Little Bay De Noc

[Wolffy]

We are heading up with a group the end of Jan. Looking for updates and thought I would seek information from guys that have been up this month.

Wolffy

[Steve White]

Wolfy,

End of Jan is still a long time away. Ice will change big time by then. As for right now you can forget about it. Was told today that a guy checking out the ice by the kipling launch had one of the city cops pull up to him. He was told if he went out on the water that he would be ticketed for tresspassing. Not sure how they could do that. May have just been a scare tatic for safety reasons. That should say something though.

Then like I said, end of Jan is a long time away. Will try to post updates as they come to me. As I too will be waitng to go.

Tight lines,

Steve

[msolberg621]

I know its a little late in the season to be starting a thread on little bay but gotta start one sooner or later.... Finally got a chance to get away for a few days so i talked a buddy of mine into going with up to little bay with me. fished friday night into sunday morning and ended up with 19 walleyes. they ranged from 17 to 30 1/4inches with most in the 19 to 24 inch range. it was the free fishing weekend for michigan so it was a zoo in most places with the mornings being a wash do to people drilling hole 30 yds from us during primetime.. kinda sucked but thats weekend fishing. both jigging and tipups produced fished. suckers running in the 5-6in size seemed to work a little better. maybe going back up for the last weekend of the season so we'll see what happens...

[catman]

I'm new to this board, but will try and post updates for Little Bay de Noc from now on for those that might be heading up to the Bays de Nocs.

At the present time there is 3-12 inches of ice on Little Bay de Noc with the thickest at the north end of the bay. Overall, pretty good ice from Gladstone north. Just stay away from the rivermouth areas and also the Saunder's Point area as there is some bad ice because of a barge that came into Gladstone not too long ago. Lots of current in the bay too after that warm-up. The rivers are flowing like they do in April just before the spring break-up. That said, if you use a little common sense, there really isn't anything to worry about. The conditions on the ice were horrible for a few days after the warm weather, but all the slush has now firmed up and it is very easy to get around again. The ice gets thinner and thinner as you go south from Gladstone towards Escanaba. There is only 3 inches in some areas, so extreme caution is highly recommended anywhere south of Gladstone.

The bite has actually been pretty good with walleye being caught on all the the reefs (1st, 2nd, and Center). The best bite has been at first and last light. Though some keepers are being caught on the deeper mudflats during the mid-day hours. I have not had the chance to get out since my wife and I were out on the 19th. We ended up with 4 "eaters" and a bunch of throwbacks that day. It's nice to see all the little ones since they haven't planted the bay in several years. So it looks like natural production is pretty good. Here is some video from that day and a picture of our "eaters". Happy New Year to Mr Haataja and all those on this board...
Kevin Lee

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFswHiPIJWU

www.sallmarresort.com
www.baydenoccharters.com
www.icedarter.com

[catman]

The info below was posted on our local fishing reports page. I'm just passing it on as I want everyone to be as safe as possible. The south winds today were rediculous. I'm sure we had lots of ice break up from Escanaba south and maybe even up into the bay itself between Gladstone and Escanaba. Anyway, be aware of the area referred to in the post below.
.................................................. ................................

I went out with a friend before sunrise this morning, south of the Terrace. We worked the breakline along that side with three inch shiners we got at Bay View Friday evening from Chris and stored overnight. I'll tell about the fish we caught, but I want to pass along a warning as well. Make sure you read it and think about it beforehand.

We landed just two walleyes, one 28" and another 21". Both hit spoons tipped with the minnows in 28' to 30' of water. We took my portable shanty because we were uncertain about the ice, and had trouble with the wind blowing the walls and partially covering the holes constantly. Honestly, the bite was slow even though we managed a couple nice fish.

Anyway the warning is this: The strong south winds apparently blew water up under the ice and caused several heaves. The first major jolt we felt (and heard) shook the shanty fairly hard. Later, another sharp jolt ran a six inch open water crack running right between the wheels of our ATV parked alongside the shanty. When we went out to investigate, we found that we were on a piece of ice about twenty feet by thirty feet or so that had broken free from the surroundings. Several other pieces were around us. Picture a jigsaw puzzle. We were on one of the pieces and surrounded by other pieces. There was no danger of drifting away, but if one of the pieces broke into smaller fragments, there could have been real trouble. We gathered our gear immediately and rode back to shallow water close to shore, crossing several open water cracks along the way.

That being said, I would advise against pulling a permenent shanty out there. I'd also avoid the area with a snowmobile or ATV. Going there during hours of darkness is probably not smart right now. The ice was about 8" to 10" thick, but certainly not stable. I think it is better to stay farther north for the time being.
***************


Kevin Lee
www.icedarter.com
www.sallmarresort.com
www.baydenoccharters.com

[Eric Haataja]

Ken thanks a ton for the heads up on the ice conditions.

If anyone ever travels to LBDN I strongly reccomend either hiring the Lee's or at least staying at their resort! These guys run one of the best guide services and resorts in the mid west!

Eric

[SheHateMe]

Wow Ken you really make the rounds on all the posting sites.

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I hit the ice yesterday afternoon. Actually I was out before Kenneth trying for Whitefish for awhile (no luck). Then Kenneth came out about 3:30. Kenneth started out in 49 feet of water but moved shallower (32 feet) after awhile because he was catching nothing but little guys. We both ended up with two keepers each and several throwbacks. Kenneth caught his fish on #7 Purple Rapalas, Holographic Green/Rainbow Ice Darters, Holographic Purple Ice Darters, and Chartreuse/Orange Tiger Ice Darters. I was in 36 feet of water. I caught all my throwbacks on the Holographic Purple Ice Darters but then switched to a #7 Glow Green Tiger Rapala about 5:15 and ended up catching both keepers plus losing another about 23 inches on the Rap. I had a big school of nice fish below my hole for about 20 minutes. Everytime I would hook one, the others would follow it about half way up. It was a short and sweet bite (5:30-5:49), but alot of fun. I have not seen that many good sized fish on my graph at one time like that in years. The only way I could coax the fish into biting was to jig the lure just about as hard as I could! Anything less, and they would start to head for the bottom. My keepers were 19 1/2 and 21 inches. My brother's were 16-18 inches I'm guessing. For only being 20 inch class fish, I could not believe how chunky my fish were. All in all, a pretty nice evening. It's always fun fishing with my brother. Especially when I catch the bigger fish!!!

Ice Update: Plenty with much more coming next week by the sounds of it! Anyway, from Gladstone north you will find a solid foot in most areas and getting close to 18 inches at the far north end. Between Gladstone and Escanaba you will find 8-10 inches. Many trucks driving on the ice north of Gladstone. Still just snowmobiles and atv's south of Gladstone. As always, be careful near any of the rivermouth areas and the "narrows" at Gladstone. Be especially aware of thin ice off Saunder's, Hunter's, and Squaw Points. Doesn't really matter how cold it gets, due to the currents, it just does not freeze to a safe thickness.

Special weather statement for next week: Colder than you know what!!! The statement I just saw said very cold air coming into the area on Monday lasting thru Thursday with lows of 25 below zero and highs not even reaching zero!!! That makes these 20 degree days seem pretty nice...

