I have been itching to get out on the big lake after reading DJ's reports and others this week so finally this afternoon was able to get work done in time to get the Tin cup in for an afternoon of chasing cutty's! I had planned on dropping the boat off this week to get the top redone but work was way too busy so have to hold off that project until next week-

Put in at Coulon at around 3pm and motored over to my usual spot to start the afternoon~ weather was a bit cooler then expected and also a bit of breeze kept me busy keeping the boat straight but soon has a good troll going starting off with a sling blade and wiggle hootchie ( thanks for the report DJ) tipped with pink gulp maggots. Oddly didn't make anything until I turned the corner at the point but they were deeper so dropped the ball down to 55 feet and worked my way north. Had what seemed like a drive-by but didn't stick so soon was heading west towards Seward Park.

Switched over to a brad's cut plug and worked it up and down the water column as I headed south along the shoreline back towards the Atlantic city launch but no one was interested. Soon I was heading back east towards Paul Allen's place and decided to go to my pink cut plug and put it at 30 feet as I was marking some schools between 25 and 45 feet. I was approaching the second buoy heading south my rod dipped down to the water and popped the clip! Grabbed the rod out of holder but soon realized there wasn't a fish on and when I reeled in saw that my hooks had broke off and all I had trailing from my sling blade was a 16" leader with no plug or hooks! That sucks! Not sure what happened but there must have been a nick in the line or something.

So at least now I knew where they were biting so decided to try something new and put on the set up I used over in Moses lake for walleye with a green smile blade some beads and a slow death hook. On the business end of the set up I weaved a 3" gulp minnow onto the slow death hook and then slathered it in crayfish/anise scent and set it back 80 feet with no attractor and dropped the ball down to 28 feet. Soon the rod started bouncing and I pulled it out of the holder and popped the clip but missed another one as it had pulled the minnow off the slow death hook somehow. This time I secured it with a bait button and set it back again. No sooner did I get in my seat when the rod tip buries again and this time it is fish ON!

This fish had some size to it as it peeled off about 25 feet before I could start working it back to the boat. It made 2 or 3 good runs but soon I could see a big tail on the surface and realized I may have the biggest cutty I had ever caught out here!! It did not want anything to do with my boat as kept taking out line as I tried to ease it into the net~ then it makes a run under the boat and I have to run to the back and get the lines under the motors so now it is on the starboard side and just as I am about to net it, turns it's head and pops the hook! Oh man I am crushed but at least got the full fight and he gets to live another day but estimate it at about 25"! DJ I reel your pain now from losing your big one the other day!!

My minnow was still on the hook ( thanks bait buttons) so gave it another bath off cray/anise scent and set it back down to 28 feet and 80 feet behind the boat and now was past the south tip of Mercer and heading due south as it was after 8pm and figured I would just troll in. Again the rod dips and clip pops and this one I was finally able to get into the net and bonk for fish fry tonight!

Looks like at least I figured out what they were interested in tonight and will back out tomorrow to try again for that big one!! See you on the water!

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