Weekend Wheeler Branch Plans

I have family in town tonight through Saturday so my "Wheeler Branch" day will be Sunday. The weather should be awesome for getting out on the water. Phototex will be out both Saturday and Sunday . . . so I expect I might be able to get some good intelligence on what the patterns and locations are from him!

I just missed getting my super cool drop shot hooks from River A Tackle before last week's outing. He made some hooks as large as 4/0s with the swivel above the hook but one of those cinch clips below it where a separate piece of line runs from that cinch to the cinch on a drop shot sinker. So, I am going to try at least a bit of a more power version of the drop shot using a larger bait.

And, I have never used Elaztech plastics of any sort and I look forward to trying a few out from this last purchase.

Now, if I can just remember to bring a light jacket. It is supposed to dip down into the 50s in the AM.

Come join us!

Brad

I need to go out there and try out the walleye fishing with the cooler weather setting in.

Bert, I have seen a few walleye caught, though rarely targeted. I'm still 0 for 2000 or so casts I guess.

There was a fisherman out there the other day who said he was fishing for walleye, most though sort of trip over them catching LMBs. Same thing with SMBs that seem hard to target but there a plenty of them in there. I have caught one SMB at Wheeler.

There is a video, maybe two, floating around on Facebook of someone who shot some snorkeling film on Wheeler where one can see a nice walleye cruising by.

Rick, at Angler's, says they like leeches. But, I'd bet someone with electronics, fishing deep with live bait (minnows or worms), off the bottom, likely could catch some out there.

Brad

Brad, I used to be a pretty dedicated Mister Twister field tester "back in the day," and had a bag of 100 or so plastic leeches they sent me one time. Since I didn't fish the Great Lakes, I simply threw them away. Now I wish I still had some. Figures, doesn't it?

I plan to be out there Sunday morning with a few buddies.

I just came back from Canada Sept 12th I know how to target them, I plan on drifting slow death rigs, tipped jigs with stingers and little joe/lindy rigs for them. You will usually catch them on cranks that are trolled right as well but the best way to pull them is live bait or gulp.

PhotoTex is/was out there today . . . awaiting a report via email!

I'll be out there first thing, gonna throw my usual drop shot finesse style, but I have a 4/0 tied on and I have an "idea" I want to experiment with.

FWBanger, We will likely see you out there.

Brad

Unless something changes, I'll be there in my red Outback.

I managed a few largemouths on a rapala minnow. I had a nice one hit a foam hopper on my fly rod but she hung me in some vegetation and got away. It was a little windy but otherwise perfect weather.

I had zero, zip all morning long, visited a bank fishing friend for awhile, went back to the island, the wind finally picked up and I saw some shad moving off my kayak. Then, I caught 4 in a row over about 20 minutes. My best of the day was likely close to but maybe a bit shy of 4 lbs., a big mouth, big girth but not a very long LMB.

Last week, the lake was dead air until around noon. Wheeler is up high and normally windy.

I would call that a low wind day for out there.

Like David said to me, blue bird skies and relatively smooth water: fishermen like it; fish hate it.

The last two weeks for me? Slowing down from the pattern I got into where I was catching 10 to 12 LMBs over 6 or 7 hours.

Transitioning?

Pic attached.

Brad

Nice Fish Brad!

Cowtown Kid,

I should have mentioned that I REALLY dead-sticked the drop shot on those fish I finally caught at the very end of my day. I was so tempted to lift it up and re-cast and I was actually just about to do so when I caught the big one. So glad I left it in the water!

On slow and tough days, you have to really slow down, something I have to remind myself of constantly.

Alas, the other bass looked more like this one than the chunky one I posted before. But, I like catching all of them!

Hey! Note the water in the background of both photos - - - that was close to about the most wave action we saw all day.

Brad

I made a last minute decision to head out there, got there around 8AM.

Caught a few this size...


Couple of doe walked up on me...


My biggest one of the day...


Thanks for posting up, I've wanted to check out this lake since it opened. I was surprised at how small it is. Had a good time.