 color core chrome with green stripe and black eye it took 3, perch spoon got 1 off rigger at 27, foil perch tdd11 at 30 took the nicest at 17-18". Missed 2-3 too...I hope they werent eyes! All but 1 badly hooked fish released. This is a common morn trying for eyes. I dont bring em in the boat. Come on rain blow over...we're ready to get back out!

Justin

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We out fished 16 boats 2 days in a row on hot n tots last july...3+ gps...and limited on bass in the process...in less than 5 hours....

Justin

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Nice work fishkiller and great report...makes me wanna load the boat...next year for sure...for now ill have to settle for otisco eyes...

Justin

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Slept in this morn and didnt get out till 630. Had a good brown bite this morn with lead core n spoons doing most of the work...2.5 gps...picked up to 3-3.3 as it warmed up...picked up 1 eye at 11 on my way in...22 inches

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Checked the tide chart....sunday and monday are perfect for slack tide and a minus tide at daybreak...bass will be in the canal....I was there for a big june blitz this year....everybody caught....sounded like bowling balls being dropped from the bridge....makes me wanna load the fishing bikes right now! Jig all night top water plugs in the am...anybody that hasnt seen it check it out on you tube...best thing you can do with a rod reel with ur clothes on! Man im fired up thinking about it...

Justin

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Good luck to everyone headed to Waneta...water temps are gonna make releasing tough. Im bringing ice to Otisco for the net if we get into em...

justin

Nice job on the eyes this morn, but I like seeing those big st Lawrence walleyes on your grass...lol On my way out the door for the weekend...let you know how I do with the blacks...have a good weekend Kevin.

justin

I do the cape cod canal in june...had a great blitz my last morn this year...burned out a reel...what a rush...love those stripers...best thing out there for food or fight. Good luck! Some good morning tides at the canal end of this weekend I believe if memory serves. East end with waders at slack. Last I knew the outer cape is pretty tough with the seals and sharks I don't go to Race point or Nausset anymore. Now I do the last moon tide in may and first in june if I can.

Justin

There is a Cortland factory outlet store just off 81 in Cortland behind the Arby's, you prob drive right by it.

justin

Its a neat store and some cheap boat rods too.

justin

nice fish and good report!

justin

I use power pro 30lb also with no prob on flat lines and dipseys but on riggers they can stop you in the eyes for sure so I bring them in regularly before there is enough on the line to stop me. Once I bring the barrel swivel thru the first eye they fall off for the most part. Never really had a problem after I learned not to let them build up so long. I like to run my lines more than most anyways to make sure they are weed free so it really isn't a big deal.

justin

I think Ill be in good shape next time around...thanks Capt. Larry I like the glossy eye trick, and Im ready with the hose and mat.  Tracy and I were joking that we'll probably never get another now that we are prepared.  Most of our tigers don't come in the boat anyways and its only been 2 fish that we've struggled with, but I like to get a routine so things go smoothly, and a routine that works with any size fish is what I was after.

justin

I got myself a couple blacks releases, a couple lures to replace what the tigers tore up, and more flouro for leaders, as Im going through several a day. The Blacks are a big upgrade over the pinch pads by the looks! Sure looks like Ill be able to drag just about anything with them if they are tightened down. My question Kevin is how do you set your tension on them? Im sure I can do it trial and error on the water, but id like to set them with a spring scale at home for a starting point. I was thinking around 3 lbs for a deep stickbait on walleye. If nothing else I have a whole box of stuff Ive always wanted to try on riggers that pulled to hard for pinch pads so I guess even if I cant catch walleyes on them Ill have plenty to keep me busy all weekend just trying. Ill have 3+ on the boat all weekend so we'll be running 9 rods and I can get a lot more creative with these releases. 1 more day...cant wait!!

justin

Excellent post, but its one thing to read it and another entirely to do it.  I would add that anyone who will hopefully be attempting this for the first time should practice all of the above with other species of fish that are easier to catch and handle so that when you get your chance you don't have to try it for the first time with a large musky or tiger.  This is even more important if you are fishing from a pontoon ( and more people are fishing from pontoons now than ever) as your feet are well above the water level and it is along way down and the back platform is often very small and the ladder is in the way and there is nothing to keep you from falling in as you lean way over as you cant just lean over the gunwale.  I would also add if you are trolling with other lines out get them ALL in so you can stop.  this will allow you to work the fish around to the larger side gate where you could lay down and just lean your head and arms over.  Cant stress it enough to try the above procedure ahead of time.  Ive handled quite a few and I wasn't ready at all.  Also when water temps are up over 80 you have to work faster and it takes longer to revive them.   The thing I don't have and would have helped the most is the plastic coated net, but it still takes practice.  Ive always left the other lines out and moving and this is VERY challenging in a pontoon.  Also explain and show the others on the boat BEFORE you fish.  Wish I had video footage of what I did then you would know what you will be up against if you aren't ready...chaos!  I would also recommend immediately cutting the leader as soon as the fish is in the net as the line and rod both get in the way.  I didn't cut the hooks as I thought I didnt need to right up until the fish thrashed in the net and rehooked its self and I had to start over.  They are also very heavy to lift if you cant lean on something and you are forced to lean out and lift. Im 6' 3" 210lbs and fit and I struggled mightily.  PRACTICE  PRACTICE  PRACTICE  you are the fish's only chance at survival and it is your job be more prepared than I was  I was successful but it was lucky we couldn't measure the fish as Im certain if I had one more task to do the fish wouldn't have survived.  Ive never measured one since the very try last summer was a failure. I decided to skip the measuring entirely on every one we've caught since, and I didn't really care as they were all smaller than the first, a 42".  When you get a big one tho you will want the measurements. 1 last thought, all of these tools, mat, cutters etc need to be handy as you wont have time for searching and tidying up the boat to clear an area for the mat and fish.  Its hard to always be ready when you are fishing, but you have to be.

justin

Pap if you wanna get walleyes in the daylight august is best, fall is the best for me but that's night fishing. I couldn't agree more about the perseverance, in fact id say it borders on insane stubbornness!

justin

Us walleye guys get it, not every day or night will produce, perseverance will prevail. The walleye gods are looking down on us, soon it will be the turn of the seasons then it's game on for us, keep us posted on that lake, may want to hit it on the return trip from lake O after the Black River camp grounds close up for the season, which seems to be earlier every year?

When I said earlier that I don't know how you musky hunters do it I was referring to what captain eyes touched on, the speed at which you must do all of work to be able to revive the fish. The tigers that ive caught in spring and fall were easy but I lost my biggest summer tiger last year and find it harder to safely release them in summer than it is to catch them. I certainly agree tigers are a put and take fish, but Id like to see just how big a tiger can get in Otisco so I put em back if I can revive em. Im adding on a hose to my livewell this week, a mat, and ordering the biggest musky net I can find asap as mine is big enough but tangles hooks and isn't friendly enough on the fishes slime. I reread a post from last year by Mostly Muskies and should have done this sooner. I like the ice jug technique he uses too if I actually was targeting them more, but I camp and ice jugs are not easy to keep all weekend and have room for food and drink. I could probably bring another cooler on the boat just for musky ice. Im all ears for other tricks.

justin