Saturday ,April,19, Detroit River

[propane]

Boat is packed, safety gear double checked, brother rolled in at 10am, load all his stuff up, trailer tail light check and a wayyyyyyyy we go. Got to love the drive to Windsor one would think they would but in a twisty S bend just to liven then highway up some... Two and half hours later we find are self at Willis bait shop. Received with good advice and a friendly hello we stocked up on some minnows and jig bodies. Thanks to an other friendly fisherman pointed us towards the ramp in LaSalle.
You could hear my boat as it slipped off trailer into the great Detroit River " Oh Yea Baby Woohoo" (I know my boat talks to me, so lock me up !! ). Great ramp behind the TD bank, couldn't ask for a better spot. My brother brought up two flotation suits, one for me to try. As I but my suit on by my truck I looked at the window and thought '' Man I look good in this '' and then as I was walk back to the ramp I thought to my self '' that's a cool boat '' '' THIS IS GOOING TO BE A GREAT DAY '' FISH DONT STAND A CHANCE ''
The boat started up with two pumps of the fuel primer ball and warmed up as my brother decided that he had to go the washroom after he got all suited up.... LOL.. This was OK as it gave me a chance to talk to the people coming back in, yep every one had their limits from the morning fish , just around the corner you will see all the boats they all said. My brother returned and we set forth to get are share of the fish and what I hopped to be a great start to 2014. First line in the water 1:30pm ............... and .......... wait for it ......... Not even a single hit !!!!!
We fished till 7pm , not only us but no one was having any luck. I blame it on the bright suits we where sporting, my brother blames it on him.. so I told him to get out of the boat and float your way back !

Not all was lost , we went for a tour up river to check out the bridge from the waters perspective. Now from the first time I ever seen that bridge I thought to myself '' That would be very cool to fish under that bridge '' Today was that day and this is ''A GREAT DAY''

 

[whitetailhunter]

Great story and attitude there @dirtbike as it was a good day for fishing. Too bad you got there after all the action, maybe next time.

 

[stomp]

Maybe book a day with @big rod... even I could catch a few after his patient teaching

 

[Duckman1967]

It s not as easy as you think been there 7 years in a row caught 5 fish in the years we went its all about boat control tough place we decided to go to ohio instead another 1.5 hours not disappointed 14 fish and big never going back to river again just me but frustrating guys kill them but u need to know what ur doingdoing

 

[propane]

I was having fun trying to control the electric motor, boat control we had.. just bad luck. I would of like to just go get something to eat and fish around 9 till 11pm or something like that. I may get up early and head out to Lake Ontario , hear the south shore is doing OK

 

[Bassassin]

Very entertaining report DB, not only your boat talks to you and you talk to it, you talk to yourself. Now if only we could talk to those Walleye, maybe the guys that hammer them do.

 

[reeldrag]

don't give up sat was the toughest bite day all weekend. Today was a better bite it is only going to get better over the next couple weeks

 

[propane]

Lets hope so.. I fighting to try to keep my 12yr son interested in fishing and taking him next weekend. I would also like to find bigger minnows

 

[big rod]

You don't need live bait once the water is over 46

 

[G.Mech]

Despite all the great reports and TV fishing shows, the DR is not automatic limits of walleye for everyone who shows up. Just like Bay of Quinte, Colchester, Port Bruce, Hastings or anywhere else there is lots of fish to be caught but there is also a steep learning curve and lots of tricks. The guys who fish these areas regularly make catching fish look a lot easier than it really is for most newbies and there are tons of people who show up with high expectations that leave a little disappointed. This can be great fishing once you get it figured out though and is well worth the effort. We have fished the river a few times each Spring for the last 7 years and it does take a while to get the hang of it but with some help from Big Rod and others, we have been catching fish reliably now for the last couple of years. Keys to success (at least from my experience):

-use heavier jigs until you get the feel of things (3/4 oz or so). If you can't feel your jig smashing bottom on every drop you will end up dragging it along which simply does not work and results in tons of snags. Braided line is a must for good feel of the bottom.
-4" plastic minnows or plastic worms are best in various colours. Fin-S minnows are a very popular choice on the DR but I'm not sure it's any better than any other brand to be honest. Tip with minnows until water warms up a bit (shouldn't need minnow now). ALWAYS use a small stinger hook.
-boat control is absolutely critical....you MUST be jigging perfectly vertical. A good bow mount is essential for this.
-fish a little shallower early in the day and move deeper as the day moves on.
-try different jigging speeds and lifts. Some days you can just do a slow lift 12" or so and a slow drop, others you need to jig a bit more agressively. In either case, do not allow your jig to sit on the bottom, keep it moving. Fish normally hit as the jig is dropping and you will just suddenly be hooked up without even feeling a hit a lot of the time.
-if you want to save a lot of time, book a charter for a day with Big Rod or one of the others down there....it will be well worth it.

Anyway, good luck to those heading down and never give up!

 

[stomp]

Agree with all you said @G.Mech. I don't know that I hooked one walleye my first time out with @big rod, maybe a bass or some other non-desirable. Second time out I caught a 1/2 dozen or so. I'm expecting a wheelbarrow full next time. Only thing I would add is, no matter how tempting that water looks, try to stay in the boat .

 

[Braydon89]

We should have booked a charter also! Me and a buddy were out sunday and was a tough day, however also our first time fishing the DR. Landed one lost two. We were also having trouble with our bow mount so boat control was a little hairy, which obviously didn't help. That being said we spoke with many others on the water and all in all everyone was complaining of a tough bite. Its defiantly different from the walleye jigging and drift fishing we are used to doing up north.