Turfwrench

Grant, who is collecting this info? Does this cover the thumb side? There have been browns caught this season so far from both Sanilac and Lexington. I would most certainly be happy to report my catch in support of the program.

I have been watching the Sanilac web cam when it is working and it sure looked promising. Would be nice if they at least put one dock in early. Last year they put them in on march 31. I am ready to chase some silver. Reports have a few fish being caught off the break wall. Seems like we could have another great year.

Brandon, where do you plan on fishing out of. I fish mainly Pt. Sanilac with a few trips every spring and fall to Pt. Huron. If you go to lexington I don't believe the 8# balls will be a problem as it is quite shallow for several miles out. I keep a set of 4# balls on board for when I am fishing in the waters 30' or less. If you plan on running deep out of Sanilac or even Harbor Beach I certainly would say go heavier. I run 10's and 12's out of Sanilac and usually fish 50-70 down without much problems but occasionally the current kicks up and does add some blowback.

Welcome. Keep us posted on the Harbor Beach action. I fish mainly out of Pt. Sanilac. Hopefully this season will be as successful as last.

Welcome Tom to a great site, people, and certainly plenty of helpful information.

It is pink on one side and purple on the other side. I took one to the Birch Run show to see if they would still make them. Ray said he he forgot to put that pic up on the site but had a few available at the show (of course I bought all of them). You can check out the pics under his FB page as he has since updated them there and it is listed. I would also suggest the Blue/Green Tail as it was also a great spoon out of Sanilac.

Flintstone spoons have by far been my best producers. Pink Watermelon has been killer for steelies.

I guess maybe I should toss in some background on my trolling styles. In over 30 years of trolling I have tried just about every ball made, from fish shaped, pancakes, torpedo types, teardrop and rounds. Yes I do like to troll fast with 3.0sog to the low side and 3.8 on the higher side. Blow back for me is usually not an issue as I am not running them overly deep. When I do go downtown speed is slowed accordingly. I run mostly clean spoons and a few body baits, very seldom flashers or bells unless plying deep for lakers. The real kicker here is I do fish in the St. Clair river for early season and fall silver and lake trout. If you have ever fished the river in Pt. Huron you will know the current runs at over 5 and increase the closer you get to the international bridge. Add that with the forward momentum of trolling into the current the speeds are as well increased. Towards the bridge the depths run from 40 - 60'. Ball performance is at a maximum in these conditions, simple changes in direction and the balls will fly. To return and head back downriver means kicking up the throttle and making a rather quick turn to keep my stuff free of tangles. So hence this is why I specifically asked about the Ridgebacks.

That gets the blood stirring. Unfortunately we got another 4" snow last night - I think we have seen more than enough snow for the year. Got most of my tackle and rods all set just got to get some better weather so I can get the boat ready.

Ok, so I finally get an up close look at these @ the Birch Run show this weekend. Spent a bit of time looking them over and talking with the rep. They certainly have my attention. Of interest was the flat bottom = no more rolling around the boat. He claimed that there is less blow back on these due to their angle of hang which is quite similar to a dipsy and also supposedly do not swing out on the turns. Search on this site revealed only a couple people that used them with no real info. So if any of you have used these I would be interested in your honest opinions. 1. Do they seem to have less blow back 2. Do they track true and not swing out wild on the turns 3. Any other issues with them. While their price is really not out of line with any other balls I just don't want to invest on another set that basically does the same as all the others.

As far as the electronic side goes I would have to say the fish finder. Not only does it allow me to track the drigger balls I can see if the fish are moving to my baits or are passive. It also gives the confidence that when seeing bait or fish that I am in a possible productive area and not wasting time fishing waters that are barren of fish. My chartplotter, while a great addition to compliment my fish finder and a very valuable tool is not nearly as vital in the whole scheme.

I hear ya! Hard to beat a day on the water like this sunset off Pt. Sanilac last year.

Congratulations!! Seems like yesterday they were so young but now they are grown up and moved out. Wow, how time flies. Now the only babies around the house are the grandchildren.

This is the size of peanuts (wobble glows) that I usually use. These are 3/4" long but can use the 1" also. As you can see the top right one has caught many a fish and the paint is peeling off and has since been retired from service. They may be small in size but sure can catch some nice lakers.

I would be interested in seeing what those that actually try them have to say about them. I agree that without some type of dive chart there would be a lot of guessing involved. From the looks of the video they do not appear to pull as hard as a dispy does and that I do like as I run mostly med lite rods and a couple mediums. I am not a fan of using broomsticks for rods. Would also like to know what their impact is when fighting a fish. Will be looking forward to seeing the results.

Beer, brats, and good fishing........what more could a guy ask for!

Sounds like you had a great trip and caught some great eating fish. I had never had burbot until this year when I caught this 12lb beast out of Thomas Rd. I cooked some both lobster style with the melted butter and also some fried. Wow that fish sure is delicious. Yes they are ugly but what they lack in looks they way more than make up in taste. I wish I could get several more of them. Even the wife liked it and she is quite particular about her fish. My only complaint is there is not a whole lot of meat on the fish compared to their size.

Call me old fashioned but I have been running manual riggers since the early 80's. I currently run 4 Big Jon SR400 Capts' pack. I tried the electrics before but just didn't feel it was necessary for my style of fishing. Normally I don't fish at extreme depths that would warrant electrics and those times that I do fish real deep I don't feel it is a problem with the manuals.

Browns can be caught just about any port along the thumb. Pt Huron, Lex, Sanilac, Harbor Beach. The do plant many on this side in the fall and hopefully the survival rate is good. This thread speaks of the plant this past fall at Harbor Beach http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19953 This past fall we caught several out of Sanilac while trolling while also seeing a lot of the planters in the harbor on the way back in to load up. Barring no more car/deer accidents this upcoming spring I hope to get back on the water early.

Nice video! If it was only spring - I can't wait to get the boat back out.

No doubt it would be the Flintstones Blue/Green Tail for me. It was my #1 producer last season.

Cowbells and peanut have always been my go to ran a couple feet off the bottom. Otherwise magnum spoons. But my favorite method was bobbing for them in Lk Superior with a 1 -2 oz jig tipped with belly fat.

I have ran the Matzuo 4" swimbaits and have had pretty good success with them for eyes and lakers. They have the paddle tail on them, not the spiral. Purple was killer for the lake trout and seemed to troll real nicely off the downriggers.

A buddy of mine has fished Lexington Harbor a few times lately with only 1 9" perch for his efforts. So sounds like not much is happening there.

After watching on the the large Frabill tent go rolling down the Saginaw river to the mouth last season with 2 guys chasing after it pretty much ruled that type out for me. I will stick with my flip over.