Fishing before the rain., Fish were hungry last night.

Wanted to get some fishing in before the rain this week. Went out last night at 6pm and fished until 4am. East wind about 8kph then it went away after dark. Then then the wind came back again, off and on all night. The walleye fishing was really good, but only two crappie that were small. Took a picture of the moon through the clouds in the early evening. Clouds went away and clear the rest of the night. Stopped fishing when the moon was right above my head around 4am.

Small to large walleye last night. This one was just over 19 inches.

One more for the BBQ. This one was just over 19.5 inches. The walleye were very aggressive last night. Big hits and a few put some drag on the line. This one was was noticeably heavier than the others. Kept just these two and the rest were released. They were a bit thin, so back in the lake to fatten up for another night.

Awesome! I’d love to get one of those next weekend! Enjoy your bbq.

Thanks Jay, it was great weather with only a light jacket required. Got lucky that the walleye were very hungry. Saw your post about Pigeon Lake. Unfortunately I have no knowledge of Pigeon Lake. Some friends fish it, but have not talked to them in a month. Good luck out there, have fun.

Hey thanks very much I’m sure we’ll have a great time whether we catch anything or not, we always do. It’s all about time on the water, I haven’t fished a tonne up there so it’s a learning process which I really don’t mind.

Good for you Jamie....making up for lost time.....enjoy the BBQ.

Arnie

Thank you Arnie, only eight weeks left of walleye season. Still some great weather out there.

Nice to see you are taking advantage of some phenomenal weather lately with little or no wind for a 10 days now.
In my experience, a little chop on the water is great for jigging for walleye, but no wind is nice too.
Congrats on the nice walleye!

I really like how you do night fishing, I would like to try it.

Thank you Fozzy. I totally agree, during the day in a boat you just can't beat 10kph wind in the Kawarthas. I go as high as 15 kph just off the shoreline where the wind line starts. This way the trees give you a bit of wind break at the first weed lines. If it is a straight north or south wind on Balsam or Sturgeon, we just bounce around and drift down the shoreline. At night in the summer I hope for wind to keep the bugs off. In the fall I hope for no wind to keep the cold off. LOL. Walleye and crappie are mostly more aggressive at night. Just a bit harder to pay attention for hours and hours over the evening. Landing them is always a challenge in the dark as well. I do not like to turn my light on unless there is no choice for the big walleye, crappie and even big bass and muskie after dark. Nothing is worse than losing a fish at the net.

Thanks fisherman. Maybe the next time you are up at your aunts cottage, that looks like a nice lake. As long as you know the lake very well for all the hazards. I have been out at night in a boat and had to help out another boat that got into some trouble. Extra flashlights and batteries, and extra clothes just in case it gets cold. Last week I started out in a long sleeve shirt, and just added layers after that. It got chilly and damp with the fog. Good luck if you give it a try sometime . Stay safe. I use my red light in the boat at night mostly. It is much easier on the eyes. No need to blind yourself with white light standing in a boat, or on rocks, or even on the dock in the dark.

were the walleye hitting your crankbaits or did you have to resort to a bobber set up ??? hope to get out on Balsam this weekend and maybe try a night fish myself ! ROOK

When the water was moving with the breeze, the walleye were hitting the crank bait the most. When the water was calm, there was more action with the bobber and Joker bait. Off and on as always. If the water has good movement my retrieve is more aggressive with a crank bait in any season. If the night is still and quiet a slower almost no twitching with the bobber and jigs. Looks like you will have good weather this weekend. The weatherman says the wind will change from north to east Friday evening, for the rest of the weekend. Perfect time to explore the east side shoreline of Balsam from top to bottom, and around the islands. Good luck, hope you have a few more pictures to post like last week.

Thanks C for the tips !! I only have a kayak at the moment and I am on the west side about 2 kms south of the park. I shall try the deep side of the weedbed out in front of me and see what there is at night. Fingers crossed !!!!!! ROOK