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Location: Berlin | Lets hear about your biggest walleye on this system and how you caught it, the best numbers day and the biggest fish you lost:(
Mine is a 29 1/2". I caught it 14 years ago slip bobbering the canes.
The biggest fish I lost was in the website tournament with my Dad about 4 years ago. It was about the same size. We were trolling harnesses on transitions.
The most fish I ever caught was around 200 in the Houges tournament in 2003. Caught that many fish and only took 3rd. My hands were raw after that. They were biting so fast, I took a leak and had two fish on by the time I was done! We were fishing a deep reef.
Edited by Rich S 4/30/2007 4:43 PM
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Location: Neenah, WI | We had one around 7 a few years ago in Otter Street. Not the big fish though. I had a boat partner knock one of with the net 4 years ago that probably was over 8. It wasn't a tourney day so not a big deal. As for numbers, we've had lots of 30 fish days that really kept us busy. And then there are those !@#$% sturgeon........ |
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| Largest fish...I didn't catch it but Chad Carroll fished with me in the Otter Street tourney and we landed one just shy of 8#'s biggest fish to be weighed in a tourney in the last 5 or 6 years from what I understand.
Best day, prefishing with Chad and another good friend, Kyle, a year prior to the big fish for Otter Steet. We landed 7 fish at 23" or better in one day. Had plenty more in the 18-21" range and didn't even count total fish.
Almost....lost a big one on the raft about 2-3 years ago, good friend Aaron had just left with a 28-1/2" fish to go get measured for a bar fishing contest. I would guess the one I lost to be the big girls twin sister.
Good memories...good thread. |
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Location: Menasha, WI | This is only my 4th season on Bago so I still have many opportunities ahead of me. To date, however...
Largest fish: Actually the 2 largest eyes I caught on Bago came within 30 seconds of each other, 25" and 23". I'd been trolling harnesses with some success but the wind died, the lake went flat calm, and the bite totally turned off soI decided to hunt for a few perch by working reef edges with 1/32oz jigs and crawlers. BAM, big fish on I assumed it was a smallie but it was a very nice eye. Get it in the boat and while I'm removing the hook, my other rod just about goes overboard and another big fish on. I had one flopping in the net on the bottom of the boat so I had to land #2 by hand but I got them both in the boat.
Most fish: I had several mid-30 days last year. My wife only gives me 4-5 hour passes; had I fished longer on those days I'm sure the totals would've been much higher.
Almost: Trolling one morning and my rod bends in half, as I was fighting the fish in, I was positive that it was my Bago trophy, then it got close to the boat and it was only a GIANT sheephead. |
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Posts: 625
Location: LaCrosse, WI | I had a few in the 5-6lb range last year, but I live on the other side of the state. I've probably only fished the main lake about 10 times ever. I've had some 22-23's on the uper lakes but never a monster.
We lost another in that 24-25" range at the boat last year as well. I'm hoping that we run into a few of the bigger fish this summer when we plan on spending more time out there. We've had 50+ fish days a few times. |
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | Biggest - just over 27 inches. Caught it in mid-june on a harness about 6 years ago.
Most was probably 9 or 10 years ago during the Otter street tournament. My Dad and I were pulling board in the mud and the fish were everywhere. Didn't count, but must have been in the 100 to 120 range. I know there was about a 45 minute stretch where we couldn't get more than 3 boards out.
Lost was during the Fleet Farm tournament about 7 or 8 years ago. Had a 25+ incher come unbuttoned just out of my Dad's reach. We redeemed ourselves the next day by winning the comeback award - a 9.9 merc 2-stroke. |
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Location: Oshkosh,WI | I have had many most days on Winnebago (100+) and they usually happen around this time of year. My biggest-most day came fishing really close to you that day Rich - Had 20lbs in about the same amount of minutes!! Great way to start your day!! Lost a really big one the day b4 Otter Street a number of Years ago in a foot of water at high noon. Had to be 28+.... |
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| What a fun day that was Jon. That 2nd place still stings! Congrats on a nice finish at the MWS as well. |
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Posts: 87
Location: Neenah, WI | Caught a 6.5 pounder in the Merc Nationals about 15 years ago, only to get beat out by a 7 pounder for the 9.9 Merc. The next year in the Merc I caught a 7.7 pounder, only to get beat out by an 8 pounder. Oh well, just wasn't my days.
