John
Gillespie's Waters & Woods
2008
Episode Guide
This
week's episode sneak preview:
Trout,
Trout, and more Trout!
Show
Date: January, 12th & 13th,
2008
Location:
Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, WI
Guide:
Charter Captain Eric Haataja 414-546-4627
www.wibigfish.com
Summary:
Eric
Haataja takes us close to his home, to a fishery that he
says is the best in the world for Trout. Tying
us to a wall in the harbor Eric has us casting Berkley Gulp
for these massive brown trout. They can't
seem to stop biting, as we boat well over 40 fish in 6
hours. Ranging in size from 3 pounds all
the way up to 12 pounds. Eric has caught
Trout over 30 pounds in the same spot we were fishing.
Later
on in the day, to show us another technique, Eric get out
his boards and we troll the harbor. It
kept us busy, because more often that not there were 2 fish
on at a time.
Eric
is guiding in the harbors of Milwaukee for Trout untill they
stop biting, which is around March. Whether
it is through the ice or open water, your going to catch
fish.
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HERE to purchase episodes.
Fishing in the Rain
Show Date: January
19-20, 2008
Location: Lake Winnebago
Pro Guide(s): Pro Ice Guide Larry Smith
[920-361-4996] www.walleyeguide.com
Summary:
You really never know what is going to happen on Wisconsin's
Waters Woods. Take for example this show.
Larry Smith takes us out 6 miles from the shores of Lake
Winnebago to a mud flat, which seems to be in the middle of
nowhere with all the fog. Spending the whole day jigging in
the rain and lightning proves to be excellent fishing
weather. Larry tells us that the cloudy/foggy days are the
best on Winnebago.
Using anything tipped with a minnow head really get the
white bass and perch biting. Since we were fishing on a mud
flat, using s slightly larger jigging bait that normal works
the best.
North
Dakota
Show
Date: January 26-27, 2008
Location: North Dakota
Guide(s): Jason Feldner 701-473-2533
percheyes.com
Summary:
Even with
temperatures plummeting below the -20 degree mark we're
still out in the cold to bring the hottest fishing.
This
week we were in North Dakota with Pro ice guide Jason
Feldner, for 2 days of excellent Northern Pike and Perch
fishing.
Fishing
in a different area each day on the expansive 150,000 acre
lake brings in trophies in 2 species. Day
one we see some huge pike that many people would say is a
fish of a lifetime. Day two brings some
nasty weather with winds up to 30mph, getting out to our
spot is no easy chore. Once there and
jigging for perch, we see why people come from everywhere to
fish here, huge 12 inch perch is the norm, and its one after
another.
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HERE to purchase episodes.
Airboat
Trout
Show
Date: February 2-3, 2008
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Guide(s): Charter Captain Eric Haataja 414-546-4627
www.wibigfish.com
Summary:
Eric Haataja is
as serious about safety as he is about fishing. So
to get us out to our ice fishing spot, he takes us in an
airboat. Since an airboat can travel on
land and water, he uses it to get us across the open water
in the harbor to where there is enough ice. Unfortunately
when we arrive all the ice is gone, so we end up fishing
from the boat.
Using
our little Frabill Jig-sticks in open water proves to be
some of the most exciting we have ever seen, the rod are
literally bent in half. Consistently boating 5-10 pound
trout all day, is what we have come to expect from Eric.
All the while hoping that the 20+ pounder will hit.
Using
everything from the ZIP to Berkley Alive Gulp, these fish
are just pounding whatever they see. It
make for some very unique and exciting television.
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HERE to purchase episodes.
Massive
Walleyes Through the Ice
Show
Date: February 9-10, 2008
Location: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Guide(s): Dale Stroschein, [920-743-5731 www.wackywalleye.com
Summary:
Dale Stroschein
always has a way of showing the best any system has to
offer, and that doesn't stop when the bay freezes. Heading
out to Sturgeon Bay, Dale takes a group to a destination
that will yield trophy size walleyes. Jigging in the early
morning and late afternoon, Dale puts us on the spot when
the fishing gets hot. Johns persistence keep us on the ice
in the "off hours" and everybody is still catching
fish.
Jigging is the name of the game on this adventure, and when
your in 20 feet of water and its so clear you can see the
bottom, you really need to concentrate. It does pay off, BIG
TIME! So many people said that the fish that they caught was
there biggest, we lost count. Dale says this excellent
fishing will continue until ice-out.
