| 

Marc Thorpe Ottawa River guide Chat Transcript

Category: chat

 Dec 12th, 2001 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified Dec 12th, 2001 at 12:00 AM

Jason_Smith: Ok…Muskiefirst Welcomes Marc Thorpe… let the questions…fly…one a time of course….those guys from Canada can only type with one finger…Beaver: I’ve never been to Canada. Is it something that I should do?Marc_Thorpe: I would recomend a trip to CanadaMarc_Thorpe: RK,warm up hereJason_Smith: When do you catch your biggest fish of the season.. and whyMarc_Thorpe: Jason,fish regularly come all season,fall is definatly fattie time but it can be miseryRK: How was the Ottawa this year?Beaver: Marc, Jason said you do some things that are out of the norm. Care to elaborate?Jason_Smith: What are some of your favorite baits….Marc_Thorpe: I troll and key on certain specific zone and trigger reactionJason_Smith: What specific Zones do you prefer to catch large lungeMarc_Thorpe: I like open water and breaklinesSponge_Bob: Marc…how wide is the Ottawa?Marc_Thorpe: Some places 5 or 10 miles wideBeaver: All trolling presentations?Sponge_Bob: daggone dude…how deep?Marc_Thorpe: No some castingRK: What;’s up with new regulations for the Ottawa?Sponge_Bob: can you cast that far?Marc_Thorpe: No changes yetBeaver: 5-10 miles! That’s one heck of a river. How much current?Marc_Thorpe: Ya sponge I trol a country mileMarc_Thorpe: It varies beav,from 2 to 5Beaver: Do you key on current breaks and edges?Marc_Thorpe: Slack water areas in current breaksBeaver: Is there alot of shoreline cover to break the currentMarc_Thorpe: No ,its meandering river,Current is spread outRK: Does the water level vary much or is it pretty stable?Marc_Thorpe: Last few years,she has been up and down.Makes for alot of moving aroundJason_Smith: Mark….Do you troll,,against or with the current?Marc_Thorpe: Honestly,both ways.I never figured out realy why.I suspect wind changes afect the current and the way they set up.Beaver: Is current a major factor to feeding areas or just when the flow is up?RK: Be interesting to see what would happen if we turned some of you eastern river guys loose on a place like Seul or MinakiMarc_Thorpe: Beav,when the flow is up.Marc_Thorpe: RK,no lower units leftRK: ‘specially on Seul…Sponge_Bob: does the amount of rainfall have much effect on the river Marc?Jason_Smith: Do you have problems of low water.. and high water.. which is best?RK: Zach-achachachMarc_Thorpe: Yes it does,it alters the movements a little,spongMarc_Thorpe: Jason not realy,fish are normaly easy ti find when you relate to baitBeaver: I fish the Mississippi River alot for walleyes and smallmouth, but have never fished a river for muskies. I’d like to check that out and put my river know how to the test. Sounds very interestingMarc_Thorpe: I would suggest you do,rivers are cool to fish.Sponge_Bob: Marc, do you guys pump the baits as you troll?Krappie: Do the ski’s typically hold up in a heavy current area where there’s a good structure break present. With this structure breaking some of the current and acting as an ambush spot?Punch_and_Judy: How far do muskie’s migrate up or down a river or creek?Marc_Thorpe: Sometimes when the fish are negativeJason_Smith: slow down……they cant type fast in CanadaBeaver: What’s the primary forrage?Marc_Thorpe: Krappie I presume they do,I dont fish real heavy currentRK: Doesn’t look like they can type too fast in WI either Jason :)Jason_Smith: LOLBeaver: Or accuratelyMarc_Thorpe: Dude,nedd five fingers for reel and one for typingKrappie: Thanks Marc. I was curious whether muskies love heavy current areas or notMarc_Thorpe: Sure they do,its the richest oxygen.What hey realy do there,beats meBeaver: What do they eat?Sponge_Bob: do you think they would congregate close to the base of a dam in cold weather?Marc_Thorpe: Moneyes,shiners,bullheads and channel catsMarc_Thorpe: Not sure spongKrappie: Yeah I’m curious whether you’ve seen a preference for a certain size forage. Large vs small (10″ crank vs 6″ crank)?RK: Mooneyes eh?Marc_Thorpe: The answer to migration,they have been tracked with movements of 25 milesBeaver: Lots of dams on the river?RK: