# The Maumee Gaunlet



## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

The season seems to be coming to a climax on the Maumee River as of Saturday evening, I live somewhat close and have been fishing the river several times per week for weeks and years. Last evening I put 9 in the boat with one legal but he went back anyway, no females yet but expect them like now. 

The DNR is showing off by flashing their badge at everyone it seems. Up by the Fort most fishermen are keeping 4 out of 5 fish, I fish it a lot and know how they bite so nearly everyone is putting themself in danger of a ticket if they have a stringer. In the last two days every time at the boat dock I watched boat loads of folks getting written up, everytime both in and out. I don't even take a stringer anymore, it is not worth it as I have paid my fines and the Lake bite is only a few weeks away now. I told the DNR to lay off the tourists, he laughed.


----------



## gobrowntruck21 (Jan 3, 2009)

Weekender#1 said:


> The season seems to be coming to a climax on the Maumee River as of Saturday evening, I live somewhat close and have been fishing the river several times per week for weeks and years. Last evening I put 9 in the boat with one legal but he went back anyway, no females yet but expect them like now.
> 
> The DNR is showing off by flashing their badge at everyone it seems. Up by the Fort most fishermen are keeping 4 out of 5 fish, I fish it a lot and know how they bite so nearly everyone is putting themself in danger of a ticket if they have a stringer. In the last two days every time at the boat dock I watched boat loads of folks getting written up, everytime both in and out. I don't even take a stringer anymore, it is not worth it as I have paid my fines and the Lake bite is only a few weeks away now. I told the DNR to lay off the tourists, he laughed.


No offense, and call me a tourist, but I have no idea what you are trying to get across in your post. Are you saying that in your opinion most fisherman keep even the fish that come up sideways? Is this what the boat loads of folks were getting written up for? Also, if you don't take a stringer, do you load up a cooler with 9 'eyes and hope to get by or are you just catch-and-release? I'm not being a prick, but I can't figure out if you are warning people to obey the rules, advocating keep any and every fish caught, or are calling out-of-towners idiots. That just struck me as an odd and pointed post, that's all.


----------



## CarpCommander (Jun 20, 2007)

He's sticking up for the outta-towners actually, telling the DNR to 'lay off the tourists'. 

Also, he says he put 9 in the boat, including 1 legal one, but he let that one go as well, meaning he kept zero walleyes. From what I gather, he is releasing EVERY fish he catches, because he is tired of getting harrassed by the fuzz. 

The 5 fish thing refers to the fact that if you are culling fish, for an ever so brief moment you are technically in 'possession' of 5 walleys (limt is 4) and the prick DNR guys will give you a ticket for over-possession. 

This is my interpretation anyways; who knows if its right though...lol.


----------



## riverrat87 (Mar 13, 2009)

not really. i was in a boat at meigs saturday eve and the dnr was def out catching people but most of the fish i caught were in the mouth. but yeah out of towners need to stop fishing so much. thats bull when people dont know what the hell their doing


----------



## al capone (Nov 13, 2005)

I'm allittle qurious riverrat......I've fished the "mau" since the early 70's but do not live near the river....Does that mean I'm a "out of towner" or are you that big a hill-billie to think that you got exclusive rights to that water? If so thats O.K.....Just stay there all season....I'll still be catchin muskie at alum when your cauthing carp this summer


----------



## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

When you say the DNR was writing tickets as people were coming and going from the ramp I feel there may be a little confusion. I highly doubt if they were writing any tickets as people were arriving. If they had boats, they may have been doing safety inspections checking there equipment before they head out or even checking them as they return. The inspections they give out look similar to tickets but they are merely safety inspections. If it was happening as often as you say, I would venture to say that it was definately safety checks. Not to say there weren't any tickets as well, but if you did something to deserve it then Merry Christmas. Save some fish for the rest of us!


