CAPTAINS JOURNAL.TIMESTWOCHARTERS.COM

July 24 and 25....and she rolled.....

2010-07-26T02:02:00Z

As Yogi Berra once said "It was Deja Vu all over again"!

Same weekend as last year with the same results. We sat at the dock and waited
and waited and waited......

Saturday was 3 footers at the bouy at 5:30 a.m.; and with a forecast of t-storms
and higher gusts later in the day.....not much of a decision to make there. As it
turned out we did get pretty heavy weather in our area later in the day and a
tornado touched down along the shores of Chautauqua Lake.

Today, something a bit different. Winds actually laid out more than last night's
marine forecast; but again that 5:30 am check of the radar was pretty ominous.
LONG line of showers and t-storms. So we opted to be safe rather than sorry,
and we waited, and waited.....but by 9:30 am the weather came in, and as much
as we wished it wouldn't have, it did make our decision to wait seem smart.

The worst part of the chartering experience, BY FAR, is to have to tell a group
that you can't go. Yesterday's guys were blown off for the second year in a row,
and our group for today drove in nearly 3 hrs this morning. Just Awful.

Each group was good about the decision, but I know that it I was that group, I'd
be disappointed we couldn't go; and I know from our perspective, we are disappointed
we could not take them.

We appreciate the opportunity, and look forward to next time...and actually getting
out!

Moon River July 20-23

2010-07-26T01:46:00Z

For the third consecutive summer, my wife, son and I took off for a few days of
relaxation at Moon River, Ontario.   Located on the lower portion of Georgian
Bay, as long as traffic is good, it's only about 4.5 hrs from Dunkirk.

River was very warm...80 degrees, and consequently the bass and pike were
not cooperative.   All was not lost, though, as the panfish kept us busy, even
though they were running on the small side.

Weather was very good, and as usual on these kinds of things...we ate too much!

For any of you that might be interested, Moon Basin Marina is a great facility for
a northern getaway.   Click on the link on our sponsor page and tell Cindy/Kevin
you got their name from me!

Long ride back home, though....hour delay at the Peace Bridge, and then we
got the magic number for a "random check".

July 16, 17 and 18

2010-07-19T02:38:00Z

July 16....
After over a week of calm water, we got up today and found the lake to already be rolling, with
no sign of hope of it calming down later in the day.   The worst part, by far, of the whole chartering
thing is to meet your group at the dock, and tell them that its too rough to go.   But at least these
guys had a chance to reshcedule for later this summer!

July 17....
Still rolling today.
My son lobbied for, and succeeded in heading over to Cassadaga Lake in the little boat to do
some panfishing. Didn't get any keepers, but we probably landed over 100 small sunnies, perch,
calicos and even had 1 decent smallmouth on.

July 18....
A bit of leftover roll this morning, but the forecast looked good, and it looked like it would lay out.
It did. Unfortunately, the fishing was not quite to the levels of last week

We did box 6 nice walleye, and dropped another 4 or 5; plus a bonus brown trout that was pushing
10lbs!

Big slides and board lines were dead for us. Riggers were the best on WD Mojo. Also took 2
off the 10 color on the 5" zman chattersticks.



Off for a few days now......

July 10 and 11 - Ameracan Walleye Derby

2010-07-15T03:03:00Z

Fished the New York Walleye Association Ameracan Derby out of Dunkirk July 10 and 11. This is a
maximum 4 guys per boat; 5 walleye per day; 2 day combined total weight format.

On board with Gerb, Capt. Gary and Joel...

DAY 1:
We did 23 fish; most in the 4-5 lb range. We were second group today, which meant 8-5pm fishing. At
2 pm, we figured we'd be weighing 5 fish for 20lbs.....not to good....but things changed for us big time in
the last hour and a half, as we upgraded with several nice fish. Ended up at 30.08lbs for 5 walleye...sitting
in 29th out of 79 boats, but we're bunched up with quite a few others. We still have a long shot!

Capt. Bud (Alibi Charters) is sitting in 3rd after today...great job!

Pretty much a little bit of everything again, but the 10 color rig with a 5" green Zman Chatterstick was our
best. This combo probably took 10-11 of our catch today. Also took some on the slide divers, jet divers and
the riggers and even 1 on a small slide diver off the boards.