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I tried the morning bite today. All was going well with us having our lines in the water by 7:00 am. Didn’t really see too much on the electronics the first 45 minutes or so. But then we really started marking the fish. Unfortunately, this is also when some guys came out and started drilling holes from here to eternity. I swear they drilled for a half hour. Combine this with them also buzzing all around us on their snowmobile and it seemed to keep the walleye from hitting. Several times I have literally been watching walleye thru the hole and have a snowmobile buzz by a couple hundred yards away and watch that fish swim in the opposite direction. Needless to say, both Kenneth and I were a little ornery while this went on. Anyway, the noise finally settled down and low and behold we started catching fish. Lost half of the “primetime” bite, but at least we started catching fish. Kenneth started it off with a really nice 28 incher. Then a couple throwbacks. Then maybe 10 minutes later, he lost another hog. I still had the camera in my hand when my “deadstick” pole caught the attention of another fish and I hooked that fish and gave the camera to Kenneth. He didn’t know where the zoom button was so the video is a little too close-up. It was one of only 2 or 3 times I have had a walleye hit a Rapala that was just sitting there doing nothing! Oh well, take ‘em any way we can. This fish was a fat 20 incher. A couple more throwbacks and the “primetime” was over. Oh well, it was a beautiful morning to watch the sun rise while catching a couple nice fish. It could have been a little warmer though...

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWLmPEDa84k

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I got out again for a couple hours this evening. We were in a slightly different spot than last Saturday. Same 36 foot depth, just a little closer to deeper water this time. Anyway, we get out there and I realized I left my pole sitting on the tail-gate. Crap! It's far too cold to be riding back and forth to shore too many times. On the other hand, Kenneth pretty much had the shack set up and heater going when I got back, so there is always a "positve" I guess. Anyway, after releasing a couple little guys, I finally hooked a good fish but lost it. This was about 4:30 I think. Then a couple minutes later I lost another one! Both hit the solid gold Ice Darter (color code #1 I think?). Now that I think about, I better make sure I took off the hook protectors.... Anyway, then we had a little lull for about 20 minutes where we didn't see many fish at all. Then Kenneth hooked a keeper on a Purple Jigging Rapala. He said "just a little one" so I didn't even get the camera rolling. So he then procedes to slide a 17 1/2 incher through the hole! Anyway, about 10 minutes later, he hooked a really good fish, but this one got off. Then a little while later he landed one about 20 inches on a Red Grape Moonshine Shiver Minnow. For the better part of an hour I would say, we had good numbers of fish moving through. But getting them to bite was tough. Kenneth tried a soon tipped with a minnow again, but even that didn't work. And I never hooked another fish after the first two I lost. Not a great evening by and stretch, but still a fun couple hours!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoA9Hq35HBs

[Eric Haataja]

Awesome pics and fish thanks for the great reports!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you ever want to download your video you can also do it here......http://www.wisconsinfishingvideos.com/ it's a direct link to our site specifically designed for fishing video's!

Eric

[catman]

Most of the folks staying with us this past weekend struggled. Some of them did mark quite a few fish on their electronics, but could not get them to bite. My wife Theresa and I experienced the same thing yesterday afternoon. We tried for Whitefish first (with no luck).
I need to go back to hook-setting 101 I guess since I had both my fish come off again. Both felt like keepers too. The first one that came off was on a purple spoon tipped with a minnow tail and the other was on a #7 Green Glow Tiger Rapala. Theresa caught her first one (19 1/2 inches) on the Purple Holographic Ice-Darter. Then lost another about the same size on a #7 Green Glow Tiger. Then she pulled up an 18 incher on a tip-up just before we came in. If we could catch all the fish that took a look at our bait, we'd be all set. We had lots of lookers starting about 4:45 pm. But they didn't start biting until 5:15. Oh well, at least Theresa caught enough for our supper...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9DdREZJ6e4

[catman]

I don't know why I let my brother talk me into fishing today for how bloody cold it is. Plus they were calling for 15-25 mph winds. Luckily, the winds were not quite a strong as they predicted. Still very windy at times, but fishable. Anyway, my brother Kenneth did much better than me. I set up fairly deep again in 49 feet of water and never had any walleye come thru until 6:00 pm! It was a big school though as I had several fish on the graph while trying to get the one fish I caught to bite. But they didn't stay around long and I ended up with just the one 22 incher. Kenneth was in 37 feet of water and caught his 1st walleye about 4:30 I think. But he had walleye moving thru off and on until just after dark. He ended up landing 3. They were all around 21-22 inches. It seems like we have a strong year class in this size right now. All in all, a nice evening fishing with my brother...

Ice conditions...Plenty of ice just about everywhere (as you might expect). Travel is good too with only about 6 inches of snow on the ice. Probably have ice until June if things don't change weather wise! Getting close to 3 feet at the north end of the bay in spots. At least that is what I heard. We haven't had that much ice in years. Well, time to clean my fish and go to bed dreaming of walleye for breakfast...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muE_0HbLJ3A

[tds1977]

Fished the shipping channel this weekend. Fishing was kind of slow but the quality was there. Here are some pics.

[tds1977]

and a few more

[Northernhunter]

We have been going up to Little bay for the last couple months here and there. Our first trip up we landed around 30 walleyes in the 5-11 pound range for four people. OF course we got spoiled, since then it has been much slower, But the quality of the fish have been great. We have been set up in 20-25 feet of water on a mud flat. The most action comes right at dawn in the morning. With the occasional flag at around 11:30 pm. We have also been catching a few bonus jumbo perch as well.

[Northernhunter]

Here are a few more pictures.

[Northernhunter]

Here are two more the first one was this guys first walleye ever on a tip up. And the second is one we got last year that i believe was 13 or 14 pounds. We are going to be up the first week in march again, was wondering if anyone was having any luck off of kipling yet? We have a camper out there right now, but were wondering if we should move it or just keep it where it is thanks.

[walleyewackr]

here is some fish from saturday mid morning, had a 21,25,25,28,281/2,29

[walleyewackr]

here was the 29 that we estimated at 10 1/2 to 11lbs, the picture does this fish's belly no justice true hog mama, all swimmin to see another day

[Eric Haataja]

I'm jealous! Awesoew fish! Thanks for sharing them! How deep did you get your fish?

[walleyewackr]

eric we were in 20-26ft. with lines covering all depths, fish are really starting to stage in certain areas, one more thing eric the menominee was still completely iced over all the way up to the dam, obviously that will change hopefully in the next few weeks

[catman]

I got out for awhile this evening and had an ok bite. Didn't see much for the first couple hours though but Whitefish ( I think ) . But about 7:45 bigger fish started moving through and I actually coaxed 3 of them into biting. They got bigger as time went on. The first one was 17 inches. The 2nd was 21 inches. The third turned out to be a beautiful 27 incher. I would have released her, but by the time I got her through the hole, she had really did a number on her gills and was bleeding like a stuck pig. So breakfast she will be! The walleye stopped coming through about 8:15. I still had fish coming through, but after about 10 of the them went by with-out hitting, I thought they might be Burbot. So I reeled up and put a piece of meat on a glow lure and dropped it back down. Indeed, the next fish that showed interest did turn out to be a Burbot so I think that was what the others were too. Wish I would have put a glow lure on sooner because after I caught that Burbot, they quit coming through (figures). The hot lure tonight was a #9 RS Jigging Rapala. I was in 36 feet of water jigging 6 feet off bottom. All in all, a nice evening getting soaked in the rain...Kevin Lee

[Eric Haataja]

Thanks for the report Kevin!

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I didn't get on the ice until almost 7:00 pm. The fish were there as soon as we got set up. Infact, he hollored on the walkie-talkie that he had his first keeper already and I didn't even have my lines in the water yet! He really ticks me off sometimes! We were both in about 41-42 feet of water. I don't know how many he released. I ended up with 8 throwbacks, 2 eaters, and lost two more keepers. He caught one more eater and had 3 more keepers come un-hooked. So he should have had his limit. He always teases me when I have fish come un-hooked. Now the shoe is on the other foot!!! The fish were really aggressive tonight. Not much hesitation at all. I'm sure that's why I didn't get good hook-sets in my last two fish. The darn things left vapor trails on the graph and kind of caught me by surprise. Oh well, we had almost non-stop action for a good hour and ended up with 4 fish for the pan. Nothing wrong with that. I think we caught fish on every color Rap and Ice-Darter we tried tonight. Two days to go...