----------



## gobrowntruck21 (Jan 3, 2009)

riverrat87 said:


> not really. i was in a boat at meigs saturday eve and the dnr was def out catching people but most of the fish i caught were in the mouth. but yeah out of towners need to stop fishing so much. thats bull when people dont know what the hell their doing


You saying you never leave your backyard to fish? Sad. There's only one way to learn what you are doing and that is to get out there and try it. And in my opinion there is just as many boats out there clueless as waders. Don't be hatin.


----------



## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

> The 5 fish thing refers to the fact that if you are culling fish, for an ever so brief moment you are technically in 'possession' of 5 walleys (limt is 4) and the prick DNR guys will give you a ticket for over-possession.


You cannot have 5 fish on your stringer. Period. 

I leave the new fish in the net, still hooked..and then unclip the fish to be culled and let it go in plain sight. Then I stringer the new fish. 

You are not permitted to do this with a rope-style stringer that runs through the gills. 

I walked right past 4 DNR guys on Saturday morning with my fish and they never even once budged. Two of them were watching the guys in the boats in front of the Fort. Any tickets that people rec'd at the launch were a result of mistakes they decided to make while fishing. 

They will let you snag a stringer full....keep that in mind...and then get you.


----------



## roger23 (Mar 7, 2007)

got into a bunch of white bass to day on the Island large males,,,


----------



## bassmaniac (May 10, 2004)

Just 1 question I was always curious about. What does the DNR do with the fish they confiscate that were caught illegally? They are usually dead , aren't they?


----------



## Hoosier Daddy (Aug 19, 2005)

roger23 said:


> got into a bunch of white bass to day on the Island large males,,,


Well walleye run is over! Whites are showing up. Good season to all see you next year.


----------



## idontknow316 (Mar 21, 2008)

bassmaniac They keep the fish for evidence. I called the poacher hotline two years ago because I was fishing near a guy who had 10 to 12 bass on his stringer when largemouth and smallmouth were closed to possession. I wouldn't have called but the jackass was bragging to me about how he catches 20 a day and keeps all of them and never gets caught Anyways rambling aside a dnr officer told me the keep the fish for evidence.


----------



## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

My thoughts were that the DNR was busy at the ramp giving tickets to guys that were leaving in there boats as I was at the dock when I ramped in and out. Second when I saw guys keeping 4 out of 5 fish I don't need a spotting scope. So most could be busted as they come out. I hear ya " oh they bit", tell the judge.


----------



## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

> My thoughts were that the DNR was busy at the ramp giving tickets to guys that were leaving in there boats as I was at the dock when I ramped in and out. Second when I saw guys keeping 4 out of 5 fish I don't need a spotting scope. So most could be busted as they come out. I hear ya " oh they bit", tell the judge.


Oh so now i see.Based on your inability to catch legal walleye.You assume that the guys keeping 4 out of 5 as being illegal.Great logic.


----------



## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Yea you must be the guy that I spoke with that was fuming mad as he swears he landed over 90 walleye every one legal in the past week while the DNR was doing his citation paperwork. Hey tell the judge, I don't really care how many you catch and keep. If a person is taking fish out of the river regularly, the majority of the fish are snagged. If a person is getting them near the mouth they lined them, we know it so I will shut up.


----------



## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

Ive had numerous days where i stood elbow to elbow in a line of 50 guys and caught my legal limit when no one else was catching them.When fishing is slow you see 90% of fisherman throwing atleast a 4" tail with way to much weight.I dont have nothing bigger than a 3/8 head and 2" tail.Most the time i use a 1/4 head with 2" tail.I may have snagged at most 5 fish this year and ive been out atleast 20 times.


----------



## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

Weekender#1 said:


> so I will shut up.


It's not worth it lol



gobrowntruck21 said:


> Don't be hatin.


LMAO


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

Weekender#1 said:


> Yea you must be the guy that I spoke with that was fuming mad as he swears he landed over 90 walleye every one legal in the past week while the DNR was doing his citation paperwork. Hey tell the judge, I don't really care how many you catch and keep. If a person is taking fish out of the river regularly, the majority of the fish are snagged. If a person is getting them near the mouth they lined them, we know it so I will shut up.


