June2011 — John Gillespie's Waters & Woods

June 2011

Episode 23
Fishin’ Up North
Show Date: June 4th & 5th, 2011
Location: Vilas County, Wisconsin
Pro Guide Rob Manthei [715-477-2042 | robmanthei.com]

Rob Manthei knows the lakes of Vilas County like nobody else, and that becomes very apparent on this trip. We’re here for a few days of great fishing with several guests.

Our first day out is a multi-species explosion with our first guests, Ted and Sharon. Sharon won this trip with a raffle ticket to benefit Angel on My Shoulder, which helps kids whose families are dealing with cancer. We catch bass, pike, and walleye using jigs and minnows.

The next guests to join us are Jeff and Andrea, friends of Rob. We experience a crappie explosion that lasts as long as as we want it to. What we love about days like this is that the bonanza is on a simple technique. All we are doing is casting out a crappie jig and plastic with a bobber, and these fish can’t stop biting.

Episode 24
Ashland Smallies on the Bay
Show Date: June 11th & 12th, 2011
Location: Ashland, Wisconsin
Guide: Jim Hudson [715-209-6431 | Lrn2Fish.com]

This week we head to Ashland Wisconsin to enjoy a couple of days of excellent smallmouth bass fishing. Charter captain Jim Hudson is once again our guide, this time taking a step into full time guiding. Jim is parting ways with his old day-job to concentrate on fishing, and getting to better know the bodies of water that he fishes.

Chequamegon Bay is an inlet of Lake Superior, and it’s coastline is part of both Ashland and Bayfield Counties in the far northern part of Wisconsin. We are up targeting bass using a whole slew of different methods, it’s a great time when you can catch bass on any method you choose. Along with the bass, we also catch a few walleye and pike, hinting at the diversity of the fishery.

Also adding to the fun of the day is the dead-simple way we are coming by these fish. We are fishing a large flat area, setting up a drift and casting. Jim also looks for subtle breaks of a foot or two, these small break lines are most likely to hold the cursing males that have recently spawned.

Episode 25
Fishin’ Buddies
Show Date: June 18th & 19th, 2011
Location: Vilas County, Wisconsin

Going fishing with a couple of buddies is always a great time, especially if the fish are biting like they were on this trip. Tom Hafeman and John have been friends for many years, and wanted to get away for a relaxing fishing trip in the Wisconsin northwoods.

We had a feeling that the fishing was going to be good where we were headed, because the first two bait-shops we stopped at were completely out of leeches. At the third we found them by the half-pound, and bought two. Buying leeches by the pound is always the most affordable way to get them, remember that when heading north this summer.

John and Tom stayed put on a small lake that both of them have fished before. They were looking for walleye and bass, both of which they have had great success with in the past. Using an arsenal of different baits including spinner baits, flicker shad, wacky-worm, and leeches; we are out to find what was biting on which baits. To our delight both bass and walleye were biting on the leeches on either a slow-poke jig or a gold hook. The walleye were especially hungry because they were biting even in our bass spots. Once we were keyed in on the bite, it was non-stop until we had to leave. It was a great trip, one that will probably become an annual event.

Episode 26
A Picturesque Fishing Trip
Show Date: June 25th & 26th, 2011
Location: Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Guide: Pro Guide Dale Stroschein [ 920-743-5731 | wackywalleye.com]

It’t finally a picturesque fishing day in Door County, and Dale Stroschein is eager to get us on the great bite that has been going on. We welcome guests Frank, and his friends, Frank bid on this trip to benefit Shoreland Community Church at it’s annual event last fall. Thanks Frank!

We have two days to enjoy the fishery and weather, day one we target walleye. It’s all jigging all the time, as the Gulp with a darter-head jig, and the ZIP lure are deadly. Casting out and using short hops with your jig or ZIP, is the key to catching these beautiful Door County walleyes. We are catching all males, which makes for a great fish-fry.

Day two we are fishing shallow water looking for bass. Little did we know how shallow we would have to be. We start our fan-casting, looking for cruisers, and we crush the bass on the wacky-worm, tube, spinner-bait, and just about any bass bait you’d care to try. The fever-pitch of the bite has the show shot in no-time, leaving our guest anglers to venture out of the boat to wade. Walking near the shore in knee-deep water, our buddies find that casting just about anywhere will land them a bass.