[catman]

My brother Kenneth had his first charter of the season today. He was fishing with longtime client Dale Dewildt of Appleton Wisconsin. They had to really work for them compared to past years, but still ended up with a two man limit. The best tactic was simply drifting with Lindy Rigs and floating jigs tipped with a 1 or 2 inch piece of crawler. The water temperatures are still pretty chilly at 52-53 degrees and the fish don't seem to want to chase anything yet. Once the water warms up a bit more, the bite should improve a bunch. I'm actually putting two different links to videos on here. I mean't to post a video link of the walleye spawn, but forgot!!! So check out the spawning walleye as well as todays catch.Good luck on the water folks...
Kevin Lee
Sall-Mar Resort

Walleye spawn- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PnYu_pICuo

May 19th catch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG6tJbZjuuc

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his good friend Captain Jay Neiman hit the water yesterday evening and had their limit in just a couple hours time. All the fish came on crawler harnesses in 6-12 feet of water. Purple was the best color on the spinners. So this is one pattern that is working. At the same time, several of our guests have been catching pretty good numbers of suspended fish. Yesterday, lots of fish were only 12 feet down in 35-40 feet of water. Today, 17 feet down was the key depth while fishing in the same 40 foot water. Maybe the bright sun forced them a little lower. The wind also let up for a change too (about time!!!). Nice fish have also been caught by folks simply long line trolling in 6-10 of water with cranks near the top of the breaks in the evening. But you have to do this where the wind has been blowing in and dirtying up the water. The bay seems to have pretty good numbers of walleye in it right now with the bite getting a little better each day as the water warms. Good luck on the water folks...
Kevin Lee
Sall-Mar Resort
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xT7jmXkPY8

[catman]

Over all, the bite so far this season has been very up and down. It seems more up when the weather is the most crappy!!! My brother Kenneth's charter trip today was a good example. Though it was just a five hour trip, his two clients still caught their limit with a few throwbacks as well. It was a steady rain all day with strong northeast winds making for very difficult boat control. But his two clients are repeats, so they know what to do now which allows Kenneth to really concentrate on keeping them on their "line". Many of the fish today were suspended 10-15 feet down in 25-35 feet of water. This makes sense since walleye prefer a 72 degree water temperature, and at the rate the water is warming up this year, we'll never get there. So the fish are rising up to the warmer water near the surface. Infact, a buoy near Washington Island is only registering a 39 degree surface temp as of yesterday. They were trolling with bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. But even though the fish were more active, they still had to feed line out when a board starting looking "funky" before starting to real the fish in. So anyway, the fish are out there, but a little warmer water would sure improve things. Good luck on the water folks...

Kevin Lee (Sall-Mar Resort)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2DjC1vjXAA

[catman]

Since Monday, the bite right went right to heck for the most part. Just telling it like it is folks...My brother Kenneth has been on the water everyday since (including today). I don't think there has been anymore than 4 keepers caught per trip since Monday's trip. I don't know what turned off the fish, but something sure changed. I still think the bite will improve a bunch if we can ever get this water to warm up. I think it was only 54 degrees yesterday. But that's fishing I guess. Makes you appreciate the good days even more! Good luck on the water folks...

Kevin Lee
Sall-Mar Resort

[Eric Haataja]

Thanks for the great reports you guys run a class act outfit and I hope to make a visit to your resort some day!

Eric

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had an absolutely fabulous day on the water today. His clients were a grandfather, son, and grandson. Up until today, Kenneth was averaging right around 7 keeper walleye per trip on his charters (which is terrible for him). He was starting to get a little cranky too! But this morning, all the pieces fell into place, and quick too. I called him about 9:30 to see how they were doing, and they had already caught 22 keepers! But what is really, really, great about today's trip is that all the fish were caught pitching jigs tipped with 1/2 a crawler. Green and Chartreuse were the best colors. Trolling is fun, but it's not the same as feeling a walleye inhale your jig and then setting the hook yourself! They ended the day catching somewhere around 35 keepers and quite a few throwbacks. We figured that once the water warmed up, the bite would improve immensely, and it looks like that is what happening. The warmer the water on Little Bay de Noc, the better the fishing, period. Good luck on the water folks... Kevin Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iop6G3fl0A0

[catman]

After putting the hurt on a bunch of "eaters" yesterday, my brother Kenneth took the same clients over to Big Bay de Noc today hoping to find a "mounter" for the 14 year old grandson to catch. Mission accomplished as young Kyle Gibson landed a beautiful 29 1/2 inch walleye. I'm not sure if they weighed it or not, but it was a pretty stout fish and will be going to the taxidermist. They caught a few others too, but that fish was the highlight of the day. So congrats to Kyle on a job well done because you know those big brutes have a knack of getting off!

Kevin Lee

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[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had another great day today landing 20 keeper walleye by 11:00 am pitching leadhead jigs tipped with half a crawler along the edge of the weedlines. The water temperature on Little Bay de Noc now stands at 76 degrees. Weedgrowth is showing improvement too which will help out the pike fisherman by at least giving them a place to start. The pike fishing really takes off though in July and August for anyone looking to have fun with those toothy critters. But September is still the best for fish over 40". I spoke to a friend fishing the waters off Cedar River and he said the Alewives are in so thick you can hardly troll for walleye anymore because of constantly snagging the Alewives. All in all, aside from Cedar River, pretty good action is being seen right now. Good luck on the water folks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mCk2WFegO0

[catman]

The fish are still bitin'. My brother Kenneth and his clients brought back 14 keepers by 11:00 am on todays half day trip. Nothing real big, but lots of fun when you are catching them by fan casting leadhead jigs in the shallows. Other folks are jigging for them too, but don't seem to be catching the numbers that my brother has been catching lately. I think the difference is that Kenneth is actually "snap-jigging" . By this I mean he and his clients are snapping the jig with half crawler at a very fast pace. Just about as hard a snap as you can without losing your crawler. Most of the time, Kenneth says the fish are grabbing the jig on the fall and already have the jig in their mouth when you go to snap it. With water temperatures in the mid 70's right now, the fish are really active and relating very well to the faster pace of snap-jigging. Just wanted to throw that observation in there. Good luck on the water folks...
Kevin Lee

[catman]

My wife and I went out with my brother Kenneth yesterday evening. We left the Gladstone Harbor a little after 4:30 and was back here at the resort by 9:00. We had a great time even though Kenneth kicked our butts! I think he had 3 keepers before either Theresa or I landed our 1st fish. He went on to catch his limit in a pretty short time. Theresa and I just plodded along catching one here and there as we watched Kenneth release fish after fish! She was having a hard time keeping the crawler on her jig. I started out trying all different forms of Berkley Gulp, but eventually had to switch to the real thing. There have been times I have done really good on Gulp, but yesterday, real nightcrawlers definitely made a difference. Chartreuse seemed to be the best color on the jigs. We saw water temperatures from 58-61 degrees and had the best action in the 61 degree water. All in all, a great evening on Little Bay de Noc. See you on the water…
Kevin Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EaaNIMAndk

[catman]

