Lake to Plate

There is nothing quite like fresh walleye or sauger. I caught a big sauger on Saturday and we cooked it on Sunday. I really wanted to cook it on the grill since it was 60 degrees outside. Unfortunately, when I caught the fish the weather was much worse. It was 35 degrees, but the fish didn’t seem to mind.

I tried a new style of cooking fish. I have cooked fish on the grill many times, but never  in an aluminum foil packet. I also cooked sliced potatoes the same way.

I started out by patting the filets dry. Then, I drizzled lemon juice over the entire fish. Next, I sprinkled many different seasonings on the filets including, salt, pepper, Lowry’s, Old Bay, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. I topped the fish with butter and wrapped it up in the foil.

The potato packs were seasoned with salt, pepper, and Lowry’s. I added two slices of bacon for some extra flavor. If you haven’t tried using bacon on potatoes this way, I highly recommend it!

I cooked the potato packs for about a half hour on the grill, flipping about every 10 minutes. The fish took about 15 minutes total, flipping once. Don’t be afraid to take a peek in the packets when grilling this way. You would hate to open it and have them a little too crispy!

This recipe took about 10 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to cook. Most of the time was dedicated to peeling and slicing the potatoes. The fish took 3 minutes to prepare. I was surprised how evenly the sauger cooked in the packet. The packet also held the fish together, and it did not fall apart when flipping. We will be cooking fish again this way in the future

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An App Every Fisherman Needs

I enjoy fishing new bodies of water. I like the challenge of catching fish on a lake that I have never seen. One tool that I use to catch more fish is the Navionics app. This app shows you the contours of the lake, fishing spots, boat ramps, marinas, and the weather among other features. I think it is a wise investment for fishermen and boaters.

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

The app will cost you $9.99, same as the cost of a new lure. I use this to study lakes before going fishing to identify productive fishing spots. I was surprised how many lake are listed. I was also pleasantly surprised to see all of the very small local lakes are on here too.

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

It is also very helpful if you do not have a fish finder with a mapping card built in. Simply pull your phone out and see exactly where you are on the lake. It plots your current location while using the app. I know ice fishermen who use this and love it because of this reason alone. They can walk exactly to the spot they want to fish, drill a hole, and start catching fish.

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

I also like this app because it shows you boat ramp locations and marinas. This is very helpful when driving to a lake that you are unfamiliar with. You can quickly see the ramp locations on the lake and plan your route. It also makes navigating the lake much safer because you can locate the shallow areas before you launch your boat.

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

Screen shot taken from Navionics app

If you love to fish or just want to be a safer boater, I would recommend downloading the Navionics app. I know it has helped me.

Early Spring Fishing

Early spring fishing can be some of the best trips of the year. I recently fished a small local lake that typically has a ton of people fishing it. To my delight, I had the entire place to myself. The fishing at this lake was much better than normal, mainly due to the lack of fishing pressure.

The water temperature was in the high 40’s, which was much warmer than I had anticipated. I found the bass in 3-4 foot of water, but close to deeper water. This is a standard place to look for bass in late winter and early spring. Bass like to move up and down the water column looking for the warmest water at this time of year. I caught the bass on a Rapala Shad Rap and a Berkley Flicker Shad.

The crappies and trout were located on a flat in about 3-5 foot of water. Both species seemed to be close to stumps and brush piles. This is a very common place to find crappies this time of year. Crappies will spawn in water temperatures between 50-60 degrees. These fish were already thinking about spawning. I caught the crappies and trout on a float and hair jig tipped with Berkley Gulp.

If you are willing to put on some extra layers of clothes and battle the cold, then I think you may be surprised how successful you might be. I was able to catch some nice bass, crappie, and trout on this trip. 

 

Muddy Water

My first kayak trip this year was met with some very muddy water. We have had record level floods, which made the lake look more like chocolate milk than water!

I fished a small lake at winter pool. You couldn’t launch a boat in the lake because the only boat ramp is still on dry ground.

In muddy cold water, I like to use bright lures that make a lot of vibration so the fish can find the bait. I used a Berkley Flicker Shad on this trip. This crankbait has a tight wobbling action that I like. It also has rattles, so the fish can hear the bait coming through the water.

I only managed a few bites on this trip, but with the water conditions the way they were I was very happy with that. If all the fish I catch are this big, I will have a great year!