# Interesting day at CJ today



## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

I thought it was a slow day, but different. Caught the usual, couple cats, some gills, three crappie, one short and three 17" eyes. The bonus started with a 15lb anchor. Hooked the rope jigging a spoon. When I managed to catch a hook with a plug knocker and the hook did not break off I pulled up about 12' of rope with an anchor attached. Not lucky enough to get any free baits, what was stuck to the rope were old and rusted. A little later I hooked a nice 3lb large mouth on a spoon. That was fun, I catch one every year or two. Then five min. later I caught another at a solid 4 lb. Worms were pretty useless today, only the cat and 1 gill. Everything else came jigging or casting spoons or vibe's.


----------



## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

Good stuff! We caught a anchor and pulled it in the other day as well on cj. No good baits though and no bass! Thanks for the report!


----------



## walleyejigger (Sep 29, 2009)

I got a anchor up there years back I think I got 15 crankbaits off of it and I think some were mine


----------



## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

hopefully the anchors were over the legal limit. and did you catch and release ? hopefully it wasn't just a ' fluke '...


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

I was out for a while on Sunday after missing a couple of weeks. Got skunked on Walleye and pretty much everything else. One guy near me got a 16 and a 17 early on a Kastmaster Spoon that he was basically jigging back to the boat. It got pretty hot so I was out by 10:30.

I'm going out again early tomorrow. It's been cooler this week so we'll see how it goes.

See you out there.

MC


----------



## mrdcpa (Sep 24, 2011)

Hit for the first time without much of a game plan. Fished flats a few hours with jigs, trolled a few hours with cranks. Nothing trolling, small channel few gills and short walleye on jigs.


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

Yeah, the only good things this morning were that I didn't spill my coffee and it was cool and pleasant until after 10:00. I went to 6 different spots that are often productive and found nothing but small Bluegils and Cats. I used jig/worm and jigging spoons. I didn't even catch a single Crappie or White Bass, let alone a Walleye. Something is wrong out there and I wish we could get a handle on it.

Some of you remember when we commonly caught 30 - 40 - 50 short Walleyes among the limit to near-limit of keepers. 20 boats could be sitting out in the middle and EVERYBODY was catching some good fish. Sure, there are still good days but they are more like a fluke when you happen to park on top of some fish. This is my 23rd straight year out there and I'm sure I'm better and have better equipment than when I started out and I'm not catching as many fish.

It's just frustrating because it used to be so much fun to sit out there and catch fish and shoot the bull with guys 30 feet away in every direction and they were all catching fish too. Now most of the other boats are gone as well as the fish. Just an old guy venting here I guess...

See you out there.

MC


----------



## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

Know exactly what you mean Mike. There were some years with low stocking numbers, but they have always gone up and down. I still maintain that as long as they release the fry inside the boat ramp the survival goes way down because they get eaten before they find the lake. The boat ramp is the only major change to the lake and the fishing began dropping off about five years after it was put in. I did better this year than I have the last several but it was still way short of an old average year.
On another note, did anyone catch a baby musky this year? I kind of half expected to run into one since I was casting spoons for eyes a lot of the summer but no luck. Maybe they are hanging out along the shore.


----------



## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

Troy Dave said:


> Know exactly what you mean Mike. There were some years with low stocking numbers, but they have always gone up and down. I still maintain that as long as they release the fry inside the boat ramp the survival goes way down because they get eaten before they find the lake. The boat ramp is the only major change to the lake and the fishing began dropping off about five years after it was put in. I did better this year than I have the last several but it was still way short of an old average year.
> On another note, did anyone catch a baby musky this year? I kind of half expected to run into one since I was casting spoons for eyes a lot of the summer but no luck. Maybe they are hanging out along the shore.


 I never had the chance to fish it pre boat ramp. Just a youngin. But that sure does sound like a good time! Also had no Muskie this year, I’ve heard of others getting them though.


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

Part of my frustration is that I missed all of May and June because Jeff Wyler couldn't find a part for my Jeep. I understand that things were pretty good a lot of days then.

I've always thought they should release the fingerlings and fry up in the creek for a more natural introduction. Doesn't matter what we think, they'll just do it the easy way. After all that effort to raise them they basically just feed half of them to the Crappies and White Bass.

MC


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

I got out again this morning after being off since Labor Day. It was lovely out there. I didn't hurry and was on the water by 8:00 after shooting the bull at Howard's Lakeside General Store. Thanks to him for being open when needed like they used to be.

