# Pymatuning 9-20-20



## forrest r (Mar 14, 2020)

Got there around 8am and put my kayak in at the beach on the nw side of the causeway across from the beach on the ohio side. Rowed out at an angle and dropped anchor when I was 300yds off the causeway and 100yds down (east) of the bridge on the ohio side.

Was fishing in 5'+ of water using drop shots with crawlers. While I didn't set the world on fire I averaged catching a fish every +/- 10 minutes. Ended up quitting 1pm and really should have quit earlier than that. The wind picked up and the chop pretty bad. Not a lot of dinks today but enough to keep fishing interesting averaging 1 dink for every keeper.

Ended up with 10 perch, 4 bluegill, 3 catfish and 1 bullhead (13 1/2"). Typically the perch & bluegill go in the same bag in the freezer & I ended up with a 1 1/2# bag of filets. The catfish & bullhead were just over 2# of fillets (bag & a 1/2).

All in all it was another great day on the lake. While those fish don't sound like much fishing in a kayak is not only at a slower pace then from a boat. When 1 person is fishing nothing is being caught when baiting hooks or taking fish off the lines. I do use 2 poles and loose several fish every trip from doing something with 1 pole and not being able to set the hook when the other pole gets hit.

Just figured I'd let everyone know that if you fish for perch/bluegill, they are starting to come back into shallower water now that the lake is starting to cool off.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks for the report


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## ICENUT (Apr 29, 2008)

I will post a report also later in week wife and i will be at camp for 3 days and i intend to fish the lake hard.Previous week we kept 30 perch mostltly decent and probably sorted thru 50 or so.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Headed up tomorrow morning.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I lost 2 smallies from shore on Monday night. Maybe friday night or Sunday morning I give it another go.


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## Don lane (Jun 15, 2020)

Headed out weds. Went last Tuesday and got 10 perch from 7 to 2. Lake was turned and wind bad. Was real awful conditions. May try bowers cause i was thinking like you were with the cooler water that may produce


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## forrest r (Mar 14, 2020)

just putting it out there there's fish. Maybe you eat them may me you don't. At the end of the day that lake is my "Rock Star"!!!

Love the perch and anything else is icing on the cake


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

chaunc said:


> Headed up tomorrow morning.


Didn’t make it. Too foggy to drive safely so I fished my home lake. Had a good day there. Lots of big crappies.


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## Don lane (Jun 15, 2020)

Report was not good. Lake is down at least 2 feet of water. Very slow and only dinks biting


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## ICENUT (Apr 29, 2008)

ist day at camp not much happening as far as fish are concerned.Yesterday we hammered the perch and they wern't just dinks a few 9,som 10,s and wife got 3 jumbos's You can easily catch 100 perch if ya wanted to we kept 25 this trip all nice ones.Couldn't buy a hit on crappie or gills though.Lake is down alot careful were you launch Jamestown is deepest and best Espy and snodgrass getting shaky could hit bottom.


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## Don lane (Jun 15, 2020)

Perch has been a struggle from shore. 12 in 5 hours is a good day lol


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## forrest r (Mar 14, 2020)

Went back out again yesterday, pretty much a repeat of 9-20. It was extremely rough/windy and I really had to work at everything I caught. Started around 8am and got off the water at noon. 

Only caught 3 dinks the whole day, don't know if it was the chop that kept the bait jumping around too fast??? Ended up with 10 perch with 6 of them being 10+". 3 really nice bluegill 8 1/2" to 9 1/2" and 6 small catfish 14" to 16".

Filet the perch and froze them along with the catfish. The misses went to visit relatives yesterday so me and lanedog ended up eating blackened bluegill for dinner along with a red bean/grean bean mix. 

Looking forward to getting back out on a calm day, should be able to slay the perch.


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## Don lane (Jun 15, 2020)

forrest r said:


> Went back out again yesterday, pretty much a repeat of 9-20. It was extremely rough/windy and I really had to work at everything I caught. Started around 8am and got off the water at noon.
> 
> Only caught 3 dinks the whole day, don't know if it was the chop that kept the bait jumping around too fast??? Ended up with 10 perch with 6 of them being 10+". 3 really nice bluegill 8 1/2" to 9 1/2" and 6 small catfish 14" to 16".
> 
> ...


I see you like the calm too.

My dad and his friend like a chop for them and i absolutely refuse to fish for perch in a chop. Maybe its psychological, but i do best in the calm. Looking like this weekend the wind should calm down


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## Don lane (Jun 15, 2020)

forrest r said:


> Went back out again yesterday, pretty much a repeat of 9-20. It was extremely rough/windy and I really had to work at everything I caught. Started around 8am and got off the water at noon.
> 
> Only caught 3 dinks the whole day, don't know if it was the chop that kept the bait jumping around too fast??? Ended up with 10 perch with 6 of them being 10+". 3 really nice bluegill 8 1/2" to 9 1/2" and 6 small catfish 14" to 16".
> 
> ...