You bring up an interesting point. I saw a guy there this year that was fishing with a carolina rig, but instead of a floater at the end of his line he tied on a #6 hook with nothing on it but a crappie nibble or something like that. I thought I heard him say we're all just lining the fish so might as well use something that is not as intrusive as a big fat twister tail.


----------



## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

I've heard the lining argument before. So the fish let the sinker slap them in the face then open wide?? What about a fish hooked on the opposite side of the mouth, was that fish facing downstream???


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

The whole time I kept thinking the guy was crazy. However, he kept pulling in fish........hooked in the mouth.........with nothing more than a #6 hook which apparently doesnt catch up in to many snags either. It would kind of explain why some guys are fishing with a 5 foot leader instead an 18" leader.


----------



## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

I would love to see some underwater footage of what really goes on. How the fish react, the action of the lure, how many fish are in there, etc.


----------



## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

What is this "lining fish" you speak of? Im all confused reading this informative thread.


----------



## revpilot (Feb 10, 2009)

Weekender#1 said:


> If a person is taking fish out of the river regularly, the majority of the fish are snagged. If a person is getting them near the mouth they lined them, we know it so I will shut up.


 I would agree with you that alot of the females caught are snagged,flossed,or lined. Most people dont even know they are doing it. Its a more common method used for salmon. I would bet more jacks are caught from biting than lining. But its a fact that male walleyes feed during the spawn and stay around the beds after the spawn and feed. Since its sounds like you jig fish in the lake you would probably agree, you can go out right now and drop a minnow tipped jig over the side of the boat and catch jacks, with no action of the jig, and they bite it.........


----------



## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

Hey man...call a spade a spade would ya'...just tell us we're all poachers and we can end this discussion.

BTW..what kind of boat do you have?


----------



## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

legendaryyaj said:


> What is this "lining fish" you speak of? Im all confused reading this informative thread.


Its how the line is out and a fish swims into your line and the line runs through the mouth... and as the fish swims the line runs down to the fishes mouth then you jerk-fish on

I think thats it


----------



## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

Hey I enjoy catching fish as much as you. I have fished the maumee for well over 20 years and have landed well into the thousands of river walleye I would think. I am a pretty good snagger, some near the mouth some near the tail, tail hooked they fight better. But to hear some say they are constantly taking walleye out of the river and they are biting. It is just kind of funny, at times the guys get all worked up like they talked themselves into that they bit, but they know the hook was from the outside in. Just call a spade a spade as it was said. Why are there no threads on what color or what type jig they are hitting on today, what color was hot yesterday, were they hitting on minnows or crawlers, because it does not matter. Just feed em lead baby.
I enjoy reading what some print and getting your dander up. But I want you all to have fun.


----------



## JimmyZ (May 18, 2004)

I don't think walleye ever eat and don't know how the species has survived? 

All I can say is after I get done with the mating practice I usually feed very aggressively  If I had to swim miles to do it I'd eat anything that moved.


----------



## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

> Its how the line is out and a fish swims into your line and the line runs through the mouth... and as the fish swims the line runs down to the fishes mouth then you jerk-FISH ON



Ya' know...just like a reporter...if you want to believe that, go ahead and run with it.


I haven't "fed 'em lead" in probably 10 years.


----------



## gobrowntruck21 (Jan 3, 2009)

I never thought of the "lining" theory, I just have thought that a 3 foot leader allowed the floating head to get up off the bottom more and be a little further away from the sinker. And I've caught more than I've snagged. I think that a short leader prohibits the jighead to float up as much. Those things aren't too buoyant as it is, then to add a trailer to it seems to weigh it down. Even though I have never seen what the presentation is supposed to imitate, I'd like to think the more realistic the better. Just my opinion.


----------



## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

Anyone ever give any thought at all to the fact that the floater is directly downstream of the egg sinker? 