Pre-Spawn
Ice Walleyes
Show
Date: February 16-17, 2008
Location: Fox River, Green Bay, WI
Guide(s):
Pro Ice Guide Larry Smith
[920-361-4996] www.walleyeguide.com
Summary:
Guide
Larry Smith guides us on a frigid day on the fox river near
Green Bay. Today we are fishing for
pre-spawn walleyes through the ice. Larry tells us the
strong current draws these monster fish out of the bay, and
down to where he has us camped out.
Using
the all too well known 'hole-hoping' technique, our anglers
move around all day to track these fish as they move.
All you need is a dead-hooked minnow, a knuckle-ball
jig, and some patience.
Ice
Walleyes
Show
Date: February 23-24, 2008
Location: Vilas County, WI | Green Bay, WI
Guide(s): Rob Manthei
715-477-2042 www.robmanthei.com
& Dale Stroschein, [920-743-5731 www.wackywalleye.com
Summary:
This
two part ice fishing episode brings us to beautiful northern
Wisconsin fishing for some of the most beautiful country,
and some of the best looking walleyes in the state. Rob
Manthei will show us how to catch walleyes after dark.
Then we head south to meet up with Dale Stroschein,
to catch the famous trophy-sized walleyes that the bay of
Green Bay is known for.
Braving
the cold in Vilas Co. Wisconsin is no easy task, especially
when these fish want to run with the line. We
are tip-up fishing mainly after dark, when the temp dips
down to 14 below zero. Rob puts us in 20
feet above some structure that is holding the fish, early
ice you will find weeds left over from the summer, late ice
you'll want to look for rocks. Rob has us
using a 50/50 combination of shiners and suckers on their
tip-ups to see what is working the best.
When
we join Dale in Green Bay, it is sill deathly cold outside,
but at least there are no tip-ups. This
bit is pure jigging excitement, using an odd-ball jig and a
shiner. Dale has us out a giant flat, and today we are
fishing ahead of a storm, which Dale says that can turn the
bite red hot. The 40 MPH winds don't die
down at all but catching these trophy walleyes is sure a
blast, and keep you warm too. This
excellent fishing in Green Bay will be hot until ice-off.
Whitefish on the Bay
Show
Date: March 1-2, 2008
Location: Bay of Green Bay, off of Marinette, WI
Pro Guide(s): Larry Smith [920-361-4996] www.walleyeguide.com
Summary:
We join Larry
Smith and a few clients on this trek out on the bay of Green
Bay on a frigid day in February. Its hovering just around
zero, with some wind, but our anglers are enjoying what has
come to be a new trend in the area. We have traveled 4.5
miles out to our spot, and we weren't disappointed with the
results at the end of the day.
Fishing for Whitefish has become the hot ticket in town, and
with good reason. Jigging is always the most enjoyable
fishing experience when it comes to ice fishing, so why not.
Besides who wants to pick up tip-up this winter anyway.
Using a simple jig with a bit of Berkley Gulp tipping the
hooks is all we need to get these fish snapping, and snap
they do. Our anglers enjoy catching these fish all day, and
with a 10 fish limit, there is plenty of food to take home.
Larry tells us that if there are cleaned properly, these
fish can taste excellent.
Newton
Lake
Show
Date: March 8-9, 2008
Location: Newton Lake, Newton, IL
Guide(s): Matt Bichanich
– Pro Bass Fisherman & Tab Walker [618-752-5075] www.outdoorsportsmanslodge.com
Summary:
When
our friend, local bass pro Matt Bichanich, asked us if we
wanted to do some large mouth bass fishing in the dead of
winter – we said yes. But we didn't
know that it was going to be so close to home. Newton
Lake is about 4 hours south of Chicago, and is 1,775 acres.
Newton
Lake is a power plant lake, what that means is that a power
plant uses the water to cool down their generators.
So in turn it keeps the lake from freezing all
winter, the average water temps in this lake are between
50-60 degrees. So even though it is 30
degrees out, we can still use the summer patterns.
The bass really don't know its winter, so they get a
year round growing pattern, and the anglers get year round
excitement.
The
weather is terrible, we are fishing in one of the worst
fronts we have seen this winter. But you
wouldn't be able to tell by the numbers and quality of fish
we are boating. An average bass caught
was 3 pounds, with a few up to five. Out
host, Tab Walker, says there have been at least four 10
pounders caught on this lake.
Spring
is Here
Show
Date: March 15-16, 2008
Location: Wisconsin River, Wisconsin Dells
Guide(s): Big Dave Ehardt [414-803-7160]
Summary:
It
is a sure sign of spring when we once again join Big Dave on
the Wisconsin River, in the Dells. A generous rainfall a few
days before helped open up the river, so we could experience
some great walleye and sauger fishing.
