Authur Alwifes

I have some questions about alwife surfacing times? Is there a time, or do you have to wait for it to happen? When I say happen I mean the boiling all around the boat with them surfacing all over the place. Is that the only time it is easy to get them? Are the shallow flats the best places to find them? I also had problems keeping them alive, in my LIVEWELL! So I wondered if any of you folks ever tried to keep them in a minnow bucket or one of thoes fish baskets? Can they be caught in a minnow trap?

To use them for bait do I want to look for shallow water or off the ledge in the deeper water? Do they work well for walleyes when they are on jigs?

Just some questions, not looking for any secrets. Vague answers will be more than helpful.

Thanks guys

There were a bunch of pods of them roaming around the lake in open water (15-20 FOW) early on Sunday.  Not much disturbing them, besides me casting around them, then me attempting to throw a cast net on them (nothing).
 
Did find a few wipers.  1 x 24" and 2 x ~12".  All caught on my hand tied jigs.  Also caught an ~18" channel cat.
 
Special thanks to the family on their pontoon boat (maroon top), who decided to prep at the dock instead of on the trailer before launching.  I really appreciated sitting in the rain waiting for you to clear the dock.  Luckily there was another angler at the other side of the dock, fishing single, who had his boat docked and off of the water (to the prep area to prep OFF OF THE WATER) before the family could get their brat son out of their gold Caravan.  Maybe it's karma that made your son such a PUNK!!! 

My main concern was definitely tax related.
 
Actually, I rarely have much of an issue with people prepping at the dock.  It is very inconsiderate to other boaters, but do realize that some folks are new to boating.  Others just lack common sense, i.e. why we have so many laws.  I was really just p.o.ed that I was getting drenched & blown around, having to motor around in circles while the sunblock was being washed into my eyes.  I also cut myself pretty good on the water, woke up at 3:45 after sleeping about 2 hours and just wanted to get home!  If it were nice out, I would have been content, drifting around and casting a few more times.  Also knew that my first fishing trip in two months was over, and likely not making it out for about that long. 

How did the extra innings at the island treat you?  Besides the few scattered showers, the morning was perfect fishing weather for late July IMO.  Was a bit surprised the lake was pretty open.  I'd much rather be out in 70-80 with scattered showers, than mid 90s and sun beating down.

Did not catch anything over by the island I fished from 6:00am until about 12 caught 3 bass one 3 pounder and one cat fish. Funny thing is I caught the cat fish trolling a deep running crank bait. That was a first for me. I talked to a couple other guys at the launch they also caught a couple cats.