The Forum title says fishing...

[Tom L]

Hello all. With spring upon us it is also time to start thinking about fishing. Not sure how many are into fishing. As for me it's a great way to get some fresh air that can be easily done from a rollator or wheelchair. As for me, I have enjoyed a number of fishing trips out on Lake Michigan and always came back with Lakers and Salmon. Now I really enjoy sitting by a smaller lake terrorizing the panfish. In the day, when I lived in Ohio we would often head out on Lake Erie and go for Walleye and the golden Perch. Both are still a favorite in my fry pan. What's your story?

 

[white eagle]

I can't wait to get the boat out again.
My old friend and I are attached at the hip for fishing season, good times for sure

 

[Tom L]

Where do you guys like to go, and for what?

 

[Toyboy]

Ah yes, getting ready to lube reels and reline. Were living in the heart of musky country so I'll pitch a few musky lures from time to time while fishing for other species. Wife and I enjoy trolling and bait casting. Rarely will we use live bait. We have a Johnson 4.5hp kicker on the boat for trolling. When we're using that, my wife describes it as "Driving Miss Daisy" She loves to troll and sight see.
We have a 1775 Lund Pro V that I've equipped with all bells and whistles that she gave me on my retirement day.
When we lived in Spring Green area, we'd come to different lakes here in the Hayward Lakes area. Now that we live here we've been going to Lake Vermilion in northern MN. Beautiful lake.

But as we age out, instead of taking a couple trips a year (Lake Vermilion and Lake of the Woods), it's become only day trips locally. My wife has taken he last ride/trip in the boat now. Year ago she fell and broke her hip. Even though it was successfully repaired she'll never fully recover.

Thinking back, we've been a guide boat for two governors openers on the Big Chip (Doyle & Walker), and also a participant guide boat for ten years for Fishing Has No Boundaries event on the Chip. Then became a Med boat for five yr. when my participant all those years quit coming.
Then covid hit and cheated all of us out of two years or more of our life. Since then nothing has been the same
Have a Wonderful Blessed Easter to all.
T

 

[Cracker57]

Toyboy you are lucky to up in the Hayward area, that is truly God's country, did a lot of riding horses in the north when I was a cowboy.
Good luck fish those monster musky.
Enjoy Easter

 

[Tabby]

I sold my boat a few years ago, it was a 14 foot 1967 Starcraft rescued from the shores of the Wisconsin River. It had been resting on it's side leaning against an Oak tree on the shore for 14 years when I finally bought it and hauled it home for restoration of sorts. All the wood was rotten, replaced the transom plywood with 2 inch clear cedar, seats with pine, scrubbed the mold and dirt off of the hull and initially put a 15hp Gale Buccaneer (OMC) on it. Replaced the Gale with a 2021 Mercury 15hp, fuel injected 4 stroke. It was a great boat, the first one that I owned that did not have any leaks. Sold it in 2024 not because there was anything wrong with it, The deep V hull was not very stable so it was easy to slip and fall, not something old ladies need to be doing. Fishing has been in a variety of different places, Lake Monona, Lake Wisconsin, Lake Winnebago, Green Bay as well as Lake Michigan out of Port Washington and Lake Superior out of Ashland. One of my favorite places is the Wolf River in Winneconne. I'm predominantly a Walleye, Northern Pike Catfish and Musky fisherperson. Walleyes are plentiful on the Wolf, caught an 19 pound cat last year and a 50 pound sturgeon the year before. Had to throw the sturgeon back, out of season and at 48 inches would have been too short to keep legally. If any of you are looking for a good place to stay and fish I highly recommend, The Landing on the Wolf. There is the river, a saloon and rooms all within crawling distance of each other as well as a boat launching ramp. There are a lot of locals that frequent the place, all great people which makes it a fun time. I'm heading up there with a girlfriend the middle of next month and counting the days.

 

[Toyboy]

We've had our boat on a lot of different lakes but never on Superior. The expanse of that lake is foreboding. Never on the Wisconsin river other than the Lake.
Our home was on a bluff overlooking the Wisconsin river, and we watched powerboats follow the channel and reveled at their being able to read the water.
We have a 17' Canoe that I would put our little 3hp on and go up river, once to Sauk City. But even then I'd tell my wife Pat," let me know if you see a sandbar coming up. ....OK.....thud, beached on a sandbar!!!...... Pat your suppose to be watching....well your going too fast" !!!
So putting our Lund is the river was not and option. But we were on Lake Wisconsin, White Mound, Redstone, and the Lakes in Gov Dodge many times.

 

[Tabby]

Fishing on Lake Superior Lake Michigan for that matter is not a venture to take lightly, especially in a 14 foot boat. The first consideration in both cases is that one does not go out unless the water is almost dead calm with the winds forecast to remain calm during the duration of your time on the water. A wind speed increase of only 5 mph at times can turn a fun time into a white knuckle adventure in an instant. The same rules apply for Green Bay. The key to safe fishing in a small boat is to stay close to shore where it's possible to make it to shore in a matter of a few minutes. In my case, chicken that I am that would equate to about 1/4 mile. Doesn't sound very far, but one of the things to keep in mind is there are a lot of fish swimming around near the shoreline.

As for the Wisconsin River, it can be challenging with the shifting underwater sandbars that make it easy to run aground. I fished the river from Sauk City to Spring Green and again this is a place to use caution and keep the speed down low, when moving up stream and when going downstream let the boat drift with the current using the motor to direct the boat through the main channel, wherever that may be during the day. I used to like to put in at Spring Green at Bob's Riverside Camp,

 

[Tom L]

Ah yes, getting ready to lube reels and reline. Were living in the heart of musky country so I'll pitch a few musky lures from time to time while fishing for other species. Wife and I enjoy trolling and bait casting. Rarely will we use live bait. We have a Johnson 4.5hp kicker on the boat for trolling. When we're using that, my wife describes it as "Driving Miss Daisy" She loves to troll and sight see.
We have a 1775 Lund Pro V that I've equipped with all bells and whistles that she gave me on my retirement day.
When we lived in Spring Green area, we'd come to different lakes here in the Hayward Lakes area. Now that we live here we've been going to Lake Vermilion in northern MN. Beautiful lake.

