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I always troll with the current. It's much easier on the trolling motor this way.

Hey Joe, thanks for watching and I appreciate your feedback. I like constructive comments like this because it gives me a basis for future videos. I'm still a few weeks away from getting my boat out on the river, but I can try and help you as much as I can. Boat control is a little tricky to give a firm answer to. The short answer is, "keep your line vertical". That sounds great and all, but I know, to somebody just starting out, they may not realize how to do that. For the sake of my explanation, I'm going to assume you are fishing in a boat equipped with a trolling motor of some sort. My first bit of advice would be to choose a braided line with good sensitivity and a jig weight that you can consistently feel the bottom with. In my opinion, to many fisherman get "big chested" on using the lightest tackle imaginable, and seem to think that makes them a better angler. If you can't feel the bottom consistently, then nothing else you try and do is going to matter. I would say the standard jig weight is .75oz, but if you have to use a 1oz or 1.25oz jig to feel the bottom, use it. The ability to feel the bottom when you drop your line in, is step 1. Once you have the tackle you are comfortable using, then to me, that's when boat control comes into play. For this, there are varying factors that can change the way I setup my boat position. Factors like, the current speed, the wind speed, the wind direction and even how many people are fishing in my boat. In general terms, let's assume the wind is calm, I'll say, when I pull up to where I'm going to be fishing, for my first pass through the spot, I'm typically going to point the boat into the current. This, in theory, will allow me to keep my trolling motor straight as I drift down the river. Then as I'm drifting down the river, I should just have to use my trolling motor to pull the boat forward, or reverse the boat backwards to follow my line. Unfortunately, zero wind on the river is rarely the case, and there is always some degree of side to side boat movement. I use that first drift to see how the boat is positioning itself under the conditions of the day and make adjustments as necessary. The key is, regardless of what the conditions are, FOLLOW YOUR FISHING LINE. If your line is moving down river faster than the boat is, reverse the boat as needed until your line is vertical again. If the boat is drifting faster than the fishing line, pull the boat forward until the line is vertical. If you notice your fishing line, working away from the boat, turn the trolling motor so that you pull yourself back to it. And if the fishing line seems to be traveling under the boat, turn the trolling motor in a way that pulls the boat off of it until the line is in that vertical position. This is more easily achievable, when you are fishing as close to the trolling motor as you can. I'd also say it is easier to learn when fishing alone because you don't have anyone else's lines to worry about. In this case, as long as you are keeping your line vertical, it really doesn't matter what the rest of the boat is doing. If you are fishing with a partner or partners, then it matters more what the rest of the boat is doing, so I always position at least one of them in the boat, to where I can see my line and theirs. This gives you a little more information as to what the boat is doing and allows you to move the boat around relative to both lines you can see. In my experience, if I'm able to keep the two lines I can see vertical, then everyone else's is pretty much going to react the same way. This is very much a trial and error process. Don't be afraid to stay on the trolling motor. I know when I've shown people this in the past, there seems to be some reluctancy to maneuver the trolling motor or they are concentrating on fishing and aren't quick enough to turn the motor on or off, that the line gets to far gone. I pretty much fish with my hand on my trolling motor remote (or foot on the pedal, if that's what you have), and am turning it on and off every couple of seconds and rotating it in between to anticipate the next move. I hope this helps get you started. I know it doesn't cover every situation, but hopefully it can guide you in the right direction. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask them here. I'm sure you won't be the only one with the same questions. Again, Thank You!

With the current.

Hey Joe, thanks for watching. I actually live on the US side as well. I have a Canadian license, and in this video I was fishing right along the border. I'm with you, on not being able to wait until Spring to get back out. Once I'm back out there, I'll have more videos coming.

@@cjgibbonssportsman sounds good, we will make sure to watch for ya!

Hi, thanks for subscribing, I really appreciate that. Yes I was on the U.S. side for this video.

Hi Brett, I actually haven't been fishing as much as I would like to, or normally do. I had a kid in the middle of the summer last year, and since then, it's been a little difficult to find the time to get out as much as I'm use to. The little fishing I have done, has been out in the lake. It has been hit or miss most days. The shipping channel has been consistent early in the morning or later in the evening. As far as the river goes though, I haven't fished it since early June and that was with crawler harnesses. I wish I could be more help, but I appreciate you watching. Thank you and good luck.

@@cjgibbonssportsman Hi CJ. Thanks for getting back to me. Hopefully you will get to fish a little more when time permits. So do you mean Lake Huron out past the bridge. Or are you talking Lake St Clair ? I’ve tried bottom bouncing a lot with no luck just out passed the bridge where everyone goes lol. I’ve done well with small mouth on the river with the odd walleye caught. I’ve been fishing from Sarnia Bay down to Mooretown. I haven’t explored south of Mooretown yet.

