HitMan

This is an interesting question and will get a lot of different perspectives depending on the person and the boat. We are known for fishing a lot in big waves when others stay at the dock and go to breakfast. We get referred to as "big water fishermen". First, it depends on what kind and type of boat you have. The bridge boats and other non-big water boats will likely stay at the dock more often than the low-profile boats. We have a 31' Tiara Open, which I personally believe is the best big water fishing boat on the Great Lakes, even better than the bigger ones. Second, you take a look at who is going to be going fishing with you. Kids, older people, and people who get sick easily, usually are a huge hint to not leave the dock. We encourage all people to take motion sickness preparations in case it is rough. Lastly, you listen to the VHF radio and see if it is "supposed" to increase or decrease as the day goes on. Overall, we usually always leave when it is 3-5 foot waves. Bigger than that, we begin to look at the crew and see what their feelings about the matter is. Usually around 20-30 knots and 7-10 foot waves in the morning when we arrive to the boat, we do not leave the dock no matter what. If it is slightly less than that, we will probably go and if it builds while we are out there we sometimes come in, if someone is dying, but mostly never come in until the regular charter duration is over. A few times a month, we end up fishing in some 7-10 foot waves and sometimes even bigger. We usually leave the dock a lot more than many other boats. Many times, when it is super rough and a Northwest wind, the fishing is the best. Big Kings always tend to bite better in big, Northwest waves. But, when is it super wild and nasty, we definitely stay at the dock. So that is my perspective and input, from a big water fishermen. The majority of people disagree and say to stay at the dock when the waves are smaller, 3-5 foot waves, and then we leave and go fishing.

Grand Haven, MI is the best from roughly May 10-June 10, sometimes May 10-June 1 if the fish leave us early, and then from July 15-September 15. In May, the majority of the catch is 1-3 year old King Salmon with an occasional odd ball fish. From July 15-August 15, you catch larger Kings, Steelhead, and Lake Trout. A mixed bag of all different species is very common during this time. From August 15-September 15, you still catch a mixed bag of Kings, Steelhead, and Lake Trout, with an occasional Coho when fishing offshore. When fishing nearshore, the majority of the catch is larger Kings with an occasional Coho. But 90% of the time you catch all Kings, just like from May 10-June 1.

Hey Treblemaker, We were upet around 9AM on Sunday of the Holland Tournament when we got reports that the Saugatuck boats were doing very poor. They couldn't even get a bite in Saugatuck. We knew we wasted a lot of gas and time traveling all the way to Grand Haven and probably could have stayed in Holland. There was a little boat who got them in Grand Haven on Saturday, but couldn't get a thing on Sunday, so we told him to go back to Holland and check it out. He said he couldn't do any worse there than he was doing in Grand Haven. He was one of the boats that ended up catching all his fish the last couple hours right in front of the Holland Piers. This is a great example of how huge schools of Salmon can move very long distances in less than 24 hours.

After the wind blows for example, for maybe up to 3 days straight it can get tricky. For example, in Michigan City, IN when it blows NW the water gets chalky and fish frankly do not bite. It is different at all ports on Lake Michigan. In Grand Haven, you basically have 3 options of the water changing after a wind. When it is SW, NW, or a very strong East wind. North doesn't always affect the water because Muskegon blocks a lot of the straight North water from arriving to us. Say before blow days, if the fish are in 110-180 foot in mid-July and it blows SW, the water will most likely warm up and the fish will likely stay close to where they were, they will just be deeper in the water column. If it blows NW now for a few days and the water really cools off, the fish will eventually come to the river Mouth where the bait will form. The fish will also be out deeper, just higher in the water column. This was evident almost all of last year until July 20ish. We won the Holland Tournament in Mid-July fishing in the mud in Grand Haven because the nearshore water was so cold. The fish were in Saugutuck very well all week during that time in the mud as well. We caught them there all week. All the boats really got them on Saturday there too, but we opted to go to home to Grand Haven, instead of staying in Saugutuck where we got them there all week. But, no one got them on Sunday there because the fish moved to the North. A boat found them between Holland and Saugutuck and also right in front of the Holland piers. Everyone franky just drove over them. Usually during August if it blows NW and really cools off, the fish offshore will swim North, and not downwind. It is that time of year when they are going to wherever they are going to spawn. The so-called "normal" migratory pattern for the fish is to the North. The other tricky thing is that if it blows NW, the current doesn't necessarily have to be from the North as well. On occasion, the current is from the South, meaning why after a few days of hard NW the water doesn't cool off, it may even warm up, because the current is from the South. Overall, fishing after a strong wind from one sustained direction can be very tricky to catch a consistent amount of fish. It usually takes a day or two to settle back down and for things to get back to normal. There are a lot of options and results that can occur. It is almost endless of possibilities. Fish don't always move after a wind and fish can move a long ways without a wind from one day to the next. The fish usually move northward and into the current. Most of the time, fish do not move downwind with the direction of the blow. The fish usually move up or down in the water column or east and west depending on what direction it is. After mid-July it is probably a 85% safe bet that all fish will be moving North, no matter what the wind direction may be. I would say that the current has a lot more to do with the relocation of fish, most of the time, other than NW when fish move to the mud. We are big current fans and usually fish by the current consistently, no matter what direction the wind blew. If it is blowing from the North and the current is from the South, we will probably run North and fish into the current, rather than the waves. I did a lot of rambling here. Basically, you never know where fish are going to be immediately after a blow. It is educated guess time from what you know from past experiences.

