Lake Trout pics 2008

Here is just a little taste of what you guy's are missing out on here on Eagle Lake in the springtime.

You're lucky it would only let me post 5 pictures at a time or you would be booking your trip now.

I can post some more if you want but all it will do is make you more jealous of what you're missing in the spring on Eagle Lake.

Catch/Release

Catch and Release Tips ........by Perchmaster


Land fish quickly. Handle fish as little as possible and avoid holding with dry hands to prevent removal of protective slime coating.


Don't let fish bounce on the boat deck, carpet or on shoreline rocks and gravel. When using a landing net, soft knotless nylon or rubber nets are better than hard, knotted nylon.


Grasp most species of fish by the lower jaw and keep fish in the water if possible. Hold them vertically and support large fish with a hand under the belly.


Grasp toothy fish across the back of the head, with fingers and thumb holding gill plates closed. Watch out for sharp edges. Try not to grasp the gill plate area too hard so you don’t harm the fish. I know that's easier said than done sometimes. If you must hold a fish by putting your hand through the gill opening, avoid touching delicate gills if at all possible. REMOVE HOOKS QUICKLY. Don't keep a fish out of water longer than you can hold your breath. Use long-nosed pliers or a de-hooking tool to remove deeply embedded hooks. If this fails, cut the line a few inches above the hook and leave it in the fish, but avoid this if at all possible. If you find you are often hooking your fish deeply, consider changing your methods to something less harmful.

Here are some diagram pictures to follow on how to remove gut hooked fish.















Diagrams are compliments of In-Fisherman MAGAZINE.

Cold water lakers on Eagle Lake

Early spring is a season many VBL guest just don't get a chance to get it on as by the time most guest start showing up the waters have warmed into the 60's.

Eagle Lake is known more for it's walleye, northern pike and musky but the lake trout is one species that you should give a try if you ever make a May trip.

Targeting these monster fish is not all that tough, trolling the "walleye highway" with husky jerks or trolling the shorelines can produce some mighty fine fighting fish.

During the month of May when the waters of Eagle are still in the 40's and low-mid 50's lake trout to 30"+ can be found feeding the shallow waters all day long with early evening being a time when these monsters cruise the shallows feeding on bugs and minnows.

2008 was probably the best lake trout fishing for many VBL guest as the chalk board down at the old fish house filled lines daily with 30+" trout.

I am sure many of the VBL guest looked up at the chalk board during the summer and ask Gord many times about those huge Lake trout.

So if you ever get a chance to do a May trip to VBL bring along that 6 1/2 med light spinning rod and spool your reel with some 8lb test and troll those cranks along the many miles of shoreline within minutes of VBL.

Direct Tie on's? How to

Thought this might be of some help for our fellow anglers.
Whenever you can get by without using snaps, swivels or snap-swivels, get by without them. Some anglers use snaps or snap-swivels so they don't have to cut the line a lot, but this is not good. You should be checking the first one to three feet of your line at the lure/bait end frequently, and cutting the line and retying any time you feel or see nicks or stretched-out spots... even when using these things. Snaps, swivels or snap-swivels negatively affect the actions of many lures. Your lures won't tangle with the line nearly as much during the cast, either, if you lose the hardware. Unless you're physically challenged, avoid using this stuff whenever possible. Some general rules I use.....

Use a swivel:

1. When using a lure that can twist the line (in-line spinners, spoons & pre-rigged plastic worms that don't have attached swivels). 2. On Carolina Rigs. Use a snap (or snap-swivel) when using: 1. Crankbaits that don't have an attached split ring.
2. Lures or live bait rigs where you won't run into snags trolling or drift fishing (smooth unobstructed bottom, open water when your target fish is suspended, etc.).

