Night Time Revisited

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I've blogged but that is only because I haven't had anything interesting to say...until now.

Last year I had great success catching walleye at night during the fall. I found what I thought was a pattern and decided to see if it would hold true this year. A pattern is only good if it holds true from year to year. To understand this pattern, lets review some history about Boysen reservoir.

Boysen Reservoir has been known by Wyoming anglers as a hot spot for walleye since the 1970's. In fact, the last time Boysen was stocked with walleye was late in the 70's. All the walleye being caught today are a self sustaining population. It is amazing to me that there is a fishery that has that kind of quality from year to year and yet it is not stocked. There are very few reservoirs that can boast that.

Since you have a self sustaining population of a predatory fish, one would think that they would have a pattern. Well, that would be a good assumption. Not only do they have a pattern, but it is very predictable during certain times of year.

People look at the pictures of the walleye that I catch and say, "Wow, where did you catch those?" Then they ask, "How do you keep finding those trophy fish?" Well, it is as easy as following the food. If you know what walleye want to eat and where that food will be, then you will catch them. I attribute it to knowing what they want, it is definitely not luck.

Walleye are predatory and like to eat smaller fish. They follow the food all year long, no matter what. Once you know where the food is, there the walleye will be also. Good stuff right?

Now I am guessing that you want to know my secret to where to find them on Boysen. Well, that's not going to happen today, sorry.

I will tell you what I did to catch them though. I used old reliable, my Smithwick Rogue. That lure must have the perfect rattle or something. I was able to catch all but one of my walleye on the Rogue. I have caught 6 fish 27" and over with it. So, take a hint, go out and buy this lure. Here is the link: http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_37008____SearchResults

Make sure you buy the Threadfin shad. It is the color that has given me all the success. You can't go wrong with this bait, it is effective and it only costs $5.00 each. Just buy one!

Once you have your bait and know where to go, cast the lure out and work it slow/with pauses. If you do that, you will catch more fish. That is the bottom line! If you don't believe me, just look at the pictures. They work.

I had a few things working in my favor. I went fishing the night before the full moon, and the night before a cold front hit. The fish were in a biting mood. Last year, I went fishing on similar conditions and caught two 27" and one 30" walleye. So, the weather is always a factor. Make sure you do your homework before hitting the water. THIS IS KEY!!!

I have found that walleye will hold in less than two feet of water at night. So, don't be afraid to fish close to the bank. I often place my cast about 10' from the bank and work the bait parallel to the bank. If that doesn't work, cast further out until you find them.

Make sure you give this a try. Most people fish their whole lives for walleye and don't catch as many big fish as I have in the last two years. So, I must have figured something out.

Good luck out there and be safe!

Tigers

This last weekend I drove with Danny Kurttila to Utah in search of tiger muskies. You may ask, why would someone drive all the way to Utah to catch a tiger muskie. Simply because Wyoming only has one body of water with tigers and it has only a limited quantity.

So, we drove to Utah all night Friday night after work and fished Saturday and Sunday. I must admit, it was a little crazy staying up from 7:00 am on Friday till 2:00 pm on Saturday. The long hours paid off though.

We put in to the lake at 5:30 am and began to fish. I had a fish hit on my second cast and had another follow my lure to the boat only a couple casts later. I set the hook on that fish but didn't get a good hookup and he tore loose. At 6:30 Danny caught a nice 31" tiger. It was a really nice fish.

At 7:30 I hooked up with a nice 33" tiger and managed to land him. That was my first tiger ever, boy was I excited! A few casts later I caught a nice 34" tiger and he flat went crazy. It was all I could do to not have him tie me up in the trolling motor.

A few hours later I landed another 34" tiger and this fish should have cut my line. I had a 12" titanium leader on my line but he wrapped the line around his body and my 30 lb. superline was stuck in his teeth. Danny and I both thought he would break the line but somehow he didn't. I did have to re-tie though.

After that I had a lot more follows and hits but couldn't land any of them. We finally gave up and went to the hotel to rest up.

The next morning we got up at 3:45 and were on the water at 4:30. I caught a 17.5" largemouth bass right away and released him. Then the fish stopped biting until Danny caught one at 8:30 am. It was another really nice 31" tiger.

