Pelicans Are Back

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09-12-2010, 06:39 PM
LakeShelbyvilleGuide

Pelicans Are Back

Can't be long now saw my first bunch of Pelicans today and had water temps at 71. We white bass fished almost the entire guide trip but we switched over to crappie a couple of times when we were close to a brush pile I thought might have some fish on it and I am glad to say we caught fish on every one and had about a dozen keepers to go along with the hundred or so white bass.

Give me a whole day and maybe throw in some live bait and I bet I can get quite a few. But for at least this week I am white bass fishing. Even with light winds today the fish were busting all around me. These fish are so shallow and the bait so thick that I can put my trolling motor on high and spook the bait and cause my own white bass jump. That is how we got fish to bite today when it got slow. Might look funny us flying along the shallows with bait jumping out of the water everywhere but it has been working. The whites just tear them up when they get spooked. Give it a try it works.
09-12-2010, 08:50 PM
PIGINTHEPIGPEN

Bring on the Crappie..You can have all the whites. I hope you catch em all. Thanks for the report.
09-12-2010, 10:03 PM
zettler

I saw the pelicans too this afternoon and noticed how the shad would bust the surface when I was revving the motor putting out and taking in decoys - I did fish a little off point 6 and islands but limited success...probably tried to do too much in one day?
09-13-2010, 05:24 AM
Pool13_Jeff

I saw a few hundred last week up her in northern Illinois last week as well. A few years ago, one of the funniest things I've ever seen was pelicans dumping shad from their mouths to get higher up in the sky. They dumped the shad as they were flying. The shad started hitting the water and they were making a bee-line for my brother, in his boat. I was about 50 yards away, watching, laughing, and hoping they didn't come my way. He never got hit, but the look on his face was priceless.
09-13-2010, 12:59 PM
sdeters

They are a big bird. I like the looks of them. We do not see that many big birds around this area.
09-13-2010, 01:18 PM
zettler

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeters

They are a big bird. I like the looks of them. We do not see that many big birds around this area.

When I saw them come over the tops of the trees yesterday at me I thought they were Snow geese as they were in a somewhat V formation and were LOW.
09-13-2010, 02:44 PM
unknown 5

I haven't seen any pelicans yet but I do watch the birds, they know where the bait fish are staying. My water temp was 71 today also. Not far from the magic temp. The crappie are still spotty (at least for me). But, as always, the channels are more than willing.

I will probably be hunting the rest of the week. The key to winning Championships is to have the dogs prepared to win.
09-13-2010, 05:04 PM
sdeters

You did not shoot Did you Zettler. I wonder how them birds taste? I know they are not legal to shoot. Nice SLow Target. I would have a hard time taking one of them birds. I guess since we only see them for a couple a weeks out of the year they are kind of a visual eye candy for me.
09-13-2010, 05:11 PM
Fish Stick

Say, uh, Cousin Walsh, I suppose it'd be the acme of foolishness to inquire if you had a hair net.
09-13-2010, 05:12 PM
crappieken

sdeters - I bet they taste fishy!
09-13-2010, 05:13 PM
zettler

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeters

You did not shoot Did you Zettler. I wonder how them birds taste? I know they are not legal to shoot. Nice SLow Target. I would have a hard time taking one of them birds. I guess since we only see them for a couple a weeks out of the year they are kind of a visual eye candy for me.

LOL No. They caught me by surprise but they are not on the menu anyway....
09-13-2010, 08:17 PM
shild

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeters

You did not shoot Did you Zettler. I wonder how them birds taste? I know they are not legal to shoot. Nice SLow Target. I would have a hard time taking one of them birds. I guess since we only see them for a couple a weeks out of the year they are kind of a visual eye candy for me.

I heard they taste like a cross between Bald Eagle and Red-Tail Hawk. :D Best cooked RARE. (you may have to think about that one for a while, XXL) ;)
09-14-2010, 05:05 AM
XXLFISH

Shild--I hear they taste a lot like flamingos.
09-14-2010, 07:18 AM
sdeters

I hope every one knows I was joking around about the Taste comment. It was supposed to be in good fun. I think I saw an Osprey over around Lake Mattoon two Weekends ago. Maybe Redtick could chime in to see if he has saw one also. It was a bird with a Full white fron chest and black body and head.
09-14-2010, 07:28 AM
shild

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeters

I hope every one knows I was joking around about the Taste comment. It was supposed to be in good fun. I think I saw an Osprey over around Lake Mattoon two Weekends ago. Maybe Redtick could chime in to see if he has saw one also. It was a bird with a Full white fron chest and black body and head.

I wish I would have known you were joking yesterday. I already turned you in for poaching. :eek:
09-14-2010, 07:35 AM
sdeters

Sweet would not be the first time being accused of that. But I am innocent! many years ago me and a IDNR officer had about a chat about a person shooting a pheasant out of a truck. He lost!. He looked at my dads guns and everything. This is was when I was a teenager. He took me out of my job and talked to me for about three hours. It was a one of things that the person who saw this happened did not see what vehicle the person was shooting from. This was me being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
09-14-2010, 09:00 AM
zettler

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdeters

I hope every one knows I was joking around about the Taste comment. It was supposed to be in good fun. I think I saw an Osprey over around Lake Mattoon two Weekends ago. Maybe Redtick could chime in to see if he has saw one also. It was a bird with a Full white fron chest and black body and head.

