June - The Yahara Fishing Club

June
2008
Editor: Tom Raschke (traschke@globaldialog.com)
608-233-6765
Editors Emeritus: Stan Nichols (sanicol@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Jayne Meyer (mshazmat@tds.net)
Don’t Give Up
That was Carl Kaufmann’s
biggest theme when he spoke to
our shing club on May 13th. Carl,
of Woodstock Il, often guiding on
Lakes Geneva and Delevan. He
said that to be successful you need
to keep you boat in the water,
and to keep looking for the prime
shing pattern. That means looking for the right place at the right
time with the right presentation.
He gave the example of a
recent trip on Lake Mendota. He
had only modest success in places
like University Bay, where the water
temperatures were in the low 50’s,
but nally found a lot of sh near
inlets where the water temp was 56
degrees. He said that sharing ideas
with the shing club was the best
way to learn this kind of information. Carl then went on to share
many specic tips or suggestions:
• Use a standard weightless Senco rigged wacky style
(hooked in the middle).
• Spool with yellow Power
Pro so you can see the line move
when a sh hits, and set the hook
right away. He suggested tying
the Power Pro to a fluorocarbon
leader such as the Yozuri Hybred
to make the line disappear. The
line weight he uses is a 10 lb
superbraid with a 2-4 lb mono
diameter. He uses a double uni
knot to tie the lines together.
• Fore picking up Bass, he
skips a wacky-rigged Senco, Tiki
Notes by Tom Raschke
stick, Yum Digger or Gulp bait under
trees and twitches the bait back
to the boat. He looks for docks,
trees, boat cradles, lots of wood
and 2-3 feet of water. Just lift up
on the rod a bit and let the bait fall.
• With the superbraid you
need to lift up before reeling to prevent a snarl. He suggests that you
only spool 50 yards of the expensive line and backs it with mono.
• When he uses mono, and
is shing regularly, he will respool
every two weeks. Soaking mono in
hot water will take the memory out.
• The superbraids require a
less aggressive hook set. You
will lose a lot of sh if you sh the
same way you fish with mono.
• In spring look for rocks,
sea walls, off-color, silty or incoming water, all which should indicate
warmer water. Two degrees
can make a big difference.
• The Senco baits sink
more slowly than Yamomoto.
(I hope I got this right, editor)
• This time of year he
fishes Delevan from 11:00 to
2:30, as the water will be too
cold earlier in the day.
• He recommends using
the drop-shot technique, where
you tie a light wire hook to the line
above the sinker using a Palomar
knot. He often uses a Birkeley
power worm, or a “Chomper” bait
that has a garlic smell. He will
throw the bait out 10-15 feet, let
it sink, then retrieving it slowly,
while twitching shaking. He will go
down to 20 feet with this method.
• Another technique for
smallmouth is to use a snakehead
jig with a small brown Robo Worm.
• For tying a conventional
hook to the line he uses the
improved
clinch
knot.
He closed by taking a lot of
questions, and there were many
members up front with follow-up
questions and to check out his
gear up front after he nished. I
can see why he is a good guide.
Yahara Fishing Club
June 10th Club Outing
July 19th Club Outing - Spoonplugging
Lake Waubesa, 6:00 pm
Lake Mendota, 7:00 am
This year I will lead the June
outing on Waubesa, again with
an emphasis on bass shing techniques. I will review some of
last years topics (ipping, pitching
weeds and docks) and also talk
about the Carolina Rig. Plan on
meeting at the Babcock Launch
site with the “seminar” staring
at 6 pm at the pier next to
the launch. The talk won’t be
long and then we’ll head out on
Waubesa. Any questions, email
me at esox4me@hotmail.com
Date: Saturday, July 19 (Sunday, July 20 if weather on Saturday is
bad –very windy or heavy rain)
Eric Olson
July 8th Club Meeting
The July meeting is on July
8th at Olin Park on Lake Monona.
It is a 6:00 start time and we will
be having brats and hotdogs as
main course. Contact Jim Pankratz or Bonnie Miller for details.
RUSSELL
Clay Russell, RFC, CEP
FINANCIAL
SERVICES 4885 Larson Beach Road
P.O. Box 319
McFarland, WI 53558-0319
Telephone: (608) 838-8811
Toll Free: (800) 789-5660
Fax: (608) 838-4808
Fishing for Good
Investments?