Almost five minutes after Danny caught his 31" tiger I caught a nice 34" Tiger in almost the same spot. The fish followed my bait to the boat and finally managed to hit the bait on his fourth swipe. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

We didn't catch any more fish after that but we had a great time. So, if you are wanting to catch a tiger muskie here in Wyoming, make sure you write the game and fish and let them know. Otherwise they won't stock them.

Good luck out there!

I'm Back

I haven't blogged in a long time and I apologize to my readers for that. My grandmother passed away last week and I have been really consumed with her illness for the past month or so.

I have been fishing since I last blogged and had some success. My father in law and I went to Bass Lake and caught some bass and yellow perch a few weeks ago. Jim caught two nice bass and I caught one nice bass and 2 small yellow perch. It wasn't exactly dynamite fishing but it was relaxing for me.



This weekend I plan to hit the water really hard and see if I can figure out what the walleye are doing. My plan is to explore some sunken islands and weed edges on Boysen. Hopefully I will come home with a few to replenish my supply. I cooked all my reserves for the family diner we had in honor of my grandmother last week.



I am really going to miss my grandmother. She was always an upbeat person and was super excited anytime I brought fish home. She didn't care if they were huge walleye or if they were tiny yellow perch. She was just excited because she knew that if I brought fish home, we would have a fish fry. I remember bringing home a bunch of bluegills and bluegill hybrids from Renner and she was elated. It took me two hours to clean them all but they tasted delicious. I will miss the look on her face and the sounds of excitement. But I'm at peace because I know that at least she won't have to suffer in the hospital anymore.



I hope you all get out and do some fishing here soon. Feel free to post any comments and please let me know how the fishing is turning out in the rest of the state. Be safe out there!

The Sweet Smell of Summer Walleye

I have been waiting all year and it is finally time. The early summer walleye bite is on! Now that the temperatures have come up, the walleye have spawned and the forage has moved into position. Everything is setup to make for a fantastic early season walleye extravaganza. Buckle your seat belts and get ready.

Now, since the bite is on you must get setup for success. The key in early season is to find the walleye and give them the appropriate presentation. I have found that early in the season walleye will typically hit bigger crawler harnesses, crankbaits and larger sized jigging spoons. I would troll with crawler harnesses to find the fish and use the other two options to absolutely kill the fish.

By this time of year, Wyoming anglers will be able to find walleye in the larger bays of the reservoirs and lakes. They will be from 10-25' of water depending on the time of day. Look for the walleye to be shallower in the morning and evening times and deeper during the daytime hours. Vegetation is growing in most reservoirs and the edges usually hold tons of walleye.

If you get a chance to go out on the water, make sure to target these fish and fill your dinner table with fantastic fish.

Be safe and good fishing.

Walleye Season Begins for Wyoming Anglers

If any of you have been fishing for walleye on Boysen Reservoir since last September, you would agree that the fishing has been rather tough. During ice fishing, the walleye bite was all but nonexistant. Well, there is hope my friends. May is a month that gets my blood pumping with anicipation for the upcoming walleye extravaganza. I can just about bet that the walleye bite will be good all over Wyoming from early May to late June.

I finally caught my first two walleye of 2009 last night. Yesterday was the day before the full moon and I guessed that the walleye might be active. I started fishing for them with my cousin Danny at 8:00 pm and I had my first fish by 8:10. I actually had a strike on my first cast but never hooked up. I think I actually started fishing too late in the evening because the bite turned off fairly quickly. I caught one more fish at 8:45 and had multiple follows after that.

If you are a Wyoming angler and you haven't caught your first walleye yet, just be patient and get out there. I caught both of mine on a number 8 Rapala X-RAP. Give it a shot.

Be safe out there and good fishing.

Wyoming Anglers - Wind, Wind, and more Wind!

If any of you have lived in Wyoming for any significant amount of time, you probably have figured out that May is one of the windiest months of open water fishing for Wyoming Anglers. This makes it tough to take the boat out on the water and can make the fishing fairly miserable. Don't let that discourage you though. May can be a great time to catch certain species. Walleye, trout, and panfish will be getting in the mood to bite this month.