My brother Kenneth had Dale Dewildt of Appleton Wisconsin out Monday and found a tough bite. I think they brought back 5 keeper walleye, a pike, and a few perch. Today's 5 hour trip was a little better with 10 walleye put in the box. Kenneth said they spent the first 3 1/2 hours searching for active fish before finally finding some. But once they found them, it was non-stop action for the last hour and a half. I'm not sure about Monday's fish, but all the fish today were caught pitching 1/4 oz. jigs in 5-10 feet of water where the temperature was a couple degrees warmer. Most of the bay is in the mid to upper 60's. But they found a pocket of 71 degree water and that made all the difference in the world. Charteuse and Lime/Orange were the two best colors on the jigs. With Orange coming in 3rd. My wife Theresa and I were out yesterday casting spinnerbaits for pike. We didn't catch any big ones, but sure had fun none the less. Black skirt with orange blade was the best color on the spinnerbaits when it was cloudy, and a chartreuse skirt with copper blades produced best when the sun was shining. Over all, not bad fishing I guess...Kevin Leewww.sallmarresort.com
www.baydenoccharters.com

[catman]

My brother Kenneth had the same guys out yesterday for another 5 hour trip. They had to go out in the afternoon though because thunderstorms were rolling through in the morning. That said, they had a riot catching at least 50 walleye. But................only 6 were keepers. Plus a couple perch I think. Summer is going quick folks, better get out there enjoy it before it's gone!!!
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.com
www.baydenoccharters.com

[catman]

What a difference the water temperature makes. Though it hasn't really raised all that much since it's still only about 69-70 degrees (way below normal), it has at least stayed constant! We have finally had south winds for the most part, and the fish like it!!! On today's trip, my brother Kenneth had three great guys out from the Chicago area out and they had their 15 fish limit in just 2 1/2 hours. It made for a short day, but they didn't care as they were more than happy to come in early and get started frying up the fish. They are long time clients and just some of the nicest folks you will ever meet. Today's fish were caught trolling crawler harnesses with orange blades being the best color on the spinners. Purple came in 2nd. Nice of summer to finally show up. I hope it sticks around awhile...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lV5drlXsTM

[catman]

The walleye bite continues to swing wildly from one day to the next. One day they are biting like they haven't eaten in a year, and the next day they either have lock jaw or have made a drastic move. There has been alot of wind lately too (which hasn't helped). Thursday, my brother and a couple friends had a real good day though. They started off casting spinnerbaits for pike in the morning. The pike action was so-so. They caught a few fish, but not what Kenneth was expecting. Nothing over 40 inches. Then they came in for lunch and went back out and fished smallmouth for awhile. Then switched to walleye in the evening. They had a riot with the smallmouth with most of the fish averaging 3-4 pounds with a couple over 20 inches. The walleye bite was actually pretty good. I don't remember how many they brought back, but they were quality fish. I'm pretty sure the walleye were caught on cranks. Most of the smallmouth came pitching tubes along the drop-offs with quite a few fish actually taken along the inside edge of the weedline. Oh, the biggest smallmouth in last weekends Bass Federation Tourney here on the bays was a whopping 6 1/2 pound smallmouth. Now that's a big smallmouth! Well, time for bed. See ya on the water (if I can sneek away).
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had a good afternoon and evening on the bay yesterday. Caught some real brutes too! The bite for the most part though is still very inconsistent. Some of the fish yesterday were taken trolling spinners with crawlers just above the weeds, and some came trolling cranks after dark (the bigger fish after dark). Northern Pike action has been much more consistent, though not as many big ones (over 40") as we usually see. But September is always best for big pike anyway. Summer is winding down fast folks, better get out there...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XVrmU-RkYE

[catman]

It was day two for Henry, Gene, and Mike Otten from the Milwaukee area fishing with my brother Kenneth last Friday. It turned out to be another great day of fishing. Actually, it's always a great day when you are fishing, so maybe I should say it was another great day/evening of catching! The guys had a riot and are now well stocked in the walleye fillet dept. to make it thru the winter. Gosh, I hate to even think of winter since we had no summer! Anyway, the best action once again came trolling cranks after dark. They quit at the perfect time as it started to rain just as they pulled back into the resort just before mid-night. Yesterdays trip after the cold front went thru totally stunk though! The water temperature had dropped 5 degrees and the fish were just not biting. Some folks reported temps. as cold as 27 degrees yesterday morning!!! Anyway, they struggled just to catch the two keepers they ended up with on the 5 hour charter. Here is a picture and video of last Friday's catch. Hope to see you on the water... Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrFBaJOhpNE

[catman]

My brother Kenneth had a little better bite this afternoon. But the winds sure didn't help anything. The fish were caught on both spinners with crawlers and cranks. Beats the heck out of yesterday, that's for sure. See you on the water...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS0rY7JFi0

[catman]

Kenneth and his 3 clients cranked on yesterday's 5 hour trip bringing back 17 total ( Ken kept a couple for himself ). They had a couple doubles and even a triple. All the fish came on spinners and crawlers. I'll have to check and see what the hot color was and get back to you. Looks like the weather is going to cooperate for the weekend folks, better get out there...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzl4x2i1kkg

[catman]

Pretty darn good bite happening right now. This bite is what we expected in August! But like everything else this year, it too seems to be running late... Kenneth and his clients just tore them up yesterday bringing back 19 walleye and a descent pike one of the young boys caught. What great weather too with it almost 80 degrees. I dread even thinking about winter. Though I did find a couple new spots the last week of the ice-fishing season I am kind of looking forward to hitting again. Anyway, the fish are bitin'. I think I better try and get the wife out one of these days and earn some brownie points...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4XJqyEGLoY

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net
906-553-4850

[Eric Haataja]

Great thanks for the reports those are some nice fish!!!

Eric

[catman]

Kenneth found the bite a little slower yesterday. But he and his clients still came back with some nice fish. All the fish were caught on spinners and crawlers. I believe the best color on the spinners was purple. One of the other Charter Captains up here (Captain Keith Wils) also had a good day yesterday catching 15 yesterday morning between Gladstone and Escanaba. Better get out there folks because the fish are biting...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u-pEhKyAlE

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had another pretty good evening yesterday. I sure hope this weather keeps up awhile longer. Purple was one of the best colors on the spinners again. Hey, did you see that moon last night? It's no wonder the fish were biting...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE1DxLHTIfU

[catman]

Well, the high winds forced my brother Kenneth and his clients from the Chicago area to stay inside the bay today. But, the high winds really turned the fish on! They had a great afternoon bringing back 15 walleye total. I was really surprised that the two biggest fish ( the biggest was 27 1/2" ) came from inside the bay since it's way too early for the big girls to have migrated back in. But they did. My brother said they caught them all drifting with Lindy rigs. But he kind of had a XXit eating grin on his face when he told me, so I'm not sure about that. He might just be having some fun with me. I'll just ask his clients tomorrow because I would bet that they came on spinners and crawlers. Nice mess of fish though. All last week, the water temperature continued to rise reaching 74 degrees in some areas. I don't think we have ever seen the water warm up in September like we did last week. What a crazy summer. The long range forcast says temperatures are supposed to run 30-40 % above normal from now all the way until the end of February. Could be one of those years when we are still out there at Christmas in boats...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0qAB1CqJNs

Kevin Lee
www.baydenoccharters.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and Captain Keith Wils each took 3 guys out from a party of 6 this past Friday and Saturday mornings on 5 hour trips. Calling the bite tough would be understatement! Neither boat caught anymore than a couple walleye and a couple pike on either day. Kenneth's 5 hour trip this evening with Steve Lambert was a little better. Not great, but an improvement none the less. It was quality over quantity with them bringing back 6 really nice walleye. I think Kenneth said they all came on cranks with the exception of one (which hit a spinner). He didn't say what the water temperature was, but I'll ask him and post it tomorrow. It was only 19 degrees on our thermometer at the store this morning, so I'm thinking the water temperature just might have dropped!!! Special thanks to his wife Dawn for coming out and helping hold the stick. Good luck on the water folks...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woCcf8Gb5ec

[catman]