Call me... 838-8811
Securities and Advisory Services offered through
Harbour Investments, Inc.
Time: 7:00 am to 1:00 pm or so
Location: Warner Park boat launch. (If wind is an issue, we may
change this.)
Equipment: Medium heavy or heavy casting/trolling rods are preferred.
Casting/trolling reels (not spinning) with either non-stretch mono, one
of the super lines (i.e. Power Pro) or single strand wire line. I do have
some extra rod and reels that several people can BORROW for the
outing. If you have “marker buoys” bring them. I don’t use normal
leaders -- I use a snap (not snap swivel) tied directly to the line or
about 18 inches of uorocarbon leader material.
Lures: I can LOAN some of my spoonplugs to whoever wants them.
However, if you have deep-running lures that can bump bottom (like
the old Hellbenders, etc.), they are suitable.
Boats: Tiller steering is much preferred over steering wheel boats.
Only two sherman to a boat. We don’t use planer boards or rod
holders.
Basic Strategy: We will probably troll from the edge of the weed line
out to approximately 30 feet. Because of the irregular weed line and
breaklines in Mendota, we may want to throw out some markers to
aid us in our trolling passes. And, since the weed line in Mendota is
usually around 16 feet, using two to three passes on the same stretch
of water, but at three different depths would make sense. Depending
on the water level in mid-July, there is a breakline in Mendota that
averages about 28 feet. In some areas it is closer to 25’-26’ and in
some areas it may be slightly deeper than 28’.
Species Sought: Our best bet is northern pike. However, it would
not be surprising to catch a smallmouth or walleye. Last summer, the
Northerns were on the smallish size. But, if they run what they have
in the past, (and the weather cooperates), we should catch Northerns
from 32” to 39” – but, with the possibility of catching a 40” plus sh.
Clay Russel
Full Color Copies
(608) 257-8900
&
ting
P r i n g , LLC
in
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703
, WI 53
adison
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reet, #P
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One- and Two-Color Printing
Copying up to 36” x 48”
Large Format Posters
Posters, Banners, Wide Format for Trade Shows, displays,
parties, advertisements, etc.
22
Yahara Fishing Club
This is Jack Hurst receiving a check for $12,500 from the Madison
Fishing Expo. This will be provided to construct the second basket
sediment trap that the DNR has designed for an existing channel that
feeds Warner Park lagoon. This sediment trap is intended to be cleaned
out 2 to 3 times per year. The WDNR source loading model predict
they could prevent about 76 cubic yards of material from washing
into the lagoon annually. In terms of the grant, WDNR could provide
as much as $12,000 and the preliminary estimated total cost of the
project is $30,000. The Yahara Fishing club sent a check for $300 to
the WDNR for the permit. Congradulations Jack!
Fishing Has No Boundaries
needs volunteers to help with the
annual event held at Governor
Nelson State Park on Lake Mendota. This year it will be held July
12th and 13th. Boats, especially
Pontoon boats that can accommodate wheel chairs, shing guides,
and shing assistance are needed.
To pitch in call Dan Hartwig,
608-846-4098 for more information.
The Board of Directors has been discussing possible ways to save and raise much needed money for our
club. One idea is to have an E-mail club newsletter option for all members who choose it. Did you know that it
actually costs almost $22 for you to get the newsletter sent to your home during the year? Currently we spend
$2200 dollars on printing and another $700 on postage annually. Going to an E-mail version would
eliminate ALL printing and postage costs for each member that chooses this option. If only half of our
current members choose this then our club would save $1800. The more members the better! Also don’t
worry if you don’t have a computer or e-mail because you can still choose to get the current paper copy!
So let me know what you guys think and who would be willing to go to this option. Talk to me or other
board members at our meetings, outings, by e-mail or phone. So far only two people have gotten back
to me after I announced this during our May meeting so I hope to hear from the other 130 of you soon!
Jim Pankratz
Gary Engberg, a local shing
pro and frequent contributer to
this newsletter,(See article page
6) wants us to know that the Boat
House of Madison at Highway M
and Highway 113 is offering great
deals on all boats to members of
the Yahara Fishing Club. They carry
the made in Wisconsin Mirrocraft
Boat which makes a complete
line of boats for all fishermen
from the entry level to tournament
boats. They sell Evinrude, Mercury,
Yamaha, and Suzuki motors and
give great service on all motors.
Tell Don or Bill that Gary sent
you and you’ll get a great buy!
