Fishing Webster for Walleye @ Stockton, KS

The weather up north in South Dakota did not look good.  Lake Manawa is four feet below its previous high point and to get a boat on the lake is a lot of work.  The next place to look was Kansas.  The state of Kansas is blessed with a lot of very fine reservoirs.  The water is collected in dams along streams that drain the Rocky Mountains.   Whenever there is a lot of snow in the Rockies, the dams will be full of water.  The main purpose is for agriculture and for irrigation.

The lake as shot from the top of the dam.  Six thousand plus acres of the number 1 Walleye lake in the state.

The lakes have all been well stocked.  The state of Kansas has built excellent camp sites at many of the lakes.  The fishing pressure is low the further west you travel. Some years ago, a couple of trips to Kirwin Reservoir was a yearly plan.  Since then, there was a drought and the lake levels went way down and fishing went with it.  Checking with the Kansas website for recreation and tourism the reports were excellent and a trip was scheduled. (http://www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/)

I took I-80 west out of Omaha and just west of Kearney, NE took Highway 183 south through Alma and into Phillipsburg, Kansas.  Just a little farther south is Stockton, Kansas where I stayed in one of the two motels.  If you are a camper, the park has ample camp sites.  I would recommend contacting KDWPT through their website for reservations.

Main Street, Stockton, Kansas

You will find yourself in the high plains and the landscape changes drastically.  It is here, where you will begin to see "the amber waves of grain."  The wheat had ripened and was close to being cut.  The people are some of the nicest you will ever meet.  Midwestern people are the salt of the earth.  When you buy something, they all say "thank you," not "there you go," or "have a great day."  (http://www.stocktonkansas.net/)

After a quick check-in at the motel a scouting trip to the lake was in order.  This is a big reservoir sitting down in a deep valley.  The first picture above shows what I saw initially as I took a trip all around the roads  to get acquainted.  A short visit with the local park ranger gave me a good idea of where to fish.  A reminder was mentioned that the minimum length for walleye was fifteen inches. 

A little steep, but the parking lot is paved and docks are on each side of the two ramps.

The parking lot was excellent for a remote location and there were clean restrooms and showers at the parking area.  The boat ramp was a little steep and long, but presented no problems.  What was unusual was the docks were not on the ramp, but off to one side.  I took my boat off, drove it over to one of two docks and tied it up.  I then drove my vehicle and trailor up the ramp to the parking area.  The area also had a lengthy wing dam extending into the lake to form a sheltered area.  Kansas can get windy. Toto and Dorothy were nowhere to be found.

Looking west toward the tree line.  The water is as clear and clean as any northern Canada lake I have ever been on.

The wind was right out of the southwest and it can't get any better than that.  Following the advice of the bait shop and the park ranger, the boat was headed straight west to the timber at the end of the lake.  Here the bottom was five to fifteen feet deep.  I used a spinner and back trolled along the edge of the timber out to about 200 yards from the timber line.  There was a lot of standing timber, and it showed up on the graph. 

Northland Fishing Tackle Baitfish Image? Holographic Spinner Blades - #6 - Clown - Cold Water Lures

This was the spinner I used most of the time.
Click on the link above to price and buy from Bass Pro.

I lost a lot of lures because of the underwater timber.  It appeared that most of the fishermen were jigging vertically in tight areas. 

It appeared that further out from the tree line, walleye were regularly being picked up.  Most were less than 15 inches.  Finding a stand of timber just poking itself out of the lake, I trolled around it and it produced outstanding results.  I caught walleye every five to ten minutes.  All small, but periodically a keeper was caught.  The total time on the lake was four hours and a daily limit of walleye in the fifteen to eighteen inch length was in the boat.  In total, 25 to 30 walleye were caught as the count was soon lost with such good fishing.  The depth of the water was around ten to fifteen feet and I stayed within fifty yards of the timber sticking up.  In addition I boated a half a dozen crappie.

Bass Pro Shops XPS Walleye Angler Spinner Blades - Indiana #5 - Rainbow - Cold Water Lures

This spinner was also used.  I tie my own so if I loose one or two or three, so what.
Click on the link above or the picture to price and buy from Bass Pro.

As I reached the shore, the Creel Manager introduced herself and checked the length of the walleye.  All was well.  It cannot get any better that this.

  Great sales at each of these outdoor suppliers.  Plus free shipping to the store or shipping discounted.

 

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank
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To Go is to Plan

               

On the way home, a stop was made at the farm where turkeys had been hunted for 10 years.  The landowner was pleased that a big old boy had been harvested.  The suggestion was made for me to tromp around or sneak around the timber and see where the deer were located.  He was suspecting that another depravation permit would be needed in July. the woods hold a lot of deer.

This is on the outside of the timber.  The ground cover will go up to your waist and it is full of thorns.

