Going After IGL’s Grand Slam With A Boat

Going After IGL’s Grand Slam With A Boat

By Steve Weisman

In part one of the this series I challenged anglers to catch two grand slams over the course of two days on the Iowa Great Lakes (Big Spirit Lake and the Okoboji chain of lakes) from the shoreline or docks. This month we are going to flip the script and go after that same goal from the confines of a boat.

To repeat a few of the “ground rules…” Certainly, weather is a big factor, so you should tip the odds in your favor, and I think time of the year is also an important factor. These are the species I have chosen: walleye, northern pike/musky, largemouth bass/smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, perch, yellow bass, bullhead and channel catfish. I have combined bass and northern/musky into one category each, but you could actually go for all 11 if you wanted. Of course, you could even add freshwater drum (sheephead), if you want to and make it a dozen.

Again the goal being at least four species a day each day. More if you decide to go for the dirty dozen listed above. Of course, I want to put the odds in favor of the angler and pick a week where all 11 species of fish will be actively biting. Under this scenario, you can pick any two-day period of any week during the open water season. For me, though, I am picking the month of June. In the last article, I chose to go for the first day’s grand slam by accessing the fish from shore or docks. This second grand slam will take place in a boat. With the lakes in such close proximity, we can fish one or several waters in the same day. To maximize time on the water and providing me with the most species during that time I narrowed my options down to the two most well-known lakes of the IGL’s; Big Spirit and West Okoboji. Follow along and hit some more grand slams this month!

Big Spirit
June and early parts of July is a great time of the year for anglers to fish Big Spirit. It’s a tremendous walleye fishery with a great year class of 13-15 inch fish. At the same time, a 17-22 inch slot has provided an excellent population of broodstock, and although they must be released, many of these, along with fish over 22 inches, are caught. The points, rock humps and bars are the perfect places to troll with a bottom bouncer and a plain hook or spinners tipped with a nightcrawler, leech or a spottail shiner. At the same time, trolling crankbaits is a great way to search for walleyes. If you are looking for nighttime action, trolling crankbaits after dark can be dynamite.

At the same time, if the day you choose is a calm day, early to mid-June is the perfect time to hit the bulrushes in Hales Slough and Anglers Bay for largemouth bass crappies and bluegills. With clear water conditions, it is a sight fishing experience. With a good pair of sunglasses and standing up on the front platform of the boat, it’s easy to see the fish. A tiny jig tipped with plastic work for all three species. Look for spawning beds and cast beyond or drop the jig beyond and jiggle it back to the bed, and then watch out! You can either straight line or put a bobber about 2-3 feet above the bait. In a really tough bite, tipping the jig with a Belgian worm, wax worm or silver wigglers will often trigger a bite.

As for smallmouth bass, working the rocky points, rock piles and bars are key spots. Casting stick baits and jig and plastics work well. Walleye anglers who sit on these spots with a slip bobber and a leech will likely run into a feisty smallmouth, too.

West Okoboji
This lake is known for its gin clear waters and wood docks that create excellent habitat for largemouth bass, bluegills, crappies and yellow bass. Most everything is sight fishing, choosing a specific fish and casting beyond the target. For this type of fishing to work, you need to have calm conditions. This is also spawning time for bluegills, and you will find a lot of the beds at the end and beyond the dock in 7-10 feet of water. I will often straight line and drop the jig down to get the lure right on the bed.

By mid-June, Emerson Bay, Millers Bay, Haywards Bay, Smiths Bay, Browns Bay and North Bay will begin to develop some excellent weedbeds. When I am in a search mode and the wind is down, I will take a tiny 1/64-ounce jig, a mini jig or a Shucks Jigger Minnow and drift or use my trolling motor to move over the weedbeds (flats). I will tip the bait with a Belgian worm, wax worm, silver wiggler or a piece of plastic. The key here is keeping the jig just ticking over the weeds. Expect a smorgasbord of fish: bluegills, crappies, perch, yellow bass, largemouth bass, walleyes and northern pike. Oh, and yes even freshwater drum! For this presentation to work, don’t just expect to do a lot of moving and searching until you find the fish.

Once again, West Okoboji is loaded with rock points, rock humps and rock bars: that means smallmouth time!

One final thought
Is this possible? To catch a grand slam on two consecutive days, either from shore as we discussed in part one or as just mentioned from a boat? You bet. However, if you are new to the Lakes area, I would consider a few days of practice, so you get to know the waters. For someone who has fished these waters for years and are willing to change baits, locations and even lakes, the two grand slams are a distinct possibility.

The toughest part is when the fishing is good for one species, say walleye, to quit that and go for another species. However, if you are after this Grand Slam you will need to switch gears and leave good fishing in search of another species. Sounds crazy and any angler worth his weight in salt would never leave good fishing, but you will have to in order to accomplish this feat. Good luck to all that accept the challenge!