But as we age out, instead of taking a couple trips a year (Lake Vermilion and Lake of the Woods), it's become only day trips locally. My wife has taken he last ride/trip in the boat now. Year ago she fell and broke her hip. Even though it was successfully repaired she'll never fully recover.

Thinking back, we've been a guide boat for two governors openers on the Big Chip (Doyle & Walker), and also a participant guide boat for ten years for Fishing Has No Boundaries event on the Chip. Then became a Med boat for five yr. when my participant all those years quit coming.
Then covid hit and cheated all of us out of two years or more of our life. Since then nothing has been the same
Have a Wonderful Blessed Easter to all.
T

@Toyboy I wish you and your wife a blessed Easter as well as all of our friends here. And, I understand what you are saying. Same boat here. Between my health and my wife's crazy life as caretaker of me and two dogs, grandkids and all the rest we don't do a lot any more. At one point I had the Kenosha sheriff's old "patrol" boat. Had a 16' Ranger with a 90hp Merc outboard. That thing just flew. Added a trolling set up and some gear holders. Others would comment it would be a great fishing competition boat and would I want to sell it if I didn't need it. But, loved to get out really early or be there at dusk on Pewaukee, Geneva, Delevan etc. And, while at Pewaukee, especially near dark, I would try for a musky. No joy to be had on that front. My wife liked the ride and would knit, read or listen to music while I would fish. It was a lot of fun and makes for great memories. But, it's a new stage of life. My wife had her hip replaced. I've got all of my stuff and require O2 24/7, so our trips now, and there haven't been any in a long tie, were to very little lakes and ponds that have a pier we can sit on or appropriate shoreline and go drown some lures and terrorize panfish. Thanks to God we are able to be together, get fresh air, be by the water and pretend to be serious about our fishing. And if I caught nothing at all, more's the better. Hoping we'll be able to go again later this summer.

 

[Tom L]

I sold my boat a few years ago, it was a 14 foot 1967 Starcraft rescued from the shores of the Wisconsin River. It had been resting on it's side leaning against an Oak tree on the shore for 14 years when I finally bought it and hauled it home for restoration of sorts. All the wood was rotten, replaced the transom plywood with 2 inch clear cedar, seats with pine, scrubbed the mold and dirt off of the hull and initially put a 15hp Gale Buccaneer (OMC) on it. Replaced the Gale with a 2021 Mercury 15hp, fuel injected 4 stroke. It was a great boat, the first one that I owned that did not have any leaks. Sold it in 2024 not because there was anything wrong with it, The deep V hull was not very stable so it was easy to slip and fall, not something old ladies need to be doing. Fishing has been in a variety of different places, Lake Monona, Lake Wisconsin, Lake Winnebago, Green Bay as well as Lake Michigan out of Port Washington and Lake Superior out of Ashland. One of my favorite places is the Wolf River in Winneconne. I'm predominantly a Walleye, Northern Pike Catfish and Musky fisherperson. Walleyes are plentiful on the Wolf, caught an 19 pound cat last year and a 50 pound sturgeon the year before. Had to throw the sturgeon back, out of season and at 48 inches would have been too short to keep legally. If any of you are looking for a good place to stay and fish I highly recommend, The Landing on the Wolf. There is the river, a saloon and rooms all within crawling distance of each other as well as a boat launching ramp. There are a lot of locals that frequent the place, all great people which makes it a fun time. I'm heading up there with a girlfriend the middle of next month and counting the days.

When we lived in St. Louis would go cat fishing on the Mississippi. Makes a great meal... fried cat, hush puppies, some salad... not exactly a diet meal but really good! Cat is also good sauteed.

 

[Toyboy]

Tabby,
On your way to Bobs Riverside if you can recall about a mile past Arena landing, if you looked up to the hills/bluff on the right, you just might have see a house. some canoes mistakenly thought it was The House on the Rock. That was our home. We had a 180degree view up and down the river. We lived there 21 fabulous years before our move tho Hayward..

Tom L,
Pat and I have spent hours and hours in our boat. The Pro V is such a solid and stable craft. We were going to get the next size down, and was looking at them at Stark's in Prairie Du Chien. We were in it in the showroom and I got to think. Pat is a sidewinder when casting, and the distance between us seemed too close. So we went up a size. Purchased it from marine dealer in Madison. The 1775 Pro V has been perfect in size and comfort.
We chose the tiller version for the roominess it provides. it has a MinnKota on bow, Johnson 70 and 4.5 on back. Electronics have been upgraded over the years to which it now has a Garmin GPSMap 531 to keep us safe in the Lake of the Woods, and Garmin Striker 7dv for sonar.
Breaks my heart that my best friend will never be able to enjoy it anymore.
T

 

[Tabby]

One of the places we used to go shoot competitively in the Army was Camp Robinson in North Little Rock. At the time we went to Grandpaws Catfish House. There were two major items on the menu, fried catfish and fried chicken. Came with the usual sides but hush puppies to die for. It appears that the original place has closed or moved and might be running a food truck. If they were still open it would be worth the drive down there just for the catfish.

 

[Tom L]

Uncle Ed's All You Can Eat in Nashville was always a favorite for me. Not sure where there is a real fried cat and hush puppy joint in WI.