Also had a couple of lakers, the largest was in the 10lb range.

DAY 2:
We did 12 fish today; 11 could have been identical twins in 4lb range. We were first group today, which meant
7-2 pm fishing. At 1 pm, we pretty much figured we'd be weighing 5 fish for 17 lbs.....but we managed to hook
a 7lber clearing rods off the downrigger....bumped us up to 22lbs, better, bu not good enough. Finished in the
middle of the pack with 52lbs for 10 fish..... Top boat was 79lbs.

10 color went dead on us today....we figured 10-11 fish on it yesterday, but only 1 today. We also had cold water
move in on the western end of our loop from yesterday...8 degree break between 50 and 55 feet....

Chattersticks were again good and we actually had better luck with the 5" today. Mojo WD stayed hot off the
riggers.

I think it might have been too calm today.....

Fish fry to end the night....bacon wrapped walleye, deep fried walleye, and we did a pan fried with a crushed
jalapeno pretzel crust that was awesome!

Joel (L) and Gerb (R) show off some of our catch!

Can't complain...fishing has been awesome and over the last 3 days we boxed just over 50 fish! Plus we had a
blast again!

July 9

2010-07-15T02:53:00Z

Time to catch up a bit.....

Had a charter July 9th; based upon the forecast I was very worried that we would not
get it in, and looking at the radar at 5:30 am did nothing to ease my concerns. But
by the time the Horbey's arrived an hour later, things were looking up, so off we went.

Managed to dodge most of the rain while we were fishing, and just beat the front coming
through. Cool.

We boxed 16 walleye...no real big guys, but plenty of good 3-4 lb eaters.   Heaviest walleye
was just over 6lbs; plus a really nice bonus smallmouth that was over 4lbs!

Little bit of everything worked today...
Zman chattersticks on the boards, big slide divers and 10 color....red or green in both the 3"
and 5"; and the Mojo and purple sunrise WD Dreamweavers were good off the riggers.
Working the inside water 50-65 feet.

Some pics......3 generations!

.





Thanks for a great day guys!

July 5

2010-07-06T03:05:00Z

I think I can sum up today in one word, WOW!

Based upon a tip from Capt. Bud (Alibi), we rolled west this morning. Bit of a chop once we got set up, so
trolling into the waves was challenging, but we had a great troll back to port.

We landed 17 walleye by 12:30, losing only a small one right at the back of the boat.   Plus, it was kind
of cool for us to show off the diversity of Lake Erie today, as we also had a sheepshead, rock bass, smallmouth,
silver bass, white perch and yellow perch!

Everything took turns working today, but the Z-Man chattersticks continued to produce fish, taking some off the 40
jets on the boards, the 10 color down the chute and the slide divers off the side. Red or green were the best. Also
our 10 color bites were on a 5" chatterstick. On the rigs, our best was a WD Mojo spoon off the 55 ft rigger.
On the boards, we ran 165 back; slides were set at 140 and 155.   Although we had them on board, we opted
to not run any worms today.



Off the lake for a couple days, then back on to fish Friday, and the Ameracan Tournament Saturday/Sunday.

July 2 & 3 (pics added)

2010-07-06T02:57:00Z

So, we FINALLY get back on the lake Friday with the group that we had to cancel Monday and
Wednesday due to wind.   Lake is good, but with the blow, and the full moon, not sure what
the fishing will bring....but, hey, we're back on the lake!

Turns out to be a TOUGH bite for us.   We land 4, plus a laker and the usual assortment of
junkers.....BUT, we have 2 over 8lbs, and 1 in the 9.5lb range!   No set pattern for us as we
got 1 on a board, 1 on the ten color, 1 on the slide diver and 1 on the rigger. Chattersticks
and WD's.





Saturday, head back out with my son and my visiting brother in law.   Have 3 on, drop 2; then
make the cardinal sin.   We left fish to move to where someone else was getting them.   Didn't
do much after that, and then my son had enough....Now off for the 4th!

