June 22 Report

[Tony Scime]

If could still do all-nighters, I would. Especially when the forecast calls for bright sun and light easterlies. But for some reason by 9:00 pm I tend to be exhausted and fall asleep.

But I also tend to be quite awake by 4am. So I'll do what my body wants - early mornings. Try to be on the water before sun-up.

Did a solo in the harbor this am. Started trolling about 5:15. Started with a Depthraider Hot Perch and a Perchbait silver flash. Waited til the sun rose a bit and shortly after 6am I put on a homemade black/silver jointed deep diver and a solid gold deep diver. Both these lures have caught me large harbor fish a life ago or so.

At 6:25 I released a 43 incher near the canal mouth. Caught on the black silver diver. Trolled til 10 with nothing more. But I'm very happy with a fish a morning.

North Gap seems to have lots of life swimming around (yesterday the south gap looked barren). But haven't hit anything after 7:00am (Jon had a rip at 7 yesterday). Bright sun and light east winds don't help, but that's changing tomorrow.

So I'll stick to early morns and try again tomorrow early am.

But I know the big ones are more susceptible in the middle of the night! So go for them, John P.

By the way, I didn't see another muskie fisherman in the North Gap this am.

Tony

[John Jarosz]

Nice report, Tony.  Thanks.  Might be going out solo this week.  Weather is supposed to be on the lousy side after Monday.

[John Pensyl]

At 450 I picked up and ran to the river to jig up some moss. Did real well, probably a 1000 lbs + landed. Didn't move a fish tho. Tough am, quit by 10, I was shot. I 100% agree lots of life in North gap, south side was just the opposite last night and I didn't stay down there long, barge crew was making quite the racket. I covered a lot of water, great deep weed beds along the walls.

[John Pensyl]

Oh the fish that slammed that flatstick pinned it to the rod holder and managed to take my flatstick from 50 feedback to 87 before I lost her. Had her on for maybe 15 seconds before she popped free. The tooth gouges in the bait are crazy, she bit that thing with some force.

[John Pensyl]

Feet back

[Stephen Glassic]

John, Is the moss mostly on the bottom or is it floating too?

[John Pensyl]

Floating moss. Was about at its worst yesterday. If your coming this way I'd hit the harbor.

[Scott McKee]

Steve, Jojo and I took one bottom-crushing troll today in UN4 and the moss wasn't bad at all.  From the Launch Club to the bridge we each had to clean twice.  The west river (UN13) was a mossy swamp throughout the water column on Saturday.  After seeing next to nothing in the river today, I agree with John's reply below.