On the suggestion of jigmeister (and fishinchristian), I revisited the I-82 ponds, this time in my new pontoon boat for far superior access. Targeted bluegill specifically, but was also curious what was in there. There's a lot of bluegills in Pond 6. Size was not huge, but after 6 hours and non-stop action (I'm sure I caught 75-100 - that pond is packed with bluegills), I was able to bring home 25-30 decent sized fish. Also caught 2 yellow perch, one small foul-hooked fish, the other about 9" and plump. Fish were mostly caught in 8-12' of water off the milfoil beds and in the milfoil bed "holes". Rig was simple - ultralight with 4 lb test and a slip-rig bobber, using bits of those fake worms.

Fish finder was not brought along, but I wish I had - I'd like to know what depths I was fishing. I'd like to try again, but this time troll a mini crawler harness to see if I can find and target the perch schools.

fishinChristian

8/19/2012 9:47:00 AM

Congrats! It makes a world of difference to be able to precisely target the edges of the weeds, and the deeper water. Ultralight on a pontoon on a hot day with fast action. I like when 20lb fish are throwaways, but with the right rig, this fishing is just plain fun. Weekdays aren't crowded and you get away from most of the #$^#$%^#$%^(&**( graffiti and litter out on the lake. Let me know if you're going sometime. We can see how many we can catch.
Looking back at the pseudocurse above, I see a new "face" to be graphically represented. **( Halibut, or flounder. on the deck. Or **) Halibut in the ocean.

The Jigmiester

8/20/2012 4:14:00 PM

I was hoping that the advice I was able to share with you had paid off. Maybe next time, FishinChristian, you and I can do some fishing the next time you make it up here. The heat did me in on Friday as my medication that I take doesn't go well with hot weather. Take care. Jiggy

tluedeke

8/20/2012 5:06:00 PM

Yeah, it was bloody hot out there (it was even worse on my 6-hr bike ride Sunday). Fortunately I was so happy catching bluegill I didn't notice. The 9" perch I caught has got me interested, and I'd sure like to find a school of those boys in there. There were certainly a ton of small (2") baby perch in the lake (with something running them around), so they must be plentiful. I really might try trolling a mini-crawler harness around for a spell and see what comes up. In talking to a couple of fisherman, apparently there are also some very large catfish to be had in Pond #6 (somewhat surprisingly).

I have to go to the West Side again this weekend for family reasons, but I anticipate another shot at one or more of those ponds the weekend after (weather permitting).

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