Funny you should ask this as when we were hunting Sunday morning we had one drop down for a shad snack.
09-14-2010, 09:24 AM
bdw

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redtick

I haven't seen any pelicans yet but I do watch the birds, they know where the bait fish are staying. My water temp was 71 today also. Not far from the magic temp. The crappie are still spotty (at least for me). But, as always, the channels are more than willing.

I will probably be hunting the rest of the week. The key to winning Championships is to have the dogs prepared to win.

What is the magic temp for fall?
09-14-2010, 10:18 AM
birdman

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdw

What is the magic temp for fall?

Mid 60's. Water gets in the 60's and they will start grouping up and relating to structure like the should be. Lower the water temps the better.
09-14-2010, 01:59 PM
jdubs45

What is the most recent water temp in shelbyville?
09-14-2010, 02:09 PM
Fish Stick

It's so groovy to float around sometimes. Even a jellyfish will tell you that.
09-14-2010, 02:59 PM
PIGINTHEPIGPEN

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdubs45

What is the most recent water temp in shelbyville?

73 last saturday
09-14-2010, 03:59 PM
LakeShelbyvilleGuide

71 Today 9-14-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by PIGINTHEPIGPEN

73 last saturday

Had 71 on my temp. gauge today. Needed wind for whites so we crappie fished for half a day. Still pretty slow by my accounts
09-14-2010, 04:18 PM
rocket rich

The Duck Hunters will be after me again this year ... love to fish their blinds. hate the rain of buck shot. I promise not to turn over the decoys??? HA HA
09-14-2010, 04:27 PM
crappieken

Two of us took 264 white bass and one walleye fishing double jig rigs today on the flats on the north end of the lake. I have had my fill of catching the whites so I am going back to crappie starting this Friday even if it is still slow. The walleye was under the size limit and we don't eat white bass so all the fish were returned to the lake. Steve - I think we saw you today as we passed under the Findlay bridge.
09-14-2010, 04:35 PM
zettler

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocket rich

The Duck Hunters will be after me again this year ... love to fish their blinds. hate the rain of buck shot. I promise not to turn over the decoys??? HA HA

Waterfowl hunting is but a short time every year. For ducks it is a 60 day season. For geese it is maybe 80 to 90 days. There are fewer spots to hunt than there are places to fish and the two groups need to respect one another. I hunt and fish, and because of my upbringing I strive to practice common courtesy and until sunday the same had come my way.

Another forum member and I were hunting a big island and had decoys on the beach in a small group. Throughout the morning the fishermen fished the north end and maybe just one time their closeness to us might have screwed us up but it could have been something else as they steered maybe 200-300 yards away.

However, around 1:30 pm this prick comes and starts fishing less than 15 yards from our decoys! We were in shock. While we discussed unloading our shotguns we took the high ground and quit. He was wearing a straw hat and was in a Alumacraft. It was all I could do to not ram his boat with mine, or cut between him and the shore or just tell him off.

This could be considered hunter harassment and believe me the next time we will take pictures and call a CPO.

No joking matter to us.
09-14-2010, 05:03 PM
Usualjag

Zettler

I've got to agree with you... It seems like every year there is a guy who pushes the limits and thinks he has more rights to the lake. When hunting there are distance requirements to be followed, why is it different if you are fishing? If a bird comes in while someone is fishing in your decoys what are you suppose to do? Shoot at the birds and hope you don't hit he guy? Then he call the CO and you are the one who gets in trouble...

I have had guys wave at me like they are doing nothing wrong... Really? Do you not see the decoys in the water and the gun in my hand??? Ya think I want to wave anything back but the bird?

Sorry but Zettler opened up a topic that really annoys me. You have to play nice but it needs to go both ways.....
09-14-2010, 05:13 PM
sdeters

Why would any one want to fish in people decoys. I keep really far away from the waterfowl hunters as possible. They have guns and I know how I would feel if I hunted waterfowl and people fishing in my decoys. Hunting land is beoming more and more scarce and more people than ever is hitting the public land for hunting. What is far enough away? I have pulled up on brush pile and I was concerend I was to close because the hunters were on the other side of the lake. 500 yards a way I felt to close. I can not get over people that would pull up that close to hunters to fish.
09-14-2010, 06:41 PM
rocket rich

that not what I ment but when the hunter set up their decoys in the main channel whats a fisherman to do. It works both way??????
09-14-2010, 08:52 PM
PIGINTHEPIGPEN

Being a former duck hunter, not geese, I don't do Corn Buzzards. I will take the Hunter's side every time on this subject. It all boils down to... who was here first. Good luck beating a duck hunter to your spot. My duck hunt's envolved being at my spot and the decoy's out at least 1 hour before sunrise. There is to much Work involved in duck hunting to be pizzing someone off with a gun.