A Day on the Bay

With the salmonid bite waning on the big lake, my attention turned to other fishing opportunities in the area. Smallmouth bass are active on both sides of the peninsula, mostly on the edges of drop-offs. The bass are seeking cooler water as the surface temps warm up under the summer sun. On the lake side, surface water temperatures are in the low 70’s while on the bay side they are pushing 80°F late in the afternoon. I have had some success in the north end of the county, but most of the bass I have hooked have been small. What really got my attention were reports that the walleye fishing has picked up significantly in Green Bay, particularly on the western shoreline off Oconto, Peshtigo and Pensaukee. I spent much of my youth in Oconto County, but rarely fished the Green Bay waters of the county. Back then, the primary target in the bay was yellow perch, and of course, smelt in the spring. The smelt runs were epic. I don’t recall much talk about walleyes or even smallmouth bass. Muskies were not even in the discussion. My, how things have changed. Even though the perch fishing on the bay has improved in the last several years, the impacts of invasive mussels and the Round Goby has knocked perch off the top of the target species list for most anglers. Smelt runs are a thing of the past. Smelt exist in Lake Michigan, but in much smaller numbers. However, changes in the ecology of the lake and efforts by the DNR and fishing groups have been favorable for other species. Green Bay is now known as a world-class destination for muskie hunters, tournament bass anglers and those seeking trophy walleyes. I was not particularly interested in boating a huge walleye, but I sure looked forward to putting some eater-sized fish in the boat and into the pan. So, it was with this goal in mind that I made arrangements for a “play date” with two of my long-time fishing buds, Terry and Greg.  

We met at the parking lot of the Cabela’s Sporting Goods store near Green Bay. This is always dangerous as one is tempted to run in the store and pick up the latest “hot bait” or other need tackle.  When Terry and Greg arrived, we exchanged the usual smart talk and I loaded my rods and tackle into Terry’s vehicle before heading nort’.  Twenty minutes later we were at the boat launch at Geano Beach. This is a private launch well protected from the open waters of Green Bay. We quickly had the boat in the water and were heading out onto the bay. Our plan was to try fishing the area off Geano Beach and a reef known locally as “The Shark Fin” for its appearance on lake charts. We were going to cast Rippin’ Raps, Shiver Minnows and jigs tipped with night crawlers in various depths to see if we could contact some fish. I personally prefer catching walleyes casting as opposed to trolling. It is simpler as it involves less set up and equipment and there is just something special about feeling the “thump “of a walleye hit pulsing up the line and through the rod that gets me excited. No other fish feels quite like “ole marble eye”. 

The conditions on the bay were ideal. It was a bright sunny day with just a hint of the Canadian wildfire smoke in the air. The lake surface was calm with hardly a whiff of a breeze. We started casting as Terry moved the boat through likely looking water, scanning the sonar for the tell-tale echoes of fish on the bottom. The three of us are former teaching colleagues and Greg is still teaching high school science. The next hour or so was filled with lively banter, good natured ribbing and catching up with each other’s lives. But no fish. Well, no desirable fish. We did manage to snag numerous small Round Gobys which are pervasive on the bay bottom. This is not generally a bad sign as gobys are a staple food for walleyes. After another half an hour of fruitless effort, it became obvious that we needed a change in tactics. We decided to troll. We had noticed several boats north near Pensaukee Shoal, so we motored up that way and set out the trolling gear. We would use bottom-bouncers with crawler harnesses behind planer boards on each side of the boat. As I was sending one of these rigs to the bottom, trying to determine the proper amount of line to play out, my rod sharply bent downward. Fish on!! It was a powerful fish, but it did not have the familiar feel of a walleye. Walleyes have a very distinctive way of battling once hooked. It is steady and dogged. A large walleye can be quite tenacious, but typically don’t exhibit wild lunges and head shakes like this fish. Soon my assumption was confirmed as Terry slipped the net under a brown, smooth skinned Channel Catfish. Nice fish, about two feet long, but not the target species. Energized by the action, we quickly deployed six lines and waited for more. 

