Water level at Boysen...Fall 2001

Saturday, November 17th...The weather continued to hold so we took advantage and headed for the lake.  It was a super nice day for this time of year.  We caught 15 walleye and a ling.  Jigs and minnows in 40 to 50 feet of water.  Brought the fish up very slowly so they would survive a release.  I caught one that had to be near dead.  It was a walleye that was 24 and a half inches long and weighed less than 2 pounds.  It wasn't more than an inch wide behind it's huge head!  The other fish looked healthy. 

Saturday.....November 10th....Pat and Bob Chubb went out later in the morning and stayed until dark.  Caught 8 walleye and a couple of trout.  The trout were BBQ'd and were very good.  Pat caught a walleye that was about 7 pounds. Click here! Bob got a little one with a huge minnow! Click Here!  Weather was nice after a chilly morning.  Last year at this time the high temps were in the single digits....this year in the 50's and 60's!

Saturday November 3rd.....A very nice day weatherwise at Boysen!  Caught a dozen walleye and suager and 3 ling. A surprising number of boats today.  Hardly a ripple on the water.  Needed a good dose of sunscreen.  Most fish caught in 15-30 feet with jigs and minnows.

Saturday October 27th.....Even slower today at Boysen.  We caught 5 walleye and 1 big perch.  Tried a variety of areas but things were slow everywhere.  All anglers we talked with reported the same.  Weather was nice later in the morning, but things were cold to start.  Amazing to see tree tops out in the middle of the lake.  There's rocks sticking out of the water that have not done so since the dam was built in 1953.  A very dry October with less than a tenth of an inch of precip and little or no snow in most of the mountains.  Some areas have had some snow but not alot.  PRAY FOR A SNOWY, WET WINTER AND SPRING!

Sunday, October 21st.....Much slower today at Boysen.  We caught a total of 12 walleye and sauger today, and had to fish hard to get 'em.  Caught most in deeper water 20-35'.  It stayed on the cool side all day, the weatherman called for temps in the 60's but it didn't get out of the 40's.  Jigs and minnows the best bait today.  Fish were 14-17"

Saturday, October 13th.....First time in a long time that I've been fishing at Boysen.  A great day!  We caught 55 walleye and suager and 2 ling in the same spot!  Used jigs with minnows to start, then switched to casting jigging spoons. In 10-20 feet of water.  During one stretch, Pat caught 8 walleye in 8 casts!  The biggest of the day was a 3.5 pound walleye.  Most were in the 14-17" range.  We found quite a few crappie minnows in the live well at the end of the day.  Kept some for the table.  The sauger were pretty meager but the walleye looked healthy.  

Saturday, September 15th.....Pat and Bob Chubb from Lander headed over to Boysen.  Had to put in at Fremoint Bay due to ramps being closed all around the lake.  Had a slow day with a walleye, sauger, trout, and perch caught.  I went up to that pond near Atlantic City with a friend from Green River.  We caught 11 brookies, most were in the 9 to 10 inch range.

Sunday September 9th... It's been a while since I've made a report here.  A number of things have been popping up and has prevented us from getting out as we would like.  I did take in some trout fishing on a pond near Atlantic City last Sunday.  My brother from Montana and brother-in-law from Florida and I caught 19 between us.  Kept 10 for a feed.  Most were brookies, with the rest cutthroat.  2 of the brookies were 15", the rest of the fish were in the 8 to 10" range.  Just used a half a crawler on a hook.  No weight.  Pat went to Boysen with a mutual friend a week ago.  The fishing was slow.  Caught a few walleye in deeper water.  Much needed moisture fell this weekend, I hope it slows the shrinking of Boysen.  Looking forward to the fall fishing there.

Wednesday through Sunday August 1st-5th....The final tournament of the summer for us.  This one at Seminoe.  We were in 10th place after day 1 but couldn't get a big fish and finished just out of the money again.  It's getting to be a habit.  We missed qualifying for the Cabela's Tournament next summer by 1.97 pounds!  Oh, for that one fish we didn't weigh at Boysen!  Oh well, such is walleye fishing!  Nothing can replace the fun we have at these events! We made and met a lot of great walleye anglers along the way!  Pre-fishing was very tough!  The weather was sunny, hot, and calm!  Full moon too.  We managed to catch 14 in 2 days and none were more than 15".  The first day of the tournament was windy and cooler.  We caught a couple in the 18" range, the first of that size we've ever caught there!  Day 2 was a return to calm and hot, our biggest fish was 17".  Lots of fish in the 14" range.  We bottom bounced crawler harnesses and dragged big jigs in 10-25 feet of water. Will be trying Boysen in a couple of weeks, if we can get the boat on!