V.F.W. Post 1318
133 Lakeside St.
Madison
608-255-5955
3
Yahara Fishing Club
Family Fishing Day Lake Marion,
Mazomanie, May 10,2008
The Yahara Fishing Club Charities again helped in sponsoring the
Lake Marion Family Fishing Day with a $250 donation. The event was
started by Pete Jopke and Terry Frey in 2007. They would like to
thank the Club for the donation made for yesterday’s event .
Gary Enberg had three life camera crewman taking video for an
up coming show.
Even More Shocking news - Eric Olson
lands a large Bass on Mendota.
Fished Mendota last nite,
water temps in the lake were 54.
Fished U Bay and Picnic Point
for bass. Mostly used a 4’ Storm
perch swim bait. Ended with 10
pike, mostly hammer handles, a
crappie, walleye and 4 bass, the
largest was a 19.5 smallie. All sh
were in 6-10’, weeds are barely up.
The swimbait is pretty cool,
the hits are very different, just
a slight bump.
The fish seemed to just swim up and
overtake the bait, not really hitting hard.
4
Shocking news - Jeff
Western lands a large
Walleye on Mendota.
Caught this nice 25 1/4”
Walleye on Lake Mendota on
May 22 on a crank bait. Also,
caught a 26 1/2” Catfish. We
also caught a few LM, other
walleyes, catfish, bluegill and
whitebass as well. A nice outing.
More Shocking news Jennifer Western lands
a large Catsh on Mendota.
Jeff’s cousin caught this
32” sh on a nightcrawler
Notes From the Prez
I need to start this column out
by letting everyone know that we
will not have a meeting in June. I
repeat, there will not be a meeting
in June. In place of the meeting will
be a bass shing seminar put on
by Eric Olson. Keep you eye open
for information on this elsewhere
in this newsletter. Thanks to Eric
for volunteering to head up this
outing. Even if you are an experienced sherman, you can always
learn a new way to skin the cat.
If you know anyone on the
Madison Fishing Expo Board, thank
them for donating $1000 to help
fund our Kids Fishing Day. I
just sent a check for $1000 to
Brad Czebotar to put into our
account. This really helps our
situation and we need to thank
the Expo Board. I will be sending
a “thank you” letter to them.
Clay Russell will be leading
a spoonplugging outing for pike
on Mendota in July. Make sure
you find the information in this
newsletter. The largest sh I can
ever remember having on a rod
and reel was the result of trolling
a spoonplug on the Wolf River. I
had it on for about 45 minutes, but
I never got to see what it was. I
had no chance getting it up to the
surface. I wonder what it was???
July’s “On The Water” meeting
will be on Lake Monona at Olin
Park. Jim Pankratz and Bonnie
Miller will be putting this together
for you. The food is always good
and there is always something to
Yahara Fishing Club
quench your thirst. Take advantage
of this opportunity. Info on place and
time is contained in this newsletter.
KIDS FISHING DAY IS JUNE
7TH. I think you will get this newsletter before the event and I would
like to see everyone there to help.
We especially need people there
from 7:00am -9:00am to rig up
the rods. I have three hundred
rod/reel combos in my garage right
now along with 100 tackle boxes.
My van hasn’t seen the inside
of the garage for a while now.
A reminder that Fishing Has
No Boundaries is set for July 12 and
13. They are counting on our club
BIG TIME! See you there. We will
need people bringing in some sh.
Please pay attention to the
questions you will be asked on
having your newsletter sent to
you via email.
This system
could save our club quite a
bit
of
money
every
year.
I will be leaving right before
Eric’s outing. I am headed to Winneconne to do the annual shing
trip with my brothers. My Dad
started this whole thing and
we have continued it for many
years. We have a great time and
usually catch a large number of
sh. I say that because I sh
better when I am under pressure.
I’ll come back home and then
head out a few days later for Northern Wisconsin for a muskie tournament. There is a lot of water up
there and we never get enough
time to sh everywhere we want.
5
I will complete this column
with the fact that I will be teaching
Autistic kids how to sh near the
end of July. If anyone has the
time to help, I could sure use it.
