Turfwrench

Flintstone Chartreuse Clown, Green NBK, Lemon Ice, every trip, Purple Haze during early morning or dark days. Northport Anniversary about anytime. White/pearl Becholds or Jensen dodger with Star Wars fly. Simple, yet very effective.

Kinda funny that I was thinking of browns for the summer. This brown was caught through the ice not too far from where we fish in the summer just over a week ago. This brutis was 16lbs and had a 26" girth. The fish are around.

Better than a Timex,, took a licking and still kept ticking.....or in your case catching.

Thanks guys. We have a few spots that likely hold browns, one we call the humps that runs in the 50'-70' range, usually find a few walleye in there and usually holds plenty of bait as seen in pic below. They have planted plenty of browns the past several years in the area so there should be a few good ones out there. Great looking browns ya got there!!

Interesting subject. I find over here in the S end of Lk Huron that a bit after soid daylight in spring is good and then again around 1 -3 in the afternoon. As summer progresses although we may get a few in the dark hours of the morning the crack of daybreak is super hot, peters out again til around 2 or so and than again just before end of dayllight in the evenings.

Another good lure for lakers is those old king size magnum spoons that Northport Nailer made. Seems they can't resist a big ole bait slowly going by.

We see them every spring and fall in the shallows and some are very good sized. At these times they seem fairly easy to target. The question is where are they in the summer? Has anyone targeted them in the summer anyone with good success or is it just a stumble upon one or 2?

Skin on. Smoked, when I eat it I just peel the skin off and use fingers to remove the dark line, comes out real easy no foul taste. Grilled, fish slides right off the skin and with a spoon, fork or knife you can remove the line then, separates very easy, still no foul taste. Deep fried, boiled, or canned - skin off.

Thanks guys, I appreciate your responses and can see why inlines can be a benefit. I only target the top 30 fow when running boards, don't run coppers or cores so I have no need to pull other lines to put others out. My game plan on the lower side of Lk Huron is to run my rigger and wire divers deep, then put out a couple highs for steel or walleye. We get several walleye a season while trolling for salmon and trout and a lot of times those eyes are in the top 30 feet over 80+fow and many times see steelhead cruising or sipping on the surface. Body baits like the Manns 30+ on a 3 way with a spoon on one side and higher running baits on the other side cover that high side of the water and usually quite effective.

When I lived in the Keewenaw we just used our regular ice fishing gear usually after the stocked trout which were plentiful. Occasionally you will get some splake, lakers, and whites. Russian hooks with waxies or small spoons for the larger trout. Toss out a line on the bottom with half a minnow was usually good for the whites. If you are adventurous and want some lakers drive down the shoreline towards Eagle Harbor and you will usually see some people out on the big lake itself providing there is plenty of ice. They will be fishing between the ice piles where the ice is thin using gabu and jig tipped with minnow, piece of smelt, or if you have some - belly fat from laker and jig it just like you are bobbing on the open water. This fishing is not for the faint of heart as you will see most of them drag a canoe with them when fishing these thinner ice sections. Do not go it alone, ask to go with someone that has experience out there.

Why??? I guess I haven't seen the light yet. For 30 years or so I have used big boards and mast and find no fault in them. Yes I have and use inlines on occasion but never seen any benefit to them that makes them superior to running the big boards. Call me old fashioned but I really despise having to stop bringing the fish in to unclip a board off the line .... especially if the fish decides it is time to make another power run while attempting to remove the board. And I still love the sound of a fish ripping the line from the tether and shaking the mast

I run the otter boats. For my uses are great, Walleye on Saginaw Bay and silver fish on Lk Huron. They ride nice in the water, riding over the waves instead of crashing into them like my old double boards did nor do they take off flying off the top of a wave. They pull well and have ran as many as 4 lines off each side. They are a breeze to retrieve once you start to crank them in they turn toward the boat and fly right in. For running heavy gear some people opt to get the second keel kit for them to add even more pull. I am well satisfied with them.

