First trip of 2013

Sort of...

I was more of less scouting potential spots for where I want to setup fishing tomorrow and Wednesday. Base Lake is iced out. Talked to an AD personnel who came out fishing Sunday and talked about the dead shad along the west banks, but had no luck hooking them and throwing them out for some catfish. I saw one shad sort of flopping around on top of the water so I grabbed the net and put him in the bucket. Figure I'll cut him up tonight and use it for bait tomorrow with a light breeze out of the southwest and temps near 50. I might get lucky. I'll also use hotdogs soaked in vinegar and garlic powder. New recipe i read online, figured I'd give it shot.

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I did decide to throw a line in the water just to see what would happen. I did catch something... 8 or 9 feet long actually!

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Well, I can only go up from this point, right?

Base Lake is "suppose" to have walleye. I've never done any walleye, but I would love to try it. With the ice completely gone at the Base Lake and water being between 38 - 40 degrees. I'd like some input on techniques and bait to use when fishing for walleye.

Chris the walleye will be spawning along the dam along the rip rap. You could throw a Rapala #13 along the shore and bring it in. Cast it out about 10 feet and bring it parallel along the shore. You can set a line out with a minnow under a bobber along the shore. EB

With the bobber and minnow, should I set it about a foot from the bottom?

Might as well say how I did yesterday. With a WSW wind blowing, I chose to try for catfish in the shallow coves on the east side of the lake. I get over there and notice no waves. Why? Ice redevelop overnight i guess in the southeast and northeast coves. So that was out. I did try to see if i could get anything on the northwest side before the wind switched to the WNW, but nothing. I drove over to Walnut Creek and when i got there, more of the same. In some areas, the ice was gone since last time i was out, in other areas where there was no ice before, there was ice again. So i don't know if ice broke off from the west side of the lake and drifted to the east side or what. I ended up fishing from the pier, starting shallow and moving deeper to pretty much the middle of the lake where the submerged trees were and still nothing. There was two other guys out there doing the same, ice out catfishing with no luck. I took that shade and cut it into 1" portions and put them in a container with garlic powder and salt. Drained the vinegar into a jar and saved it, put the hot dogs in the freezer.

I'll try Walnut Creek again today, by the time i left yesterday afternoon, most of the thin ice on the east side was gone, so I'll try over there, casting into the wind where those trees are. Its somewhat shallow over there, and plenty of cover. With a west wind, might get lucky.

If not, I'll shoot over to the base lake this evening and take EB's advice on walleyes. Lots of rip rap on the south side and the area gets plenty of the wave action when that cold north wind blows. Its a pretty sharp dropoff though to 20 - 30' feet. That's my only concern of finding where the walleyes spawn out there.

Chris the Walleye will spawn along the dam rip rap where the wave churn up the water to help the eggs fertilize. Yes fish about a foot off of the bottom under a bobber. EB

Figures I hit the water early and Mother Nature smacks me in the back of the head telling me winter isn't over. :)

Snow last night, possibly big storm late next week, and another storm after that. Sigh, gotta love Nebraska weather.

If ya don't like the weather wait 5 minutes and it will change. :biggrin EB