The funny thing is how the price goes up around every Tuesday and then slowly drops back down, but nowhere where it previously was. If it keeps what it is doing it will definitely get real ugly. We increased our Charter Rates for this season, the second season in a row, to cover the steadily increasing gas prices. Last year we employed a fuel surcharge at $3.00 a gallon. The surcharge didn't need to be put into effect until around the end of August or early September. Now, we have the surcharge set this year for $3.50 a gallon with the adjusted increase in the Charter Rates. The sad thing is that right now, at the marina, it is $3.49 a gallon. It is going to definitely affect the long-run aspect of fishing this season. A lot of anglers are going to be feeling it in mid-July and early August. I think the gas prices will definitely affect tackle sales, etc. A lot of people are going to have to make important decisions regarding their spendings, etc. I think it is sad that the conversation of choice, no matter where you go, is the price of gas.

The problem I have with releasing Salmon is the tactics and techniques taken to release the salmon. I know of many people that take care of the fish and make sure they are put back in the Lake approriately. But, many people also handle them, net them, take a picture, etc., and then toss them back in, not being gentle to make sure the fish is healthy and will swim away, instead just tossing it in. The biggest problem I have found is the way people release Salmon, especially while trolling. It is a lot different in Lake Michigan, while trolling, than say fishing for Salmon in the river. If we are catching a lot of fish, very quickly, we do release a lot of fish. Any fish that I can lift up, without netting and losing our tackle, we do release with the pliers instantly. Anyways, the thing I have seen over the years, is that Salmon are the most fragile fish caught on the Great Lakes. Lake Trout are easier to release, as most other trout are as well. But, the biggest thing I have to say, is the technique and procedure taken by many when releasing fish back into the Lake. That is the problem overall with releasing Salmon.

I have (25) packages of Fish On Precision Cut Herring Strips For Sale. These are the packages with (6) Herring Strips in each tray. I bought too many packages last fall, that I didn't use, and would like to get rid of them. The Strips are located right now in the Muskegon/Grand Haven, MI area. I will not be able to ship them. If anyone is interested, we can arrange for pickup of the Strips, or meet somewhere, or probably anything really that is in the West Michigan area. Let me know where you are located and we can see what we can do. I will also be in South Haven, MI from May 15-21, for the Tournament. We will docked in the Municipal Marina on the NORTH side of the channel, for anyone further South who may be interested. Let me know if you are interested and we will definitely work something out. Thanks. The price is $3.75 per package or $85.00 for all (25) packages. PM me if you are interested or reply to the post. Thanks a lot!!!!!!!

Lee's Tackle Size 7 Coastlock Swivels from Muskegon, MI. A package of 12 is around $5.00 We have been using these for 30 years. The Sampo swivels are overrated, as well as all other Ball-Bearing swivels for Spoons. Just my Opinion. The Lee's Tackle swivels work great with all sizes and brands of Spoons.

