CAPTAINS REPORT VERMILION 9/29

Most of the captains docked in Vermilion are perch fishing and have been the last two weeks. Fishing has been good but not always fast. Good reports coming from 1 1/2 miles off the break wall to 10 miles straight out. The walleye bite has stopped in Geneva which means the big school that was there is moving west.  I would suspect this coming week from Lorain to Vermilion should begin the fall walleye fishing. If you interested in big fish now is the time to get out. I would suggest reef runners with one or two ounces of weight or nightcrawler harnesses on Tru-Trip divers.  Also don't forget to check the top of the water column 12 feet and up. I will be fishing next week so watch for my updates. See you on the water!

BAD BOY TACKLE BIG EYE CHALLENGE 9/15

First and only tournament I could fish this year. Unable to pre-fish for the tournament due to 8 to 9 foot waves on the lake Friday. It was slow all day and the weights were really low. 17 teams didn't weigh in fish which shows how the day progressed. We did finish in fourth place with only three fish and a total of 18.94 lbs. Pulled 40 Tru-Trips with worm harnesses 120 to 130 back. The high winds on Friday scattered the fish and they just would not cooperate. We all enjoyed the tournament and hats off to the staff of Bad Boy Tackle for making this a great event. We also want to thank Dan Heyne of Tru-Trip Divers for sponsoring us in the tournament as well as a tournament sponsor. Two of the top four places fished the weather buoy area. Did hear some good perch catches in 38 feet of water straight out from the Vermilion break wall. See you on the water. The attached photo might explain why we only had three fish!! Just Sayin.

VERMILION WEATHER BUOY 9/7

Half day charter only fished 2 1/2 hours but caught some real nice fish. Caught 15 nice walleye running east to west with the best speed at 2.0 knots. Pulled 40 Tru-Trips with crank baits back 110 feet. We had to cut the trip short due to customers having to get to the airport on time. But still great fishing for a short trip. The Big Eye Challenge was cancelled for Saturday and rescheduled for Saturday the 15th. See you on the water.

VERMILION WEATHER BUOY 9/6

The Budman is finally docked on the concrete wall at Steak and Lube in Vermilion. We pre-fished Thursday for the Big Eye Challenge and what at great day with 24 tournament size fish total weight 135 lbs. Ran crank baits on two once weights back 120 feet. Brown perch was the hot reef runner. Marked numerous bait fish and perch in the area. Also heard good reports of walleye being caught on the 27/27 line but fish were smaller. Fishing reports are harder to come by close to tournament time. See you on the water.

WEST OF RATTLE SNAKE ISLAND 8/28

Still fishing west off Rattle Snake Island three miles west and from the 40 to 43 lines. Had a two boat trip both 1/2 day charters. Slow bite with a total of 24 fish between the two boats. Ran Scorpion spoon on both depseys and board rods. Fish ran from 15 1/2 to 23 inches. Well it's almost time to move to Vermilion and the Budman will be docked on the wall at the Steak and Lube restaurant. Any one interested in some excellent fall fishing give me a call or stop by and just say hello. Also anyone interested in fishing the 2012 Huron Walleye Challenge registration started today. This is a great tournament with a field of 85 boats and a total pay out of 16,000 dollars. More information can be found at www.fishhuronohio.com. See you on the water!

WEST OF RATTLE SNAKE ISLAND 8/25

Fished the same area as yesterday with even more boats in the area. Caught 9 quick walleyes and fished the rest of the day to manage 29 fish that ranged from 16 to 25 inches. Better grade of fish today. Same program as yesterday 40 Tru-Trips and spoons. Best speed was 2.0 to 2.3 knots and trolling east to west pulled most of the fish. Many shorts were caught the last two days  so maybe last years hatch was better than reported. Again perch fishing was excellent in this area and we marked many perch. See you on the water.

WEST OF RATTLE SNAKE ISLAND 8/24

Fished 3 miles west of Rattle Snake Island and managed 27 walleyes by 10:30 am. Pulled 8 planar board rods and 4 depsey rods. The board rods were all spoons with 40 to 45 foot leads on 40 Tru-Trips. The depsey rods were all spoons and were set at 41 feet on a middle diver and 51 feet on a high diver. The fish ranged from 15 to 24 inches. Most of the fish were caught trolling south to north at 1.9 to 2.0 knots. Many boats in the area made in hard to get back on fish but it was an excellent bite. Marked many perch and there were many perch boats in the area. Big perch were reported to have been caught. See you on the water!