My brother Kenneth had Steve Lambert out for another 5 hour trip yesterday evening. Since there was extra room in the boat, I tagged along with my "flip" video camera. We got on the water around 3:45 pm and it wasn't too long before the first fish was hooked. But......it happened to be a pike. Descent one though. We were trolling with leadcore line and stick baits. Thankfully there wasn't much wind since it was snowing the whole darn time. I know one thing, I need to get a serious foul weather suit before I go out in weather like that again!!! Aside from the weather, it was a pretty good evening on the water. The bite was actually best when we first got on the water and seemed to tail off the closer we got to dark. Ended up with 9 walleye, a whitefish, 2 pike, and a huge carp. A carp and a whitefish on a crankbait, now that doesn't happen too often. Good luck on the water folks...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net
www.baydenoccharters.net
906-553-4850

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idbbvzsoeF4

[catman]

My brother Kenneth had Russ McKay and his buddy (who's name escapes me) from northern Illinois out yesterday. They marked lots of bait and fish, but could not get them to go. Started off on the wrong foot as the first two fish to bite, came un-buttoned! Ended up with 5 decent walleye and one more throwback. Just a "heads up" for all of you, sign the guest book on our NEW website www.sallmarresort.net and you could be one of five names drawn to receive 3 nights of free lodging! The drawing will be March 16th, 2010. E-mail notification will be sent to the winners immediately after the drawing.

Kevin Lee

[catman]

Guest Nick Dood and his buddies had a great evening yesterday on the bay. They landed 24 total having to release 4 fish that were over the slot limit. Best crank by far was the blue/silver Rattling Rogue. All the fish were caught between Gladstone and the head of the bay. Great job guys!!! Don't forget to sign the guest book on our new website ( www.sallmarresort.net ) to be eligible to win one of five free 3 night lodging give-aways. I moved the drawing date to December 16th though for folks who need to put in for next years vacation time at the end of this year...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VduKFFiXW6c

[Eric Haataja]

simply awesome nice work!!!

[catman]

Over all, I would say the walleye bite is off to a slow start on Little Bay de Noc. There is plenty of ice now in the upper bay though with 6-10 inches pretty much everywhere. Probably add a couple more tonight too as it's real cold and blowing like heck. Have not heard much of anything on the perch bite. Walleye's have been real hit and miss. A few are being taken though. A friend of mine (John McDonald) caught his limit of walleye Friday landing 4 eaters and one nice 9 pounder. Then his brother (Captain Jim McDonald) caught 4 nice eaters yesterday afternoon. So, like I said, there are a few walleye being caught, but not the numbers we usually see at this time of year. One surprise is that there seems to be lots of Burbot in the bay already. If you have not eaten Burbot, you do not know what your missing... So anyway, the walleye bite is so-so at this time. Just telling it like it is folks!!! Hope to see you on the ice...

[catman]

:cool:Yippee, two of the illegal netters that were recently caught netting on Big Bay de Noc were sentenced today http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/516739.html?nav=5003 . I still would have liked to see the maximum sentence handed down, but that's just my opinion. Anyone else agree with me???

[catman]

:cool:Yippee, two of the illegal netters that were recently caught netting on Big Bay de Noc were sentenced today http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/516739.html?nav=5003 . I still would have liked to see the maximum sentence handed down, but that's just my opinion. Anyone else agree with me???
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[walleyewackr]

sounds like they got what they deserved, should of gottne the max however. should not be allowed to hunt or fish period in the future, people like that make me sick

[Eric Haataja]

Good!!! Glad to hear it! I tell you what I keep telling myself that one of these years I'm going to make it back up to LBD for some more of those tasty walleye's!!!!!!!!!!! Your guys resort and reputations as far as taking care of your customers is aweome up there! I gurantee one of these days I will stop up there and hopefully get to fish with you guys!!

Eric

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I had the lines in the water by 4:00 this afternoon (late start). After only about 10 minutes or so, I hooked into a good fish. It turned out to be nice northern just shy of 36 inches. Sure was fun on a jig pole though!!! It was such a pretty fish, I just had to release her. Several years ago, I landed two northerns over 40 inches on my jig pole in the same season. Todays fish brought back those great memories. After that, both of us were marking fish off and on. Some of which appeared to be good sized, but we could not get them to bite. I finally caught a 16 1/2 inch eater about 5:15. Then a 15 1/4 at 5:40. Kenneth only caught a couple of dinks during this time. At 6:00, we both switched to fishing for Burbot. Kenneth caught a nice 7 1/2 pounder, I got blanked. We fished another half hour with no more Burbot and left. I caught the pike on a #9 "RS" Jigging Rap. The first walleye came on a size 8 "Trout" Ice Darter www.icedarter.net , and the other walleye on a #9 Green Glow Tiger Jigging Rap. Not great action, but could be worse given the short time we fished. Ice is in great shape, but we could use a little snow as there isn't much out there right now. We had about 8 inches where we were. Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[Eric Haataja]

I tell ya those eyes sure look tasty!!!!!!!!!

Eric

[walleyewackr]

yes cant wait to get up there, have 3 trips planned up there for this year. unfortunatly wont be able to make up there till the end of jan. petenwell this weekend and sturgeon bay next weekend at least. last time we were up there which was last feb i hooked into a low 40's pike on the jig rod, had her in the whole once but couldnt land her. was in gin clear water down by esky and you could see her way down was really cool. darn pike ended up stealin the only color jiggin rap i was gettin eyes on though, old school color. eric if you ever want your more then welcome to stay with us, we sleep right out on the ice in pop up campers, fun times. only time we leave the ice is for bait or what not, eat like champs and usually do pretty well fishin wise. between 6 guys last year we had 9 over 28" and several between 23-27, and some bonus pike and perch as well.

[tds1977]

Catman,

Appreciate the reports. I have the yearly LBDN trip planned for February. I have a question. You mention in your last report that you "switched to fishing for burbots." I enjoy catching them and actually registered a fish last year for the Master Angler Program. They are the bonus fish for us. Any tips for targeting them directly instead of the 'bonus' catch while fishing for eyes?

Thanks! Can't wait to get back up.

[catman]

Catman,

Appreciate the reports. I have the yearly LBDN trip planned for February. I have a question. You mention in your last report that you "switched to fishing for burbots." I enjoy catching them and actually registered a fish last year for the Master Angler Program. They are the bonus fish for us. Any tips for targeting them directly instead of the 'bonus' catch while fishing for eyes?

Thanks! Can't wait to get back up.

It's really quite easy to catch Burbot if you actually target them. Burbot feed most heavily at night. You mainly want to fish the base of the steep drop-offs on Little Bay de Noc and will do better south of Gladstone. The Burbot we have been catching so far have come from the "narrows" at Gladstone. Once the ice is better, then we will go further south with the drop-off in front of the Terrace Bay Inn being one of our favorite spots. Burbot see extremely well after dark. We jig for them anywhere from 3-6 feet off bottom and sometimes 10-12 feet off bottom if fishing the super clear water closer to Escanaba. You want to use a lure that glows really good and tip it with a minnow. One of the best lures we have found is the Firetiger colored glow in the dark Buckshot Rattle Spoon. I usually hook a 3-4 shiner/sucker in the tail. That way when the Burbot comes up to investigate the lure, the minnow is staring him right in the face!!! They will almost always inhale your bait. They are very aggressive feeders. I have a friend that did very good on Burbot last winter catching them during the day on Crystal Lake in Lower Michigan. He was simply using tip-ups with dead 4-6 inch suckers and letting them set right on the bottom. I have not tried this yet though on Little Bay. Hope this helps and good luck...

[catman]

PS.
They feed all night too. I have sat out there until mid-night or 1:00 in the morning and caught as many as a dozen. It's my kind of fishing (nice and quiet) . So fish as late as you want. Just thought I would let you know...

