Got to Westport under lowering skies and a flurry or two, water was calm, air 33F. Launched and readied rods for a short run to Hunter Bay. Dipsies had Sun Rise Speedi and purple/black HB set back 30 pulls, riggers - CI Blue Moon @ 25 and Gold Bomb Pop at 15.
Barely got settled in and starboard dipsy fires - hard tip bobs - Ah maybe a salmon - Scott's on the rod and plays the fish to the boat - yup. nice 16" silver - OK! 30 minutes and 1 in the box - we're on 'em. As the worm turns, the only thing we were on was 42F water.
Worked Hunter to Barn Rock for 2 hours without another nibble - "Well, so much for optimism - this sucks" - so I turned east toward Scotch Bonnet, SB hasn't been good to me this year, but never pass by a former "hotspot" when you've gone 2 hours without a bite.
SB continued to be a bust, lines-up and headed north, intending to fish the flats below Thompson's, but as we passed Diamond Island I slowed down for a look and Whoa - Fish! Went lines-down and started to follow the 75-90 break.
5 minutes and port dipsy fires- Scott's on it - heavy fish, good thumps - actually taking a little drag, as fish gets closer to the boat, it starts lunging and splashing about - Huh? - have to get the net - and shortly slip it under a fine laker - one for the smoker.
Continued working NE into Fields, marking fish but no more bites, looped around back tracked - good thing I did - ended up looking smart as we did a double on lakers in front of Grosse Point - 1 good one, one smaller - the smoker is half full..
Kept on a back track and breakfasted on sausage and cheese bits - kitschy, but good.
Put another small laker in the box a little after noon, again in front of Grosse Pt - a little later looped around again staying on the 80 line toward Diamond- which by the way was pretty much underwater - Scott broke out lunch - a hotpot of BBQ'd pulled pork with a distinct cumin taste and a
stewed mélange of red/white cabbage with a kimchi kicker - smoky, hot and spicy - talk about "hitting the spot!"
It never got warm and around noon a little south wind licked up, making it nippy around the edges - as we continued on a coarse toward Diamond, noticed a small boat sitting there, with the owner bent over the side - Huh?
It's 1PM and we're getting to "time to go home" so continued to troll towards little boat, user still not moving - better go check. Just before we got in hailing distance, the port DR fires and Scott puts laker #5 in the box - smoker is full!
Neared the little boat - looks like the angler is reviving a fish - "Hello! Everything OK?" - Yeah, no problems" and he lifts what had to be an 8# walleye - "just getting her going" - "OK, nice fish - good luck"
Pulled the lines at 1:30 and cruised back to Westport - cold around the edges, but warm inside - one salmon for the grill and 5 lakers for the smoker. A good day for Jan 3.
No lure was hot - but CI Blue Moon was not - only one that didn't get hit - last year's hot lure is this year's bust - was this the last trip? Like to think I'll be ice fishing soon, but the Money Pit is not going undercovers until I can walk on water.
