July2011 — John Gillespie's Waters & Woods

July 2011

Episode 27
Walleyes in Waukesha
Show Date: July 2nd & 3rd, 2011
Location: Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Guide: Dennis Radloff, Sterling Guide Service: [262-443-9993 | sterlingmusky.com]

Dennis Radloff guides the lakes of Southeast Wisconsin on a daily basis. His time spent on the water lends itself to experiencing some great fishing, and not too far from home for us Wisconsinites. We have most recently fished with Dennis for muskie, but he also guides for walleye, which is what we are targeting today.

This relaxing day on the water sees the walleye come in on a Slow-Poke Jig and leeches. Dragging our rig through weeds is where we are finding the fish. Finding weeds is key, Dennis drives us around looking for new weed growth on our Humminbird, once we find a good section, we set up a drift.

Episode 28
Operation Muskie IV
Show Date: July 9th & 10th, 2011
Location: Lake of the Woods, Oak Island, MN; Walsh’s Bay Store Camp [1-800-214-2533 | baystorecamp.com]

We are pleased and honored to once again be invited to Operation Muskie on Lake of the Woods. Operation Muskie is an annual event that is in it's fourth year, which hosts 20 war veterans that have recently been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Ten great Muskie guides donate their time to take these guys out for a week of fishing. One of those guides is Pete Maina, who we tag along with to capture this great event. Each guide takes two different vets out each day, so each can learn the most from this trip.

Lake of the woods is a massive body of water occupying parts of two Canadian provinces and the state of Minnesota. Contained within are over 4,552 islands and 65,000 miles of shoreline. With all of that shoreline, this is an anglers dream.

Bay Store Camp is our home base, and the launch pad for our hunt for the fish of 10,000 casts. Frank & Laura Walsh are our hosts, and have been since the very first Operation Muskie event. In our boat we try a variety of baits to deep diving tubes over rocks to surface baits in shallow weeds.

In addition to the fishing, the weeks schedule allows for the group to get together and discuss the days events. Operation Muskie is about the camaraderie among the group as much as it is about the fishing.

Thank You to all the Men and Women of our armed forces.

For more information on Operation Muskie visit: www.OperationMuskie.com
For more information on Walsh’s Bay Store Camp visit: www.baystorecamp.com

Episode 29
Winnebago System Options
Show Date: July 16th & 17th, 2011
Location: Lake Winnebago System; Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Guide: Pro Guide Larry Smith [920-361-4996 | walleyeguide.com]

Fishing on one of the largest freshwater systems in the US, the Winnebago System, offers anglers a unique opportunity to catch just about any fish they’d like to fish for. Larry Smith has been fishing this system for nearly his entire life, and that time on the water is a benefit to all that enjoy a day or two on the water with him. We are fortunate to have Larry as a regular guide on the show, and to tag along with him on a guide trip on what many anglers call one of the nations top walleye fisheries.

The Winnebago system in a sprawling series of rivers and lakes that accounts for nearly 17% of the total surface area of Wisconsin, not including the great lakes. This massive system is well known for its walleye, perch, catfish, sturgeon, and just about any other freshwater fish you’d care to fish for. Since this is a lake system, there are many options to choose from; whether it be trolling the main lake, or casting the river channels that connect the system together.

With all the options we have at our disposal, we start out jigging for walleye in the river between Big Lake Butte des Morts on Winnebago. We are using a light jig and leeches, and this method is the ticket to catching some beautiful eater-size walleyes. If you’ve ever eaten a Winnebago walleye, you know they are some of the best tasting fish anywhere. The simple presentation is great for all anglers, making for a fun-filled day for any skill-level.

Episode 30
Drop-Shot, Boom!
Show Date: July 23rd & 24th, 2011
Location: Delavan Lake; Walworth County, Wisconsin
Guide: Pro Fisherman Matt Bichanich

It is hot outside. Some might say even too hot to fish, but doing a new show every week can present some interesting circumstances. This week we join our friend Matt Bichanich for a fun-filled day on the water thats not too far from Milwaukee, Delavan Lake. Matt lives to bass fish, and he has a new technique to show us, and says its the best way to catch bass in the summer.

Matt has us rigging up a drop-shot in conjunction with a finesse worm. This allows your wacky-worm to stay suspended a few feet off of the bottom giving the angler the ability to give the worm a different action. Keeping constant contact with the bottom with the sinker, and lightly shaking the worm is the key to success. Matt says that this seems to irritate the fish to the point where they have to eat, which is fantastic for us.

Episode 31
Summer Fishin’
Show Date: July 30th & 31st, 2011
Location: Green Lake, Wisconsin; Pine Lake, Oneida County, Wisconsin
Guide: Pro Guide Larry Smith [920-361-4996 | walleyeguide.com]

When the weather is nice in Wisconsin, or anywhere in the northern tier, you want to maximize your time on the water. This weeks episode we visit two lakes, showing simple techniques that any angler can use on their weekend trip to the lake.

We first join Larry Smith on Big Green Lake as he guides two clients, Harald and his grandson Caleb. Green Lake is well known for its lake trout fishing, the Wisconsin inland lake record trout was caught here in 1957, it was 35 lbs. 4 oz. We start out in 80 to 120 feet vertical jigging in the morning, these fish are sitting right on the bottom. We use our Humminbird to check out the bottom, after we mark a few fish, that is where we set up to jig. We are using fireline because with these extreme depths, getting the best feel on your jig is crucial to landing a fish. We us a variety of baits, one of which is Gulp Alive, and probably the most popular. Later on we switch to targeting pike, using live bait. Slowly pulling over weed edges and cribs with the Minn Kota, this simple system yields a lot of action for our angling buddies.

Our second stop is just a lazy afternoon company outing. John guides Ryan the photographer, showing him techniques that's he's filmed over the past 5 years. It's a fun day of casting the wacky-worm into weeds, and eating some Johnsonville Brats!