June 28 - July 1

2010-07-04T02:51:00Z

Started out the week looking forward to a lot of fishing, so I get to the marina early on Monday
(28th) and knew right away we weren't going as the wind was 25 mph at the dock! So Gary
and I took a ride up to Buffalo to West Marine and Gander Mt, and then took the long way
home by going for lunch with our friends up at the Black North Inn. Would have rather been
fishing, but we had a great day anyway!

Tuesday...the lake continued to roll.....

Wednesday.....she rolled on.....

Thursday, July 1.....still rolling, but not as bad....waited to make the call..... Ended up taking
a ride with Capt's. Bud (Alibi), Paul (Fortune), Dana (Mojo) and Tom in my boat around the
perch bouy to check out conditions....no go again.........This time the road trip was to Great
Lakes Tackle in Erie......

We try again tomorrow.........

John

June 26/Great Lakes Angler

2010-06-27T01:54:00Z

Well, the lake forecast improved dramatically over the last 24hrs, so I took the opportunity to use the
NYS license free weekend to get some of my floor hockey teammates out today.   Although the bite
has been good up until the last few days, this morning it was not.   Generally on the full moon
days it is a late bite, but today was super slow, and most boats we talked to this morning ranged
from none to 3 'eyes.   We boxed one on a 10 color, 5" chatterstick combo, and dropped 2 others.

From what I understand, though, it lit up pretty good by mid afternoon.

Still a blast to get some of the guys out for the first time on Lake Erie!

************

If you get the chance to read it, we made it in to Great Lakes Angler this month under the Eastern
Lake Erie report. It's only a small bit, but hey, we're happy to help spread the word about our
fishery!

Weather permitting we go Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and probably Friday this week so be
sure to check back for more information (hopefully better results too!).

First Report for 2010!

2010-06-14T02:20:00Z

I've heard the fishing for walleye has been pretty steady, but after my Canadian trip, Mother
Nature was not cooperating (nor was work) to allow me the chance to get the boat in the
slip.... until Friday!

Launched her, and got all secure in the slip, and then headed out solo to see what I
could get going, and to make sure all the equipment was up and running.   Ended up
with 4, in a little over 2 hrs.   3" Zman Chattersticks on big slide divers, from 105-115
out of "3".    Also some junkers, which is usually the case in those inside waters.

Back at it again today with a couple of friends. For the most part, sounded like it was
kind of slow. We ended up with 4 in the box , and missed a couple of others that
felt pretty good.   Chattersticks again we taking all the bites off the big slides, we
had 1 off a 20 jet; and 1 on the 5 color down the chute.   Black and silver was good for us.



Capt. Gary holds one of our fish from today.

We did notice that the fish were barely getting hooked, and everyone fell into
the net with the hooks already out of their mouth.   Literally, the hook was as
far forward as they could get and still stay hooked.   I think that's why we had
a couple we dropped.

Surface temps were in the 67-68 degree range, and down temp was 63, 30 feet
down.   Its not even mid-June yet....so this is looking like a great start!

French River Ontario 2010!

2010-06-04T02:00:00Z

Just back from my annual outing to the lower French River in the northeastern Georgian Bay
area of Ontario.   We've been back at the French River Lodge (www.frenchriverlodge.com)
every May since the mid-90's, and 19 times dating back to the mid 80's. Again this year, I
was joined by 5 friends from N. Carolina, Kentucky and Indiana.

What can I say.....simply AWESOME!!    Unbelievably, 75 plus every day, no bugs, and our
only rain was about 2 hrs of T-storms Monday (which nicely coincided with our lunch time)
and overnight our last night there.   Warm enough to keep the windows open 24/7; and
it sure did make for some nice nights sitting on the porch, having a cold one!

French River really is more like a lake where we fish it, with countless islands, bays, shoals,
etc.    And get this...the water level was TEN FEET below last year!!   Rocks that we zipped
over last year were now 6 feet out of the water!   Quite the eye opener to see rocks where
we hadn't even known they were.   Camp owner, Anne, attributed this to very low snowfall
and a very dry spring to date.   Levels were at an 80 year low for late May.

But, the good news was that the fishing was still SMOKING!   Overall, we got 347 northerns
in 3.5 days of fishing, and released them all. Of those 24 were greater than 22"; with our
biggest this year just over 29" long (about 7-8lbs).   We also caught 5 walleye which we usually
don't get (we have those here!); a 23" muskie and over 20 nice bass. Plus all the other hits,
misses and follows typical of northern pike fishing.

