Ebay auctions

I have been putting 6 hour trips up on ebay, and they have been selling. There's another one up for bid right now.

Get them while they're hot.

CT

Tournament Rules Passed by DNR

The DNR passed the new rules regarding fishing tournaments on wednesday.





CT

Sportsmen's Day

I know this is last minute, but with the weather going to keep people indoors this weekend, you might consider dropping by Oakwood Church.

Oakwood Church in Delafied has an outdoor day planned this Saturday, January 19th. There will be some seminars on hunting and fishing. There is an admission fee.

I will not be attending due to a conflict, but I packaged up a bunch of baggies with give-away soft plastics, along with my card. They'll be handing them out at the door while supplies last.

More Information is available online at the church website:

www.oakwoodnow.org.

Cheers,
CT

Welcome to Paul Smith

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's new outdoor editor posted his first column this morning.

Let me be among the first to welcome Paul Smith to his new job.

CT

Boat for sale?

I'm working on a deal for a new boat for this season. If it goes through, I'll be looking to sell my beloved starcraft that has been a great little boat.

Its a Starcraft 1757 Starcaster with a 60 Horsepower Mariner Engine on an easyloader trailer. I'll include everything. A 743 motorguide trolling motor, starting and optima trolling motor batteries, two eagle classic fishfinders, two extra seats, 3 anchors, rod holders, lifejackets and other safety equipment. Its everything for the boat. It has a working livewell and additional wetstorage.

If you've been in the boat, you know how roomy it is for fishing. The front and back decks have plenty of room for casting. It loads and unloads very easily, and doesn't weigh very much, even when fully fueled.

If you're interested, contact me. If we make a deal before the Journal Sports Show, I'll throw in two rod/reel combos and I'll build you a tackle box for fishing our local lakes for free.

CT

Booking for 2008

Some shameless self promotion.

I'm already booking dates for 2008's open water season. If you want to secure a date, now is a good time to do so.

Depending on the weather, I'll follow a schedule that looks something like this.

Early March-Early April: Walleye and Whitebass on the Rock and Crawfish Rivers.

April-Early May: Panfish and open season bass fishing.

Opening day in May-June 15th: Pre/Post spawn bass, weed walleyes or stocked trout.

June15-July 1st: All smallmouth, all the time.

July 2nd-July 31st: Mixed species trips on various lakes.

August-September: Summer Bass and Pike Fishing

Mid-September-Mid October: Walleye, Smallmouth and Largemouth.

If any of these trips or scenarios interest you, give me a call or email me and let's go fishing.

Fish are biting

I keep getting good reports from guys that are out. It seems like a little bit of everything is biting.

Panfish: The Phantom and Genessee Lakes have been giving up some decent gills in 6-10 feet of water. You need some green weeds or sumberged wood to find the better fish.

Pike: Hitting shiners on tip-ups pretty much all over the area. Large shiners seem to be catching more fish right now.

Walleye: Pine, Labelle, Nagawicka and Oconomowoc have all given up some quality fish in the last two weeks. Labelle has been producing steady action over the shallow flats. The fish are running undersized with the 20" size limit out there. Nagawicka has been giving up some keepers though.

Be careful out there. The ice is a little suspect, and it was pretty warm on Christmas Day. I'd stay close to the shallow water until we get another solid cold snap.


CT

Madison Ice Fishing

Heads up:

I stopped by my favorite greasy spoon (The Curve) for breakfast this morning on my way to my final exam, and there's a bunch of guys out on the ice just off of Park Street in Madison. They look to be chasing panfish and they also look like they're catching some.

Just FYI.

ICE ICE Baby!

Reports are starting to filter in. The shallow bays and channels on the area lakes have between 3-6" of ice. I'd be very careful over any deep water as we've had more snow than cold.

Panfish have been a mixed bag on the early ice. Local lakes seem to be giving up plenty of fish, but they are running small. I'd stick with a teardrop, a ratfinkee or a very small red hook tipped with a waxie, spike or mousie for right now. Look for the fish to relate to any weeds that are still green and/or any submerged wood that you can get on.

Pike have also been active but running small. I'd venture shiners are producing more fish than smelt at this point, but it will vary day to day. The shop has some great pre-made leaders for running under tip ups, and that's how I'd hit them for now.