[tds1977]

Catman,

That's great. I appreciate the tips. I will definitely be doing the better part of my fishing at night. There seems to be much more action. Thanks again, and I will report back in a couple weeks. Good luck.

[duckc.1187]

anyone have a report for the deep basin off vagabond, if not anyone have current ice and snow conditions/any cracks for this area. kinda wierd havent seen a crack over there in a couple years use to see one regularly when i first started coming up. also wondering if this weeks warmer weather will cause travel or fishing issues. thanks duck

[catman]

anyone have a report for the deep basin off vagabond, if not anyone have current ice and snow conditions/any cracks for this area. kinda wierd havent seen a crack over there in a couple years use to see one regularly when i first started coming up. also wondering if this weeks warmer weather will cause travel or fishing issues. thanks duck

The ice is in great shape off the Vagabond. And it doesn't look like it's going to get warm enough to do any damage to ice. If anything, I'm excited because we should have some comfortable weather to fish for the next 10 days or so...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My wife Theresa and I tried another spot this evening that we have never fished before with so-so results. We really didn't mark all that many, but she did catch her first hog of the season! I only had one hit the whole time, and the darn thing came off. It did feel like a keeper though. It hit a "doctored up" #9 GGT Rap about 6 feet off bottom. Theresa started off catching a couple throwbacks. Then about 5:45 she hooked into a good one. Turned out to be dandy 28 inch walleye that weighed exactly 8 pounds. Unfortunately, the darn thing flopped pretty hard just before I took her picture, and in the process, ripped one of her gills. We didn't think she would make it, so we ended up keeping her and had her for dinner tonight! I had to set the video camera down to help get the fish thru the hole, but the camera was still running and you can hear how excited my wife was when I got the fish on the ice. Theresa caught one more throwback after that and then we came in. I think Theresa caught the first two throwbacks on a #7 Clown Rap and the last two fish on a size 8 Holographic Blue/Green Ice Darter. Have to try this spot on a cloudy day next time. I think it has potential. A friend of mine that was fishing a little shallower than us marked way more fish than we did tonight. He also caught a hog. See ya on the ice...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4NQkDL4Jxo

[catman]

My wife Theresa and I marked more fish than we did last night, but getting them to hit is a whole different story! That said, Theresa finally caught a small one that was only 13 inches (#7 Clown Rap), but it took ten minutes to get the darn thing to hit! A short while later, I hooked into a pig using a spoon and Gulp minnow (picture) jigging 6 feet off bottom. It turned out to be a little longer than Theresa's big fish last night at 29 inches (though not as heavy). Sorry the video is foggy. Theresa just thought the view finder was fogged up, but it was actually the lens. A few minutes later Theresa caught about a 16 inch eater to end the evening on a size 8 Holographic Blue/Green Tiger Ice Darter. It was a short time span of no more than a half hour that the fish seemed to be actively feeding. That half hour sure is fun though...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQEDMH8bo7Q

[catman]

Well, my wife and I thought we were kicking big walleye butt with her catching a 28 inch walleye Wednesday and myself a 29 incher Thursday. But then longtime guest (now good friend) Brian Frost came in the store and "let the air out of our sail". He and his friends didn't catch any numbers today, but they sure caught some quality fish. Brian's friend John (last name escapes me) caught a decent northern, Matt followed with a little better one at 32 inches and 9 1/2 pounds. Then Brian topped it off with a piggy walleye that is going on the wall. It came in at 30 1/4 inches and a whopping 11 1/2 pounds! Brian was hoping to get his wall mounter, so I guess this trip is a success. Congratulations Brian!!! Two other guys staying with us ended up with 5 eaters today and lost two more that were keepers. Yesterday, my dad snuck out of here for a couple hours and caught a few nice perch. Good luck on the ice folks...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

The same four guys (Brian, John,Mark, and Matt) that caught the real nice fish Saturday, decided to hit Big Bay de Noc Sunday and Monday. Sunday, they caught two pike of 26 1/2 inches and 35 inches, plus two identical walleye. Both walleye were 28 1/2 inches and 9 lbs. Monday's trip saw a 24 inch walleye, 28 1/2 inch 9 lb. walleye, 31 inch 11 lb. walleye, and 36 1/2 inch pike. While the guys aren't catching any numbers of fish, you sure can't argue with the size of these fish! Good luck on the ice folks...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

I had two more pics...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[trophy_taker]

Heading up to Bay de Noc on the 30th of Jan and staying til Feb 1st. How's the ice looking up there. Any spots a guy should be worried about. Will be bringing the four wheeler to use on the ice. Never fished up there but always wanted to. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[catman]

The ice is very good, but not as thick as past years. You will be fine with four wheelers and snowmobiles, but I would keep the vehicles off. We have had three trucks go thru the ice in the past three days. Luckily, all the occupants escaped with out injury. Over all, this year has been very mild. We are supposed to warm again into the mid 30's this weekend. Each warm up we have weakens the ice. Plus, every time the wind blows from the north, warmer water gets sucked back into the bay melting the ice from the bottom. Lack of snow cover is also letting the sun honeycomb the ice just like it does in the spring. So anyway, we have plenty of good ice, but not enough for vehicles (in my opinion)...Good luck on your trip.
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[Adam]

catman, great reports, and even more great fish!!!!!!!

I have been walleye fishing Sturgeon Bay area for the last 6 years and doing pretty well, but going to make the maiden voyage to BayDeNoc this next week to stay with some friends. We are going to be fishing right off Squaw Point, as that is (somewhat close) where my friend lives. My question is, what would be a good starting depth? Not looking for location or any real specifics, just general depths if that is possible and you would be willing to share.

I know in Sturgeon Bay, I start in 40 fow and work my way to 26 as the light gets lower/better prime time...

Is this similar to the area. Thanks for any help you could offer..

PS - Gonna see how the ice darters work up that way :D

[duckc.1187]

one from last weekend 31" 11.5 lbs http://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad36/duckc1187/164.jpg

[catman]

Do not go near the tip of Squaw Point as it does not freeze even in the coldest of winters!!! That said, you really can't fish too deep out here on Little Bay. Last week, my wife caught her 28 incher from 48 feet of water. And I think we were in 47 feet of water the next day when I caught a nice 29 incher. It's strange, but I really feel anything less than 50 feet seems fairly shallow to the fish. My favorite depth to fish walleye is 65 feet. In some key spots, you will find 65 feet of water just loaded with walleye at "primetime". They are coming to feed in 65 feet of water from much deeper. But there's less light penetration, the water is warmer, and plenty of food 65 feet deep, so it works out pretty good for the walleye...Good luck on your trip. Oh, last year it seemd like the Green Rainbow Trout was the best color on the Darters, this year the Holographic Blue/Green Tiger seems like it might be the best (so far).