Once you step past the brush line you start to see the canopy.

 Inside the canopy,  this is what you see.  The tree just at the right edge of the picture is a large oak that spews acorns.  Deer and turkey hang out in this area and it has been a venerable meat market for me the past ten years. 

Tracking weather in South Dakota, it was one front rolling through after another with wind, lots of wind and rain.  There is still lots of time for several more trips before winter rolls in.  When winter comes to South Dakota, it is real winter not just some minor cold weather and a little snow.  These are hardy people and some of the finest people we have ever met.  Anyway, there exists an overwelhming urge to visit the Purple Cow ice cream parlor in Waubay, SD.

Fifteen years ago, fishing in Kansas was a favorite place to go.  Kirwin Resrvoir was the favorite.  The lake produced some of the biggest crappie ever seen, and the walleye fishing was excellent.  The town had a small cafe that a person could get three meals a day, and it was outstanding home cooking.  In addition a local resident sold bait.  He put the bait out early and went back to bed.  You would drive up, pick out what you wanted and put the money in a coffee can, making your own change.  Several years went by, and when meeting him, I asked "aren't you worried about having the money stolen and people not paying."  His reply was "fisherman are liars, they are not thieves."

Going to the Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks and Tourism the search was on. (http://www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/)  This is an excellent site and worth studying over if your plan is to visit the state to fish and or hunt.  The three top lakes for Walleye were Webster, Kirwin, and Cedar Bluff as listed on the web site.

If you go to Kirwin, you might consider staying in Phillipsburg Kansas.  This was the lake I used to fish until western Kansas had a drought and the resorvoir went down in depth.  Fishing Webster stay at Stockton, KS and there are two motels there.  Only two you might say to yourself, please keep in mind this is rural Kansas not New York City.  In the heartland of American, exists the finest people you will ever meet.  They are the salt of the earth. Calling the motels great information was given about bait stores, places to eat, and fishing conditions.  You can also stay in Stockton and fish Cedar Bluff or go to Wakeeny a few miles down I-70.

The weather was checked and southerly flow prevailed.  Like South Dakota this can suddenly change, but when it looks right, go for it.  We will report results on return.

 

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

Big Toms in Eastern Nebraska

                                                             

The Location



Look at the location.  The top of the ridge is on the north side of the farm.  I arrived the day before at 8 AM. There were two really really big toms cresting the ridge.  A discouraging word was uttered under my breath, and the time was noted.  When I left the day before at 1 PM, a really really big, I mean really big tom saw me coming and took off over the ridge.  I thought a disouraging word, but it was not spoken.

The next day, the arrival time was 6:30 AM and a location for the decoys was selected.  This location was   critical.  The area has had lots of rain and the grass was really tall.  Soon cattle will be allowed to run the pasture and hunting will be stopped.  This was the day to "get er done."  As you look at the location, it is almost like a runway.  The birds hug the tree line on their way to the small lake below to get water, fight, and breed hens.  Then they slowly work their way back up the hill and over the ridge.  The time frame they approach has to be around 7 AM and the day before they were seen around 8 AM going over the ridge.

I believe turkeys are a creature of habit and will most likely follow similar patterns regularly.

The decoy setup

The decoy setup was done with visibility to the top of the ridge in mind, and to make sure they could be seen from each tree line.  Also it was important to find a spot where the grass was short.  Yesterday, decoys were put out in grass that was in excess of 6 to 8 inches in height.  That is good for cattle, but not for turkey decoys.  Several of the decoys were hardly visible in the tall grass.  This was not the case in this location.

The Hiding Place

Many times a successful shot has been taken from my Double Bull Blind.  Hunting from a tent for me is the ultimate.  Here a good book can be enjoyed, a nap taken, or movement can be done.  However, the last few days with so many hung up toms, there was doubt in my mind.  The plan was to hunt without the tent to see if that made any difference.  In the center of the picture were two pine trees.  Here, my folding chair was shoved back almost to the trunks between the two trees.  Branches were pulled around me and the decoy bags were hung over the branches to the left to provide added invisibility.  As I sat in the darkness, there was no way a turkey could spot me. I was sitting in my chair by 6:50 AM.  I allowed ten minutes to go by to let the woods and pasture settle down a little bit because of my presence.  I took the slate call and made some yelps. I then repeated the calls in ten minutes.  Nothing was heard.  With the shotgun lying on my lap, I opened the Kindle.  The plan was to give a crow call in 5 minutes and some more yelps in another 10 to fifteen minutes.  A good wind was out of the southwest and it made the Pretty Boy Decoy bob and move around a little.  That was a good thing.  Also, the wind was causing the Jake decoy to move a little.  The other three decoys were placed in a submissive position to the Jake and the Pretty Boy Decoy. 

