[FishinMatt]

I'll be back chasing the big boys Thursday and Friday. It looks like I may need to pack my cold weather gear, but the big boys are moving. Hoepfully I will have some nice pics for you when I get back.

 

[toothdoc]

Keep us posted Matt.

 

[BassCaster]

Go get'em ...What is the top prize worth?

 

[FishinMatt]

Go get'em ...What is the top prize worth?

No prizes this time out, just fun fishing. A friend went out and put a hurting on them yesterday so I hope the pattern continues. They are talking about mid 30's temps Thursday morning, so there is no excuse for those big pike and bass to be hanging off the deep weedlines anymore :wink:

 

[Culprit]

Hey Matt,good luck out there

wanted to ask u if u feel geneva and delavan r pretty much the same type of lake and what u think the major differences between the 2 lakes r ?
I`ve fished geneva many times but delavan only twice.
thx for any input.

 

[FishinMatt]

Delavan has better pike fishing (except August)
Geneva has better size, but Delavan has better numbers for eyes
Both have good smallie fishing but at Delavan they are a bonus, and at Geneva they are the norm
Delavan blows Geneva out of the water for largemouth early in the year, but Geneva still has some good fishing and they are about the prettiest largies you will ever catch
Crappies are much easier on Delavan and a limit of 8-10 inchers is common. Genevas are tough but there is a good population of 12-16'' monsters in there
Gills are a toss up, as they both produce nice fish. Delavan has a better average size, but Geneva has some absolute dinnerplates if you can get into them
Perch are must better on Geneva

The fish at Delavan seem to be more aggresive, especially early in the year. Geneva is clearer w/ less weeds which makes the fish a little smarter and spookier. I really enjoy pike, which are easier to target at Delavan, which is why I fish it more. You also have a bonus lake trout fishery on Geneva if you have the equipment and know-how. They also have Browns and Rainbows which is unique. Because Geneva is so large and deep, high winds or heavy boat traffic can make your day miserable. At Delavan there is usually always some place to hide to get out of the madness.

I have fished Delavan much much more the Geneva but I think the tide is starting to turn for that. My plan next year is to forgo Delavan in August and not return until it heats up again in late September.

 

[FishinMatt]

Yami and I hit the water at Geneva at 3:30A for our second annual Fall trip. The temp was a blistering 38 degrees, but we were dressed warm. We started with buzzbaits, then trolled cranks, then tried loud jerkbaits......nothing. Finally I put on a Mops7 Special (Senko) and was hooked up within 5 minutes

Yami switched up to plastics too, but until sunrise we could get nothing but rockies. After the sun came up it was buzzbait time.

I caught another on a jerkbait and Yami then broke out a spinnerbait and caught a smallie and this guy

Later in the morning we decided to head out to Delavan and luckily the pike were willing to cooperate.

The wind was pounding into Lakelawn. This guy came in the first couple minutes

Then Yami outdid me with this 35 1/2'' on his first cast with his new favorite lure

A few minutes later he added this 32''

We were getting tons of snakes so I decided to give the bass a whirl

Yami on a Yami

Trolling a Husky Jerk

We stayed the night at Lakelawn Resort and Coyote met us there at 6. The weather was terrible and Mike had to work later in the afternoon so he never made it out. Yami and I finally got on the water at about 8:30. On about my 10th cast I had a fish bite through my 50lb leader casting a Super Shad Rap. It was a clean, sharp cut. Maybe it was weakened prior, I don't know. After a few more snakes I tied on a Jake and viola

St. Paticks Day Pike

Yami caught a bunch of bass this size

All in all it was a great little trip. The fish aren't quite in the feedbag mode, but they are getting close

I think I wore Yami out

 

[toothdoc]

What an awesome outing. Thanks for the report.

 

[JasonN]

Hey Matt... Can I buy one of those fish? I need a new avatar. 8)

 

[BassCaster]

nice job ...Pike are just scary looking :shock:

 

[Topwater]

Pike are the most beautiful fish I've ever seen! Well, Musky maybe. Nice job. Hope to be up there next friday. We'll see, looked awfully cold!

 

[Culprit]

Great trip guys !

 

[BravesFan]

Great job, guys That one right before the St. Patrick's Day pike is a beast! :shock:

 

[jj]

nice job !!!!!!!!

 

[FishinMatt]

First off, thanks for the nice comments. WCF really is a great site. I suppose I should get into the details of what we were getting those pike on. This time of year, the fish are not looking for snack, they want the 24 ounce porterhouse. Big baits is about all that will get their attention. Muskie baits like the Bionic Bucktail, Jake Baits, and SuperShadRaps will turn fish. Besides the one slicing through my leader I also had one hammer a Jake and sever my 30lb Fireline like it was nothing. Getting a 40''+ pike or a 50'' ski is not out of the realm, so make sure your equipment is right or it is going to get tore up. There is no worse feeling then getting hammered, breaking off, and not getting a chance to see the fish :? As far as locations, 10 feet or less of water is where they were at. As the weeds die off and the water cools, more and more fish will utilize the shallow weeds. All 3 of our big fish, plus my 2 breakoffs and one that my partner had came in a 100 yard area. Long, slow tapering wind blown flats will hold the most fish. For some reason some flats hold more fish then others, you just have to find them for each particular day. That is about it. If my schedule allows, I hope to chase them once again next week. I need to go to Gander and restock first though