slickwater

I have been using 17# for years and the only break offs I have had are when a fish goes into another line. Plus I used 12# last year on a couple spoon rods and never had a break off. But now I just switched a couple rods over to 25# for fishing meatrigs. I surf fish for salmon in the fall when they are staging at the mouth of a couple rivers and I only use 10# there and have landed salmon over 25 pounds on it.

I got the new smurf mamba bti flashers and matching smurf meat rigs. I will see how they run with strips first. John Kings websites are www.michigansportsman.com and www.michiganangler.com

Ive been running strips on my meat rigs. But my local tackle store just got some green label whole herring. Should I run them whole or should I fillet them like John King does in one of his videos? Most of my meat heads can't run whole. But I just ordered 2 super magnum heads from John King. If I fillet them would the one fillet be a little short? Should I brine them with big weenie brand brine or John Kings method.

Turfwrench, I'm with you. I fish ports that don't have the salmon like Manistee, Frankfort or Ludington. Catch what you can. That's all I can do. Like yesterday we only caught one 20# king and lost one. But most of the boats around us never caught a fish.

That's quite a goal. Only wanting to catch limits or your a failure. If I said that I would be a failure everytime I fished. Not very often where I fish does anyone catch limits unless you fish by yourself. As long as I'm catching fish that's all that matters.

Should I run 20# line with 12" flashers and meat or will the 17# I use now with 8" flashers work fine?

I think when I run two next to each other the flasher get tangled with the line blow back from the other rigger rod. I run flashers 20' back. Should I run the higher flashers farther back.

On Sunday both meat heads were UV heads. And the fishcatchers, one was white glow and the other was green with blue tape.

How do you keep from tangling when running all meat rigs? Everytime I have run 2 meat rigs next to each other I always get a tangled mess. Oh I keep forgetting, should I run 20# on my rods instead of 17# when I get some of the 12" flashers for meat rigs?

I'm not worried about morning fishing. Just late afternoon and evening. On Sunday we started fishing and 4:00pm and caught 4 kings before 8:30pm and then no more king hits on meat just a couple small lakers at prime time from 8:30-9:45. Do I need to speed up at prime time so my spoons are working better? Or is where I'm fishing not having a good spoon bite? I'm not seeing other boats catching very many.

Ok. We got six salmon on Fri. 4 were on meat using a 8" fishcatcher. Best speed was 1.8 at the ball. But as it got later in the evening the meat bite just about was non existence. So my question is: Should I pull the meat when it gets closer to dark and all spoons or maybe flasher and flies instead of the meat rigs? Same thing happened last night. But we only got 4 with 3 on meat. We are also getting quite a few knock offs and not hooking those at all.

I was wondering if I need to brine the Erie derie herring strips? I used them yesterday with good results without brining.

Well I used a couple different meat rigs yesterday evening and they caught more than spoons(4:2). But I did have two tangles running the two with two spoons. One was a beachhold hoochiemama and the other was a spin doctor both 8" they were both 20' back. One on a center rigger and the other was on the corner rigger and they were 15' apart. And they still got tangled. I still don't understand how some people run 4 flashers off of riggers.

How far behind the ball should I fish flashers. On my low rods and the high rods so I don't get tangled?

I always turn slow. Because I have leadcore and dipseys out. But how far from the ball should I be running flashers so they don't get tangled? When I run more than one. Is the 15-20ft good. And have them all the same. Or run the higher lines off riggers farther back?

When I run flashers above my other lines they always get tangled in the line that bows back from the deeper rods. I run spin Dr. about 15-20ft back. I only run my flashers on my deepest rod.

What down speed should I be running y meat rigs? And how far back from the ball? Do I run them the same as I do with flies? I use spin doctors and stinger pro troll flashers. I usually run only one flasher in my spread because I'm afraid of getting tangled with the other lines. I know some people run all flashers but I'm not sure how to do that without tangles.

Play Dough, there is 2 cleaning stations in St. Ignace if docking your boat there is an option.

Last July we averaged 5 per trip. Sometimes we fished by the island and sometimes at St. Ignace. We went 2 for 5 last Fri. The 3 we lost were not just knock offs they were actually hooked and got off. We have never fished towards Cheboygan.

We fished out of Mackinaw City every weekend last summer over by St. Ignace or by the islands and the ferry traffic doesn't bother the fishing. But Play Dough you are correct there is no where in Mackinaw to clean your catch. For me that doesn't matter because I just take them home and clean them.

http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=5727&c=3] This tournament is on Lake Charlevoix (ONLY)and the weigh in is in East Jordan,MI at the tourist park(campground). All the phone numbers are (231) area codes. There will be door prizes. And raffles through out the day.( Auger,jet sled, a real nice sportsman knife set plus other prizes.) There will also be prizes for the biggest pike and perch. And there will be a concession stand with food and beverages. A place to stay warm . There is also camping available. The winning fish will be mounted by Fish Whisperer Taxidermy of Gaylord,MI. Which will be done by me. This is plus the 1st place prize. I will post more as I know more, or when it gets close to the event.

Yoda, yes they are getting thicker and thicker by the day. The Cheboygan tourny had fish weights of just under 50#.

Good fishing. Now I won't have to go as far to find fish.

Our boat has caught a 32#,a 35# and a 36# over the last 15 years. He was not on a charter. I can't get you a pic because I have a slow internet connection and it won't load.

A good friend of mine went out of Manistee this past weekend and they got a 34# king and it was weighed on a certified scale. They sure are running a lot bigger this year.