May i ask what you consider a good day for perch at the lake 

I just got back into fishing and limited fron shore. 3 keepers an hour seems like a good day.... i heard a couple years ago was awesome and last year and this year has been tough


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Don lane said:


> I see you like the calm too.
> 
> My dad and his friend like a chop for them and i absolutely refuse to fish for perch in a chop. Maybe its psychological, but i do best in the calm. Looking like this weekend the wind should calm down


In canada the lake I fished as a kid we'd always do great when it got Whitecaps. It'd get rough and you couldn't keep the bait in the water!


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## forrest r (Mar 14, 2020)

Heck any day I can get on the water is a good day. For the style/type of fishing I'm doing when it's rough it makes it harder to fish.

I'm in a kayak not a boat that 10' long and 6"+ waves make it hard to keep the bait on the bottom. A boat rolls in these waves, a kayak bounces and it's like jerking the bait up every time a wave hits. I typically fish in 5' to 6' of water

The last 2 times I went to pymi it was rough, had good days and caught beautiful fish. In comparison when it's calm ul equipment and drop shots are flat out deadly. I was a mosquito when it was calm and caught 50 fish/keepers in the same amount of time I caught 19 fish in rough water.

What I actually consider a good day for me is going out in the kayak for 4 hours (actual fish time is 3 hours) and filling 2 stringers with panfish and a 3rd stringer with catfish on it. I use metal stringers for the panfish and double the fish up per hook.

Panfish ='s perch/bluegill/crappie


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## allwayzfishin (Apr 30, 2008)

When waves are bobbing your yak, just tie a Palomar knot to your hook with a 12” tag of line hanging below it. Then tie a small snap and clip the appropriate sized bell sinker to it. Holds bottom better plus you can twitch your worm with more control. Basically, I described the real drop shot method lol. Now you can nose hook a gulp alive minnow, I prefer a 2” gulp for large panfish


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

I've yet to try gulp alive minnow...they really work good?


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## Bprice1031 (Mar 13, 2016)

TClark said:


> I've yet to try gulp alive minnow...they really work good?



Yes they work very well.


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## Eye Dr (Mar 23, 2010)

I have tried all kinds of gulp products. Never caught a thing. I don’t have any faith in them so maybe I’m not giving them an honest effort.


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## Shed Hunter 365 (Dec 3, 2007)

I have done really well on the gulp products, but at times live bait has out produced.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I have had some luck with gulp but I use the swimming mullets more


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

To be honest, the price has kept me from trying them.


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## Don lane (Jun 15, 2020)

Eye Dr said:


> I have tried all kinds of gulp products. Never caught a thing. I don’t have any faith in them so maybe I’m not giving them an honest effort.


They are hit and miss. Bluegill really love them. Same for catfish believe it or not. For perch and crappie, i havent had a lot of luck , but i also am not the type to constantly move my rigs when they are in the water. For example most crappie i caught w them is 3 to 4 on em, brought minnows next time and got 25... for me they are more a test. If i catch a couple crappies or perch on em, i know the next time to invest the time and energy into bringing live bait, which has been a pain to get this year. They do work really well in small lakes where the fish dont see minnows a lot


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I've caught walleye and white bass jigging them


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I love the gulp alive baits. The minnows are GREAT for crappie, saugeye,walleye,really anything. Smallies DESTROY them on a ned rig or drop shot.
I put the 4" on a jig head an jig them for saugeye regularly. And will fish the 1" on a small leadhead under a float for both gills and crappie. I always have a few packs on hand.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

I’ve tried them in a few sizes and shapes. Can’t get them going. Even the crickets don’t produce for me. I’m glad they’re working for someone else but I won’t spend my money on their baits again. I’m sticking to the crappie nibbles.


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

Just leaving pymatuning I tried fishing for panfish and only had a couple nibbles that I couldn't hook. I also lost a walleye on a shadow rap I had to be chasing me so I after I avoided him I grabbed my rod and I felt the bite and tried to hook it I only ended up with two scales off of him.

Someone also left his musky under the bridge I imagine that they believe it's a trash fish I mean so do I but I would have tried to safely release and released him at least


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## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

Early summer this year my bud and I were drifting Mosquito...I had a real Leech on a slip bobber... my bud had a Gulp Leech..
We both caught 2 large bluegills! LOL Real leeches may be my new favorite bait, I was surprised that the Gulp caught fish right along with me , mainly because the Gulp was about twice the size as my leech... After fishing 6-7 times this year with leeches, I haven't caught a walleye yet! But catching panfish with Leeches is the way to go, they are much tougher then worms and I actually think more tantalizing on a little gomagatsku (spl?) hooks


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## matticito (Jul 17, 2012)

I kinda did a tobiki rig or whatever it's called but just 2 hooks. I finally figured out a palomar knot after 38 years of life. Maggots on top hook and gulp minnie on bottom. I had nibbles but couldn't hook em


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