The lack of winter snow left the water   levels down further than we expected but the walleye were holed up and when you got on them, you REALLY got on them. The weather was great and the only real rain we got came overnight. We were predominantly jig fishing, with our jigs hooked weedless because of all the timber, and tipped with a night crawler. Pink, white, and pink and white were the favorite colors again this year. But there were times… many of them… where it didn’t matter what you dropped over the side.

(Steve) We were fishing? The last time we were up here I barely remember anything. It’s sort of a blur. This year’s trip was nothing short of amazing. As Dave said, the weather was perfect, in some cases almost too perfect. We found ourselves hoping for a little wind to get the walleye chop up and running. Note to self, be careful what you wish for, we do a lot of back trolling and 1 foot waves hitting the back of a boat going backwards tends to fill the back of the boat with water pretty fast. If only my bailing bucket hadn’t mysteriously vanished.

hehehehe… The bailing bucket ended up in the back of MY boat where it belonged. It was the first year I had a ‘leaker’ so I’m not complaining. I suppose there was a reason it was on shore, upside down, and without a motor.

This year we took along another Canadian newbie, Ted, to go fishing with us. Ted fishes a lot but had never seen or, or believed, the kind of fishing there is up there. His second catch he landed a 26″ fat walleye. I know that isn’t much for you Lake Erie fishermen, but up here that is a huge fish. The fishing was slow by Short Lake standards until the middle of day 2 when the winds finally picked and started driving walleye in to the now famous Osty Hole.

I went to school with Ted. He’s always smiling and laughing and it was a real pleasure he was able to join us. The Osty Hole… the water was only 3-5 foot deep and what was once the structure we fished in years prior was now islands. But when the wind was right, the walleye were stacked in there.

That started the first of several runs where you could barely get your line in the water before you hooked a fish. Much of the video we have posted was shot there and in a 15 minute span 6 of us caught more than 40 fish.

Yeah and that wasn’t the only “hot spot”. Many of the group had their favorite spots and caught more fish than they have in many years. One such spot was my favorite and Ted and I hit it late one afternoon. The amount of fish was simply insane. We couldn’t count past 5 before we were hooked up with a walleye. Ted was in the front of the boat (letting his beer get warm because he couldn’t keep the walleye off his line) and at one point looked at me and said… “I’m not using night crawlers anymore, they’re too far away.” We’d have stayed there longer but we figured 40+ walleye each was plenty that afternoon. That and we ran out of beer.

This was the first time I had fished a lake with water far lower than we had ever seen before. It was eye opening to see the details of the underwater structure we had been fishing. Assuming that the water is up next year, we will have a huge advantage against the walleye and all their little hiding places. The other eye opening aspect was all of the new hidden danger. What used to be high speed travel channels were now opportunities to do serious harm to both boat and boater so all travel was kept at a slow place while we relearned the routes.

Definitely. Water was down 4-6 feet in my estimation. Amazing what “pops up” when it’s down that much. Fortunately the fishing was great in many spots within 15-20 minutes of camp so we didn’t have to relearn a lot.

We also saw more wildlife this year than in years previous. Moose, ducks, geese, a few bear, even a beaver building a new hutch to replace the one that is sure to become the mother-in-law’s quarters since it is now out of water. But mostly we were entertained by a trio of snowshoe hares that decided that our camp site was the perfect place to have a high speed game of tag.

And for the record, at 3am, on a moonless night, while half asleep, trying to ‘relieve yourself’ behind a tree, it’s very hard to tell just how big something is when you hear its footsteps racing up behind you. All I have to say is that rabbit was wrong.. Dead wrong..

lol… Next time wake me up so I can grab the camera… film at 11.

Don’t Be Afraid Little Duck-Walleye Fishing Short Lake is a post from: Lunker Links

Looking out over Finger Lake

This October we took a short 3 day trip over to New Buffalo, Mi., to do a little fishing, do a little gambling, and get a whole lot of rest. One of our favorite places in the area is a little bed and breakfast called Sans Souci.

Sitting on about 50 acres is a 20 acre, private, lake. We discovered this place last year by accident and it has now become our halfway house since its almost exactly half way between ours and Dave’s place. Sans Souci has several options for lodging, you can stay in a room at the main house, rent one of the larger houses, or one of two fishing cabins down by the lake. We usually stay in the Dutch House, but hear that the fishing cabins are great. Plus, the fishing cabins come with boats, no gas engines allowed so bring your trolling motor or be prepared to row. But there are plenty of great places to fish right from shore.

Discovering Sans Souci was most certainly by accident but going back again wasn’t. Angie and Sue are terrific hosts. A fully furnished 2 bedroom house, private bathrooms, fully stocked kitchen for less than you can stay at the Casino.

This year we went with the expressed goal of getting some fishing in. And the fishing was good. It was very cold, in the 40s for highs during the day, so the fish were definitely slow and it took a lot of patience to get them hooked and to land. Between the four of us we caught somewhere around 30 fish over about 10 or 12 hours of fishing. One of the great things was the variety of fish in Lake Sans Souci. We caught crappie, blue gill, a largemouth, smallmouth, and even a couple real small perch. All while standing on shore and enjoying beautiful fall days.

We did indeed get some fishing in. Would have most likely fished more if it had been warmer. No matter though, fishing was very good and the fall colors were simply breathtaking.

We love Sans Souci. Its minutes from a casino, just slightly further from Lake Michigan, its quiet and peaceful. If you are looking for a private lake to fish at, consider staying here, or maybe give Angie a call and ask permission to fish her lake during the week. Be sure to bring plenty of night crawlers, the fish like those more than smaller wigglers, and leave the minnows at home, they aren’t allowed here. Most of all, bring a plan to relax and enjoy the quiet for a few days.

Fall day at Sans Souci

Fall day at Sans Souci

Diane's blue gill

This is how you relax

Lake Sans Souci Fishing, New Buffalo, Mi. is a post from: Lunker Links