Water temp was about 75.5° with variable breezes. A few others out enjoying the morning. Incredibly, I got a 16" Walleye on my very first cast. It's been a while since that happened! Got a nice Crappie on the second cast then back to reality. Fished in three places and got ton of bait stealing Sunfish and a couple of cats. Finally got another good Walleye, a nice White Bass and then this guy... I believe it is a White Catfish based on what I Googled when I got home. I knew the number of rays in the anal fin was important so I got a pic where they could be counted. I get about 20 which is less than a Channel and way less than the straight, 30+ ray anal fin of a Blue. Anyone else notice these out there? This one was 16 inches or so and he really put up a fight!

I might be done for the year... I guess we'll see.

See you out there.
MC


----------



## Troy Dave (Jan 26, 2007)

BlueBoat98 said:


> I might be done for the year... I guess we'll see.


Boy, I don't know Mike, for someone who likes to fish like you there is still at least a month and a half of good boat weather. I haven't been to CJ since mid August but switched to Caesars Creek for musky when the water temp dropped below 80. Boated 7 fish out of 11 trips so far. Got 2 today, must have been holding my tongue just right. Will switch to Indian for saugeye mid Oct to mid Nov. Usually don't put the boat up till the week before Thanksgiving. And that's only because I don't like scraping frost off the windshield to go to work. I would do it to fish, but not to work!


----------



## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

Troy Dave said:


> Boy, I don't know Mike, for someone who likes to fish like you there is still at least a month and a half of good boat weather.


I was thinking the same thing, we've got plenty of good weather ahead.
I like fishing until the lakes start to skim over with ice. One of my favorite times to fish for crappie is the week before Christmas.


----------



## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

have been thinking about an early AM visit into the ' Forbidden Zone ' sometime soon. used to do very well there in years past...


----------



## All Thumbs (Apr 11, 2004)

Lowell H Turner said:


> Forbidden Zone


our biggest walleye came out of there - "28 inches"


----------



## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

All Thumbs said:


> our biggest walleye came out of there - "28 inches"


Is this place public knowledge?


----------



## BlueBoat98 (Nov 5, 2004)

It's not the weather as much as the fact that I have never been able to catch much of anything after Labor Day. Just can't find a dependable pattern. It also starts to get real busy with the grandkids this time of year. I also don't have a son or brother or dad or dependable fishing buddy to go with me on those longer trips. It's not much fun driving 45 minutes or so by myself to Indian or Caesar Creek. This hot weather may get me out to C.J. a few more times. I'll play it by ear.

MC


----------



## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

BlueBoat98 said:


> I also don't have a son or brother or dad or dependable fishing buddy to go with me


I fish solo most of the time. Every now and then someone will join me but most of my friends come up with a variety of excuses...it's too hot, cold, windy, sunny early, late or I busy with chores, work, kids, grandkids, wife and on and on and on.

I believe people make time to do what they want. Most of the guys I know are what I call "planners". They love to make plans to do stuff. When it comes time to actually doing something, then here comes the excuses. The older people get, the worse this becomes until they give up fishing all together.


----------



## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

stonen12 said:


> Is this place public knowledge?


Nope


----------



## fishnisfun (Apr 16, 2012)

crappiedude said:


> I fish solo most of the time. Every now and then someone will join me but most of my friends come up with a variety of excuses...it's too hot, cold, windy, sunny early, late or I busy with chores, work, kids, grandkids, wife and on and on and on.
> 
> I believe people make time to do what they want. Most of the guys I know are what I call "planners". They love to make plans to do stuff. When it comes time to actually doing something, then here comes the excuses. The older people get, the worse this becomes until they give up fishing all together.


Crappiedude, I just retired in April and I am available to join you now and then. I fish year round, as long as the water is liquid. I do have several fishing buddies like myself that fish as I do and we all have our own boats. I don't know what lakes you fish most but we fish East Fork, Ceasers Creek, Rocky Fork, and Brookville. Send me a private note if you are interested,


----------



## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

fishnisfun said:


> Crappiedude, I just retired in April and I am available to join you now and then. I fish year round, as long as the water is liquid. I do have several fishing buddies like myself that fish as I do and we all have our own boats. I don't know what lakes you fish most but we fish East Fork, Ceasers Creek, Rocky Fork, and Brookville. Send me a private note if you are interested,


Thanks for the offer.
With the drop in temps the last few weeks a few of my friends have started to show up again, these guys just hate the heat. I never really mind hot but I will say I mostly just fish early mornings when it's really hot outside.


----------



## Lowell H Turner (Feb 22, 2011)

the " Forbidden Zone " is the area immediately around the Outlet Tower...


----------