The trout bite is already hot for many of the Wyoming waters and the walleye bite will start going crazy here in about 3 - 4 weeks. If you are like most Wyoming anglers, you probably haven't done a whole lot of fishing in 2009, and you have an itch to get out and catch something. My advise is to get out there, brave the wind, and try to catch one of the large rainbow trout that are spawning all over Wyoming right now. Rainbows fight extremely well and would make for a great first fish of the year. Refer back to my May 2009 Outlook article for more information on what fish you can typically catch during the month of may.


May is a windy month but if you go fishing at the right times of day, you can avoid some of the weather. My recommendation for Wyoming anglers is to go early in the morning. Most mornings are fairly calm around the state and can make for some enjoyable fishing. However, the afternoons are usually the windiest times of day. For me, 1:00 - 2:00 in the afternoon are the worst times to be out on the water because the wind blows extremely hard during that time. Rarely you will find a nice afternoon where the wind doesn't come up but don't count on it!


It is super important for Wyoming anglers to stay safe out on the water. Unfortunately a man died last week on Upper Sunshine reservoir. The man and his son were loading their boat at the boat ramp when the boat slipped off the trailer. The man tried to swim out and get the boat before it got too far away. The problem was that the water was only 40 degrees, which sent his body into instant hypothermia. In a matter of seconds that makes the body slow down and the person's heart goes into cardiac arrest. The man died as a result of being in the water for only a matter of minutes. This is a grim reminder of just how dangerous the water can be.

Make sure to never swim out after your boat in any high mountain lake/reservoir. It is safe to swim in our warmer water lakes/reservoirs in the summer months but it is dangerous on high mountain lakes just about year around.

Be safe out there and good fishing!

Wyoming Anglers Fishing Report 4/30/2009

Here is what I have been hearing from other Wyoming anglers:

Bull Lake - Lake trout are biting. Use white powertubes and jigging spoons tipped with sucker.


Boysen Reservoir - Rainbow trout are hitting flies, powerbait and small spoons near Brannon.


Flaming Gorge - Rainbow, lake and brown trout are being caught trolling.


Bass Lake - Perch are hitting small jigs.


Ocean Lake - Walleye are being caught off of long point.


Glendo Reservoir - Walleye are being caught in airport bay with crankbaits and jigs.





Thats all I have for now. If you have any fishing reports for Wyoming anglers, please email them to me at pedwards96@gmail.com.

GULP! + Jig = Fish

I must tell you, I have never been great at math but this formula works for me. I have seen this system work on a ton of species. My cousin Danny and I have used this combination with great success on brown trout especially. When we fish the Wind River we make sure we have a good stock of jigs and a package of 3" GULP! minnows. Throughout this article are just a few of the fish caught on this system.

I don't know exactly what it is that Berkley uses to make their GULP! products so irresistible to fish but I also don't care because it works! My only knock on GULP! is that it tends to be on the pricey end of the fishing spectrum. I like to have products that work well and that don't break my bank account. If you have not tried this bait, then you are missing out. Most of the fish I have caught this year have been on this system. All it takes is using the system and putting the bait in front of the fish.

Recently I used this system with my cousin Danny Kurttila to catch splake and cutthroat trout out of Sunshine Reservoir in Meeteetse Wyoming. In fact, it was the only system that produced fish consistently and we tried a lot of other lures/baits. The key is to cast the jig out, count it down to a given depth where the fish are holding, and slowly work it back with a jigging motion. This gives the lure the look of a swimming bait fish and is killer with the GULP! scent. Honestly, I think it is the best soft bait to hit the market. This stuff flat out catches fish. If you are a serious angler, you need this system to help you put more fish in the net.

Most people are going to read this and say, "who paid this guy to say all these good things." The truth is that I have not been paid to give this review. I just have used the stuff enough to see it work. My dad used it with great success last summer on Glendo Reservoir for walleye and my cousin Danny has been catching tons of browns like the one pictured above on the system. All kidding aside, I would not endorse it if I didn't know first hand that it helps anglers catch more fish.

