We planned walleye shore lunches for days 3 thru 7 and had little difficulty doing so. There is a spot less than 50 yards away from camp that is chuck full of walleye. Anything you fished with they would hit. We used mostly fake leeches, but once they got torn up, I decided to drop a Zulu on a jig head down to them and they hit it just as fast.

As long as you got to the right spot and dropped the lure to the bottom, reeled up a foot, they were on it. First day it took 5 minutes to catch our 4 walleyes. The second day, 15 minutes. The third day, due to big rollers coming through the bay, it took a half hour because the anchor wouldn't hold us in place. The fourth day, we each caught one on the first cast, but it took close to another 30 minutes to catch the other 2 due to high winds and rollers again. Once we were finally able to reach our spot, the the final two were caught in no time. I bet you could catch 100 walleye there in a day if that was all you fished for.

Heading in tomorrow...hoping for a few fish dinners. Leeches usually make short work for us.

Got the Zmans packed for smallmouth fun. Can't wait.

Looks great...

I have a non-fishing question: What do you do for oil? Do you save it after each day? Do you filter it or do anything else with it?

I use the butter flavored Crisco sticks. A full stick is nice for a larger pan and 8 or 9 people but 1/2 a stick works for smaller #'s. I usually just burn the used oil.

Looks delicious! I hope I can find a honey hole like that!

I used butter-flavored crisco for a while, especially for long trips. More recently I switched to ghee, which hasn't gone bad on me yet over a ten day stretch. It's tasty! Basically clarified butter, so it makes everything taste like lobster.

Mike's spot sounds like a spot my buddy and I found up in Ontario near the Albany river once upon a time: any lure brought through the zone would get a fish, and once a jig that got a fish also got a very large pike with a walleye's tail sticking out of his mouth . . .

quote Mad_Angler: "Looks great...


I have a non-fishing question: What do you do for oil? Do you save it after each day? Do you filter it or do anything else with it?"

It is used on the wood for quick fire starting. We used oil twice and Parkay twice.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Mad_Angler: "Looks great...



I have a non-fishing question: What do you do for oil? Do you save it after each day? Do you filter it or do anything else with it?"

It is used on the wood for quick fire starting. We used oil twice and Parkay twice."

Any difference in flavor Mike?

Boy that looks good. Just got back from a Canadian trip a week ago and shore lunch is already a distant memory.

quote AmarilloJim: "I use the butter flavored Crisco sticks. A full stick is nice for a larger pan and 8 or 9 people but 1/2 a stick works for smaller #'s. I usually just burn the used oil."

Me too.........works GREAT. I brought 4 sticks for 2 fried fish meals.....6 guys.

I use a 9 inch GSI annodized pan.

Nice wood pile.and fish. Mike. What's up dude?
You look cold.

Oooh baby....... mealed, fried, and a dot of butter and salt! Thanks for pics. Sounds like they turned on and liked those z jerk minnows too,

Mike,
What do you use for a weight in front of the zulu? I have used a split shot a few inches in front and have used a jig head. I think the small, like tiny, shot in front have worked better for me. You?

quote BLee: "Mike,
What do you use for a weight in front of the zulu? I have used a split shot a few inches in front and have used a jig head. I think the small, like tiny, shot in front have worked better for me. You?"

I just used a 1/8 oz round ball jig head, worked just fine for me. Like I said, all you need to do is get the lure down to them. I'm sure a 1/4 oz would work just as well.

quote Timber02: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Mad_Angler: "Looks great...



I have a non-fishing question: What do you do for oil? Do you save it after each day? Do you filter it or do anything else with it?"

It is used on the wood for quick fire starting. We used oil twice and Parkay twice."

Any difference in flavor Mike?"

Yes, but they both taste great in their own ways. I melt the butter, drop in the chunked pieces of walleye, then I add in onion chunks a little smaller than an inch in size. I use a whole onion. Then I smother the top of the chunks and onions with lemon pepper. Then I flip all of the chunks until I can't see the lemon pepper and then add more lemon pepper to that side of the chunks. Then I continue to flip the chunks until the onions start to turn lucent. Then it is time to eat with a side of chicken stove top stuffing. Stuffing is light weight to pack in and tastes great with walleye no matter how you prepare your walleye.

quote yogi59weedr: "Nice wood pile.and fish. Mike. What's up dude?
You look cold."