[catman]

That's an awesome walleye "duckc". Great picture too. Congrats.... That said, first, an ice report. No problems from Gladstone north with 12-17 inches in most areas. There is also good ice from the Gladstone Yacht Harbor south roughly to the Terrace Bay Inn. South of there, still iffy in most areas. With the mild temps. this winter, I still don't recommend driving vehicles out there yet. Though many are and a few have went through. Fishing report:The same guys staying with us (Brian, John, Matt, and Mark) have seen the bite drop off quite a bit on Big Bay the past couple days. They have still caught some nice fish, but not like they were. Another mounter was caught though by John Holloway that was just over 9 lbs. They had a couple other friends show up Thursday, and one of them (John Kellogg) caught his mounter yesterday that was 30 inches and 9 1/2 pounds. My brother Kenneth and I were out this morning for a couple hours and ended up with 3 eaters. One of which coughed up a small smelt. We marked a pretty good number of fish, but could not get them to hit. Kenneth caught his keeper on a Williams Wabler spoon tipped with a minnow tail. The first keeper I caught also hit a spoon, but it was tipped with a Gulp minnow. My 2nd keeper took a #8 Holographic Gold/Orange Ice Darter. The biggest fish I marked all morning was right before we left at 10:15 but it would not commit! I had it 8 feet off bottom for what seemed like 5 minutes before it got bored (I guess) and left. Pretty nice morning out there, I was surprised how few folks we saw fishing this morning. Good luck on the ice folks..
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My wife Theresa and I were set-up and fishing by 4:30 this afternoon in 36 feet of water. Not marking much at first, so I went out to try a little deeper (38 ft). Caught a couple dinks at first. Then I caught a nice 11 3/4 inch perch on a #5 Glow Rapala. Wished I would have had some minnows with because the school hung around for awhile, but I could not get anymore takers on the Raps. Was getting close to "primetime" by now so I went and tried a little shallower. Once again, started off with a couple dinks. Then I spent a good 5 minutes trying to get a little bigger fish to hit and it finally did. It turned out to be a nice 19 inch eater. About 10 minutes later, Theresa yelled for me to come get a picture of her. I'll be darned if she didn't catch her 2nd hog walleye of the season. A nice fat one that was 28 inches on the nose. She released the 28 incher after a quick picture. We then went back to jigging, but had no more takers. I wish "primetime" would last about 3 hours!!! Good luck on the ice...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rou6cie3U10

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I got out for the last couple hours today and had our lines in the water about 5:00 . I don't think I had been fishing five minutes when I hooked a nice fish. It didn't really fight too hard until it got about 10 feet below the ice. But then I got a good look at her and figured she was a good 29 or 30 inches. I also got a good look at my doctored up #5 Rapala just barely hooked in her lip. I took it as easy as I could trying to coax her head up into the hole, but she finally came off. So everyone on the bay heard some guy scream a few choice words about 5:15 or so, that was me!!! I then caught a couple dinks, then a just legal. I could not keep the dinks off, so I switched to a #9 Rap hoping to fix that problem. Wouldn't you know it, the smallest little walleye of the evening hit the #9. I'm not even sure if it was 8 inches. Since I was still catching dinks, I switched back to the same Rap I lost the big fish on earlier. Again, it wasn't down there 5 minutes and I had another good fish on. This one I landed and it turned out to be a nice 28 incher that I released. But from then on, it was dink after dink after dink. I quit counting at 13. I think I ended up with somewhere between 15-20 dinks before calling it a night. During this time Kenneth was also catching alot of dinks. But he did end up with two keepers. So we ended up with 3 keepers to bring home. It was a fun couple of hours. Despite the warm weather, the ice is holding up pretty good. We did have a couple trucks go through the past couple days, but not because the ice got bad. Because they didn't know where they were driving! Time for bed...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

Well, this evening might have been my last day on the ice this season as the ice is going quick!!! If it gets close to 60 degrees tomorrow like they are forcasting, what's left will really go quick. That said, my brother Kenneth, longtime guest (and now good friend) Joe Volpe, good friend Gary Daniels "aka walleyeguy", and Gary's friend Steve gave it a go this evening. Kenneth started it off with a really nice fish while jigging that was 26-27 inches which he quickly released, then Steve landed one about 22 inches on a tip-up, then Joe caught a nice eater. After that it was getting too dark for video. To sum it up, Kenneth caught the one nice one plus one more eater, Steve ended up with 3 eaters, Gary with two eaters, and Joe and I with just one eater a piece. A few throwbacks were caught, but not that many. We did not have nearly as many fish come through as we did earlier in the week. And the ones that did come through, did not seem very active. So all told, 8 eaters and one big one released. If anyone is still planning on going out the last two days of the season, be extra cautious as I can't believe how much ice we have lost just in the last two days!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGovUwnY4ko
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

Here is some video of the walleye spawning the last couple days...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fueDkFBpkqY

[Get Hooked]

That was pretty cool, thanks for sharing that.

[duckc.1187]

heres a couple cool pics i got last years spawnhttp://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad36/duckc1187/032-1.jpghttp://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad36/duckc1187/036-1.jpghttp://i919.photobucket.com/albums/ad36/duckc1187/035-1.jpg

[catman]

I wanted to have a fun way to announce the fact that the store at our resort will now be stocking all 433 crawler harnesses made by a local guy up here. So this is what I came up with...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO9Pvy_v9qs

[catman]

It looks as though the warm day we had today brought on another spawning run of walleye.
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQI3cQqCNnM

[catman]

A new group has recently been formed called Walleye Restoration. With the support of the Michigan DNRE, the goal is to simply make a good fishery even better by planting more fish! Since no state funds are being used in this project, donations are greatly appreciated. With that in mind, I have made it very easy for anyone to "donate to the cause" by making a donation in our on-line store on our website http://www.sallmarresort.net/On-line-store.html. The fall walleye fingerlings, which are larger 7-10 inch fish, cost almost $2.00 each. Anyone wanting to donate, can "purchase" fall fingerlings in our on-line store for $2.00 each. If you buy at least 5 walleye, your name will be entered into a drawing for 7 nights of free lodging at our resort. We will draw 3 names for the free lodging. I think we have until mid-July to raise as much money as we can. I want to thank everyone who contributes to the future of Little Bay de Noc...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

I just realized I forgot to put up a report about the walleye opener here on Little Bay de Noc. My brother Kenneth and his clients had a tough bite to start the day on his charter Saturday. But as the wind picked up and the water temp. rose, the fish kicked in and they ended up with their 15 fish limit. They caught fish trolling with crawler harnesses as well as drifting with Lindy Rigs with floating jigs tipped with half a crawler. The bite actually turned out pretty good Saturday. Sunday was still "ok" going by what our guests told me. But Monday and today it really dropped off. The bay has had very calm waters (like glass) and it is making it tough to say the least. We need some south winds to dirty it up and get the fish active again. Good luck on the water...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG-FLswzgEk

[catman]

After seeing some pretty good walleye fishing the first two days of the season, the bite on Monday, Tuesday, and today, has been very tough to say the least. All three days have (for the most part) seen way too much flat calm conditions. But........the one good thing about the flat, calm, sunny days is that it has allowed the water temperature to rise dramatically with some areas already up into the lows 60's. If we could get a strong south blow for a day or two, I think the bite would really kick into high gear. The perch are biting though. Some nice ones too!!!
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth found a little better bite today. Actually, the bite was off the charts, but most of the 40-50 walleye he and his clients caught today were sub legal. That said, they did manage to scrounge up 12 keepers. They probably could have caught a few more eaters had they wanted to, but they decided to make a move to try and catch some bigger fish. That didn't pan out! Still, a descent day on the water. I think the cloud cover helped improve the bite as it was the first cloudy day we have had in over a week I think. Purple was the best color on the spinners today. See you on the water...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAqJSmIgtWE

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his good friend Jay Nieman and his dad Tom went out for 3-4 hours yesterday afternoon mainly to test out a new lure system they hope to begin selling. Jay had tested it some last year on Lake Erie with pretty good results. It seems to work pretty good on Little Bay de Noc too! It basically combines an in-line weight with a crawler harness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NvZpr0B9WI

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients really had alot of fun today. The bite was absolutely crazy for the first couple hours, but most of those fish were just short. The best bite for keepers turned out to be the middle part of the day from 10:00am to 2:00pm . Anyway they threw back close to 40 undersize and brought back 14 keepers with the biggest being 28 inches. Probably would have let the big one go, but it was hooked real bad and bleeding like a stuck pig and Kenneth will not feed the seagulls a 28 inch walleye!!! They caught fish both drifting with Lindy Rigs and floating jigs as well as trolling with bottom bouncers and harnesses. The two best colors on the harnesses were Walleye's Choice I-62 and I-76. The purple one in the picture is I-76. See you on the water...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBsA-g5-EBw