Anyways, enough of the releasing Salmon subject for me. It gets me too revved up and stressed out,

It is a very sad event, with a very clueless committee. The first year it really started to happen, 2004, about 5 of the Lake's best charter fishermen approached the committee on the Wednesday before, during prefishing, and told them the rules need to be adjusted because our Charters are only lasting for 1 hour and we can catch 18 Kings in that time frame. For the tournament it should be catch 12 fish and go in immediately. Well they ignored that and said at the Captain's meeting everyone should have fun as we expect almost every boat to catch their limit of Salmon and the hard part will be getting their Trout. Well I already told you the effects of that year. Well that year and summer and winter all everyone did was talk about the South Haven Tournament; and then they followed it up with the same rules in 2005, but now without an observer for the Pro Division. Guess what the rules are for 2006?!?!?!?! Same exact rules with no observer again. Three years running now and the amount of entry boats increases every year. You can email the committee, call, talk in person, and they frankly don't listen to what you have to say or your input at all. I can bet you almost every person doesn't try to revive a Salmon during a tournament. You are paying money to win money. How many people would try to successfully release a Salmon when money is involved, especially when it is bigger than some you already have in your cooler? Our boat looked like a slaughter house with blood and slime and guts everywhere from so many fishing flopping around. Plus, in 2004 still, you had an observer sitting there making sure all those fish got tossed back and there wasn't any cheating or miscounting or anything else going on. We had caught our 9 weighable Salmon in the first 47 minutes of the Tournament. It is bad enough we are forced to stay out and catch 20-30 extra fish because the committee says we have to. Here comes in their other great rule, you can not go in early unless you have your 12 weighable fish and if you do, you will be DQed, same as getting towed in, etc. Anyways, it is very hard to release Salmon successfully without them being harmed. Larger Salmon it is even harder. Small Salmon can easily be released with a pliers and a flip of the wrist. Once you begin netting Salmon is when they become fragile and lose scales, slime, and life.

South Haven, Grand Haven, Holland, and Muskegon

I have a few thoughts on this matter. Can you successfully release a Salmon that you have netted without any scales falling off? Do your hands remove some of the slime on a Salmon? Salmon can be successfully released if they are not touched and hurt. If you catch a Salmon in 50 degree water and then try to release it in 70 degree surface water, do you think it would get shocked while missing some of it's scales? Salmon are very delicate when compared to a bass or perch, etc. This is a very debatable topic and has been discussed with numerous DNR biologists and NOAA biologists at a lot of the Charter Boat and Sea Grant Meetings. Most will say Salmon initially get shocked, but they do not die instantly and many do survive. A lot of the fish survive and a lot of the fish eventually die. This topic is brought up at almost every DNR meeting. For those of you who have never seen A LOT of Salmon floating, I would recommend riding around Lake Michigan during the South Haven Tournament. This is the most controversial tournament on the Great Lakes. In 2004, we caught 29 Salmon on Saturday and 37 Salmon on Sunday. You have to catch 9 Salmon and 3 Trout there, when the catch is 99% Salmon only, especially in Southern Lake Michigan in the SPRING!!!!!!!!! We counted at least 20 fish that floated away directly behind our boat and counted over 100 fish that we passed floating while trolling both days. The numbers were even worse and higher for 2005 during the tournament.

Hey, I Know that BJ's Sport Shop in St. Joe has an excellent selection of bulk tape that you can buy by the foot. For years we have drove down there from Grand Haven to get tape. I know for sure they have the Yellow Glow Tape, plus many others. They by far have the best selection of tape I have ever seen. The last time I saw any of the Reverse Green Glow Tape by the bulk was in December when Steve's Bait and Tackle in Nunica went out of business. I can't really think of any other places that have a tape display that you can purchase tape by the foot or anything directly from a roll. I ordered a 1000 foot spool of Green Glow Tape from WTP probably 8 years ago already and you can't even tell any is off of it. Here is the information for BJ's: BJ's Sports, 4298 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI 49085 1-800-246-4638

So yeah, it was very insightful and full of knowledge. LOL Now that I think about it, I saw it was posted, I thought, and X-ed out. Well, I learned that I will never preview anything again and just post it!!!!!!!

This sucks, I had typed a big long response and it isn't here. I probably hit preview or something stupid and now it is gone .

