EdB

Hex hatches are winding down we stopped and watched our graph in 23 fow NE of the dumping grounds. It looked good so we set up. We had 18 quick ones in 2.5 hours but had to work for our last 6 for a limit, they took about 2 more hours. The fish stopped feeding and turned back on after a lull, we hit 4 fish at the same time and threw 3 keepers back pulling lines. Small stinger and DW spoons on Big Jon diver disks on 50ft leads caught most of our fish with a couple bandit bites on riggers down 9ft. We worked 23 to 26 fow on the MI side of the Ohio line. Good luck!

Welcome aboard!

A Nice Program sponsored by the Great Lakes Salmon Initiative, Captain Chucks II and Moonshine Lures. You can win prize packages of $100 gift cards to Captain Chucks II or Moonshine Spoon packages worth $100 each. DNR: Turning in tagged fish in Michigan could net $100 reward - mlive.com https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/05/turning-in-tagged-fish-in-michigan-could-net-100-reward-dnr-says.html Turning in tagged fish in Michigan waters could net you some extra cash. The Michigan DNR is reminding anglers that catching a trout or salmon with an adipose fin clip could be worth a $100 reward. The adipose fin is the small, fleshy lobe on the fish's back, just forward of the tail fin. Michigan and other states around the Great Lakes, include popular gamefish (like steelhead, Chinook salmon, Atlantic salmon, brown trout and lake trout) that have been mass marked by the DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before they are stocked. Most trout and salmon with an adipose fin clip also have a coded wire tag the size of a lead pencil tip in the snout that must be removed by lab technicians. If anglers catch and want to keep an adipose fin clipped fish, they are asked to turn the head in at one of the DNR’s local drop-off stations The tagging program’s success relies on anglers, according to Randy Claramunt, the DNR’s Lake Huron Basin coordinator. “We have limited capacity to take that important data from sport-caught trout and salmon,” he said. “We have creel clerks at some ports, but there are several areas – including some river systems with unique fisheries, like Atlantic salmon or steelhead – where we don’t have staff. To get enough tag returns to learn about these species, we’re asking people to take a little extra time to turn in those heads.” Jay Wesley, Lake Michigan Basin coordinator, said fish tag returns help biologists understand survival, age and movement of important sportfish. “We are particularly interested in confirming how naturally reproducing Chinook salmon contribute to the fishery; the movement and wild contribution of steelhead in lakes and rivers; and survival and movement of Atlantic salmon,” he said. The Great Lakes Salmon Initiative, along with Captain Chucks II in Ludington and Moonshine Lures is sponsoring 33 rewards worth $100 each to help promote the program. Fish with tags submitted before Nov. 1, 2020, will be eligible for the rewards, which will be randomly selected. Additional details about the reward program: Each head with a tag that is turned in equals one drawing entry. Eligible tagged fish include steelhead, brown trout, and Chinook or Atlantic salmon. The drawing will occur around January 2021. Contact information (name, address, phone number) must be provided with each head. Catch data (date, location and body of water) must be included with each head. The head must be left at a Michigan drop-off location. For more information on how to recognize a tagged fish and how to fill out the proper information, visit Michigan.gov/TaggedFish.

Nice catch!

Welcome to GLF, let us know how the fishing us up there!

Nice catch!

I'm not a charter either but I could not agree with you more. With our short season in the Great Lakes, if they lose another month of charters, some guys will lose their business. The slip payments, boat payments, licensing fees and insurance payments all continue but hard to pay them with no revenue coming in.

Duke 63 Do you think following the Governors orders is going to eliminate the virus in MI? How long will that take? Why is it OK for liquor stores, pot shops and lottery tickets to be open and available for sale attracting people out into the public for these non essential trips, is that going to help eliminate the virus? Why is ok for someone from Chicago or any other state to travel to the 2nd home in Michigan but MI residents can't, is that going to stop the virus? My elderly neighbor's heart valve replacement surgery is prohibited but abortions are legal and are "life saving" according to Whitmer. That makes a lot of sense. If I take my immediate family that lives in my house on my boat, pack our own ice and food like we always do, how is that going to spread the virus? But it's OK to load them up on a sailboat and go out on Lk Michigan. Sounds like the Green New Deal to me instead of Coronavirus protection. People are pushing back because Whitmer's rules are over the top, unfair and lack common sense.