The Result

All of a sudden off to my left he appeared.  A big white head and lots of blubber around his neck, he had not made a sound.  He strained to see the decoy spread the stepped forward.  I wanted to take a picture of him, but I didn't want the movement to scare him off.  He puffed himself up, spread his tail, and settled his head back.  He began to strut toward the decoy setup.  That was his last movement, because at 25 yards the shot was taken.  I ran out of the hiding place with a 22 cal pistol to make sure he was down and out.  An extra quick shot in the head eliminated all doubt. 

These birds are really tough and stories abound about knocked down birds getting up and flying or running away.  Never, never trust a downed big turkey.  They have the ability to absorb a lot of shot and then take off on the run or on the flight.

Since I was alone, I set the camera on a 10 second timer.  A person has to really hustle to get in the picture.  The big boy scaled out at 24 pounds.  The bottom picture shows the length of his beard.  It was a ten incher, and the biggest one ever taken by this writer. 

This was a great day for me.

                                                                                      

Outstanding pricing, in some cases free shipping, click on a banner and go to your favorite outdoor supplier to check out the deal.

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

http://www.outdoorswithhank.com/

 

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What a Difference a Day Makes

This is eastern South Dakota. Throw out the plans and the weather forecasts.  Just as we had planned, the weather changed in 24 hours and scattered clouds moved in with winds from the northeast.  The old saying goes, "winds from the east fishing is least, winds from the west fishing is best."  We did not come 300 miles to sit in a motel all day long.  Sportsman Cove recommended Swan and said the forecast should be good enough to fish the bank along the east shore.  That was agreeable to Pam and myself.

This was probably one of the worst boat ramps I have ever been on.  There was just one dock with a metal ramp that went into really shallow water.  The ramp is at the bottom of a very steep hill and parking is at a premium when the weather is nice and there are a lot of fishermen.  We were the second boat on the lake, and the high bank gave some shelter.  The plan was to fish three to four hours keeping track of the wind.  If it moved to the west or northwest, we would have our hands full getting out of the lake.  I have waded into a lake before to get my boat on a trailor. 

This is a former picture of the ramp.  The steepness is just not as noticable on the picture.  If you fish there, be very very careful and keep the wind in mind.

Moving close to the bank provided relief from the wind, but it was way too shallow and we moved out to 10 to 15 feet.  Here we graphed fish.  My local Bass Pro store had a promotion on fish finders earlier in the year, and we added a 2nd one to the back of the boat.  What was interesting was they both worked at the same time. On previous boats, adding one to the back always caused one or the other not to function properly.  This time they both worked.  The front one is Lowarance and the new back one is Hummingbird.  It could be the sonar waves have a different frequency.  If anyone out there knows, let me know.  

A picture of the unit purchased is pictured below.  Click on the link for more information and to order from Bass Pro.

Humminbird 586c HD Sonar Fishfinder - Marine Electronics

The wind just poured down through a low spot in the bank forming a funnel that was making boat control almost impossible.  Additional boats joined the bobbing, rocking and rolling and everyone was having the same trouble.  Swells were starting to get deep.  We moved to another part of the lake out of the wind.  Then it shifted more and became straight out of the north.  We were accomplishing nothing and headed back to the dock after a two hour beating.  As we pulled out other boats joined us.

Back at Sportsman Cove, they suggested fishing the north end of Pickerell Lake.  Here is a glacial lake that is just beautiful.  People that live around the lake must also think the same thing as there are very expensive homes on the west side.  It is an excellent crappie lake that produces some really big slabs and northern.  This lake has always produced for me.  The wind was worse by now.  It was blowing straight into the ramp with 2 to 3 foot swells.  No way would we get on this lake.  It would be a battle getting off too.

We went back to Webster, grabbed a sandwich, and took a nap to wait until the wind went down.  Sportsman Cove suggested Antelope Lake.  I have had experience on that lake, and a spot was available close to the ramp that would be somewhat protected.

We started picking up Northern Pike.  Not big ones, but  decent sizes that were worth keeping.  A mix of two to three pound Northern Pike were caught and by late evening we had a nice limit of pike for each of us. 

Most were about this size.  They filet out really nice and the link below shows you how to get out the Y bones.

Pam and I like Northern Pike, and we will take all we can get.  We have friends over for dinner who always ask us to fry up some northern if we have any.  The link below is the best set of directions I've seen for taking out the Y bones.  When the narrater says have a dull knife for the first cut, he really means it.  Don't throw the northern back.  The Y bones can be removed and the filets are excellent. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS_cHdKS-_A

Removing Y Bones from a Northern Pike

Great sales at each of these fine supplies.  Click on a banner and go directly to the supplier of your choice.  You cannot own enough gear.

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

http://www.outdoorswithhank.com/

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=T4FIS1FnOQg

Copy and paste the link into your browser.  This could almost pass for SD on a breezy day.

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