Whenever we arrive to a new port, for a tournament, the first thing we do is look at what direction the wind has been blown for the previous three days. We then see what the surface temperature is in various locations, either when running down or trolling, and make comparisions, whether it was colder or warmer or the same after the wind blew and what direction that water moved because of currents and the wind. Next, we would look at Coastwatch to confirm the satellite temperatures. Next, the most important thing I think, is to figure out the direction of the current. The current, I believe, is the most important factor in determining where fish will be and how they will bite. There can be two currents, an upper and a lower, going opposite directions of one another. I believe knowing the current can be a difference in catching 5 fish or 25 fish. The time of the year is always a determining factor in where to begin, as well as location of the port in comparision to the time of the year. We then would begin to look for the thermocline on the Fish Finder. We would take a down temperature with the Fish Hawk periodically, but not use it all the time. (Not a huge fan of the Fish Hawk) Lastly, we combine the current, water temperatures and thermocline, and location of the port with the time of the year. We then figure out the "normal" migratory patterns of the fish based on previous experiences. Time of year and water temperature are the determining factors in whether or not to use Flashers and Flies, Spoons, Cut Bait, or Plugs. It is hard to explain, I can tell because I am having a hard time, haha. It seems to come more natural and just happens because we are on the lake everyday, all summer long. Basically, using what you know about the current, water temperatures, and wind are the BIG THREE factors I would tell anyone to begin looking at and work from there to begin building a knowledge base.

Luhr Jensen Dodgers with Spin-N-Glos or Peanuts. Sometimes with a string of Cowbells ahead of it. Downriggers 5 feet within bottom and 2 pound Lead Drops bouncing bottom every so often. Usually from 80-160 feet of water. Also, when surface temperature is right, way offshore with surface boards and spoons trolling super fast.

1) Chip's Shanster regular-sized Stinger 2) Buffalo Bill Fuzzy Bear 3) Double Orange Crush regular-sized Stinger 4) Bumble Bee Pro King 5) Red Devil regular-sized Stinger

1) Natural Born Killer Stingray 2) Mixed Veggies Stingray 3) Glo Blue/Green Dolphin Stingray 4) Green Dolphin Stingray 5) Green Machine regular-sized Stinger Honorable Mention (Best Fly): Hypnotist LG Rapture Fly

That is definitely New Buffalo, MI

We usually run 30 lb. between the Dipsy and Flasher from May-July and then 40 lb. between the Dipsy and Flasher from August-September. We always run 20 lb. between the Dipsy and Spoon. The way we keep them straight is we have 8 rigged Divers. 4 for the port and 4 for the starboard, each side with their own color of snubber to keep them straight. 2 of the port/starboard divers are always rigged with 20 lb. and 2 are always rigged with the 30 lb. or 40 lb. That way we always have 4 divers ready for flashers and 4 divers ready for spoons without always having to retie. It is easy to switch presentations by just switching divers. Captain Jon

The 16 Slips at Chinook Pier in Grand Haven, MI are just under $4,000.00 each this year. They wanted to raise them to around $6,000.00 over the winter, like Mackinac Island, but that luckily got voted down. They think the slips at Chinook Pier are the 2nd best in the State, next to Mackinac Island. The $4,000.00 price is for any size boat. Captain Jon

As of January 13, 2006 you MUST go to Toledo, OH to get finger printed. It is part of the new expansions on Homeland Security. I went earlier last month to Toldeo to renew my license and it was not fun. They have to verify your identity with a Passport, Driver's License, Birth Certificate, finger prints, and other things. The MCBA is working on eliminating this process as there are a lot of complaints, etc. They are trying to get it back to a local government institution like it used to be and not have the National government involved in Charter Fishing Captains. Captain Jon

We need to take action again as House Bill No. 5575 has been reintroduced to Congress. House Bill No. 5575 is a Bill to eliminate lead in fishing tackle. It was introduced in the Fall of 2004 and expired as the year ended. It was again introduced on January 24, 2006. Here is the link to it: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2005-2006/billintroduced/House/htm/2006-hIB-5575.htm

We use in-line planer boards exclusively. We use Big Jon (Wille) Side-Liner Planer Boards whenever fishing surface baits such as body baits and spoons. It is easy to run up to 12 boards at a time (6 on a side) a lot easier with in-line boards than regular Big Planer Boards and mast. We also use the Church Tackle Walleye Board exclusively for pulling Lead Core and Copper. Again, it is really easy to fish 5-6 Walleye Boards on a side with Lead Core and Copper than with the Big Planer Boards and mast. Don't forget, this point-of-view is brought to you from a Charter Boat Captain who fishes a lot of rods.