steeliebob

So sorry rascal my money is on the Steelers. Go Ben!!!!!

I kind of think that unless a steelhead of a certain vatiety is a planted fish most of the steelhead that are naturals are just mutts. Wisconsin and Michigan both plant 3 to 6 varieties of steelhead and I am reasonably certain that they mix it up a little when they spawn. Thus the mutt steelhead, I never try to guess the difference too much. I catch lots of steelhead every year and only get about 4 fish with any kind of fin clips.

It is best to ice troll on Lake Michigan in the early spring. You find a pressure crack about a foot wide. You take your spud or auger and break the surface ice it is usually paper thin. Then bait the hook with a wiggler and set the depth about a foot above the bottom. Slowly walk along the pressure crack pulling your pole. It works awesome for trout and whitefish.

Time to set a tip up with a spawn bag. If you cannot catch it send me a PM I will give you better instructions. My guess is that it was a steelhead. Probably a skamania to be hanging around the Qsee river.

So far 8 for the year. Unfortunately I can only fish on the weekends. A couple of more days and I will be back on the ice again. Just cannot wait to get back out there. Like I have mentioned in previous posts there is nothing like catching a big steelhead on a tip up.

I usually give the throttle a little jolt that hooks the fish and makes it mad. It also gets someone moving toward the back of the boat. It is when the rod goes off and just goes down that you had better get out of my way. When the rod stays down it is a good indication that you have a big fish on there. Had one guy in the boat once, I dragged a 10 pound salmon for 10 minutes before he realized that I did have a fish on by then I had two fish going.

Set your alarm clock Rick. You have to be there early or you might just as well stay at home. From 8 am until 10 am both Sat and Sunday it was non stop flags. I caught and released several brown trout 14 to 18 inches. Saturday I got an 8 pound steelhead. Sunday I caught a three pound, 7 pound, and 12 pound steelhead. I also caught and released some brown trout on Sunday.

The tip up flags were flying nonstop both Saturday and Sunday. I put an 8 pound steelhead on the ice on Saturday and several brown trout which were 14 to 18 inches. All of the brown trout were released. Went back on Sunday and caught a 3 pound, 7pound and a 12 pound steelhead and several more smaller brown trout.

Winter time would be the best time to smoke pike as the smoker will run at a cooler temp. With white meat fish you do not want the smoker to get to hot. You may want to mix 50/50 lemon/lime juice with water and occasionally wet the fillets. It keeps them moist and gives them a better flavor.

Don't complain about the cold too much. I was fishing on Sat 1/1 in the UP of Michigan and it was 50 degrees out. I was standing on a foot of ice watching tip ups for steelhead. Two hours later there was 40 mph winds and the temp dropped to 30 degrees. The next morning it was 14 degrees out and I was back to watching tip ups for steelhead. I did catch enough fish for a nice dinner.

Thanks I will give it a try I have some fresh steelhead that will do the trick.

I got out this past weekend !2/31, 1/1,1/2 ended 2010 by catching a 18" brook trout through the ice released that fish and got a skunk the rest of the day. On 1/1 it took awhile and I had to relocate several times but I finally got into the trout and ended the trip with a 18 and 20 inch steelhead. on 1/2 I got out well before daylight and set up as the sun was popping I nailed two 20 inchers on back to back flags then nothing for 4 hours. The steelies made a great dinner for Sunday night, Can't complain 4 chromers to start out the new year and a tastey dinner on Sunday night.

I watched them lift a 34 foot pleasure craft in St Ignace in Sept of this year. It was not an easy task by any means. I am sure that the salvage crew will have their hands full with this one.

On craigslist daily looking for a new boat. Then I will have to buy it rig it get equipment ready. After x mas I have about 4 months of ice fishing to take care of first.

Fighting a big chromer with a hand line is something few steelhead and salmon fishermen have ever experienced. Let me clue you it will get the heart pumping and you soon forget about the cold and wind. it took me a couple of years to get my rigs right and master the technique. I had alot of frustration at first as I could catch them on the poles but not the tip ups. Now it is not so bad and it is alot of fun.

When I lived in Saginaw I would always start at Wicks Park in about 6 ft of water for walleyes. If you could keep the carp off of your lines you could do pretty good on the walleyes.

I was out on 2 inches of ice last Saturday 50 yards from open water and had to vacate when the wind came up. Caught 2 small steelhead, you have to be verrrry careful. It should be good when I get back out there in a couple of weeks.

No 30 pounders recently, but I did put a 22 and a 25 pounder in the boat in 2010. In 2009 we had a double which produced a 24 and a 22 pounder. These were all taken in St Ignace.

Even in the EUP we only have about 4 inches of ice at best.

Sweet. I bet you cannot wait to get back on the soft water. With browns like that I would be ice fishing for them.

Got out on Saturday 12/11/2010 and set some tip ups for steelhead. It was an interesting morning, the ice was 2" but probably not 3". Right as the sun came up the flags started flying. We wound up going 2 for 9 and missing 5 screamers. It was good for practice and we got all of the bugs worked out. I would have liked to have seen the screamers. The ones that came through the hole were smaller steelhead. We had to leave early because the wind came up and started cracking the ice. Lots of action for the first time out on the ice though so it was a good sign. We saw some eagles, a pine martin, and some deer so for about three hours it was fun.

Try ice fishing for them. If you can get on them and get a few you will not regret it a minute. I use tip ups alot with spawn bags. I think that it is perhaps the most fun way to catch a nice chromer. When the flag flies the action is on. I will be going out on Saturday and Sunday to give it a try. The big marinas down in SE Michigan hold nice browns and steelies in the winter months. In the UP and Northern Michigan you can get them off of the stream mouths just about anywhere that has a little flow to it.

Good Luck guys. I will be out on Sat am trying for steelhead in one of the back bays there should be ice it freezes quick.

I just set out my tip ups with 8# test mono a #14 treble hook and a spawn bag. I mix steelhead and salmon spawn. I let it set right on the bottom and change them up quite often to keep the scent in the water. If the flag does not fly I move sometimes changing locations is the ticket.

I hear that the eyeful makes some nice rods. You should bring them up to da up and we will hook onto a steelie through the ice just to break them in for you.