By some accounts you would believe that the floater is perpendicular to the current, promoting this "flossing" if you will. I keep my rod tip at about a 45 away from me (unless it's crowded) to keep as much line out of the water as possible, which promotes a much smoother drift. Just guessing, but I would imagine that I have less than 8' of line total IN the water at any one time. 


I would say that I hook 90% of my legal fish in the first 30-40 yards of the drift. If I hook a fish at the end of the drift, I'd guess that more than 80% of the time the fish is snagged...most of the time in the side, gill plate, or elsewhere. 

This would be why I tend to crank my rig back once it gets past a 45 degree angle downstream of me. Obviously when it is crowded one cannot do such a thing, as you'll drag a bunch of other rigs in with you. Under those conditions you just have to lower your rod and let it go down...and try your best not to foul hook fish when you feel them.


----------



## sickle (Apr 15, 2004)

If all of these fish are being "lined", then why wasn't anyone "lineing" them this morning? People were catching fish like crazy yesterday, but I saw 4 fish caught all morning at Orleans. Ummm????? They must have all left the river and went back to the lake!


----------



## Laocolakid (Mar 6, 2009)

There must be a proper way to "line" then, since I only saw one snag from 7-8:30am today @ Ford St.


----------



## revpilot (Feb 10, 2009)

Heres a article talking about flossing or lining for salmon for those who dont know what it is. AS long as its inside the mouth, i dont care how it got there !!! 
..........http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/special/opin_flossing_fracas.shtml


----------



## paintED (Mar 8, 2007)

I was up at the maumee last week from tuesday to sunday. not much going on till friday. but I only saw one female snagged. I saw plenty of fish being caught but only wittnessed, in person,one female snagged. all the rest were males.now I'm not going to say they were all inside out,the ones we kept were.but thats not the point i'm getting at here.what are the odds that people are lining such a higher percentage of jacks? Mabe I'm ignorant.Is the ratio of jacks 10:1 ? I'm not kidding.I dont know.


----------



## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

Same thing every year with you guys!

I cant wait till the fish get back into the lake!


----------



## Laocolakid (Mar 6, 2009)

paintED said:


> Is the ratio of jacks 10:1 ? I'm not kidding.I dont know.


I don't know about the ratio of male:female, but I think more male are being caught cause the female like to be on top

Something interesting happened on last Sunday, that never happen to me before, the first 3 fishes caught were all legal. I did not limit out that day since all the other fishes after that were snag. The ratio of foul:legal fish for me is about 5:1 and I don't care how that hook get in the mouth


----------



## DanAdelman (Sep 19, 2005)

I would say the lining theory is incorrect. Reason being the only time i was up there this year was a couple weeks ago and the fishing was real slow. The only fish I saw caught or caught myself was on chartreuse or green. Nothing else worked for any of the 100 anglers I could see where I was fishing. Seen alot of fisherman using different colors and not a one caught anything. 
But i don't know maybe there is a lining secret that only works for certain colors certain days LOL...
Anyways a buddy of mine was up there monday and said him and a friend had to catch about 40 fish to get two legal limits...


----------



## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

When a guy catches his limit of walleye in about an hour on a nothing more than a #6 hook and a crappie nibble. It gets my attention. Every single one of those fish were hooked in the mouth. Now, he did snag a couple and promptly threw those fish back in the river. I have no idea why or how it was working, but he was hooking them in the mouth with nothing more than a #6 hook(might not have had the the nibble thing on their the whole time). It really had me scratching my head?


----------



## Laocolakid (Mar 6, 2009)

Thanks for that tip... will be testing out the #6 hook with crappie nibble this Saturday. Maybe I can catch more walleye than I can catch crappie with the crappie nibble


----------



## rutnut245 (Jan 18, 2009)

I've been fishing in Maumee or Fremont almost every weekday for the last month and have been doing pretty good.And now I find out all the fish I've been catching were lined?How come everyone of them were Jacks?You would think I would have landed at least one female.When you use a ball head floater on a carolina rig the jig goes through the water upside down,that's why some are hooked outside in,and the ones that inhale it, in the bottom part of their mouth or tongue.I've been river fishing for salmon and steelhead all around the Great Lakes and West coast for almost as long as I've fished the spring walleye run.I'm quite familiar with the lineing technique and the fish I've been catching weren't lined.How do floaters only line jacks?