It was 42 that morning. Winds gusting up to 35 mph. So it was a bit on the chilly side. I had to use the wood pile for a wind block.

42°,,,,,,,Burr.that makes gettin out of the bag harder.....

quote QueticoMike: ". First day it took 5 minutes to catch our 4 walleyes.

"

Can you clarify, was this in the Quetico? (I thought in MN you could keep 6 walleyes.)

Does your screen name mean that you stick to the Quetico?

Also, what kind of stove are you using that works on propane?

quote rdgbwca: "

quote QueticoMike: ". First day it took 5 minutes to catch our 4 walleyes.


"

Can you clarify, was this in the Quetico? (I thought in MN you could keep 6 walleyes.)


Does your screen name mean that you stick to the Quetico?


Also, what kind of stove are you using that works on propane?"

With a Canadian Conservation license you can keep two walleye. Only one can be over 18 inches. There were two of us which allowed us to keep 4 walleyes. You don't need any more than 4 walleye for a 2 person lunch with stove top stuffing on the side. No reason to keep more than 4 anyways when you are 60 miles from the nearest cooler.

I could probably catch a 100 walleye if I sit on that spot all day.

Yes, my screen name means I spend most of my time in Quetico. I do spend some time in the BWCA each year in late August or early Sept.

The stove is a cheap Coleman Bottle Top stove.

quote QueticoMike:



With a Canadian Conservation license you can keep two walleye. Only one can be over 18 inches. There were two of us which allowed us to keep 4 walleyes. You don't need any more than 4 walleye for a 2 person lunch with stove top stuffing on the side. No reason to keep more than 4 anyways when you are 60 miles from the nearest cooler.


I could probably catch a 100 walleye if I sit on that spot all day.


Yes, my screen name means I spend most of my time in Quetico. I do spend some time in the BWCA each year in late August or early Sept.


The stove is a cheap Coleman Bottle Top stove."

Thanks for the info. I haven't looked into the Quetico much.

Is the bottle top stove able to simmer?

I picked up a Camp Chef Stryker stove that works on propane because it is much easier for me to find propane but it doesn't really simmer.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote BLee: "Mike,
What do you use for a weight in front of the zulu? I have used a split shot a few inches in front and have used a jig head. I think the small, like tiny, shot in front have worked better for me. You?"

I just used a 1/8 oz round ball jig head, worked just fine for me. Like I said, all you need to do is get the lure down to them. I'm sure a 1/4 oz would work just as well."

Last week we hammered Walleye in about 17ft using 1/4oz jigheads with your 5" Zulus. Our 1 buddy tried it because he was lazy after fishing for bass with it and instead of re-rigging he just gave it a shot and pulled up a 23"er right away so we all switched and sure enough, the 20"+er's came rolling in. Never seen anything like it.

quote QueticoMike: "We planned walleye shore lunches for days 3 thru 7 and had little difficulty doing so. There is a spot less than 50 yards away from camp that is chunk full of walleye. Anything you fished with they would hit. We used mostly fake leeches, but once they got tore up I decided to drop a Zulu on a jig head down to them and they hit it just as fast. As long as you got to the right spot and dropped the lure to the bottom, reeled up a foot, they were on it. First day it took 5 minutes to catch our 4 walleyes. The second day 15 minutes. The third day due to big rollers coming through the bay it took a half hour because the anchor wouldn't hold us in place. The fourth day we each caught one on the first cast but it took close to another 30 minutes to catch the other 2 due to high winds and rollers again. Once we were finally able to reach our spot the the final two were caught in no time. I bet you could catch 100 walleye there in a day if that was all you fished for.



"

Even T G O has to like those pictures , nice fish Mike

quote rdgbwca: "

quote QueticoMike:




With a Canadian Conservation license you can keep two walleye. Only one can be over 18 inches. There were two of us which allowed us to keep 4 walleyes. You don't need any more than 4 walleye for a 2 person lunch with stove top stuffing on the side. No reason to keep more than 4 anyways when you are 60 miles from the nearest cooler.



I could probably catch a 100 walleye if I sit on that spot all day.



Yes, my screen name means I spend most of my time in Quetico. I do spend some time in the BWCA each year in late August or early Sept.



The stove is a cheap Coleman Bottle Top stove."

Thanks for the info. I haven't looked into the Quetico much.