I know you can get it at Michigan Lumber and Truss and also I believe Lowes or Home may also carry it in some areas. For the aluminum boat be sure it is the CCA Aluminum safe plywood. Got mine for $80/sheet for my project boat. This pic was the test fitting and final sanding before finish cutting out outdrive hole and epoxy.

Welcome. You may want to add a couple wire diver rigs to your arsenal. Very effective rigs. If you are after lakers and they are deep and sluggish a great tactic is to replace the diver with a 1 or 1 1/2 lb ball attached to a 3 way swivel and run either cowbells or a flasher with a peanut trailing. Lower until you hit bottom then raise up and lower bouncing the bottom and raise again. I have found that most hit come on the raise. Yes, you constantly have to work the rod but it sure is a fun way to catch those lakers and will put some fish in the box on those slow days. We used this method a lot when fishing Lk Superior in depths from 180-225.

It really makes one wonder if cannonball color really matters or if it is just a personal feeling that certain colors don't work. I run only black balls and black dipsys. That is my personal preference with the thought that black is fairly neutral as far as an attractant and the fish will put their eye on my lure instead of the divers or balls. But is this logical thinking or my own superstition. Looking at it another way, big paddles and spinnies of assorted colors approximately 2 feet from our fly or bait and we are also successful. Does the color of that big flasher differ in attraction from the color of the ball????? Does the fish key in on the ball, the flasher, the bait, or all the above. A good question indeed.

Welcome Jeremy. Choosing the boat that is right for you can certainly be a tough decision. I notice you say you go out on Superior 5 - 7 times a year, really not much time on the big water......do you mostly spend time on inland waters? Glass or tins is a good question. I lived in the Keewenaw peninsula for 8 years fishing Lk Superior on a regular basis where I progressed from an 18' Starcraft Mariner to a 22' Islander, mainly for the larger hull and the cabin. Both boats served the purpose well as most of our fishing was done within 5 miles of shore and when I got the Islander I would make trips to Isle Royale. Now that was a bit of a run but the sleeping accommodations were included in the boat so that is why I went with the islander. I towed that boat a lot to Lk Michigan, fishing out of Manistique and Menominee area for various tournaments. Being aluminum made it easier to tow and was great on gas with a 4 cyl 120hp engine. When I moved to Mesick, (35 miles S Traverse City Mi) my port of choice was Frankfort. I really appreciated the lighter weight of the Islander making that tow every weekend as the hills from Mesick to Frankfort can really put a strain on the tow vehicle. The Islander served me well while I was there and on good days would run out 10-17 miles scum line fishing. During all those trips I never felt in peril that the Islander could not handle the waters. Granted I did not deem it necessary to go out in high seas as I don't enjoy fishing when it is that nasty on the water. Sold the boat when I moved to Kentucky but when I returned to Michigan I bought a 19' Thompson (glass). It is a used boat but was in good condition, the price was right, and I was itching to get back on the water. Yes, she is a bit heavier than my Islander was, I believe the listing was 1800lbs for the Islander and 2200lbs for the Thompson. My port of choice where I live now is 60 miles away to which I trek to almost every weekend. Yes, I now burn more fuel towing each weekend than I believe I would if I had the Islander. The boat does ride fine on the water and can handle some pretty good surf but again, I try to stay within surf limits that are comfortable to fish in. The downfall, no cabin and it does have a tendency to dive into the waves (when trolling) whereas the Islander being lighter seemed to rise better into the waves. Both boats will pound and beat on your body when trying to run fast in heavy surf. Yes, to a lesser extent in the glass but still not enjoyable in either. This summer I was able to pick up an older 24' Starcraft Chieftan (aluminum) that I currently am restoring. The cabin area in this boat is much larger than that of the Islander and has a deeper hull. Now I will again have the option of slipping the boat for a weekend of fishing and still have the lighter tow. It has a 140hp mercruiser which will be good on gas but still plenty enough power to cruise along. So for me I still like the aluminum boats and feel they are suitable for the conditions that I like to fish in. (I am no hot rod on the water, relaxation is the name of the game). Good luck with your search and hopefully your decision is satisfying for your needs.