Dave is back-trolling to keep the boat floating ever so
slowly down stream. We are using mostly jigs with minnows
and blade bates, such as the Zip. Keeping our lines as
vertical as possible, and right along the bottom. Most of
the fish we catch we don't mark, because they are so close
to the bottom. We do very well as far as size and numbers
are concerned. It's a classic good time every time we are
with Big Dave.
Late
Ice Walleyes
Show
Date: March 22-23, 2008
Location: The Bay of Green Bay off Sturgeon Bay
Guide(s): Dale Stroschein [ 920-743-5731] www.wackywalleye.com
Summary:
It's
finally late ice season, and from the winter that we had, it
looks like it could be around for another couple of weeks.
Well we went up to Dale's fabulous resort, to host
our first annual 'Yamaha Dealer Outing.' As
usual it is a very early/evening bite for the walleyes.
Many of our guests had never been ice fishing before,
and for them to experience this is once in a lifetime.
It's certainly not a numbers game out there, but that
"CLUNK" could come at any time. You
really need to concentrate, and be ready to reel in your
trophy.
To
mix it up Dale take us white fishing in the middle of day
two. Fishing for the white fish in 40
feet of water is a really fun fight.
Staying
out late at the end of day two produces a few more walleyes
for a few of our first timers, and is defiantly worth the
wait.
The
Best of Both Worlds
Show
Date: March 29-30, 2008
Location: Petenwell Flowage – Adams County,
WI
Guide(s): Larry Smith [920-361-4996] www.walleyeguide.com
Summary:
John
joins Larry Smith for a two day, two part fishing adventure.
Fishing on ice the first day, and open water the
second.
Ice
fishing on Castle Rock Lake Larry targets perch, but ends up
catching mostly crappies, and a bunch of under legal size
walleyes. They have a selection of
tip-ups set out, but they end up catching most of their fish
while jigging. Most of the crew is using blade baits tipped
with Berkley Gulp Grubs.
The
second day John travels up the river, to the stretch between
Petenwell and Castle Rock. They are
targeting walleye. John sticks to his
guns, jigging with the ZIP. Larry and his
co-guide-Matt- is using a jig and minnow. Fishing
primarily around a dam, constantly moving and changing
depths. Matt put on the school and
catches the bulk of walleyes, and some bulky 3-5 pound
walleyes.
Last
Ice on Devils Lake
Show
Date: April 5-6, 2008
Location: Devils
Lake North Dakota
Guide(s): Jason Feldner [701-351-1294]
www.percheyes.com
Summary:
Heading
out to North Dakota for the final ice show of the year.
Targeting walleyes and pike, always has good results
in North Dakota. We are fishing on Devils
Lake, that massive expanse of water in the center of the
state.
Jigging
for walleyes showcases the quality of fish that Devils Lake
has to offer. Late ice brings the
walleyes to the shallow flats, which is where we plant down
for the beginning of or trip. Just using
a jig and minnow, and keeping a strong focus on what we are
doing, we catch fish.
Switching
to northern pike later shows us lots of action. Using
tip-ups and Pete Maina's famous system of using a muskie rod
to land these pike.
Eric's
Pre-Spawn Walleye Bite
Show
Date: April 12-13, 2008
Location: Marinette,
WI
Guide(s): Eric Haataja 414-546-4627
www.wibigfish.com
Summary:
We
finally get on the open water for a full show, but the
weather conditions still have a strong hold on winter.
Eric always guides the waters of Green Bay and the
Menominee River in early spring for huge pre-spawn walleyes.
We stay for two days, the first day jigging, the second day
trolling.
The
first day we jig using mostly Lindy jigs like the
Fuzz-e-Grub, the big profile of these jigs is good in the
dark stained water of the river in spring. Since
we were mostly vertical jigging, John did get out his Zip
from time to time. We caught some jumbo
walleyes, but not in the numbers that Eric is used to, so
day two would be trolling. Trolling crank
baits in shallow water, where the ice had been latterly one
day before. Targeting the fish that
haven't moved up river yet.
Eric
continually told us both days that it is not a numbers bite,
but a trophy fishery. 95% of all fish you
catch here will be a jumbo, but like he says, you have to
put in your time.
Spring
With Dale
Show
Date: April 19-20, 2008
Location: Sturgeon
Bay, WI
Guide(s): Dale Stroschein [920-743-5731] www.wackywalleye.com
Summary:
Spring
can be a tough bite for any angler, so when we came knocking
on Dale's door, he said he would make it happen.
