Governor's Fishing Opener 2003
Here's the Boat we fished from, but the pic is of the boat tied to an island at Lake of the Woods!
I was on the Port side, rear seat!
Jeff, is a proponent of Kite Fishing...Hey I've never heard of it either! But here's the scoop!
Catch Musky - With A Kite
By Jeff Mohr
A Minnesota freshwater angler gives his tips on how to maximize your fishing time with kites.
One
of the best things about kite fishing is that you frequently get to see the
strike. By experimenting with kites you can add a new dimension to your fishing
arsenal. Kites can produce on slow days when conventional techniques fail, but
perhaps equally important, is the excitement factor. Very little in freshwater
fishing is as exciting as watching a big musky crash or skyrocket (musky have
been known to catch flying birds) on a frantic baitfish fluttering on the
surface. It's what live-bait fishing is all about, and kites take it to another
level because kites allow you to keep most or all of your terminal tackle out of
the water, so fish see less of the hook, leader and knots. Instead, they focus
on the thrashing baitfish. However, seeing the strike is not necessarily the
number one draw. Another real value is that kites allow you to efficiently
cover a far greater area around your boat than you ever could otherwise.
Kite fishing is not something new. Kite fishing originated in the early 1900’s and was one of Zane Gray’s favorite methods of catching fish. Most fishermen think of kite fishing as a purely saltwater type of fishing but, although it was perfected by many saltwater fishermen, especially by Captain Bob Lewis of Florida, it can be equally applied to freshwater fishing with a few modifications.
While musky are one of the species we have focused on when freshwater kite fishing, they are by no means the only fish you can catch using this versatile technique. Northern pike, walleye, lake trout, coho, and especially largemouth bass (yes, bass) can all be caught with the aid of a kite. Basically, any fish that likes live bait presented near the surface can be taken with a kite. A kite can literally fly the live bait above the water over the toughest weed beds, wild rice, fallen timber, and lily pads to the exact spot (like casting) and be dropped into the water eliminating dragging crank baits, spinners, etc. through all this to catch fish. You can fish with a kite from a boat, dock, pier, jet ski, pontoon, island, or shoreline. You can anchor, troll, or drift fish with a kite.
Setting Up a Kite Rig
For
those of you who are unfamiliar with kite fishing, here are some of the basics.
A specialized fishing kite is launched from the boat, with several release clips
attached at intervals along the kite line. My preference for kite line is 50#
Dacron. The fishing lines are snapped into the release clips as the kite is let
out, taking the baits the desired distance from the boat. The fishing line goes
up to the clip, then straight down to the water.
By paying close attention and adjusting the line, you can keep the bait on the surface, where it makes a commotion that predators find irresistible. Furthermore, instead of lying in the water, where a fish might see it, your leader hangs in the air above the baitfish, out of sight.
I feel the ideal situation is at anchor, with the engine off, so everything's quiet but I have also used kites trolling and drifting. There have been times, when fishing in the deep northern lakes of Canada in 100 to 200 feet of water for Lake Trout, I have flown the kite next to the shore line in 10 to 20 feet of water looking for Musky, Northern, or Bass. Again, this is one of the kite’s biggest advantages, covering a large area around your boat - and it does not matter which direction you are trolling. If you are heading into the wind, the kite will be behind your boat. If you are heading with the wind, the kite will be ahead of the boat or, if you have a cross wind, the kite will be to either side. The kite will simply circle your boat. If you’re trolling, you can drag a top water or shallow diving plug from the kite rather than using live bait.
Kite
rods are stumpy versions of fishing rods with one or two guides. The kite reel
should be a fairly large level wind, bait cast type reel like the Penn 309 -
large enough to hold 150 to 200 yards of 50# Dacron line. The release clips
simply snap onto the kite line wherever you want to put them. I prefer to
modify the store bought release clips made by DuBro (as shown) by replacing the
release clip with an AFTCO roller troller release clip. This modified clip (not
shown) also lets you alter the spacing of your baits to match the conditions,
but you eliminate the use of ceramic rings when you use the stainless steel
roller troller. For the novice, I would recommend working with one clip (as
shown) without any modifications, until you are comfortable flying two or more
lines from a single kite.