I guess if you don't believe me, go out and try it for yourself. I bet you will become a believer in a hurry! Be safe out there and good fishing everyone!

Here is some video proof of the system in action.

May 2009 Outlook

April is almost over and it is time to look towards the month of May. May is a great time to catch spawning rainbow trout, pre-spawn large mouth bass and pre-spawn bluegills. Luckily I have access to all these fishing opportunities within an hour of my home. If you live in the rocky mountain region, chances are you will have a lot of the same opportunities somewhere close by.

Boysen reservoir offers a wide variety of fish for Wyoming anglers. Right now is prime time to fish the northern part of the reservoir near the dam for spawning rainbow trout. The fish will run the shoreline in large schools and are often fairly easy to catch. My recommendation is to use bead headed flies or powerbait. The key is to put either one of the presentations in front of the roaming fish.

If you have a reservoir with large mouth bass, you should have an opportunity to sight fish them while they are preparing their spawning beds. The females will be extremely territorial and will attack your bait if it comes too close to the bed. I would recommend using tube jigs to catch these fish. Just cast the bait out and work it slowly through their bed and you will most likely get a strike.

Bluegills are similar to the large mouth bass. They will be defending their nests and will strike at just about anything. My good friend Seth and I caught a bunch of spawning bluegills at Renner Reservoir near Ten Sleep Wyoming. It was late May and we had great success using bead headed flies and small tube jigs. I think Seth caught around 100 fish with his fly rod that day. The key is to put the bait right in front of them and they will attack it to defend their nest.

Those are just a few of the opportunities that will present themselves to you in the month of May. If you haven't taken you boat out on the water make sure that you have all the safety equipment before you do take it out. The Game and Fish department will be out there checking and it is never safe to leave the dock without your life vests, fire extinguisher and other safety gear.

Be safe out there and good fishing.

Walleye Fishing

Here are my walleye pictures from last fall. I am expecting the fishing on Boysen to be great for these big brutes again. Last year I had never caught a 27" or better walleye. In a two week period I was able to land 4 that surpassed that mark. All four of the fish are listed in this article.

So, you may be wondering how in the world I was able to catch these brutes? Well, the answer is simple, I learned from someone who knew the pattern and then I adjusted to select for bigger fish. One of the keys to fishing is to pay attention to what people share with you and then refine it. I don't want this to sound like you shouldn't experiment on your own, because you should. But you would be missing a lot of key information if you don't pay attention to what experienced anglers tell you.


Walleye are like any other fish, they need food. If you can find the food, you will find the walleye. In my case, I was able to learn where the emerald shiners go to spawn in the fall on my home body of water. By learning that I was able to select what type of lure to use. I used both #8 X-Raps and Suspending Rattlin Rogues. I found that the Rogues produced the largest of the fish but I am sure that a #10 or #12 X-Rap would do just as well. I will be testing and refining more this fall.



I catch my biggest fish at night. Lots of people wonder why I would go at night or why it would make any difference. I don't know how many long days I have put on the water burning my flesh in the UV rays without much fishing success. The fish like it just about as well as I do, not very much. So, the only alternative is to fish at night or in low light conditions. I know that this year I am going to take advantage of the night bite. Night fishing provides the advantage of stealth. Big fish often come into the shallows at night to stalk minnows, perch and other small fish. When they do this, they put themselves in easy reach of fisherman that throw crankbaits and other minnow style presentations. The key is to know where the bait fish will be and cast similar imitating baits until you put it in front of a big fish.

So, if you are going to target walleyes make sure you take the smart approach. Don't burn yourself up in the sun and catch a bunch of small fish. Instead, head out at night and catch the big ones. But remember, release those big fish. If you don't, you will hurt the fishery forever. All four of my big fish are still in the reservoir and hopefully had a good spawn this year.


Be safe out there and good fishing.

2 Cutthroats and 1 Sucker.

I did end up going fishing this past Sunday. I had a less than average day and only managed to catch 2 yellowstone cutthroat trout. My cousin Danny was able to land 5 yellowstones and one splake for a limit.


We couldn't have asked for better weather. We had sunny skies, and the wind didn't come up until we were already headed back. It was nice to finally feel the sun, and have the temperature find it's way into the 70's.