https://mucc.org/mucc-to-file-lawsuit-in-response-to-motorboat-prohibition/ MUCC to file lawsuit in response to motorboat prohibition By Nick Green | April 16, 2020 | 0 Over the past six days, Michigan United Conservation Clubs has received hundreds of communications from members, the angling community and citizens throughout Michigan. These communications have conveyed concern over the recent Executive Order (EO) 2020-42 and its subsequent interpretation. First and foremost, MUCC is very sensitive to the public health crisis facing Michiganders. We have received a number of communications from those within our MUCC family who are being directly affected by this novel virus. The decisions that follow were not taken lightly, and this has weighed heavily on those you have chosen to represent you. Two overwhelming issues emerged from member communications: The interpretation, and subsequent enforcement, that motorboating is not allowed per the “Frequently Asked Questions” sections of the Michigan DNR and governor’s websites. The language surrounding shooting ranges and how that applies to sportsmen’s clubs throughout the state. It is unclear whether they are allowed to remain open, as most are volunteer-based and not staffed. In the governor’s FAQs, the shooting range issue is addressed, which does not take into account the vast majority of ranges owned and operated by MUCC-affiliated rod and gun clubs. We recommend taking this issue up with local law enforcement based on your individual facility’s operations to determine rules and procedures for safe outdoor recreation and will follow up directly with our affiliate club presidents and primary contacts with additional information. On Tuesday, MUCC consulted with an attorney to discuss if legal action was appropriate. The MUCC Executive Board convened Wednesday night to receive and review all available options to represent our clubs and members. MUCC retained Aaron Phelps, a partner with Varnum LLP based in Grand Rapids, for legal representation as it relates to the application of the EO to motorized boating. The MUCC Executive Board convened again on Thursday afternoon to make a final decision regarding the organization’s actions moving forward. The board heard summaries from MUCC’s lobbying firm, McAlvey, Merchant and Associates, and Phelps regarding political and legal options. In a 14 to 1 vote, with one board member absent, the MUCC Executive Board voted to file a lawsuit challenging Executive Order 2020-42 as applied to motorized boating. The complaint is expected to be filed soon. A grassroots fundraiser has been initiated. Contributions of any amount you can give will be imperative to our success in protecting anglers and our outdoor heritage. Click here to help the cause. This morning, a letter was sent to Gov. Whitmer expressing our concerns with EO 2020-42. Included in that communication was DNR Director Dan Eichinger, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, House Minority Leader Christine Greig and Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich. MUCC and its members fully understand the risks that areas like the Detroit River, Tippy Dam and Saginaw Bay boat launches have posed. In the spring, these areas are flooded with anglers from all over Michigan and out of state. We support measures to mitigate risks in these highly-frequented locations. However, these are only a few small examples of the thousands of public and private accesses we have throughout Michigan that are infrequently visited by people with motorboats and could be vital to Michiganders’ mental health and wellbeing during this time. We can not stress enough our empathy for those of you who have been impacted by the novel coronavirus. You are in our thoughts, and united we shall stand. Since 1937, Michigan United Conservation Clubs has united citizens to conserve, protect and enhance Michigan’s natural resources and outdoor heritage. It has, and always will be, our duty to provide hunters and anglers a voice in Michigan. We hope you understand that unanimous consensus is almost impossible. MUCC staff and leadership have been faced with difficult decisions about how to represent you in the short-term while having long-term strategies in mind. Since our founding, we have worked through both strained and prosperous relationships with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Legislature, the governor’s office and the Natural Resources Commission. This issue will not be an exception. Michigan anglers and recreational boaters are entitled to clear and unambiguous rules, and they should not be subject to criminal penalties based on arbitrary interpretations of a unilateral order in an FAQ. MUCC recommends anglers abide by all social distancing protocols and health best-practices per the Center for Disease Control while recreating. MUCC has been defending your rights to hunt, fish and trap since 1937. Click here to join today. Posted in Policy and tagged angling Michigan, boating ban, Fishing, Michigan EO, michigan fishing, motorboats, Whitmer ← Michigan Out-of-Doors New Counselors in Training Program

I use #6 hooks. You will need heavier pyramid sinkers, probably 2-3 oz's depending on surf conditions. A 1oz will work if it is flat calm. Generally, flat calm days are the worst and 1-2 ft wave action is best. I've caught fish on calm day but if it is flat and I have a choice between the beach or the pier, I'd go to the pier. You don't need floaters all the time either, some times bags without floaters do better than floaters. My overall best bait tends to be steelie skein or king skein without bags. I use spider thread to hold it on a hook. That does not have floaters and works great. Some days a bag with floaters will work better than skien or bags without them. I tie up bags with both floaters and none but I'll always take some skein too. I like a nickel sized bag or clump of skein. In late winter early spring when water is cold, skein will catch whitefish if they are around for a bonus. I don't use shrimp often but it very popular for guys in Indiana off the piers. The fish shrimp under a slip bobber 8-10 ft deep with a small jig. You can't do that off the beach. Good luck!

Coho have been biting in Indiana from shore and boats. I know a few were caught from shore and by boats at St Joe this on Saturday too.