Sorry, yeah I should have specified, but I was referring to Lake St. Clair

@@cjgibbonssportsman hey no worries. I kinda figured so. That you were down closer to LSC. I’m hoping to get down there soon.

I'm glad it has helped you out. This time of year the jigging can be real slow, but it will pick up again in the fall. Thanks for watching.

Thanks David, I appreciate you watching!

If you're looking for a spot online, I use Jann's Netcraft or Fish USA for a lot of my terminal tackle type of items. I have a few variety boxes of beads that come with different colors. I always use 6mm beads and what I have now, I'm pretty sure I bought on Amazon. It was one box that had a bunch of different colors in it. As far as the blades go, I've purchase blades from the same two websites, and I also like to buy blades from local bait stores when I stop in. Blades vary in price quite a bit depending on what you're looking for, but if you just pick up $5.00 or $10.00 worth, at a time, you can build a collection pretty easily. As far as the rest of the harness goes, I like to use #1 or #2 hooks and I like to use a #7 swivel at the end instead of just tying a loop. This will help prevent line twists on the harness. I also use Quick Change Clevis' for the blades. Those I purchase from Jann's Netcraft. You can get them in black or white in packs of 25. Hopefully this helps you out. Thanks for watching!

@@cjgibbonssportsmanGreat info, thanks!

Hi David, yes the boat is an Element F18. I'll be honest, it's not the greatest fishing boat, but you can make it work. It was kind of a "do-everything" center console that was affordable when my wife and I first bought it. The trolling motor is a Minn Kota Ulterra. I really wanted the automatic deploy and stow feature. You can get a lesser model of trolling motor and still be able to do what I do in this video. The rod holders are made by Tite-Lok. There are actually links to the rod holders in the description in the video if you want to check them out. I installed them myself. I put down some masking tape onto the fiberglass, marked the holes for the plate for the stand, which is sold separately, drilled a pilot hole and then screwed down the plates with the hardware provided. It only took about 15 minutes to install. I will tell you though, the plate for that stand is wider than the flat top on the gunnel of the boat, so I only had room to put three out of the four screws in. The edge of the plate sticks over the side edge about 1/4" - 3/8". These are strong aluminum rod holders that I would recommend, especially if you're on a budget. The usability is a bit cumbersome compared to something like Cisco or Traxtech that are much more streamlined and quicker to use, but if you're looking to just get started and maybe work your way up to a bigger boat or a track system these rod holders are durable and definitely suffice. Hopefully this answers your questions. Thanks for watching!

@@cjgibbonssportsmanThat is great information! Thanks for taking the time to reply. I’ll definitely check out the rod holders.

Thank you and thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching.

Yeah, if I was only using one rod it's not a bad idea, unfortunately with multiple rods in the water, once you hit spot lock the boat would turn to face up current and it would tangle up the other lines. I appreciate the input though. Good luck out there, and thanks for watching.

That's awesome Jose! It's a great fishery. I'm glad you had a great time. Thanks for watching!

I use the 8'6" Denali Myriad Series Walleye Trolling Rods and the Okuma Cold Water Low-Profile Line Counter Reel. I actually have links in the description now for each of these. I use these same setups whether I'm trolling bottom bouncers and crawler harness, or crankbaits and planer boards. Because I use these for crankbaits and planer board fishing also, I have 12-pound mono on the reels, but if I were just setting rods up, strictly for bottom bouncing I would recommend braided line as it has no stretch and will allow you to find bottom much easier, and it will also help you detect bites in the rod tip a lot easier. One day, I'd like to get extra reels to fill up with braided line so I could just switch over when I'm bottom bouncing, but it's not in the budget right now. Lol. Hopefully this helps you, thanks for watching.

@@cjgibbonssportsman thanks for the info. Very helpful.

Yeah, out of respect for other anglers who fish these same areas, I don't like giving exact locations. I like to state the body of water I'm on because I think that's important to know. The way I see it is, if somebody watching these videos knows where I'm fishing, then they're obviously familiar with the area and have probably fished the area anyways. Thanks for watching!

Hey Ryan, I would say anywhere in the river or channels has the potential to produce well. There are resident fish in the river system all year although it will start to slow down a bit here. Typically at the end of July, it's going to be really hot and sunny, so I like to focus on deeper water, depending on the conditions of the day. If your planning to vertical jig, or troll crawlers, I like to focus on depths in the 40's. You could also do well, whipping at night in that 18-25 depth range. If you're looking to get out of the river and channels, however, one of the more productive things you can do is to troll crankbaits in Lake St. Clair. You can cover a lot of water and the fishing is great as a large portion of the walleye from the St. Clair River and Detroit River move out into the Lake where they spend the summer. Hopefully this helps you out a little bit. I hope you catch a bunch when you're here. Thanks for watching.