We decided to head home for the day, and that is when things got interesting. We had to motor across the lake and decided we should get all of our gear packed up before we headed back to the boat ramp. I started picking up all of my lures that were laying around the front of the boat, and noticed that my 9' rod was in the way. I reached down and picked it up to move it over to the side so that I could finish picking up my lures. When I tried to pick up the rod I noticed that the spoon I had tied to my line was caught in the carpet of the boat on the floor. Now, this is where I thought to myself, "I should set down my fishing rod, release the tension on the line and pull the hook free." But...then I thought, "I'll be fine, I don't need to set the pole down." Stupid decision. I reached for the lure, and just before I could grab it with my left hand, it came loose. Here is what happened.

As you can see, I buried the hook in my left hand. I thought for a minute that it wouldn't be so bad. My cousin cut off the other part of the treble hook and I started to try and remove it myself. The only problem was that there was 1/4" of the hook in my finger, deep in the muscle, and the barb was buried. It became apparent to me that I would have to go the hospital and have it cut out.

So, we headed for the boat ramp and found the game warden from Cody sitting there. Danny backed in the boat trailer and I loaded the boat onto the trailer. The warden asked for our licenses, and I asked him if he had any advice on how to remove the hook without going to the doctor. He looked at it, cringed and told me, "good luck." I just looked at him with a look of irritation.

He finally let us go on our merry little way. Danny drove me to the Thermopolis ER, which on a Sunday, is virtually dead. There was nothing happening and I think my little accident was the talk of the day. They cleaned around the wound and stuck painkillers in my finger. Then the doctor took a leatherman...yes, a leatherman and pushed the hook all the way through the other side. I won't lie, it hurt...a lot! I just hope that I learned a lesson from all this.

As for the fishing, it was pretty good. We caught all of the fish but one on an 1/8 oz chartreuse marabou jig tipped with a 3" GULP! minnow. Here is a picture of the stringer. Don't forget to be safe out there! Don't catch a sucker.

Spring Time

Spring. That is a word that gets my juices flowing. I find myself tinkering with my warm weather fishing gear even when the ice hasn't quite released its grip on the reservoirs near my home. The period where there is just enough ice to make the water inaccessible, but there isn't enough to walk on is the most frustrating time for me. Then, finally all the ice goes away and its time to get out, launch the boat and find fish.



This year is no exception. I will be putting my first day on the open water this Sunday the 19th and hopefully I will land my first fish of the month of April. I am planning on fishing Lower or Upper Sunshine Reservoir near Meeteetse. I need the splake and yellowstone cutthroats to bite because my fish supply is awfully low. I guess all the fish frys and smoked fish will do some damage to the stockpile I had going.



I don't think there is anything better than taking the boat out on the water for the first time after a long, cold winter. It is like a shot of hope that the weather will improve, and that there will be big fishing days to come. I have a mental image of holding up a huge fish after only a few minutes on the water. Maybe that dream will come true here soon.



This spring will be different from years past however. I am going to start this season without my dad for the first time. I am not sure how I will react to that feeling but I have to keep the traditions alive. I know he would want me to.



In closing, here is a photo of my dad with the last fish that he caught. Be safe out there on the water.

Welcome

This blog is dedicated to all Wyoming fishermen. I want everyone to share their fishing ideas and experiences. I will be posting more soon.

I have found that Wyoming Anglers are a different breed. I should know since I am a Wyoming native and have been fishing since I was 5 years old. We are passionate about preserving our fisheries, teaching our kids how to fish and keeping ethical standards while fishing. Wyoming Anglers do whatever it takes to improve fishing and that is why I developed this blog. I will keep the followers of the blog up to date on new strategies for catching fish, and I will review new products to evaluate their effectiveness.

Wyoming anglers deserve a site dedicated to them and their fisheries. This blog will offer tips for Wyoming anglers on the bodies of water they like to fish for. I will be interviewing Wyoming Game & Fish personnel to update all the Wyoming anglers on their favorite fishing holes and species. Wyominganglers.blogspot.com will keep you up to date all season long with the most current fishing reports and information available.

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Be safe out there and good fishing!