Have missed at least 3 fish over 5 pounds in Merc National tournaments - those are the ones that hurt. But it's still fun.
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| 13years ago,1st sat in june.as i motored to my favorite spot to fish there were 2 boats there, so i started to cast the shore line by the time i got to my spot the other boats were gone, i got a 29.25" walleye.dead calm, my son would not net it as he was afraid of it.the weekend before i went to erie to get a big walleye and it didnt happened till i got home.  |
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Location: Neenah, WI | I forgot to mention this. In '86 (I think) I had a 5.55 in the Merc National. It was on the board as the big fish of the tourney. One of the last guys to weigh in had one for 5.57. That was good for a 14' boat motor and trailer. It still stings to think about it. A few years ago my wife Ginny was supposed to fish with Steve Eisch but was forced to work and we couldn't find a sub for her. I took her place and we won the Pop's tournament. We caught 25-30 fish that day. The scale we used for the weigh-in at the time only went up to 18 lbs. and we pegged it!!! I estimat we had about 22 including the big fish which was over 6 lbs. THAT was a GREAT day. |
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| Nancy and JR fron the EAST SHORE had (2) 7lb eyes in Otter Street about 4 years ago
PUTZ and KEVIE bumped them out of big fish with (1) 7.5  |
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Posts: 859
Location: Appleton wi | 27.5"7.lber 3 years ago league event on bago and second best on this system was 26.5" on butte about 10 years ago. Trolling cranks for both fish!
Edited by eye Lunker 5/2/2007 1:05 PM
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Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | A pair of back to back 7lb'ers during the winneconne league 2006. That was way cool!! We did not boot them, hey Brian? |
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Location: Oshkosh, WI | 27.5" 7 # caught three years ago with Eye Lunker, he actually netted it |
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Location: Appleton wi | perchie how and heck are you dude. Whats up with you lately. |
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Posts: 100
Location: Oshkosh, WI | Eye Lunker- We will have to get together soon. Only been out once so far this year it has been a hectic year so far. I was going to out today but right now this wind is nasty.
Too bad there was not a big fish award in that tourney! |
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| great subject! Had lots of great days (numbers and size) on Bago water, but it seems that the memories that linger are those that are still swimming....
....Otter Street 1999, my first tourney ever. Dad and I were 12th after day one.....didn't really know what "pressure" was... We were the first flight out on day 2, got to the spot on the spot, and wind was howling. Pitching jigs in weeds and felt the "thump" right next to the boat. The boat floated over the fish when I set the hook and I tried to reef him around the motor guide. Pop couldn't get the net in time and the hook popped on Mr. 24". I tried to spear the fish with my rod tip as he swam off..... talk about bummed. Ended up weighing 6 fish on day two, took 5th overall but would have loved to swap a 24" for a 15". That one hurt. I'll never live long enough to forget that fish. |
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Posts: 2300
Location: Berlin | Great stories guys! I think we could all right books about our fishing adventures when we get older. Here is another one from a couple years back.