Fishing Season Never Closes,
Duffy Kopf - Prez
May 28, 2008
Madison Fishing Expo Board,
On behalf of the Yahara Fishing Club, I would like to thank you
for your donation of $1000 toward
our Annual Kids Fishing Day. The
cost for everything keeps going up
and we have struggled to cover
all of these costs. We are making
every effort to continue to put on
this event on, along with our Kids
Ice Fishing Day, for the people
of the Dane County area. Your
willingness to support us is
much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Larry “Duffy” Kopf
President - Yahara Fishing Club
Yahara Fishing Club
Lake Wisconsin, Something for Everyone
Lake Wisconsin is one
of the best all-round sheries in
the state. The lake offers very
good fishing for most fish species from spring thru the fall.
This outstanding shery includes;
walleyes, saugers, crappies,
bluegills, muskies, largemouth
bass, smallmouth bass, sturgeon,
white bass, drum, and catfish.
Walleyes
Walleyes and saugers are
the most sought after sh on the
lake. The shing season is open
year-round for both species. Soon
after ice-out, anglers begin shing
the upper stretches of the lake
where the Wisconsin River enters
the lake. Good early season locations are; Fockes Bluff, Camp
Rest Park, Tipperary Bluff, Stoners
Point, and the lake’s north shore
because it gets more sunlight and
warms quicker than other lake
areas. The warmer water attracts
baitsh and the walleyes are close
behind looking to feed. Concentrate
on water less than 10 feet deep
or near the lake’s rst breakline.
The best spring techniques
include; the jig/minnow combination, jig/plastic combinations, and a
plain hook, a bead, and split shot.
During April, May, and into June,
live bait (minnows) dominates
the fishing techniques. Anglers
should slowly work off their trolling
motors to vertical jig, rig, and cast.
As the weather warms, switch to
using night crawlers and leeches.
I’d recommend using
a 6 foot medium-action rod (G.
Loomis) with a fast tip, a spinning
reel (Daiwa), and spool the reel
with 6 to 8 pound monofilament
line (Berkley). I like monolament
because it is forgiving and gives
you a little stretch. Always have
plenty of jigs in assorted sizes and
colors and plastics in chartreuse,
white, black, purple, yellow, and
electric blue. The jig and live bait
shing continues into June when the
shing methods change to trolling
crankbaits and pulling spinner rigs.
Lake Wisconsin has a “slot’
size which allows you to keep sh
from 15 to less than 20 inches.
No walleyes may be kept that are
between 20 and 28 inches. One
trophy walleye over 28 inches may
be kept. The daily bag limit is 5
sh of any combination. Walleyes
average 14 to 18 inches, but the
lake does have walleyes over 10
pounds. DNR Fisheries Biologist,
Tim Larson, recently told me that the
slot is working on Lake Wisconsin.
They recently seined and netted
on the lake and were amazed at
the number of LARGE walleyes
that they caught in their nets. To
quote Larson, “The slot is denitely
working here with lots of large
females in the slot and above.”
The summer walleye action
switches to the river channel edges
and the lake’s stump covered ats.
Lake Wisconsin has few weeds in
the main lake, so walleyes use the
wood for structure. You can still
jig and cast crankbaits in summer,
but open-water trolling is becoming more popular and successful.
Anglers use planer boards (Off
Shore OR-12) to get their crank-
6
By Gary Engberg
baits (Shad Raps in # 5 and #
7) away from the boat and to
cover more water or bottom bouncers and spinner rigs baited with
night crawlers. The best color
crankbaits are; blue/silver, black/
white, fire-tiger, and black/gold.
Good summer locations are;
the stumps and wood near the
Ferry and Merrimac, the north shore
of Pine Bluff, the points around
Sunset Bay, the channel edges
at Moon Valley, the points entering Weigand’s Bay, and outside
the first breakline and channel
edge from Weigand’s to the dam.
Troll both sides and watch your
electronics for suspended fish.
Crappies
The crappie population on
Lake Wisconsin is good year-round.
April and May are the best months
to catch crappies. This is their
spawning time and they are in shallow water. Good early locations
include; Okee Bay, Weigands Bay,
Whalen’s Grade, Moon Valley,
Gruber’s Grove, and Sticky Bay.
Lake Wisconsin has many classic
crappie locations which include
warm, quiet, and calm water away
from the main lake. Secluded bays,
boat channels, and canals are good
spots for early crappies. Look for
sh around the wood, stumps, boat
hoists, and wood piers. Wood piers
are excellent locations because
Yahara Fishing Club
Lake Wisconsin, Continued
they warm faster while absorbing
sunlight and helping to get the food
chain moving. Remember, wood is
the key to nding sh of all species!
