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June 21, 2003

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Fall Time Trophies!
by Captain Marty Papke

Fall Time Trophies, big fish, walleye's, northern pike and smallmouth bass and where are these conversations leading them, the Bay De Noc's waters of both Little and Big Bay De Noc the upper peninsulas must fishing area!
Now let it be known that fall is not the only time to getting bigger, trophy fish but generally the case is true. Let's examine what potential there is for you in fishing these waters and what techniques we use day in and out to catching these fall fish.

Walleye's hands down is what brings lot's of fisherman to this area every year and though cold, ugly weather generally is the case both Little and Big Bay De Noc have a reputation for being a "hot-bite" when the weather is bad!

Methods of fishing walleye can be many, but here are several we feel should help you catch more and bigger fish when visiting our waters.

Although trolling is a much preferred method at this time of year a method I use much of the time is live bait fishing these big walleye using minnows, big minnows and jigs. When talking about minnows my preference is Red Tail chubs, 3 to 5 inches in length and lip hooked on a Fire Ball jig and using a stinger hook can get those short hitters!. Equipment used and medium light action spinning rods like Abu Garcia Tournament or perhaps Fenwicks Legacy teamed with a Cardinal Reel and spooled with XL line in the 6 to 8 pound range. Working breaks and weed lines are a favorite covering lots of water by fan casting these regions. Water depths and check out ranges from 3 to 35 feet. Yes indeed-deeper waters are a classic fall pattern when finding big walleye. Places to check out: Kipling Bay, Center Reef and the breaks along both the east and west shoreline south of Gladstone. Keep an eye on your electronics and seeing fish you should spend time fishing fish. Whether using your electric motor for positioning, drifting while using the wind as your guide minnow and jig fishing is definitely a method of catching nice "eye's!"

Casting crankbaits over shallow water reefs containing good concentrations of baitfish and active feeding walleye. Fishing these regions tends to be best when winds are blowing up on these structures. Daytime bites are the rules especially when cloudy overcast days prevail. Cranking reels like the C 3 series from Abu Garcia are a hands down winner and easy to use and dependable in all kinds of weather.

One other method that takes good numbers of fish when using live bait is a live bait rig. One such example is the Roach Rig, a basic slip sinker rig that allows different length leaders or snell lengths to home in on active biting walleye. A Roach Rig shines when a slow bite is happening, as when a major cold front is going through. A great method of presenting this bait is tail hooking a lively Red Tail chub and letting it work in the face of these fall fish.


	Fish Identification
+ Musky + Pike and Musky + Walleye + Yellow Perch +Trout and Salmon
Fishing Manufacturer's
+Rapala +Yo-Zuri +Terminator +Abu-Garcia +Musky Mania +Berkley +Johnson +Lindy-Little Joe +Mepps +Spider Wire +Stren +Eagle Claw

++REGIONS++
+ WISCONSIN
+ UPPER MICHIGAN
+ LOWER MICHIGAN
+ MINNESOTA
+ ILLINOIS
+ CANADA
+ NORTH DAKOTA
+ ISLE ROYALE

Crankbaits, snap-weights, lead-core line and planer boards, Off-Shore's are seen in force at this time and they do work well! Trolling allows the angler to covering lots of water looking for active biting fish. Many of these fish are found as suspended and through trail and error correct trolling patterns are achieved and through repeated passes fish are caught fairly consistent.

Trolling is most effective when the boat is positioned to travel with the wind. Though expected as a great walleye fishery which indeed both Little and Big Bay De Noc are it is many times overlooked for it's other great fishing. Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass are great fall fish and abound in good numbers in our waters.

Methods of fishing Northern Pike are using big baits like Bionic Bucktails cast over the many heavy green weed beds that exist in good numbers through the bays. I like to tip these spinnerbaits with a large minnow as well bulking the bait up for getting the big fish. Smallmouth Bass are another fish that really start bulking up at this time of year and can give the angler lots of fun. Live bait fishing them is one option, but my favorite method is using crankbaits and plastics like Berkley's Power Bait whether Tubes or tails. Spots to fish: Nelson's Bay, the north end reefs, Kipling Bay and anywhere good green weedbeds exist of cabbage and coontail.

So when your thinking about "Fall Time Trophies" and somebody says Little or Big Bay De Noc don't just think it's walleye's because up here in the U.P. there exists other trophy fish like Northern Pike and Smallmouth Bass.

Experience our fishing and if you can bear the weather that October may bring you may just be able to catch the "trophy" of your fishing career! Remember bring the heavy clothes, our Carhartt's suits do the job and don't forget the camera!