Someday I may have to pick your brain about that…Sponge_Bob: how about feeder streams….how far up?Marc_Thorpe: A few big onesJason_Smith: eyes…interestingMarc_Thorpe: Sponge they usse some of them for spawningBeaver: Do you have a lock and dam set up for barge traffic? Sounds like the Miss. with ‘pools’ in between damsMarc_Thorpe: Yes they do on someKrappie: I’ve heard through the grape vine on the Fox River in Depere/Green Bay that alot of the fish tend to like the smaller baits. Just wanted to know if that’s true with all river fishRK: Marc – where in the water column are you trolling when you are in the current ?Marc_Thorpe: RK,depends on the bait level,sometimes high up and some times mud suckingRK: You see much of a shift in forage preference by season or is it whatever’s handy through the year?Beaver: Do the mooneye grow like shad? I mean starting out small in the spring but up to 6″ by fallMarc_Thorpe: RK,yes there are season preferencesMarc_Thorpe: Beav similarSponge_Bob: Is that a chub or a shiner?RK: On Seul there’s a big key on Mooneye in the fallMarc_Thorpe: Yes they are oily,fish love emRK: You can follow the muskies day to day based on the Moonies – and they cover some groundBeaver: High protein food aren’t they?Marc_Thorpe: If the the school is big enough,you can smell the thingsRK: Heh – yupfishkopp: is it like a black eyeMarc_Thorpe: They reekRK: They stink like whitefishKrappie: Are they like a Cisco or really a Cisco with a different name?RK: How big they get in there – mooneyes I mean?Sponge_Bob: how big do they get?Marc_Thorpe: They can get about 24 inchesBeaver: Do you try to ‘match the hatch’ color wise?RK: Big mooneye…fishkopp: are they good eatingMarc_Thorpe: Yes I do,but I also like to show somerhing differentSponge_Bob: are they good to eat?RK: If you like bones and scalesMarc_Thorpe: I will send you some!RK: OK Smoked thoughMarc_Thorpe: They will by the smellJamie_Schmidt: mooneye the same as what we call Skipjack?Jason_Smith: Mark…What are some of your favorite baits on the Ottawa River?Sponge_Bob: those things look like baby tarpon Jamie…Marc_Thorpe: No ,similar to shadRK: Used to catch them through the ice on the red river – one through the hole and you have to open the door to the fishhouse to let out the stinkMarc_Thorpe: Jason,I use mainly Hi Fin,Lindy,Beleivers,WileysRK: They are a primo forage thoughJason_Smith: colors????Jamie_Schmidt: trophy divers Marc?Marc_Thorpe: The color spectrum is wide,myself naturals and darks or bright naturalsMarc_Thorpe: Yep Jamie,13 inchersKrappie: What’s the best advice that you can give someone first giving some River trolling a try?fishkopp: I wish i had a bait that largeMarc_Thorpe: I would suggest key on rivers coming in,island,deep holesKrappie: Thanks Marc, I was tossing around the idea next year over here at home, but don’t know where to start.Guest2192: where do you fish on the st. lawrenceMarc_Thorpe: Try and key in on large riversJason_Smith: Mark….Do you use large baits…like 14″ or better for those big Mooneye eating muskies?Krappie: I want to try cracking some fish here on the Great Lakes/Green Bay. Don’t know where to startMarc_Thorpe: More for seasonal preference,and stand out baitKrappie: How about water discharge areas? There’s probably no areas like that on the Ottawa though…I’m guessingJamie_Schmidt: Marc, do you run one bait in the propwash when trolling the river?Marc_Thorpe: Dunring summer yes,in fall over my transducerJamie_Schmidt: that close, huh?Beaver: Jointed cranks or straight?Marc_Thorpe: BothMarc_Thorpe: I prefer jointedSponge_Bob: do you use Plows?Marc_Thorpe: No,I have buldozersRK: How late in the season does the bite go there?Marc_Thorpe: Norm end of NovRK: Heh – trolling in liquid rock…RK: Ever get so the baits don’t dive?Marc_Thorpe: No I never have encountered not being able to put them downRK: That’s a wierd dealJamie_Schmidt: you run spinerbaits, or bucktails ever Marc?Marc_Thorpe: Wire and Big baits,seals the dealJason_Smith: Why Wire?Marc_Thorpe: Yes Jamie,spinner baits and bucktailsMarc_Thorpe: Spring tip,that prevents line kinksBeaver: Why wire??RK: It’s a coil kinda deal you use instead