Tie directly to the line when using:

1. Spinnerbaits.
2. Buzzbaits.
3. Jigs.
4. Surface plugs like the Jitterbug, the Zara Spook, or poppers. If you're using monofilament, you may want to put Chap-Stik on the line for about a foot or two ahead of the lure, so the mono will float and the surface lure gives better action.
5. In-line spinners, spoons & pre-rigged plastic worms that have attached swivels.
6. Crankbaits that have attached split rings (tie to the split ring). On crankbaits that don't have a split ring, and you still want to tie directly on, use a loop knot, so it gives the lure the ability to act in the way the manufacturer intended. If you want to limit the lure's action (make it wobble less) for a more subtle presentation (which is desireable at times, especially in cold water), tie directly onto the front loop with a snug knot.
7. Texas Rigs. 8. Lures or live bait rigs where you'll be running into snags
trolling or drift fishing.

Hope these ideas help someone out and they may find it easier that the more traditional way's of doing some of these.

Rainbow Trout Run Is On!

Hi All...I did a little jigging in the sewer in front of my house yesterday afternoon and got this fat 21 inch rainbow on a Little Cleo Spoon. I estimated the fish hit about 15 feet down the hole. It fought very hard and I released it. These fish are said to migrate from Milwaukee to Edgerton via a system of rivers, streams, creeks and finally sewer tunnels. True, it is a little unorthodox, but when the run is on the fishing can be pretty good.

I needed a good introduction to get your attention concerning a more serious matter. The number of bloggers on the Electric Beaver is rather small and not growing much. A larger group of participants is going to be necessary to create the kind of forum that draws more attention to VBL and Eagle Lake. I would find it useful to discuss fishing with other VBL guests and Eagle Lake anglers. We could help each other out here. So, I have a question for you--what ideas do you have that might be used to build this blog? Please post them for discussion and Gord's consideration.

Professor

While the moderator is away, the guests will play

Professor,

After last years' sunburn incident, did Gord look something like this?

In the tradition of "find waldo"....find the pale canadian imposter in this family vacation picture (hint: he's a VBL guest)

Mexico bound........

The moderator is off with Susanne to Puerto Vallarta for a bit of sun and surf. Too bad we aren't going back to last year's destination....the Baja, which was great. A lot of VBLers joined us for a great time. This year is a little more low key but pencil your schedule in for 2010 as a VBL Mexico adventure! Here's a few pics from last year..........

Fish Photography, Part Two.....

Here are some "interesting" photos that deserve special recognition.........

• The "dominatrix" pose......

• The "wrestling pose"....the strength of some fish can be overwhelming.......
  

• The "paralysis".....leave your choke hold at home where it belongs.........

• The "combo"......choke hold plus demonic possession!
  
  

• The "sympathy pose".....always include an artificial limb, if you have one, in the pic....
  

Fish Photography 101

I thought I would use this forum to share a pet peeve of mine....anglers that don't know how to hold a fish for a good photo. Gord, I know this is troubling to you as well.

It's important to hold your fish firmly

But don't put a death grip on the fish, or cover up the fish with your hands

No props....fish are supposed to be slimy

Don't hold them like a beer can. Cradle them for all to enjoy.

And if they end up in your pants, wear a belt the next time and release them quickly.

Caribou Lake....

For those lucky enough to have fished back in Caribou Lake I thought these pictures from today (Monday, March 2) would be of some interest. I did my usual run to tuck some full gas cans at the portage boats. This beats "humping" them over the trail in the summer. As far as this trip went, I had to break the trail........good thing I had a long track and a chain saw! As far as I could tell all the small-mouth bass are still slumbering in their beds under a thick layer of snow and ice. I wonder if they are thinking of the spring spawn?

And the winner is.......

Congratulations go out to Andy Lewis from Middleton, Wisconsin. He was the only one to guess the correct answer to all the mystery trees. Better luck next time to all those who are not enjoying their coffee out of a manly VBL mug. By the way, the correct answers are as follows....Balsam Fir, Birch, Jack Pine, Spruce (Black to be really correct), and Tamarack. Be on the look-out for the next VBL challenge!

Boat cache switch-a-roo.....

I've been asked many times how we get boats back into the portage lakes we like to fish. The easiest method is the one Susanne and I used today. Towing it in across the snow is no problem. We did encounter one tight spot on the trail where we had to tilt the boat a bit to get through. Dig the old boat with a shovel and haul it back home. The "new" boat is bigger, doesn't leak, and even has floor boards to make standing up a bit easier. Now all we need is May to roll around and for the fishing to begin!