Good crappie gear is not that
complex or expensive. The best rod
for a serious crappie angler is a G.
Loomis (GL2-SJR781), but Berkley
and Fenwick also make good rods.
You need a rod with a fast tip and
a light power rating. I suggest a rod
7 feet long, so that you can make
long casts to the spooky crappies.
A stealth approach is needed when
sh are this shallow. Next, get an
ultra-light spinning reel (Daiwa)
and spool it with 4 pound
monolament in green color. Use
your trolling motor to quietly
approach the fish and anchor a
long cast away from the crappies.
The Bait Rigs Cobra jig works
wonders in 1/16th and 1/32nd ounce
with a plastic tube under a weighted
oat. The weighted oat allows you
to make long casts. Then, slowly Moon Valley Resort (608-493-2706).
work the rig while occasionally There are quality resorts and resstopping and twitching the oat. taurants in the local towns of Lodi,
Colors can change, so have an Sauk City, and Prairie du Sac.
assortment. For bait, I recomI recommend the Moon Valley
mend shiners, fatheads, and wax Resort. They have 4 nice cabins,
worms. Fresh and lively bait a full-service baitshop, boat slips,
is
always
very
important. and fishing boat and pontoon
In summer, the crappies rental. They are owned and by
move deeper and suspend Madison’s Boathouse.
throughout the lake near the wood
If unfamiliar with the
and fish cribs. Again, use your lake, hire a guide. Local guides
electronics to locate sh. Anchor- are; Wally Banfi (608-644-9823),
ing near wood and fishing a Tony Puccio (608-212-6464), Terry
minnow under a slip-oat works Frey (608-220-6366, Ron Bareas does trolling # 5 Shad Raps eld (608-838-8756) and Gary Engthru the wood. The average crap- berg
(608-795-4208).
pie is 10 to 12 inches, but there
Copyright Gary Engberg Outdoors 2008
also are bigger sh.
Lake Wisconsin has
good boat landings; Sunset Bay,
Note from the editor: Gary also
the Grade, Moon Valley, and Okee provides tips for Muskie, largemouth
are all good lauches. Bait is avail- and smallmouth bass fishing on
able at Wilderness Fish and Game Lake Wisconsin in this article. I’ll
(608-643-2433) in Sauk City and at continue this in the July newsletter.
Annual Dues:
Yahara Fishing Club
Membership Application
Individual.........................$25
Family..............................$35
Youth Member..................Free
(with paid membership)
P.O. Box 3271
Madison, WI 53704
Except for special Summer “On the
water” dates, meetings are held at 7:30
p.m. on the second Tuesday of each
month at the Lakeside VFW Hall, John
Nolan Dr, & Lakeside St. in Madison.
Name
Street
City
State
Zip
An Orgainization to Educate, Protect and Propagate the Interests of All Fishermen in the Yahara Basin Area
Including all of Madison’s Lakes
7
There is no club meeting in June.
June Events
Calendar of Upcoming Events
June 7th Kids Fishing Day - Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center
Organizer: Yahara Fishing Club
June 10th Outing - Lake Waubesa, Babcock Park , 6:00 PM,
Organizer: Eric Olson See article page 2.
June 15-16th The Wisconsin Outdoor Education Expo
Dodge County Fairgrounds
July Events
July 8th Club meeting - On the Water, Lake Monona, 6:00 PM
Organizers: Jim Pankratz and Bonnie Miller. See article page 2.
July 12th and 13th Fishing Has No Boundaries, See article page 3.
July 19th Outing - Spoonplugging, Lake Mendota, 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Organizer: Clay Russel See article page 2.
The Yahara Fishing Club’s doors are open to EVERYONE, so invite a friend to the meeting!
Director - Jayne Meyer..............662-9374
Director - Rick Seeger...............849-3714
Editor - Tom Raschke...........233-6765
Fishing Expo - Jeff Western....831-1092
Yahara Fishing Club
P.O. Box 3271
Madison, WI 53704
Director - Rick Lane ....................873-5228
Director - Eric Uram.....................233-9022
Director - Jim Pankratz.................288-9789
Director - Bonnie Miller................824-9792
Check out our web page at:
www.yaharafishingclub.org
President - Larry Kopf..................849-7245
Vice President - Paul Marunich...219-4449
Secretary - Jim Zegers...................848-6299
Treasurer - Brad Czebotar ..........838-9458