We have two days to try for whatever we think will
bite, so on day one it is pike. We troll
for pike all day, and land a jumbo, but the rest of the day
doesn't pan out equally.
Day
two pays off when we travel down to Green Bay to fish the
Fox River for walleye. We anchor up in
the rapids created by a dam, and cast crank baits trying for
the jumbo walleyes that we know are here. Sure
enough, when we put our time in we capitalize on the
beautiful walleyes that the Fox has to offer. Fishing
late into the night we catch some very nice fish.
Larry's
Spring Mixed Bag
Show
Date: April 26-27, 2008
Location: Oshkosh, WI – Fox River
Guide(s): Larry Smith [920-361-4996] www.walleyeguide.com
Summary:
It
is the first nice day of the year, sunny with temperatures
in the upper 70's with a light breeze, it's the weather we
have been waiting for all year. With the
excellent weather also comes equally good fishing.
We join Larry Smith on a guide trip on the Fox River
in Oshkosh, WI for a spring grab-bag of fish. We
try all sorts of bait and techniques. From
jigs and minnows for perch, to pulling flies through the
current for white bass & walleye, we see it all.
Lake
Erie Two-Day Adventure
Show
Date: May 3-4, 2008
Location: Lake Erie, Toledo, OH
Guide(s): Paul Pacholski [800-798-1218] www.deacsretreat.com
Summary:
It's
our annual spring Lake Erie trip – and that means
walleyes. This year we are sill talking
about the 'famous' 2003 hatch, these fish are getting huge.
Our average weight of these walleyes is 3 pounds, and
all male. As usual, Captain Paul does not
troll, so we get to feel the clunk of all these giant fish.
We
are joined by our Yamaha buddys, Kevin, Jim, and Matt, and
also our Bass Pro buddy, Tisma. Just
thowing a jig and drifting brings in a lot of fish.
John stays true to the ZIP, and lands a lot of these
walleyes as well.
Northern
Wisconsin in the Spring
Show
Date: May 10-11, 2008
Location: Vilas
County, Wisconsin
Guide(s): Rob Manthei
715-477-2042 www.robmanthei.com
Summary:
It's
our annual spring journey up to Vilas County to fish with
our friend, Pro Guide Rob Manthei. One
this show we are targeting walleyes, with all sorts of
methods, and at all different times of the day.
Since
our winter was so severe Rob tells us that some of the lakes
in the area had just lost their ice the day before we filmed
this show, so depending on which lake you go to these fish
could be in any part of there spawn. Since
this was the case we were only able to catch the male fish,
but we did catch our fair share of nice fish.
Looking
for the warmest water you can find this time of year is
generally where you will find the most active fish.
We worked the shorelines, where it was shallow and
where there was a rocky bottom. The
different methods we used were, a jig and minnow, a jig and
Berkley Gulp, and a crank bait when it started to get dark
out.
Big
Dave's Spring Crappie Bite
Show
Date: May 17-18, 2008
Location: Lake Wisconsin, Lodi, WI
Guide(s): Dave Ehardt [414-803-7160]
Summary:
Every
spring we love to join pro guide Big Dave Ehardt for his
spring crappie bite. Dave says that the
crappies are just starting there spawn on Lake Wisconsin, so
we are drifting the shorelines to try to find where they are
schooling. We are all using a drop-shot
style set-up, and are bouncing along the bottom through our
drift. We catch crappies all day, and at
different depths.
For
the last hour Dave takes us to catch some small mouth bass,
to mix up the day a bit. The smallies
seem to be pretty aggressive, Dave catches one on his first
cast. If the small mouth are biting, it's a sure sign of
spring, so where is the warm weather?
Monster
Bass in Door County
Show
Date: May 24-25, 2008
Location: Sturgeon
Bay, Door County, WI
Guide(s): Dale Stroschein [ 920-743-5731] www.wackywalleye.com
Summary:
We
look forward to this show every year, monster pre-spawn
small mouth bass with Dale Stroschein. We are after the huge
pre-spawn female fish that are abundant along the
shorelines. We drift the rocky shorelines and fan-cast
jerk-baits and tubjigs, looking for transitions on the
bottom. Dale says that the fish relate to
the transitions so that is where you are going to want to
direct your casts. This day ends up being
all about presentation, we saw a few follows but no bites.
So we slowed up our presentation and the fish start
to hit.