Saturday, July 21st......Water levels continue to drop at Boysen.  Caught around 30 walleye, 2 perch and 2 crappie today.  Most with jigs and crawlers in 10 to 25 feet.  All of the walleye were from 12-15" and a bit skinny.  Kept a few for the table.  Entered a crappie and a perch in the Shoshoni Chamber Fishing Derby...The crappie was .8 pounds and  the perch was .7.  Looking forward to the Megabucks Challenge at Seminoe in 2 weeks!

Saturday, July 14th......After a week off we returned to Boysen.  The water was 2 to 3 feet down from the level it was during the tournament.  Many of the weeds that were in shallow then were gone today.  Fishing was slow for us.  We caught 15 all day.  There were few in the shallower water so, after trying 3 different spots we decided to go up the lake and troll some cranks.  The water was a bit muddy from all the wind and storms of late but we did manage to pull 10 with the crankbaits.  Used #7 and 8's.  With the weeds gone for shallow cover I think the fish have returned to deeper water.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, June 28-30.....Not a good Governor's Cup for Team Rip!  Just couldn't find Mr. Big.  Most who finished near the top had a nice kicker fish of 4 pounds or more.  A huge number of small walleye in the lake this year, 14-16".  And they are skinny!  Water level was down a bit from last week, weather was HOT, sunny and at times, breezy.  A young lady, fishing in the tournament with her father, caught an 11 pound walleye on day one.  Fish were generally smaller on day 2.  We weighed 6.88 pounds with 4 fish day one and 9.06 pounds day two with 5 fish.  Winning weight was near 30 pounds.  Around 20 pounds got you in the money.  We tried just about everything in our arsenal and caught a lot of walleye, but not the size we needed.  Our biggest was caught by Pat an hour before the tourney ended, on a jig and night crawler on the inside point of a bay in 8 feet of water.

Friday and Saturday June 22nd and 23rd.....Went to Boysen to try and drum up some spots holding bigger fish.  Didn't do too well in that respect.  Caught a good number of fish but most were small.  Tried a variety of methods.  The water levels continue to drop.  Much of the water from Muddy Bay to the dam is clear as it gets!  Makes it tough for jigging. Most of the boat landings are well out of the water.  Wonder where the money is going that we've paid the State Parks to use at Boysen?  Haven't seen any evidence of it yet.  Could sure use some extensions and dredging at the landings.

Saturday, June 16th.....Kind if a slow day on Boysen today.  Caught between 15 and 20 walleye and a few perch. Fish were scattered and it was one here, one there.  Most were caught jigging in 5 to 15 feet of water.  Did catch a few using spinners and snapweights in 35 feet.  All fish were small.  The water in Boysen is unbelievably low!  This is the time of year that normally has the highest waters levels.  Predictions are that the water level will drop another 7 feet by the end of summer.

Wednesday-Sunday, May 30th-June 3rd.....It was another "on the bubble" tournament for Team Rip at Glendo.  Weighed just shy of 30 pounds for the event and finished just out of the money.  But we sure had fun!  The wind was a factor each day, including 2 days of pre-fishing.  It blew at a healthy pace all week.  I guess we're spoiled by the relatively calm winds at Boysen. The water was as low as it's been in 5 years, with not a lot of trees in the picture and clear water all the way up the lake. We tried a variety of methods and places while pre-fishing but nothing was really producing.  We went back to a spot that had produced in other years and after that stop decided it would be our go to spot the 1st day of the tourney.  We weighed 12.59 the first day but had to fish hard for them, used jigs with crawlers and leeches in 3 to 8 feet of water just outside the trees.  There were lots of boats trolling just out from us.  On day 2 we stopped briefly at the spot but no fish so decided to head to a place that a couple of friends in the tourney told us to try. (Thank-you Clay and Todd!).  We weighed 16.29 on day 2 and wished that we had fished this spot the 1st day.  Better fish.  Spent some time fishing in a hailstorm which was different.  Had a great time with fellow anglers over the course of the tournament, walleye fishermen and women are a great group!  If you haven't given it a try, do it!  The fish at Glendo continue to be in good shape, some with big bellies!

Saturday, May26th.....Was nicer at Boysen than we thought it would be today.  It was a bit crowded, but not as bad as it has been in the past on a holiday weekend.  The weather was almost perfect, about  75 degrees with a bit of a breeze most of the time.  We started out by dragging jigs around a main lake point but no action so decided to troll cranks and see if they were hitting yet.  They were!  We caught 30 walleye and 2 trout with a variety of different crankbaits.  Most of the 'eyes were on the small side, 1 to 2 pounds, but fun to catch. They were caught over 40 to 50 feet of water at 10 to 18' deep.  Gonna get ready now for the trip to Glendo.  

