No, not the ’82 to ’84 Houston Cougars. I’m talking about the star lit lineup of fishing guides at Ballard’s Resort. Catching fish, towing huts, popping eight-inch holes in the famous pursuit of trophy walleyes.
What’s the latest and greatest? Per Ely-Dan this morning it sounds like we have pushed ourselves 9-9.5 miles offshore near the US / Canadian border. He’s calling it (decent) consistent reports from most houses with saugers being iced, and CJ then chirped we are now seeing more overs (trophy walleyes over 28”). Sounds about right for late JAN. And also mid-JUN. It’s weird how we end up in roughly the same locations during different fishing seasons.
Also, like clockwork, a near-shore summer bite that usually drops off in mid-JUN will push us north to the deeper flats. Same scenario in late-JAN. We’ve given about all the chase we can close to home. Time to roam north.
No reef fishing per se at the present. The mud bite has been productive enough to keep most anglers active. Will there be a push in the next week to ten days? I can’t get the fog rubbed off the crystal ball quite yet. When the guides start talking sideways out of their mouths, I’ll let you know. That generally means change is coming.
Back to the big fish chatter. YES. We’re banging some wide shouldered fish. Makes a person wonder. Will the next bite be the one?! Maybe that’s part of the hook with LOW. You never know if the next bite is going to be a 10” sauger of a 10# walleye. Always the teaser.
Set the hook!
