Dead In The Water

Dead In The Water by James L. Bruner
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It was a beautiful morning. One of those picture perfect sunrise days where the warm morning breeze skimmed across the surface of the bay creating just enough ripple to invite that illusion of millions of diamonds dancing on the waters surface. Inviting yet daunting was the fact that this morning a friend and I would soon be launching my small boat for a quick walleye fishing trip in these same waters that were literally outside the large picture window of my cottage. My reference to daunting is not some obscure labor-intensive procedure of launching the boat from the shoreline. It is, in fact, the relegation to the unique structure of the bay which begins at the rocky shoreline with numerous outcroppings that stretch to a barren sand bottom that is practically void of any further structure or weed formations. Not the ideal walleye fishing scenario given the clarity of the water and the sensitivity of a walleyes vision.

It typically takes a bit of chop on the water to break the penetration of light and stir the bottom before the walleyes will move into these shallower areas to feed. In truth the shallows normally fish better during the hours of darkness but we were counting on a daily event that nearly always found it’s mark with practical precise timing.

We call them the 10 o’clock winds around here. You can set your watch by them with the realization that once the stronger breezes from the bay began to pickup it was right around 10 a.m. These winds usually created enough, and often more than enough, motion on the waters surface to bring the walleye in shallow to feed and, if all went awry with these predictable winds for some reason, we always had the option to venture further into the bay and fish the shipping channel. The channel itself in this area dove to a depth of 150 feet. It was always a gamble fishing here since you would be searching for walleyes suspending along the steep breaks that made the entrance into the channel. And as you might imagine the channel was home to many fish species, strong currents, and it all takes place roughly a mile from shore. With a small 14 foot boat powered by a 4 horse outboard motor it was obvious that a mad dash back to the safety of the shoreline could indeed be fruitless if the weather suddenly changed for the worse.

I guess I was caught in a daydream overlooking the bay while sipping a cup of steaming coffee when I heard a quick procession of knocks at the front door. Chris appeared with fishing poles and tackle box in hand sporting that hurried look like he just escaped a plethora of flying kitchenware from a wife that was not in agreement with his morning fishing plans. Regardless of the consequences to be paid later he was always game for most fishing or hunting trips and shared the same enthusiasm for hitting the water. In merely minutes we were pushing the small boat across the sand and paddling into deeper depths. All the signs of a good trip were at hand as long as the walleyes would cooperate.

We fished the shallows for bass while talking strategies and evaluating our options. We pulled several smallmouths from the reeds with no real effort as they often stacked up in these areas soaking in the morning rays. Within 20 minutes we fired up the outboard and headed for the shipping channel where we figured to fish until the winds picked up and fishing the shallower water would be more productive. For those not familiar with shipping channels and water depths it’s not uncommon to find small smooth roller waves that aren’t discernable from the shoreline. These waves have a different effect on a boat, especially a small boat, as they push and pull the small vessel working with the current that accompanies the dark depths. When I mention dark depths it is due in fact to the immediate visual aspect of floating into the channel. The shallower waters always appear clear and light in color due to the sandy bottom. Once reaching the channel the water turns black in the blink of an eye and all the aforementioned characteristics of waves, and current, grab hold of a small boat instantly. As strange as it seemed to me I have seen people literally panic and feel quite uneasy when entering the channel. In fact I remember one fishing trip where my fishing partner asked to deliberately drive out to the channel just to say he had been there. Like I said, it seems strange to me but everyone has their phobias and hang-ups that they feel they might be able to conquer even if they have to take baby steps.

We had trolled rapalas and crawler harnesses along the breakline of the channel for maybe an hour with nothing but conversation and the relaxation of small waves starting to build before converting over to jigging methods. We used a technique of a flasher spoon for an attractant with a 3 foot dropper line below tipped with minnows for the actual bait. We began by letting line spool freely from the reel and randomly stopping the line before jigging for several minutes before again letting the line free-spool and repeating the process. This continued until our baits hit the bottom at which time we would reverse the process until our bait was retrieved. Again, another hour and nothing, but, the winds were beginning to pickup which we noted as our cue to head for shallower water with the anticipation of better fishing.

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