Great fish and a beautiful mount.

Update: After a lot of research this spring I purchased a Standard Horizon GX2100 Matris AIS radio, price around the $250 mark. Installation was a breeze and easily hooked up to my SH plotter with both NMEA in and out ports. I can say that I am well pleased with the AIS function. The below pic shows a freighter in the upbound shipping lane (the triangle with directional pointer). By moving the cursor over the ship it will display the ship name, course, speed, time to closest point of approach, and distance to closest point of approach. Now I have plenty of time to adjust my trolling pattern to move clear of these ships. I have also seen that there are other boats that send out AIS signals, mostly blow boats. The DSC feature is a wonderful item. I have read past post on this and would highly suggest that if you have this feature on your radio that you utilize it. Obtain a free MMSI number from BoatUS and input that # in your radio. One of my fishing buddies got my old Cobra radio and got his MMSI, now we can send position request back and forth digitally without others seeing our locations. When I send him a PR it pops up on my plotter and shows me exactly where he is so if he is on fish I can navigate towards him without letting the fleet know. I also got to observe the DSC Distress function in action. Apparently a boat was in distress on the Canadian side of the lake but once the signal was sent out the alarm went off and the boats position was displayed on my plotter. Wow, this certainly could be a lifesaver! So if you have DSC and a plotter be sure to hook it up and obtain your MMSI. According to the Coast Guard information 90% of distress calls received did not contain position information and 60% did not contain registered identity. You may read more here : http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtDsc For me, this was a great investment. Not only am I pleased with AIS function and the position polling, I also have a greater comfort knowing that if I ever had to use the distress function others would be able to locate my boat.

What do you guys use? My slider lines are usually around 8' and 10' for the divers. Usually keep these on the walleye style crawler harness holders (tube type). My 3 way rigs I wrap around a section of swim noodle. I can't say I am a real fan of the harness holders. As I run swivels on both ends of the line, I clip them together and start the wrap from the swivel end and the end of the line when wrapping goes in the slot of the holder. Usually have to skip a section or 2 to put the next one one as the swivels have a tendency to come loose out of the wrap and can make a mess. The diameter on these thins are small and a bit time consuming putting the leaders at the end of the day. There must be something better.

I can only assume the buoy was in 80-100fow. The depth fluctuate rapidly in that area. I lived up there in the 80's and can say that you earn a great respect for that lake. I have seen it go from flat to OMG in a hurry. A group of us were coming back from Isle Royale one spring in an attempt to beat the approaching storm. Unfortunately we did not beat it to the north entry and at 11 miles out from Portage we hit a wave that stood my 22' Islander on her tail. I was afraid to look down on the floor to see what rolled out of my pants.

Talk about some powerful surf.....this link tells the tale of the buoy off the north entry in the Keewenaw. Lk Superior certainly can rear up the ugly side. Amazing on the data graph how fast the lake grew from nearly flat to 24'. http://www.pasty.com/discus/messages/7471/8158.html

It is a very impressive fish. Almost a pound and inch.

Great work on the deer! Some mighty fine eating there.

I hear ya Jason. Made 2 trips to the west side in less than ideal conditions but at least made the best of those trips and got some fish to boot. Seems the weather most of the summer was good till it got to August when I like to go west. I certainly cannot complain on the fish that lower Lk Huron gave up to us this past season and am looking forward to spring. I winterized the boat this past week and will spend the winter getting my project boat ready for the water in the spring. It will help keep my mind off of fishing over the winter. For you big tin can lovers this is my project, so far have her gutted, new transom is made as well as the cabin walls.

Birds and a hot breakfast to boot. That makes for a very good day.