This is my brother with a typical French River pike......



This is my friend Kris, with one of our better pike.....



Also took some fish including this nice smallmouth casting 2" ZMAN chattersticks, the
same baits that have been so good for us here on Lake Erie the last couple years.
(Lure is barely visible in the fish's mouth)



We also got to see 2 young moose swimming across a bay, then climb up a rock face. They
move pretty well for being such a big animal.



Normally, our best method is casting red/white spoons, but this year, they wanted oranges
and yellows; and several members of our group had awesome action using topwater baits
like Zara spooks, Jitterbugs and buzzbait.

This has always been a great trip...and this year was no exception.   I get to do a lot
of great things every year, but the French River has always been my favorite!   Can't
wait to go back!!

**
Hoping to get the boat in the slip this weekend, weather permitting! I hear they got some
walleye this week....I'll keep you posted!

Z Man Fishing Products

2010-05-06T02:48:00Z

We are pleased to announce that we have been granted Pro-staff status with Z-man
Fishing for 2010!!


Amoung other products, Z Man produces the Original Chatterstick which has been a very
good bait on Lake Erie the last few seasons.   There were plenty of days where we ran
Chattersticks in complement with our Dreamweaver spoon program, or days when we ran
all Chattersticks, depending on the walleye's frame of mind.

We also used the Z-Man Elaztech baits with some success on the redfish we caught last
month with Capt. John of Affinity Charters. You can see the bait/head sticking out of the
mouth of one big red Jack is holding.



You can check out the full Z-man line at www.zmanfishing.com.

Brief Chautauqua Lake Update

2010-05-05T02:36:00Z

Brief fishing report....

My brother rented a cottage over on Chautauqua Lake this past weekend, so our friend
Doug, my son Jack and I headed over Saturday afternoon to join him.   Got a couple of
hours in trying to find some perch...had spotty action, although some of the others in
camp did fairly well.

Sunday, with impending weather issues, we pulled the boat, but still headed over to
do some fishing from shore at Long Point.   Much to the delight of my son, the sunfish
were big and very active....we figure between the four of us we land about 100 in just
under 2 hours.   Handful of perch.

Periodic Wilson Updates/Blog subscription

2010-04-28T03:02:00Z

During the month of May we hope to be able to give you periodic updates on the
salmon fishing on Western Lake Ontario via our friend Capt. Bud Marsh of
Alibi Charters.    We are also trying to work out the dates for us to get up
there too! Be sure to check back!!

***

Don't forget that you can subscribe to our blogs and receive automatic updates to your
email address every time we post a new blog!   Simply enter your email address in the
"subscribe" box in the bottom left hand corner of our blog page, click on the word blog,
then on the word subscribe and you should be all set!    What a great way to keep up on
all of our reports!

Kiawah Island, South Carolina

2010-04-28T02:31:00Z

We've been hanging out down south on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, (just south of
Charleston) and had a blast!   Sun, sand and a few beverages sure does take away the
stress!

Weather was awesome as the only rain we had was overnight one night, and of course
we got to enjoy lots of southern cuisine including scallops, shrimp, collard greens and
she crab soup! Plus, we stopped in for a cool one at my favorite local spot, Tommy Condon's
in downtown Charleston. It's all good, for sure!

From the fishing perspective the highlight was definitely a charter that I took with my son
last Monday with Capt. John Ward of Affinity Charters. This was the 5th year we've been
fishing with him, and we had another awesome day!





This year, we were fishing the "skinny water" which was salt water marsh creeks not much
wider than the 17' flats boat we were in.   We worked our way in on the rising tide, and whacked
the redfish.   We got 22 fish total, 6 over 10lbs and probably another 4 or 5 over 8 lbs.

We used 3 types of live bait rigs: one with a slip sinker, circle hook and a minnow off the bottom;
another with the same setup but suspended with a rattle float; and a third line with a Z-man
elaztic bait tipped with a minnow.   (Z-Man is the originator of the chatter baits that have been
so successful for us here on Lake Erie.)   Rods were regular spinning rods with Quantum
reels loaded with braided line.