Hello Joan, In this video I was fishing in the river, not any of the channels. Out of respect to other anglers who fish these areas, I don't like to give specific locations, rather just the body of water I'm on, I hope you understand. I will say though, that at the time I made this video, the fishing was pretty good throughout the entire river system. Fish are really schooled up during the spawn, so once you catch one, you can bet there are plenty more below you. Thank you for watching.

Thanks Brett. Yeah, it was a really nice weekend. Thanks for watching.

Lol, yeah I'm hoping I get more comfortable with it. I'm starting to get better when my wife is out fishing with me, but I went out with my dad last night and it's still awkward. It can be hard to, when I'm focused on filming and everyone in the boat is just concerned about the fishing. Thanks for watching.

@@cjgibbonssportsman I know exactly what you mean lol. Except when my wife or dad is with me all I get is sarcasm😂.

LOL, maybe. I was out there again tonight and there was definitely a few boats out there. I've seen a lot more than that before though. That spot typically starts turning on the last week of May, into June. May get a few weeks out of it yet. Thanks for watching.

Hey Robert, thanks for watching. I really appreciate it, and can't wait to make the next one. The whipping bite should be going pretty good right now, but from what I've heard so have the mosquito bites. Good luck, next time you're out there.

Thanks Todd, I appreciate that.

Hey Matthew, I can personally tell you the launch in Marine City is nice. I'm not sure where you would be coming from, but there are launches in Port Huron, Marysville, St. Clair, Marine City and Algonac that will get you to different parts of the river. You should be fine to catch fish jigging in June, but as a second option, maybe be prepared to troll with crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers also. In June, the fish won't be schooled up as heavily so covering more water might be beneficial.

@@cjgibbonssportsman thanks CJ

Hey Jim, the salmon boats have been out in the North Channel the last few weeks for sure. I caught a few Lakers in Lake Huron earlier in the year. They put up a great fight. Thanks for watching and good luck out there.

Hi James, thanks for watching. What I mean by leader is the extra fluorocarbon line that I have tied to my main line. So basically, for vertical jigging, I have 8-pound test braided line on my reel as my main line. I spool my reel entirely with that. Then I tie about a 6 foot long piece of 8-pound test fluorocarbon line directly to the braided line. I tie this using a double-uni knot. Then I tie my jig onto the fluorocarbon line using a palomar knot. There are videos showing how to tie these types of knots if you aren't sure how. Like I mention in the video, not everyone ties a fluorocarbon leader onto their lines. You can definitely catch fish with the braided line tied directly to the jig. Especially in more stained water. When the water color is really clear, and earlier in the season, I prefer to tie on a fluorocarbon leader because it's supposed to be invisible in the water. I hope this helps answer your question. Good luck fishing, I'm glad you're getting started.

Thanks, I'm actually just using a GoPro for both cameras. I have both of them hooked up to external batteries so they don't die on me, and I'm using the Rode 2 Wireless Mics.

@@cjgibbonssportsmanThanks for the reply. You've got reat quality video and audio. Well done!

No, but I was fishing on the US side.

Know exactly where he's at .. know river very well.

Lol, yeah, I need a bit of practice yet self-netting. Thanks for watching.

Hi Pavel, I appreciate the feedback. This video was really just intended to introduce myself and show that the bite was really hot. With it being the first video for the channel I wasn't really expecting the kind of traffic it received, and I was more focused on the things behind the camera. Luckily, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River are my home bodies of water, so I will be sure to have more content for you. In future videos I will make more of an attempt to explain what I'm doing a little better. Thank you for being constructive.

@CJ Gibbons | Sportsman I'm telling you, the intro gave me goosebumps, clean and reminded me of my many trips out there. 100 percent constructive bro, maybe like a 5 min segment on the how to, and you'd be to 100k in no time

Thank you, I appreciate that. I'm hoping to keep getting better.

@@cjgibbonssportsman it’s certainly one heck of a start!👍

The first two-three hours in the morning and last two-three hours in the evening, I typically fish 25 feet or less. Mid-day I like 25-40 feet. It can really change day to day based on cloud coverage, and location.

​@@cjgibbonssportsman shallow water guy myself!

Thank You, and yes I do. When I remember to do so, I like to spot lock when I hook into a fish. That way I can keep the boat straight and just pick up the rest of the drift. The key is to remember to do it, lol.

@@cjgibbonssportsman I hear ya. Lots going on when you fish alone. I bought a new Lund. Yet to put it in the water. Still ice on the lake where I live.

Sorry, I wish I had some information for you. I actually launch on the US side and drive over there.

MacDonald Park. You'll have to go up the Syne for a bit till you hit the St Clair river but thats the area they're at! You can also launch from Sombra

@@stickerel2868 thanks so much do you know what they charge to launch?

Thank you, I appreciate it and I hope to upload more soon.