Hot Tip: Lac Labelle's ice report is sketchy, so be careful if you are heading out. make sure to take a buddy and spud your way out. I do know that a batch of fish (Walleyes and Pike) have been caught off the flat in front of the West Flagpole. Jigging with a small northland fireball, either green or orange and green tipped with big fatheads was getting the job done better than tip ups. I don't know if there were any keeper walleyes caught (20 inch size limit on Labelle) but I do know a large number of fish were caught, some even during the day.

Be careful out there, and good luck.
CT

Baitshop Blog

Eric's going to be taking over the baitshop blog. I'll still be posting there, but my ramblings are going to move to this neck of the woods.

Stay Tuned.

Gift certficates for the holidays

Looking for something for that person who is hard to shop for?

Consider a gift certifcate for a guided fishing trip for the 2008 open water season.

I'll sell you a cerificate good for a full or half day trip in 2008 at the 2007 rate.

You can contact me through Musky Mikes at 262-560-1189.

CT

An Update!

Well the times of open water are behind us for a spell. Its time to stare down that hole.

Some anglers have been heading out already into the shallow bays, but I'd wait until this weekend to be sure. If you feel the need, head north until then. Gills and perch are being caught in front of Skipper Buds in Oshkosh.

Traditional local early ice hotspots are on Golden Lake (North End) The Kettle on Nagawicka, Bay Five and Icehouse Bay on Okauchee, Forest Lake in the Nashotah Park and the shallow areas of the Genesee Lakes.

For now, target areas with still green weeds or wood structure. Waxies, spikes and small fatheads will work for panfish, medium to large shiners are your best bet for tip-ups right now.

Be careful out there, and Good Luck.

November Dates.

I have some free time in November where I'll be out alone.

If you've wanted to try a guided trip, but didn't want to invest the "whole day" or the "whole fee" we can work something out "for a couple hours in the boat."

I'll be chasing muskies, walleyes and perch, depending on the day.

Give me a call, or drop me an email if you are interested.

CT

Gone Fishin'

I wish. School is back in session. I do have some limited availablity for walleye and musky trips this fall. Ben also has some openings. Call the shop or contact me via email for more information.

CT

Golden Lake Report

Was back on Golden for an early morning trip this past Sunday.

We ended up with a mixed bag of fish, northerns and bass. Some decent, but not huge fish. It was a nice day on the water.

Fish are moving shallow to feed, but the morning bite seems to shut-off about 9:30am.

CT

Scheduling-Last Minute Trips

Everybody,

I had orginally planned to be out of town this week, but my plans have changed. Therefore I have some last minute availablity for guide trips.

I'm available Monday, Thursday, Friday for either half or full days and Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day Mornings.

If you want to get out this week. I'll drop my rate to $125 for a half day for bass or a mixed species trip for up to two people. If you are in town for Labor day, this is a great way to get the kids out and let them catch some fish.

Call it a Labor Day Special.

Call 262-893-2183 or email catchfishwithchris @ hotmail.com.

CT

Golden Lake

Made it out for a few hours this afternoon after working at the shop.

Caught a mixed bag of largemouths, about 20 fish in all. Most were pretty small, but we got a 18" and a couple of 16"s. As is the case for Golden, the fish were in the areas where baitfish had collected. We didn't hit the slop, but I'm sure there were fish using it with the bright skies/cold front.

Best bait was a Gulp shaky worm rigged texas style behind a barrell swivel, weightless. Gulp plastics don't float (at least not the shakey worms), but the fish would grab the bait on the fall.

There was a steady Northeastern wind, but it sure was nice to see the sun.

Lake Kessus

Spent Monday looking at some new water for guide trips with Brandon Degan. Spent some time on Kessus in the morning and Moose after lunch.



Took this nice one on Kessus. I'll be spending more time out there, and it will be available as an option for multispecies guide trips starting next spring.

Even Kelly Catches Fish Sometimes

My wife Kelly catches a "big one" during an afternoon on the water.

Some Pics...

Been back at it since the injury, guiding is sporadic, which is a shame because the next couple weeks usually offer some great fishing.

Anyway, here are a couple pictures from a recent trip with my new pal Tucker. He caught the most fish he ever caught in his life during a day with me. You can tell by the smile on his face.








I can do the same for you and your kids. If I get to pick the lake we take the trip on, I guarantee we'll catch fish or your money back.