of a tip guide for wire lineMarc_Thorpe: Depper running baits and the HUMJamie_Schmidt: how fast do you troll hair vs cranks Marc?Marc_Thorpe: Same speeds,4 to 10,cruising at 5Beaver: HUMMM? Sounds like whale songs. We used to run wire for Laketrout on Lake MichiganRK: You run stranded wire or monel?Marc_Thorpe: MonelJamie_Schmidt: getting technical RKMarc_Thorpe: Monel sings better in the waterMarc_Thorpe: It creats a humJason_Smith: Really…thats cool..infoBeaver: Do you use any kind of ‘shock absorber?RK: Ever try the mon Shawn McCarthy uses on Georgian – Tectan I think it is?Marc_Thorpe: Fish get attractedRK: err mono that isMarc_Thorpe: I use fluroJamie_Schmidt: ever had any of the mishaps that everyone on the bbds talks about?Marc_Thorpe: No mono cuts your handsPunch_and_Judy: How deep is the water you fishing in Marc?Beaver: We used to use rubber snubbers for shock absorbtionJamie_Schmidt: with the flouro that is?Marc_Thorpe: Anywhere from 0 feet to 300,fish relate the primary structures of the bassinsMarc_Thorpe: Seaguard,100 lbs,200lbsJamie_Schmidt: the river is 300’ deep?Sponge_Bob: tie your own?Marc_Thorpe: YesRK: You use it casting too?Beaver: When you say basins, do you mean the original river chanell?Marc_Thorpe: Yes Andy has made some 9 inchers out of 200,its coolRK: HmmMarc_Thorpe: Yes beav,its been alterd by damsMarc_Thorpe: RK,your baits track nice because of the heavy gageJamie_Schmidt: so, how do you figure what depths to troll at?RK: I’ve used hard mono beforeRK: messed with Flouro a littleMarc_Thorpe: So many raps on certain bait = so many feet down,basicaly did it by counting them outBeaver: Marc, have you written anything on the subject that we could pick up?Marc_Thorpe: Yes Esox Angler has had an article,a tv show will air this winter with some insights.Marc_Thorpe: Spring issueSponge_Bob: who will be next!RK: Marc was it last Winter? Or last Sprin issue?Guest2192: marc are you pres. of montreal chapter nowRK: They’re all a blur to meMarc_Thorpe: Yes I amMarc_Thorpe: ChairmanGuest2192: are you pres. of montreal chapter now??Marc_Thorpe: 10 th AnniversaryBeaver: Do you still use wire even if the fish are shallow?Marc_Thorpe: Yes I do,If I want baits up high,I use 63 lbs dacron with 200 lbs fluro.I run my baits 6 inchesRK: Use dacron for the diameter?Marc_Thorpe: Lets you fish high and tightMarc_Thorpe: Yes RK,gives me liftBeaver: More drag and bulk to keep it upRK: Yeah – do the same on LoTWs sometimes with believersMarc_Thorpe: Locked down BabySponge_Bob: 10″ ones?…jointed/straight?Marc_Thorpe: JointedRK: Hey – did you try any of the 10″ believers now that they changed them?Sponge_Bob: how far back?Guest2192: what % of fish you catch casting?Marc_Thorpe: Big fish that come up and bite closed need to have there necks snaped for a good hook setMarc_Thorpe: No RK,I find fish key in on sound and get weary of it,maybe a cycleRK: nodRK: They beefed the jointed ones up finallyMarc_Thorpe: I cast early in the spring,percent?most trolling,my forteJason_Smith: Ever try a down rigger….they Humm too… well at least mine does..Beaver: Are the fish shore-related in the spring?Marc_Thorpe: So I have been told.I have some hummers which are worth fixingMarc_Thorpe: No Jason,no needMarc_Thorpe: In some areas Beav,breaklines tight to islands and shores are goodBeaver: Do you think river fish are harder fighters than lake fish?Marc_Thorpe: Not sure,did notice fish definatly fight diferently in different section of the riversmuskyone: Marc, ever trolled spoon plugs or hellbendersRK: That’s the other cool thing about wire – you feel every twitchJason_Smith: Mark…are you comming out to any of the shows this winter…..Marc_Thorpe: No I have notMarc_Thorpe: Yes,Harrisburg,Monroeville,Clevland,Auburn Hillsmuskyone: Spoon plugs are a big deal hereMarc_Thorpe: I have heard alot about itmuskyone: speed is the key, 7.5 to 8.5 mphMarc_Thorpe: How big are theymuskyone: not large, 5″ or soJason_Smith: Well…Mark…Stellar job… MuskieFIRST thanks you a ton for coming in and teaching us all your wisdom… I hope you can come back again… it was very educational….Marc_Thorpe: Your welcome,lots of fun

More like this