----------



## BFG (Mar 29, 2006)

> How do floaters only line jacks


C'mon Rutnut...keep up will ya'...we're all poachers and such...don't you dare try to add any logic to this thread.

(sung to a chain gang rhythm...)

I be linin'...

I be linin...

The sun be shinin'...while I be linin'....

My stringer be fillin'...

Wit fish from the outside innin'....

I be linin'....

Oh Lord how I be linin'.......

Some folks might say...

You can't keep fish caught that way...

But I be linin'....ohh...how I be linin'....

Oh I ain't no snagger, and sure ain't no bragger....

But if you think I be linin'....

You got your head where the sun ain't shinin'.....

ohhhhh I be linin'......


----------



## HawkWatcher (Sep 26, 2008)

....so when the white bass show up, the walleye leave and are pretty much gone??


----------



## robert44ht5 (Mar 2, 2009)

Laocolakid said:


> Thanks for that tip... will be testing out the #6 hook with crappie nibble this Saturday. Maybe I can catch more walleye than I can catch crappie with the crappie nibble



Last week I was fishin... I mean "Linin"..lol, And there was not much going on around me except this fella next to me was catchin, damn, there I go again, I mean he was linin more fish than most and as usual I wanted to check out what color was doing it for him and I could not see the grub let alone a hook. But it was there. I asked him and he was using flies he tied himself and they looked like the size you would use in a farm pond on bluegill. He said that is all he ever uses, no twisters ever.

Maybe there is something to the small baits?


----------



## Redhunter1012 (Feb 6, 2006)

Just to shed a little light on this. Last year on Ohio Sportsman, the son of the Author of this thread basically admitted to going to the river and snagging the SH*T out of walleye. He went by the name GomerFudd. Not saying Weekender does, but his boy admitted to it. It gets old hearing people who can't catch fish whine about us who do. You can damn well guarantee if they were putting as many fish in the freezer as most of us, you'd never hear a peep from them.

BTW, so far this year I've put 73 Walleye in my freezer myself, and probably another 50 or so in my Dad's freezer from handing off the rod to him. I'll bet over 90% of those fished were hooked Outside In. Were some of them "flossed"? Who knows? But like my Dad says, I can't tase the difference in the ones that were outside in from inside out, or the ones I hooked instead of him.


----------



## mandruch (Apr 8, 2007)

I'm currently working on a floating jig head cam. I should have finished by next run.


----------



## basscatcher82 (Jul 7, 2006)

> BTW, so far this year I've put 73 Walleye in my freezer myself, and probably another 50 or so in my Dad's freezer from handing off the rod to him. I'll bet over 90% of those fished were hooked Outside In. Were some of them "flossed"? Who knows? But like my Dad says, I can't tase the difference in the ones that were outside in from inside out, or the ones I hooked instead of him.


As far as I am concerned I think they taste the same too. I have to disagree with the "lining" aspect of this. If you where lining the fish then I would come home with my limit everyday. I put alot of fish in the freezer also and somedays get skunked, some days catch a couple and somedays catch a lot. The fish are in the river thick, when the run is in full swing, and if you were lining them you would get your limit everyday. Not sure how I am catching or "lining" them but they taste great.


----------



## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

I just don't get it, redhunter is calling me and my son a snagger and then he says 90% of his fish are hooked from the outside in, that would be snagged, period, I can not believe no one has jumped on you for your poaching. Second when you hand off a rod with a hooked fish that would be illegal. So it comes down to you clean your snagged fish but accuse me and my son of snagging walleye. I say "if we had more honor we would not need laws" that is for everyone.


----------



## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i think this thread has finally reached the end of it's productive life,so before it decomposes any further,it's time to give it a decent burial


----------

