Dale Stroschein was 18 years old and already earning a reputation around Wisconsin’s Door County for his fish-catching prowess.
“A guy called me out of the blue one day and said he was having trouble catching walleye in Sturgeon Bay and had heard I was a good fisherman,” Stroschein said. “He asked if I’d take him fishing if he paid for gas. I said ‘sure’ and took him out, shared some tips and we caught a bunch of walleyes. Later, I found $100 he had slipped into my pocket.
“I thought to myself, ‘I just got paid $100 to go fishing! Maybe there’s something to this guiding thing!’”
The teenager signed up for classes, studied hard and earned his fishing guide and captain’s licenses soon thereafter and never looked back, starting the business that’s going strong some 36 years later: Wacky Walleye Guide Service.
Most of the 54-year-old charter captain’s fishing takes place in Sturgeon Bay and the Bay of Green Bay, from the mouth of the Fox River north to Washington Island, primarily for walleyes. In the winter, Stroschein guides ice anglers to walleye and whitefish. Between the two, when water temperatures drop below the mid-60s, he concentrates on the more protected waters and the fantastic fall smallmouth bass fishery it offers.
“That’s my favorite,” he admits. “Here I fished all these years for walleyes and gained a good reputation on the pro walleye tournament circuits. Then I tried smallmouth bass fishing and it was like finding a new girlfriend in high school: refreshing!
“My brain was a sponge and the bass really challenged me,” Stroschein explained. “The bay’s got the reputation of being the number one smallmouth bass fishery in the nation. Last year during the Sturgeon Bay Open they weighed in ten smallies in the mid-7-pound range, and one dude brought in a bass that weighed 8.76 pounds! But to catch big bass consistently you need to know what you’re doing.”
And fish the right time of year, he added, which is now. Why?
“The main advantage to fishing the bays from mid-August through September is that most of the guys have put their boats away for the season and start concentrating on hunting, so you have the best fishing spots all to yourself.
“There there’s the weather factor,” he continued. “Along Door County you’ve got all these channels and bays to fish to get out of the wind if it kicks up.”
When that happens, Stroschein recommends fishing shallow within the bays, in water 8 to 15 feet deep.
“I don’t use live bait, like chubs and crayfish and all,” he said, adding, “I think it hooks fish deep and injures too many fish. I catch my share using artificials.”
He suggests when fishing shallow to avoid the chop, using rigs that can be cast and retrieved, like spinnerbaits and swimbaits with a 1/4- to 3/8-ounce lead head.
“Bait Rigs makes a Slo-Poke LS with a long shank hook that I prefer on swim baits,” he said. “The longer shank puts the hook far back on a bait that may be 4 to 5 inches long.”
When conditions allow comfortable fishing farther off from shore, Stroschein recommends heading to water 18 to 25 feet deep and using a wacky worm rig.
“A Ned rig is without a doubt one of the best ways to go,” he said. “Use a drop shot or a weighted hook to get the wacky down there deeper and quicker.”
The Bays’ bronzebacks remain active into November according to Stroschein, shutting down only when the water temps drop below 50 degrees.
“By then even I want to go hunting,” admitted Stroschein. “So it’s a fitting end to the fishing season.”
At least until the ice starts forming on his beloved bays.
Guide Spotlight
Captain Lee highlights Captain Dale Stroschein
Captain Dale Stroschein guides out of Sturgeon Bay, “Little Sturgeon,” specifically, aboard his Nitro ZV 21 powered by a 350hp Mercury Verado. He used a Ranger model when competing in the walleye tournaments and switched to the TRACKER brand when they came out with the Tundra model, which he said offered him a better ride.
“I go with products that are best for me. The ZV 21 I think is one of the driest-riding boats on the bay for big water; it’s comfortable for guests and allows me, at age 54, to still be competitive on the water every day,” he said, referencing the boat’s ride and the anti-fatigue carpeting that comes standard with the Nitro. “But any boat built for bigger water will put you over prime smallmouth bass this time of year up here.”
Stroschein offers readers wanting to fish Sturgeon or Green bays and adjoining waters to call or message him personally off his website, www.wackywalleye.com. For more information call 920-743-5731, visit the Stevenson Pier Mini-Mart or stop by Howie’s Tackle in Little Sturgeon. Launch sites he recommends include the Old Stone Quarry Landing north of Sturgeon Bay, Sawyer Park boat landing downtown, Murphy Park or the Sunset Grill and a launch on Riley’s Point in Little Sturgeon.