I had found an awesome big fish spot back in 2002 before the PWT came to town. I fished that spot for the next few years to learn all the nooks and cranny's of the spot when no one was around. I pulled several fish over 25 and a ton over 20 off that spot but my biggest was 26". I never told anyone about it I only fished it with my wife in one tournament (saving it for a big one). My normal partner (Chris M) knew that I had found this spot but I would not tell him where it was. Finally one miserable day when nobody would be out on the water I took him there to show him where it was and how to fish it. I explained it and took my first cast. As soon as the jig hit bottom I felt the "thunk" that we all know and love. For whatever reason in this spot you have to give them an abscene amount of time and knowing what size fish swim there makes it almost unbearable. I motored over the fish and set the hook. Chris asked if it was big and I said it was "HUGE". After a bit of a fight this fat 26.5" walleye rolled on the surface. We had no net so Chris swiped it into the boat. The jig was in such a "good" spot I could not get it unhooked so I bit the line and told chris to thow it in the livewell to see if the jig will fall out. I tied on a new jig and reset us on the spot. Chris had the fish in the livewell and was trying to get the hook out when he looked up at me and asked what I was doing. I looked at him and smiled as I set the hook. He laughed and asked if it was big. I said "My God, I think it is bigger!" After a nice fight Chris swiped this 28" monster in the boat and we just looked at each other. Chris never even made a cast. We left and pulled into a more community spot and Chris got a 23"er right away. What a day and NOBODY was on the water. I did get one more monster on shortly after that but you can't win them all and it got off. My uncle had just started to walleye fish so I took the two big ones over to his house to see them before we let them go. I have the picture my uncle took and I will post it tomorrow.
Keep the stories coming. I know I am enjoying the reading very much and most of us can relate to all of them. We need something to do until this east wind lets up! |
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Location: Orland Park, IL | Last year. I was fishing with my five year old in late may. We caught pretty close to our limit in a couple of hours on spinners. I figured it was time to jig the east side with a nice shift in wind. My boy had his big fish of the season, a plump 17+ incher on a board with a yellow walleye diver trolling.
He swears by these 3/8 oz northland helicopter jig (with the spinner) in yellow. He says "how about the biggest fatest leech you got." He was casting an east reef near jim and lindas. He hooks a fish. As I get close to netting it, I notice the hook set is really weak, so I tell him to stand up raise the rod. The fish was way bigger than my width of the next. By the time he stood up, the fish was gone. Looked close to a 25 incher. That was the last time he used the spiderman spin compound. He now using a 6 foot fenwick with a gander mountain guide ultralight. We will get him this year. |
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Location: Berlin | Here is the pic from my last post:
Attachments
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 Copy of DSC01135.JPG (181KB - 125 downloads)
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Location: Appleton wi | Those are some real beauty's rich! Whats your secret waypoints!lol |
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Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin | You really shouldn't have posted that pic Rich... now all we'll have to do is drive around the lake and look for that white house with black shutters and we'll know RIGHT where you caught those fish. |
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Posts: 192
| All these years Rich, I believed you when you told me you got those on Slug-O's and Wax Worms trolling 3mph. I better cancel my order from cabelas.
I have two experiences that will always stick in my mind. One is when I was about 12 years old. My Dad and I were fishing the Eureka Dam in Spring. This was before they installed the fish ladder. Some people here might remember those days. One morning we started fishing at 2:00am. From 2:00am til first light we managed to catch 5 fish that were all over 5 lbs. Back then, that was a big deal. Keep in mind that this was about 20 years ago, long before people started being more selective about what size fish they kept. I would never keep five 5lbers now. Anyways, my Dad and I had a stringer mount made with the five biggest. It is still being proudly displayed in my basement as I speak. I will never forget that day.
The second is Merc Nationals in 2002. My Dad and I managed a zero the first day. I proceeded to go out that night and forget all about the tournament if you know what I mean. The second day, which was a little ruough for me, we had a limit by 9:00am and the fish kept coming. They also kept getting bigger. Before we knew it, we had 22lbs and we cashed a check. I've never caught so many 3lb plus fish on this system. Those of you who know me or my Dad, know that we weren't trolling either. I've had some good days trolling, but not like I've had doing other things. Sometimes the best days on the water are when you least expect it.
Mark O'Brien |
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| what kind of car do you drive rich |
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