Jeff
Winters' Spring Catch
Show
Date: May 31, 2008
Location: The Willow Flowage, Oneida Co.,
Wisconsin
Guide(s): Jeff Winters 715-315-9313 www.jeffsguideservice.com
Summary:
Pro
Guide Jeff Winters takes us on a journey through the wilds
of the Willow Flowage in northern Oneida County.
Jeff takes us here because of the enormous amount of
water there is to cover on this stretch of water.
We are after walleyes on this trip, they are on a
feeding frenzy because the spawn just ended not too long
ago.
We
are drifting the shorelines looking for weeds and shoreline
grass, and when we do we use a simple weed-less jig and a
minnow. We are looking for water that is
six feet or less to pull these walleyes out of. These
fish are hitting very light today because we are on the
water just after a cold front, so we need to give them a
long time to take the bait before we set the hook. It
was a good trip, especially when we really get into them.
Down
River Bass
Show
Date: June 7-8, 2008
Location: Walworth County, WI
Guide(s): Dave Ehardt [414-803-7160]
Summary:
This
week we head down river from rivers edge resort to
experience some of the best river small mouth bass fishing
we have ever seen. We are guided by Big
Dave Ehardt, and are also joined by Ted Takasaki of Lindy
Little Joe. When you head down river from
the Dells you really feel like you are in the middle of
nowhere, it looks like Canada or northern Wisconsin all
around you.
Drifting
slowly down the shorelines we are looking for schooling
baitfish. The bass will be under these
schools of baitfish feeding – it's just after the spawn on
the river. We usually find the most fish
when we are fishing the rock flats along the shoreline.
Although, since the water had dropped significantly
the night before we arrived, some of the fish had moved
closer to the channel. That means that
some of our strikes came very close to the boat in 3-5 feet
of water.
It
was a great trip, catching upwards of 70 bass, and a lot of
them quality fish. Defiantly worth the
trip to the Dells.
Boat
Loads of Bass
Show
Date: June 14-15, 2008
Location: Wisconsin River (Between
Wisconsin Dells & Portage)
Guide(s): Eric Haataja 414-546-4627
www.wibigfish.com
Summary:
Eric
Haataja always has a knack to put us on big fish without
heading 6 hours north. That being said,
he does it again this time within an hour of Milwaukee and
Chicago, in Walworth County, Wisconsin. We
have a good crew too, Tisma Juett from Bass Pro Shops, Matt
Bichanich from Uncle Josh Baits, as well as John and Eric.
Eric
calls this time of year "peak bass time," because
the bass are at all different phases of the spawn.
This gives us a good chance at good numbers of large
and small mouth bass. We also have a good
chance at pre-spawn females that can easily be upwards of
5-6 pounds. Looking for shallow weed
flats is where we plan on catching our fish, and we don't
have to look very long. Another benefit
of this time of year is that we can use any multitude of
baits and presentations to lands these bass. We
are throwing spinner baits, using the wacky worm style, and
also using Gulp on a jig. All these
methods work, and it makes for a great day of sport fishing.
Trolling
and Casting the Bay
Show
Date: June 21-22, 2008
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Guide(s): Larry Smith [920-361-4996] www.walleyeguide.com
Summary:
Larry
Smith takes us along on a guide trip onto the bay of Green
Bay for big numbers of big walleye.
We first set out trolling on a windy cool day in mid-June.
We are trolling weed flats in 4-7 feet pulling Lindy spinner
crawler harnesses. Using either a bottom bouncers or split
shots will work, we mostly used split shots to put our bait
down around 4 feet. Larry tells us that the fish will come
up to hit it.
Later in the day we set up for a few drifts to cast for
these same fish, and surprise, they nail our flicker shads
too! We set up our drift up wind from where we were
trolling, and the fish did the rest of the work.
Lake
Superior Super Crappies
Show
Date: June 28-29, 2008
Location: Keweenaw
Bay, Lake Superior, Michigan
Guide(s): Eric Haataja 414-546-4627
www.wibigfish.com
Summary:
Charter
Captain Eric Haataja take us to a few of his honey-holes in
the area where he vacations with his family. We
are fishing on Keweenaw Bay, a bay of Lake Superior.
Hitting little inlets along the way, this up north
fishing is a grab bag for bass, pike, walleye, and crappies.
This
trip we zero in on some very nice bass, and some
extraordinary crappies. For the bass we
are drop-shoting using Gulp, and casting over weed flats.
For these beautiful crappies we are bobber fishing
around the docks and boat houses that dot the landscape.
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