We did not have to wait long. One of the boards started to dance indicating a fish was on. Terry grabbed the rod and slowly guided the planer board to the boat. Greg removed the board from the line and Terry engaged with the fish. He immediately indicated that this fish was not fighting like a walleye.  Soon we saw a silver-white shape flash just under the water. It was a sheepshead, or more properly, a Freshwater Drum. These are common in Green Bay and although they are powerful fighting fish and fun to catch, they are considered “trash fish” by most anglers because of their poor table fare and general undesirable nature. Catching a lot of “shitheads”, as they are often derisively referred to, is not the way you want to spend an afternoon. I quicky netted the fish and started untangling the slimy mass from the mesh netting. Before I could accomplish this, Greg lunged toward another rod as the planer board attached to it slid steadily backwards. Fish on! I quickly disposed of the sheepshead overboard and prepared to net another fish. Greg indicated that this fish felt promisingly much more “walleye-like”.  As he moved the board steadily closer to the boat, I noticed the other planer on that side of the boat lunge backward. Dropping the net, I picked up the rod. We had a double! Teamwork is critical in situations like this. Unfortunately, Terry, Greg and I had not spent much time together trolling and we were not quite a well-oiled unit. The action in the boat became quite chaotic. Terry, net in hand, kept the boat going straight as Greg and I moved the respective boards closer. We needed to time this correctly. Greg got his board close enough to the boat for Terry to retrieve it. With the board removed, Greg could resume the battle. It was indeed a nice walleye. As Greg coaxed the fish towards the waiting net, I slowed the pace of my retrieval. I did not want to get this fish to the boat too soon. Terry scooped walleye number one into the net and lifted it into the boat. All attention then turned to my fish, another nice ‘eye. Greg removed the planer board from my line as Terry frantically attempted to free the net of the other walleye. Of course, the hooks of the crawler harness were fully entangled in the net. Just in the nick of time, Terry cleared the net as my fish came to the side of the boat. Greg deftly slid the net under walleye number two. Miraculously, I looked down and saw two nice “eater” walleyes writhing on the floor of the boat. It wasn’t pretty, but our team got the job done. It was turning into a nice outing. 

The rest of the afternoon proceeded in like manner. No more doubles, but we ended up boating eight walleyes, the smallest being eighteen inches. We caught two “slobosaurous” ‘eyes measuring 25 and 27 inches. We carefully returned these trophy fish to the water hoping they were nice females that would produce a lot more walleyes next spring. In addition to putting six walleyes in the live well, we also tangled with a couple more sheepshead and a huge catfish, about 30-inches, that we had at the side of the boat before it got loose. Nice “quick release”.  Satisfied with the day, we decided to head back to Geano Beach for some supper and a brew. As we were picking up the lines, the bay had one more treat for us. Our last line in the water had a fish on it. Terry reeled in a beautiful yellow perch. It measured out at 14.5-inches. A real trophy. This too was return to the water to continue producing more such gorgeous fish. 

Later, sitting at  Smully’s Bar and Grill located just next to the boat launch, we reviewed the day. We marveled at the wonderful diversity of the fishery of Green Bay. We had boated four species of fish, five if you want to include the gobys, and this is only part of the bounty of game fish the bay has to offer. I have caught muskies, northern pike, smallmouth bass, bluegills, whitefish and brown trout out of these same waters. It is indeed a wonderful resource that none of us take for granted. As the three of us parted ways at the end of the day, we were fully aware of exactly how lucky we are. In so many ways.  

One of those walleyes made it into the frying pan that night. Supper for Pam and me. Fresh fish, lightly breaded and sizzling in hot oil is a very familiar and comforting sight to me. The fruits of spending time with good friends, outdoors and enjoying the natural world. It was a nice day on the bay.  

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, Bruce

Questions or comments to bsmith733@gmail.com