If any of you ever happen to be down that way, I would HIGHLY recommend some fishing time
with Capt. Ward!

Weather/Show Updates/Fishing

2010-04-03T03:00:00Z

Wow, wasn't today great? In my neck of the woods, temps ranged from 73 at my house (by
Lake Erie) to nearly 80 over by Chautauqua Lake. Awesome! If I never saw another flake
of snow, it would not bother me.

Thank you to all of you that stopped by our booth at the LOTSA show in Lockport, the Hamburg
Show or at the Mayville Steelhead show. We really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you about
fishing. That really got the juices flowing!

Also, thank you to those that commented on our blogs. We really appreciate the kind words.
From day 1 years ago now with the old "salmon searches" the Lake Erie Salmon and Trout
Association used to do, right up until today, I am a firm believer that getting the word out is not
a bad thing. Hopefully what I post is helpful to you.

***
The great weather today got my son eager to get over to Chautauqua Lake for perch. We only
fished from shore, and unfortunately the fish weren't too cooperative. As I told him, don't forget,
its only April 2!

Looking forward, we'll be doing some fishing in South Carolina, Wilson NY, and Ontario in the next
2 months before we settle in for our Lake Erie walleye. Stay tuned for updates on all of these
adventures! We're hoping to have regular updates for you in the month of May from Wilson!

John

Mayville NY Steelhead Fishing Expo

2010-03-20T02:25:00Z

We'll be at teh Chautauqua Suites Steelhead Expo this weekend in Mayville, NY (Chautauqua Lake area). $5.00
for Men; women and children are free. Stop in, enjoy the show and say hello!

Hamburg NY Outdoor Expo

2010-03-11T05:13:00Z

Just a quick note....

This weekend is the Hamburg NY Sports and Outdoor Expo at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. We'll be
there with Capt. Bud (Alibi Sportfishing) in the Main Exhibition Hall. It promises to be a very busy
show, so please be sure to stop by our booth and say hello!

And, next weekend (March 20/21), Bud and I will be in Mayville, NY (along Chautauqua Lake)
at the Chautauqua Suites Hotel for the Steelhead Expo. This is a great smaller show for all of
you that are steelhead enthusiasts!

Hope to see you at one of these events.....

John

Catchin' Up a Bit

2010-02-05T03:17:00Z

I'm not a hunter, nor a hard water fisherman, so I'm biding my time until it gets warm again! In the
meantime, just thought we'd catch up a bit....

CONGRATULATIONS to our team member and mate, Gary who has recently completed and passed
his Captain's Test! Way to go, Captain Gary!!

We recently talked to our friends over at Dreamweaver Lures, and as usual, they have plenty of exciting
new colors coming out in 2010. On Lake Erie, the WD series spoons have become our number one
walleye spoon, and we believe made a big difference between success and failure on many days last
summer!

Be sure to check our their products at www.dreamweaverlures.com; or click on the picture below:

Remember our first show of the year is the LOTSA Fishing Show in Lockport, NY on February 28th! We'll
be there with Capt. Bud (Alibi Charters) and Capt. Gary; and we're looking forward to seeing some of
our old friends!

Think warm!
John

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T03:07:00Z

Greetings! I hope you all had a great Holiday Season!

We are pleased to announce that once again, in 2010, we will be on the Dreamweaver Lures Pro-
staff!! Their spoons have been awesome for walleye, and turned around more than 1 day for us
last year.   Be sure to check out all their great products at www.dreamweaverlures.com.



We also are currently planning on attending the following fishing/outdoors shows....be sure to stop by
and say hello!

On February 28^th, I will have my booth at the Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association fishing
show in Lockport, NY (suburb of Buffalo). You can check this out at www.lotsa.org.

On March 11^th -14^th, Captain Bud Marsh (Alibi Sportfishing Charters) and I will have a booth at the
Western New York Outdoor and Travel Expo in Hamburg, NY (also a suburb of Buffalo).

      On March 20 & 21, I will have a booth at the “Future of Steelhead Fishing Expo” held in Mayville, NY
      (on Chautauqua Lake).

Please check back as we will update this post.....