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his client Dave Larkin started out at the north end trolling harnesses along a weedline that's been very good to him this year. Trolling with planer-boards was new to Dave, but he quickly got the hang of it. They caught several throwbacks in the weeds, but no keepers. Pretty much all the fish were coming on purple blades. The water temperature had dropped to 58 thanks to the north winds (after hitting 72), . They tried several different locations, tried trolling, tried drifting, caught fish...but all small throwbacks. It was almost 11:30 and their half day trip was close to being over. They were getting pretty discouraged when Kenneth decided to get out the jigging rods and work some breaklines. He is glad they did...in the next 45 minutes they had 8 keepers, several more throwbacks, two sheepshead, a carp and a pike. They were pitching 1/4 oz. jigs tipped with crawler halves. What was going to be a horrible half-day trip turned out decent after all. It just shows you that you have to be very versatile out here to be consistent (and sometimes being lucky doesn't hurt either). Here's a picture of today's catch, good luck from all of us in the Bay de Noc area. Dave will be out with him again tomorrow along with some friends of Dave's that drove over today. Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had loads of fun today. They found the fish right where they left them yesterday, but........ they were biting even better today! Especially once the south winds kicked up a little. They caught the biggest fish right around noon and they were pitching 1/4 oz. chartreuse jigs tipped with half a crawler. Let's hope the warm weather stays around all summer this year as it sure does improve the fishing...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Izmij-iVgE

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients found the bite a little tougher today after the cold front, but still had a very fun day on the water. I think they brought back 11 keeper walleye and a nice perch. When the jig bite slowed, they started trolling and continued to catch fish. I guess they caught 40-50 walleye that were too small, but that steady action is still lots of fun...

Video.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eyBpGr4pfk)

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

There were 4 guys for todays trip. They didn't want to be all cramped in one boat, so we split the trip with Captain Keith Wils. That said, what an exciting 5 hours of fishing! My brother Kenneth said just in his boat alone, they caught at least 150 walleye. Granted, most were between 14 and 15 inches, but they still brought back 28 keepers between the two boats (keeping 21). Not bad for a half day trip...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had to work for them today, but they kept trying different spots and different tactics and patience payed off catching a couple really nice pike and five walleye from 25-29 inches. They caught them all trolling leadcore and stickbaits near schools of alewives in 40-70 feet of water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0zcHTIvuCk

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

Yesterday's trip (5 hour) was the worst trip this season. My brother Kenneth and his client got to the north end of the bay only to find that the water temp. had dropped all the way down to 57 degrees. Nothing but runts up there. After doing some searching, he finally found some warmer water at another of his favorite spots, but the dirty water had left, and so did the fish! Ended the day with just one keeper walleye. Today's 5 hour trip started out pretty slow too as it was dead calm on the bay with thick fog. After a couple hours the fog finally cleared and the wind started up. The wind turned the fish on almost immediately. Today they ended up with 4 really nice pike ( the largest about 40" ) and 6 "eater" walleye. All in all, much better than yesterday. The water temp. has come back up to 65 degrees too. Good luck on the water folks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGqDO1m1n5g
__________________
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had to battle pretty strong winds today, but when all was said and done, they had caught their limit. Most of the fish came from 5-9 feet of water where the waves had really dirtied it up. Even though we still have mayflies hatching, the fish are still biting. It's just amazing how much better the bite is this year with the warmer water temperatures compared to last year...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiuxwsDMsPI

[catman]

Mayflies....bah! Alewives...bah! Even with plenty of both present in the bay at this time, the fish are still bitin'. My brother Kenneth and his clients had another great day on the bay. For the most part, they dodged the rain.They caught all their fish today on Walleye's Choice crawler harnesses and J/K Tackle in-line harnesses. The best color on the Walleye's Choice harnesses was W-11 which is a chartreuse bead with copper willow blade. The best color on the J/K in-lines was the blueberry muffin pattern which has a colorado blade. Quick as I say the fish are still bitin', they will probably do a Jimmy Hoffa and just vanish!!! But I hope not...

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv_5SMYM7vE

[catman]

Today was day 3 for my brother Kenneth with longtime clients Denny, Jim, and JIm Jr. from the Chicago area. I called Kenneth mid morning today and he answered with "make it quick". I said I was just wondering how the bite was and he answered with "we had 8 fish on at one time". I thought to myself "no-way". WAY... Kenneth said the fish were committing suicide today. I guess it didn't seem to matter what color harness or even whether or not you used planer boards. He said Denny was catching one after another right over the side of the boat in just 8 feet of water! All this rain may be starting to get old, but it sure has helped dirty up the water and make the fish very active. So anyway, they limited out plus a couple for Kenneth and were back here to the resort in record time. I sure hope the bite doesn't fade before my wife and I get a chance to get out there...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyKBUp7DGQE

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients did pretty good today. The day actually started out kind of slow, but the wind finally picked up, and so did the bite. They were trolling spinners and crawlers in 6-12 feet of (dirty) water and had a water temperature of 67 degrees. Orange and chartreuse were good colors on the blades as was Blueberry Muffin (pictured). They ended up with 14 keeper walleye. Good luck on the water folks...
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AteGLfFW32M

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and I thought we better go on a "search and destroy" mission (video) yesterday to find some walleye for his charter today. We got on the water about 3:30 pm and only fished until 7:30, but we accomplished our mission as we caught fish in 3 of the 4 spots we tried. We caught walleye suspended 10 feet down in 35 feet of water trolling with boards and spinners, drifting Lindy Rigs along the drop-offs, and we also caught fish pitching jigs in 6-10 feet of water. It was a fun 4 hours using 3 different methods to catch fish. Kenneth felt confident about todays trip when we got back last night. The radar this morning showed storms just west of us, so Kenneth and his client waited out the storms and didn't get on the water until about 9:00, but they still had their limit (picture) by 10:47! They actually released the 10th fish so they could keep fishing. They orginally caught their limit trolling with spinners, but after catching/releasing the 10th fish, changed up and drifted Lindy Rigs along the breaks and ended up upgrading 7 of the smaller fish with bigger ones. The warmer water this year has just made for some great fishing, period. It should stay good for the rest of the year now. Summer is going fast folks, better get out there and enjoy it...
__________________
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6KXfQt5CgU

[catman]

Yesterday, my brother Kenneth fished with Connor Frakes and his dad Tim from the Chicago area. They had plans on fishing a whole day, but after catching their 15 fish limit and releasing many more...they headed in early and made it a half day charter. They got on the water around 6:30 a.m. and the wind was blowing pretty hard, thankfully it let up some. The guys used planer-boards for the first time ever and Kenneth said they did quite well once they got used to seeing what bites look like. They caught all their fish on spinners/crawlers in 8 to 10 fow where the wind had really dirtied up the water. Hopefully this front that came through doesn't mess up the fish too bad. Here's a picture and video of yesterday's catch, good luck from all of us in the Bay de Noc area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KShMUX-E78o

Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net

[catman]

My brother Kenneth and his clients had pretty much the same results today as yesterday...which means a three man limit in just 2-3 hours. They trolled spinners and crawlers again in 8-10 feet of "dirty" water with white and purple being the hot colors. They through lots of fish back including several more keepers. A very sucessful 5 hour trip!!! You gotta love these warmer water temperatures of 75-79 degrees (depending on location). The other thing that has really helped this year is all the rain (though I think we have had enough for awhile!). But the rain has kept the rivers flowing which brings in dark tanic stained water and that really helps to darken the water on the bay. Darn, I'm ready to go fishin'!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlQ_GwJAHQQ
Kevin Lee
www.sallmarresort.net