Too Much Bait?

[jimbow]

Well, hit the water yesterday for the first time this year...other than being a beautiful day it was a bust. Got up a 3:00am to be on the water at 6:05am. First thing I noticed was dead and dying alewives at the ramp. This pattern went on for the rest of the day...THOUSANDS of them...some places there was a dead/dying alewife every square foot.. plus no matter where I went there was bait (alewives) on the screen.

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We tried every size, shape, color and type of lure, speed, depth, flat line, lead core, scraped the shore with planer boards and every other trick in the book...not one release. I saw one fish bust water all morning, some people said they saw more but not us. There were a few fish around but I image they were like the cormorants and seagulls...STUFFEED!

Anyone else feel the same??

[Sawyer]

Jimbow did you go by the bridge? your trip sound like ours. I think your wright about every thing being stuffed i came close to hitting some Cormorants with the boat as they were trying to take off.

[Hairbone]

Sometimes you have to move off and find some active fish.

[Gecha (Gerry)]

Launched at Wesport at 6:30 am Monday morning, out around 4 PM.
We fought the skimmy ice for about 2 miles.
Went up to Town Farm Bay, Whallon Bay, Fields Bay, and down to Bulwagga Bay, not a bite, not a release.
Like you Jim, we tried everything we had onboard, downriggers, long lines, tight to the prop wash, even planner boards in 2 fow. Only thing I caught was a sunburn in the face.

[jimbow]

Sometimes you have to move off and find some active fish.

Harry, we traveled over 8 miles in one direction alone besides working other areas in between and on the way back looking for active fish...couldn't seem to find any...just more bait....alive and dead..

[Crayfish]

That was our experience well north of you on Monday, as well. It was an "evening cruise" off the mouth of the Winooski, but only had 1 rod move and we missed it! FLAT calm conditions weren't helpful. It can only get better.

[dbrooker]

Definitely feels like the alewife die-off is a challenge. Had great luck on Tuesday 10 on, 7 landed but all small 16-18". I assumed they just couldn't fit the big alewifes down their throats, and the bigger ones were probably stuffed full.

Tons of big bait, but the fish I kept had nothing in him.

[Butcher]

Tons of big bait, but the fish I kept had nothing in him.

Same here, nothing in the stomach?! crazy with all that dying bait?!

[fishy1]

i have only kept one salmon and the stomach was empty also.

[Crazy Ivan]

Never too much bait!......

[fishy1]

Never too much bait!......

x2

[TooBitts]

The alewives are huge, I think they are starting to eat the Salmon. But seriously where are the 15lb Salmon and 30lb Lakers that these mutant alewives are nourishing?

[Hairbone]

Sometimes you have to move off and find some active fish.

Harry, we traveled over 8 miles in one direction alone besides working other areas in between and on the way back looking for active fish...couldn't seem to find any...just more bait....alive and dead..

You should have gone out to 60' slowed down and sent a big fat spoon down on bottom to get the skunk out of the boat...

[jimbow]

Hairbone Wrote

"You should have gone out to 60' slowed down and sent a big fat spoon down on bottom to get the skunk out of the boat.."

Yeah, we thought about heading even further north to do just that....but I didn't bring my "bags" so the slowest we could go was 2.4....my bad..it could helped with the salmon too I'm sure with all that dying and suspended bait floating around...