Typically, the clips are spaced about 40 - 60 feet apart. That's open to individual interpretation and experimentation, of course, but 40 - 60 feet seems to be close enough to keep the baits relatively near one another, yet far enough apart to keep them from tangling.
Steel leaders are the norm for musky, and I like to place a marker of some sort 10 to 15 feet above the bait so I can see the line and tell how deep the bait is. Fluorescent surveyor's tape, bobbers, and multicolored floats work well as markers. I use both flags and markers attached to my kite and fishing lines to keep boaters, water skiers, and other watercraft away from the lines. Be sure to use a quality ball-bearing snap swivel between the leader and line, because the baits swim in circles lots of times, which can turn your line into a twisted mess. When a fish strikes, the line releases from the clip and you are free to fight your fish while the kite stays in the air.
Some anglers prefer letting a fish run with the bait while the line remains in the kite clip while others like to snap the line from the clip and drop back to the fish straight from the fishing rod. Once the fish has taken the bait, set the hook and come tight on them. Because the kite holds the fishing line perpendicular to the water, and because the live bait is hooked at the midline, the fish you catch will be hooked in the mouth instead of deep in their throat. This makes for easy “catch and release”.
With a little practice, you can fish two or three lines off a single kite, and if you have a boat full of people, you can put out a second kite. You keep the kites separated by crimping a few 1/8 oz split-shot sinkers to the outside corners of the two kites. Clip the weight to the right side of one kite and on the left side of the other. The weight(s) makes the kites fly away from each other. If you have outriggers, you can also run the kite lines though your outrigger pins and out to the end of the 'riggers to separate the kites even more.
My
favorite kite bait for musky is the sucker minnow. When flying a kite, I prefer
to hook all my live bait through the back, ahead of the dorsal fin, and below
the spine. They live a long time and they really thrash around on the surface.
The main thing about bait presentation is to make them look natural. The better
the bait looks to you, the better it looks to a fish.
When winds are less than 4 mph, a large helium balloon (three-foot in diameter) can be attached to the kite to get it airborne. Once the balloon is inflated and knotted, it can be secured to the backside of the kite with a piece of cotton or Dacron line taped across the center of the balloon and tied to the edges of the kite. Tie the ends of the line to the kite's special nylon loops (balloon line should be tied loosely to kite to keep from deforming the kite's sail). To finish, fasten the balloon's nipple to the kite's center clip.
The
two most popular types of kites are made by AFTCO (American Fishing Tackle
Company) and Captain Bob Lewis. Captain Bob’s kites fly the best because the
wind actually blows through the material stabilizing the kite. But they have
one drawback – there are 5 different kites for different wind conditions and @
$60 each, they make the cost of kite fishing higher than normal. The AFTCO
kites are made of nylon and can fly when wet. The problem with the AFTCO kites
is they are a little trickier to fly because they have a tendency to circle and
dive. AFTCO tried to compensate for this by putting 4 holes in the kite but
they still have the problems. For different wind conditions, the AFTCO kite
uses two different kinds of spars – one set for heavier wind conditions and
another for lighter wind conditions.
Anyone can fish with a kite and the best part about it is that you don’t need a boat. The expense involved is minimal, even for the specially designed fishing kites. Many fishermen make their own kites to save money, but when they are made from paper, they usually don't last through the first day. So, a vinyl kite made for fishing is recommended. Simply get your live bait, head to the area you would normally be fishing, and dangle a live bait on the surface under a kite. A nice lazy way of spending a day - no hard fishing, no weeds to clear from the bait, a whole lot less gasoline used, and your kids will love you.
By experimenting with kites you can add a new dimension to your fishing arsenal. Kites can produce on slow days when conventional techniques fail. But, perhaps equally important, is the excitement factor. Try kite fishing for yourself and you’ll know why I never leave the dock without a kite or a kid in the boat.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
AFTCO or Captain Bob’s fishing kite… $60.00
150 yards of 50# Dacron line………. $10.00
2 Dubro clips………..………………. $10.00
Marker flag..…………………………. $15.00
2 line markers……………………….. $ 2.00
Total……………….... $ 97.00
Optional items
Kite Rod.…..………………………… $50.00
Level wind reel…………….………… $40.00
Helium balloons……………………… $10.00
Helium (From Kmart or Wal Mart)…. $20.00
Instructional Video………………….. $20.00
Total………………… $140.00
Jeff