steeliebob

Today March 20, 2010 has been declared meatout day by Jennifer Granholm at the request of PETA. Let your neighbors know that PETA sucks by firing up your grill or smoker today. Throw on a slab of venison, fish, or other wild game and cook away. Let the aroma of grilling meat fill the air. If you live in Lansing throw a BBQ so big Jen will have to follow her nose. Today has been declared backstrap day so get em out and grill em up.

The ice is gone or close enough to being gone that I don't take chances. I caught 16 Steelhead through the ice this winter, the guy I fish with he caught 9. The average size was about 8 lbs the smallest was 5 lbs and the biggest was 14 Lbs . So it has not been a bad winter. I am getting the long poles ready to go for some spring fishing before I put the boat in the water. We saw lots of coyotes and a couple of wolves out on the ice this winter and almost lost a steelhead to an eagle. It has been a fun winter to say the least.

Are you fishing in an area where there is some current? If you are in an area near an island or a point the current can really change how a dipsey diver works. I have a difficult time with my dipsey divers when I fish between St Ignace and Mackinac Island. One day they work well and the next day I cannot run two poles to save my life.

Nice job too bad the cover is still on my boat. Makes me want to get out there though. I"m counting the days....have to make the repairs on the boat before I put her in the water though.

Nice catch the population is starting to decline already. I got some nice bows through the ice up in the straits but it is time to get out the long poles now. I won't launch the boat for a month or two. I am in no rush, I like to get the salmon and they won't show up until July. Meanwhile I can work on the boat.

Look good. Way to put the hook to them

Congrats, sounds good ! Like you I will have 20 in on 09-08-2010 and my wife does not care to fish either. I will probably get her on the boat a couple of times this summer. It is great cause she does not care how much I fish. I am a fishing fool.

Way to go with the Ford Boltman. Have to get everything ready for the big water in the UP now. The ice is gone long gone. I will be towing it not too far with a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport. The Jeep was not made to tow as it really goes through the gas. I will have the boat out in the water in May for trout as the salmon never show up until July.

Looks good has anyone been out yet??? A couple of more days and I can drop lines under the Mackinac Bridge. Way too cold out yet though

I can tell you from first hand experience that the freshwater intake structure to that plant has some good fishing. You have to work there to get access to it. Back in the day when I was a security guard there you could fill a lunch box with big perch or whitefish in 5 minutes. So after lunch I was fixing for some dinner.

I was hoping you would be telling us how to catch fish (50 in a day) not asking us. I have caught loads of lakers I did not count off of a L Michigan shoreline during the fall run on cleos when I was targeting steelhead before.

I was recently at a sportsmans club meeting and the numbers are out on the double license in the UP. Up here you have to shoot a buck with 4 points on one side if you have the double tag during firearm season. According to the surveys taken only about 1 in 50 hunters filled both tags. I do not buy both tags instead I opt for a doe tag and hunt downstate, so I don't know all of the rules nor do I care. I do know once you shoot a buck on the single tag you are done, period no more hunting. I am at odds with low deer numbers up here and rule changes with the DNR. I don't believe that shooting bigger bucks will have an impact on quality deer management if there are no deer to manage. I know of a few very good hunters who shot nice bucks this year. I also know of some very good deer hunters who have given up on Michigan deer hunting. I think that if the DNR is going to impose rule changes they need to manage the deer a little better so there is a little more quantity then they can worry about quality.

Lets hope that they get caught

No fish this past weekend. I did get to watch four deer on the ice for a few minutes before they disappeared into the woods. Not 5 minutes later a wolf came out onto the ice and ran off in the same direction as the deer. It is the third time that I saw this wolf this winter. Plenty of coyotes have made their presence too.

Rob, you do realize that the only hatchery trucks that cross the mighty mac going north are the empty ones. We don't catch the numbers of fish like they do in SW Michigan but we do catch some really nice steelhead. I really appreciate the offer of fresh spawn, steelies cannot resist the fresh stuff. Looks like good weather this weekend, you guys should be about ready to line up at the boat launch. Last winter I was fishing on 2 feet of ice and you guys were downrigging. Good luck with the downstate steelies.

Getting ready to go again this weekend last weekend was a little slow. I hope that a few more are cruising the shore this weekend. Thanks to the 5 pounder I got last Sunday I have some steelhead spawn. Not lots but enough to get me by for a little bit. I think that it is a little too cool for them to move much and the runoff has not started yet. We will see this weekend.

Lots of grease on that grease ball, but a hell of a nice lake trout. I really hope that it was released or put on the wall. Awesome

LEt me know when you guys are back up in the St Ignace area fishing. I would be happy to take you out on my boat or go out on yours. I am pretty easy to get in touch with and I can provide information on what the fish are hitting on. Last year we nailed the fish pretty good on Sister Sledge and Green Dolphins. Two years ago Jacksons were too hot, I had them on every pole. Could not get a fish to even look at one last year.

I used to live in Saginaw and fish just off of M-13 just N of the Z bridge on what they call the dumping grounds. I fished with jigging rapalas one orange and one chartruse, hook a 3 inch shiner on the middle hook. About two feet off of the bottom in 15 fow. We caught some monster walleye this way in the early am and just before dark. I don't fish down there anymore so check ice conditions before you go. That area will have lots of fishermen if they have good ice.

We picked up a couple of 8 pound steelhead 02/06 on the ice fishing poles, too much fun catching big chromers on an ice fishing pole. They should start coasting pretty good in a week or two. I can't wait to get into those ones.

I did get a pic under small game of the office wall and the big deer is posted under deer pictures. Frank I most certainly will make a trip down for walleye fishing with you. I know the bay produces some monsters. I just want some of those nice 20 to 24 inchers for the freezer. Due to a lack of snow this winter I can take the Jeep pretty close to some of the fishing spots. I hunt and fish with a guy with similar problems, I try my best to accomondate him and he is pretty happy. He did manage to help me drag my deer this past fall, I did not expect it but I sure appreciated it. How soon do you put your boat in the water? I would assume late April or early May? Mine probably won't be launched until Late May as all that you will catch then is lake trout.

I have a picture of the wall in small game and a picture of the buck in deer but so far I could not get the bobcat pictures to upload due to size.

I still want to make a trip down and walleye fish with you Frank. The offer is still open if anyone wants to steelhead ice fish this weekend. I miss fishing in the Tawas area as I used to get some real nice salmon & trout out there.

I will be going out steelhead fishing this weekend from St Ignace. I would be willing to take someone just to keep you off of that unsafe ice downstate. First come basis and don't stand me up call 906 -643- 8630. Last weekend I was on 9" of good ice. You don't have to worry about bringing quads or sleds as I can drive within a couple of hundred feet of where we will fish.