Saturday, May 19th.....Weather was fairly nice.  Occasional breeze kept it from getting too warm.  Caught 14 walleye and a big crappie today.  Pat's Mom came along and caught 3 walleye and the crappie.  12 of the eyes were caught in 3 to 10 feet of water with jigs and crawlers.  Not a bite using minnows today.  Trolled crankbaits for a couple of  hours and caught 2 walleye.  Could see big fish among the baitfish but couldn't get them to respond.

Saturday, May 12th.....The weather was very nice today, sunny and in the 80's, and the fishing was excellent!  We caught 35 walleye and a trout today.  33 of the walleye were caught jigging with minnows and nightcrawlers in 3 to15 feet of water. Most of the fish today were from 15 to 18", Pat caught one that was 3 and a half-pounds, with a good number of 2-pounders. We found most of the fish in the transitions between rock and sandy bottoms around the edges of points. Caught fish at about a 50/50 clip with minnows and crawlers. Tried a variety of jigs that were sent to us by our sponsor and had action with all but a couple. Pat again had good results using the same orange-colored spinner-jig he used last week. And he still has it after 2 weeks of pounding the rocks! We also caught a couple of walleye and a trout trolling crankbaits over 35 feet of water along the west shore around Trout Bay to the Islands.  Marked quite a few suspended fish in the 12 to 25 foot range.  Just couldn't get them to hit. Lots of boaters out today, the flats south of Tough Creek seemed to be the popular spot.

Saturday, May 5th.....The day started out cold and foggy on Boysen and the fishing was as cold as the air.  Once the fog burned off and the sun came out the fish turned on!  We caught 20 walleye and a ling in a 3 hour span along a main lake point using jigs and minnows in 2 to 8 feet of water.  The fish were sure scrappy!  Most were in the 15 to 16" range with a couple nearing 3 pounds. All were males and they looked spermed-out. Water temp was in the mid-50's Pat tied on a spinner-jig, orange, that our sponsor gave us to use and he did very well with it, catching the majority of the fish with it and never had to tie on another jig.  It took a beating in the rocks, but all it took was re-bending it running a sharpener over it and it was ready to go again.  Very durable jig!  Pat was using Power Pro line and was very impressed with it.  He used a 10 pound test/ 2 pound diameter, and it hardly looked frayed even after hours of rock pounding!  We ended the day by trolling crankbaits over 20-45 feet of water. Caught a 2 pounder and had another hit.  The afternoon saw perfect weather, Sunny and in the lo 70's.

Saturday, April 28th.....Didn't get out last weekend as the weather was delightfully wet.  Today was a mixed bag of weather and a fair day of fishing. Rained off and on for the first few hours, then dry and warm with afternoon thunderboomers.  We got off the water before the storms got there. Caught most of our walleye in the shallows 2 to 6 ft of water, although we did catch a few dragging jigs through a 15 ft flat. Caught them on 1/8th oz. jigs tipped with minnows.  There were a few fish being caught on the flats with crawlers harnesses. We caught 13 walleye and a rainbow.  The eyes were 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 pounds, all males. Kept a few for the table.

Saturday, April 14th.....Aaaaaahhh!!! It sure felt good to go fishin'!!!  I was surprised by the number of boats on Boysen today.  Quite a few were out to cure the itch!  For us, the fishing was a little slow.  One here, one there.  We ended up catching 6. Should have been at least 5 more, but we were both guilty of not letting them have it before setting the hook. All were males between 15 and 19".  Jigs and minnows in shallow water.  Can't help but wonder just how much water will flow into the lake this year.  Predictions are just 30% of normal. If so, that will make it 2 years of low runoff.  Will be interesting to see how the fishing unfolds this summer and fall. 

Wednesday, April 11th.....Looks like this Saturday will be our first excursion of the "soft-water" season to Boysen.  There was an 8 1/2 pound walleye caught there last weekend. Boysen is ice-free and ready to go.  So am I.

Sunday March 25th.....Been a while since an entry.  Pat has been fishing Boysen regularly until a couple of weeks ago.  Now focusing on the upcoming open-water season.  Ice is beginning to come off  Boysen but it will still be a while.  Hoping to get on the water for the first time in a couple of weeks.  Making jigs and getting everything lined out.  Definitely have the itch!  This was our first weekend on the water last year.

Saturday, January 13th....Pat and Bob Chubb from Lander had a good day at Boysen, catching 11 walleye and a trout and had numerous flags up through the day.  They fished with minnows in 12-20' of water along the edge of a big flat.    

Saturday and Sunday January 6th and 7th....Pat fished Boysen over the weekend in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Derby.  Saturday was just about perfect weatherwise and the fishing was brisk, although nothing of significant size was caught.  For no apparent reason the fishing slowed way down on Sunday, although a young man fishing near Pat managed to catch the biggest catfish of the derby on Sunday.  Pat fished tipups with minnows.