Is the bottle top stove able to simmer?


I picked up a Camp Chef Stryker stove that works on propane because it is much easier for me to find propane but it doesn't really simmer.


"

There is a knob you can use to control the heat. You just have to be careful at the lowest level that the flame does not go out.

quote QueticoMike: "
There is a knob you can use to control the heat. You just have to be careful at the lowest level that the flame does not go out."

I read the reviews of the current model. Unfortunately, it seems to be a case of they don't make them like they used to. People were complaining of poor quality and the burner not turning off properly.

I am guessing yours is an older model.

quote Luckee: "More recently I switched to ghee, which hasn't gone bad on me yet over a ten day stretch. \"

What kind of reusable container do you use for the ghee? The ghee that I see at the store comes in glass jars and would need to be repackaged.

quote rdgbwca: "

quote QueticoMike: "
There is a knob you can use to control the heat. You just have to be careful at the lowest level that the flame does not go out."

I read the reviews of the current model. Unfortunately, it seems to be a case of they don't make them like they used to. People were complaining of poor quality and the burner not turning off properly.


I am guessing yours is an older model."

The one in the picture is fairly new. Haven't had any issues with it. I always take a back up stove in case I have an issue.

I have the same type of stove and they are great 10K BTU!
A little bulky but I like the extra fire power.
Haven't had any problems with the control knobs.
The bases are pretty stable but I usually lean it against a rock or firepit.

quote rdgbwca: "
What kind of reusable container do you use for the ghee? The ghee that I see at the store comes in glass jars and would need to be repackaged. "

Correction: I just checked the ghee at Trader Joe's. It comes in a plastic container.

That's right, TJ's has a fully usable container!
I have used screw-top Nalgene containers in the past too.

Oddly enough, I totally forgot to take my Ghee (and some killer Gouda cheese) to Minnesota with me. Land o' Lakes creamed butter with olive had to stand in, and it really did a great job -- browned up the walleye fillets delightfully, tasted great, and did not go bad over a week's time.

Hey Mike,
I'm looking to try something new, and your walleye/onion/lemon-pepper dish looks good. Do you put any breading on the walleye before frying? And how much butter/oil do you use...just a quarter inch or is it more of a deep fry?

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Timber02: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Mad_Angler: "Looks great...




I have a non-fishing question: What do you do for oil? Do you save it after each day? Do you filter it or do anything else with it?"

It is used on the wood for quick fire starting. We used oil twice and Parkay twice."

Any difference in flavor Mike?"

Yes, but they both taste great in their own ways. I melt the butter, drop in the chunked pieces of walleye, then I add in onion chunks a little smaller than an inch in size. I use a whole onion. Then I smother the top of the chunks and onions with lemon pepper. Then I flip all of the chunks until I can't see the lemon pepper and then add more lemon pepper to that side of the chunks. Then I continue to flip the chunks until the onions start to turn lucent. Then it is time to eat with a side of chicken stove top stuffing. Stuffing is light weight to pack in and tastes great with walleye no matter how you prepare your walleye."

You ever tried gutting the fish and roasting them over the fire? I try to do that at least once every trip. I make good and sure that the stomach lining and dark crap by the spine is completely out then rub with garlic salt then roast over the fire. Several ways to roast them, one is to build a tripod and make a platform to set them on well above the grate. Another is to spit them on a stick and prop over the fire. I usually let them cook for about an hour to get the smoke flavor in there, but if you are in a hurry then they can be cooked fasted by placing them lower over hot coals.

This was how the best walleye I've ever had was prepared. Plus you can eat the cheek meat too. That's the best part but you usually don't cook the head. Bury, burn or sink the remains. Its mostly just the skeleton and cooked skin by that point anyways.

Sounds good! I don't like to spend that much time cooking fish, I like to spend as much time fishing as possible. It would make a good snack at night after the sun goes down.

Not only does it sound good it sounds sort of fun.

On my last trip I found myself choosing to remain in camp longer than usual and enjoy my surroundings a bit more. It seem to make my time on the water, which was still significant, even more enjoyable. I might be getting a bit soft as I age ;-)

Mt, it called stopping to smell the roses.
That's it.
I'm there.. everything else I icing on the cake.

Or should I say fillets on the plate.

I multi-task.....I fish and smell roses at the same time :)

Ba boom