EdB

Dan, I didn't know there was a tow service in Ludington, do you have a phone number so I can put in my cell phone? I would never sue anyone for helping me so don't be afraid to help me out of Ludville if we are in nearby waters. You can always count on a tow from me if you need one;) I've towed in a 3 boats and been towed in once in mine. The boat that towed me in at Pentwater wouldn't take any money for gas so I threw them a bag with a couple of my hottest spin doctors and flies from that day of fishing. I appreciated it! I'm not overly worried about getting sued, I know it could happen but I'd still help. Now that you mention this, I might ask the folks if they won't sue me in the event of a problem and that they accept liablilities for me towing them in. I'd at least get a verbal from them, with my crew as witnesses.

Fished on a buddy's boat out of Luna Pier. We started in 24 ft of water as we did the day before but it was real muddy in there. It was muddy all along the south shore. We moved out NE to 26-27 ft off water, north of the sputnik and finished our limit there. We only ran spoons, off diver disks on the boards 96 to 102ft back. Divers on 3 out 60 ft and riggers on the bottom. Blueberry muffin was the hottest spoon of the day. Ended up with 5 of them in the water. Good luck!

Here's some pics:

My buddy and I fished out of Bolles Harbor today. We caught 15 walleyes and kept 10. We fished on and over the Ohio line from 24 to 26 feet of water. Our fish came on spoons and diver disks on 85 and 90 foot leads. Moonshine and dreamweaver spoons, copper backed. We also took some nice fish on a gold and blk thunderstick and hot'n'tot. Those were on 100 ft leads. Good luck!

I'll 2nd canning the core down the shoot, put them all on boards, you'll have less trouble. Put your shortest core on the outside and longest cores on the inside. We run 3 to a side all time. When running spinner's on cores, it's a good idea to add an extra ball bearing swivel in front of your spin doctor. That will prevent line twist from wiping out your core.

I've always known that as a Willis Knot. I did a google search too to see if I could find an illustration. Look what I found via google, right back to this site. It's an old post but a good one, more than just knots: http://www.greatlakesfisherman.com/forums/showthread.php?t=451

They are city owned launches and not all that great. Parking stinks at the downtown launch.

Right on, some days they bite good and suck your lure in deep and some days they just slap at them.

Some great memories there!

That's an awesome trip with your sons!

Very neat, we see them once in a while on Hamlin Lk by Ludington. I've never seen one in southern Michigan.

It's always nice to turn that key the first time in the spring. Even better when you put some fish in the box. Good start to the season Frank!

Nice box!

Nice to get a grand slam, congratulations!

Some nice fish there!

Yeah Mike, that's turkey ugly. Don't those eyes look tired. Here's the other turkey pics:

It has been a tough but very fun turkey season so far. It was great to sleep in today for the first time in a couple weeks. I got my bird 4:45 PM yesterday after an all day hunt. The short version is he had a 10-¼ inch beard and one inch spurs. I’ll get some pics up later from my buddies camera. If you want the long version, read on. I even labeled it for you. The BS: My hunt started Monday and I hunted every day. I enjoyed some great hunts and close calls all week. I called some jakes and hens in a number of times. Got some morals! I saw some cool birds. The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and Rufous Sided Towhee’s in the branches close around me were an awesome sight. Hummingbirds are hitting the early tree blossoms. I saw a few snakes too. I always tell people that I guide to walk in front on the trails and have their gun ready. On Tuesday, I had mine slung over my back carrying my decoy when I crested a hill to see a long beard and 3 hens well in range. They all stick their heads up for a pause before they ran and flew off. At least my hunt didn’t end early and it’s more fun to use my calls. The public land birds around here had me covering lot’s of ground. I lost 8 needed pounds since turkey season started. I scout very hard prior to the season and during the early hunt periods ahead of me. I know the area well and had numerous roost locations pinpointed. I also scout where other hunters are at so I can focus on spots without a lot of pressure. Even with that, every single first morning set up this week stunk. I’d get in early near a great roost and their would be no birds in it that morning. I’d hear them a long ways off and have to make a move. That is the best part of a general hunt permit, you can chase some long distance birds sometimes. I never found birds in the same roost two days in a row. I still had some good 2nd and 3rd set ups. I had some ground gobbling and tom’s in the 60 to100 yard hang up zone and I couldn‘t close the deal. The real hens were better than my calling. But I’m a big believer that if keep turkey hunting hard, you are going to cross paths with a lonely gobbler sooner or later. I have read other guys here talking about the tough hunting they were having this year and I was too. On Friday morning the day I got my bird, once again I set up in the wrong spot. The birds were a long ways off. I waited too long to move hoping for a nearby bird and by the time I got there, they were on the ground and shut up. It was the toughest morning all week. I hunted till 11:45AM and never heard another gobble. I had 3 coyote’s cross a field in front of me. I was supposed to get to work but I called my boss to take the afternoon off and hunt all day. That was a good call! The hunt: I took a break for lunch and was back out by 1:00PM. I went to a very large track of land that held a lot of birds and got way back in deep. I forgot my face mask in my truck, darn it, that was a long walk. I rigged up a mask with my gloves. I set up near a big field opening in the forest. I’d call a bit every 20 minutes or so and finally heard a gobble back about 2:30PM. He wasn’t real close but not real far either. I couldn’t get a second response. I little while later a hen popped out the far side of the field and then a strutter popped out behind her. I gave them a few calls but the hen wasn’t buying it and just fed back and forth in a small area. I got to watch him strut for a ½ hr until the hen went back into the woods and he followed her. About 4:15PM, I get another gobbler to answer my call. This one is close just off the field. I see them step out into the field and it’s 2 gobblers. They see my decoys and head my way. The gun is on my knee and call on my lap. They hang up out of my sight behind some thick brush but if they come past it, they’ll be in range. I can move and give one soft purr and a cluck and ready the gun. It seems like forever before they step into view and they move in to about 30 feet away looking at the dekes. I watch the big one strut but I can tell the smaller one spots me and he goes on alert. The biggest one drops his strut and sticks his neck out and I drop him. On the walk out back to the truck, I spooked two different hens off nests. Both had big clutches of eggs. One was in a thick briar patch and one was in the leaves in a wide open part of the woods. I get back home and the celebration begins with my girls! Good luck to everyone still out! I'll add the turkey pics when I get them. Got this with my cell phone, not to bad for a camo glove mask:

Nice job Adam!

You know Frank, I always tell the kids I take fishing and hunting that they better take me out when I'm too old to get around very well.

It was nice to finally get out in the woods with a call in my hand after the last few weeks of scouting. I took my friend's son Rigel. We got set up and had 5-6 gobblers in the area sounding off from the tree's as it got light. I waited awhile and then gave a soft tree yelp. They all sounded back from the tree's. I waited some more until we heard one fly down. Gave another soft yelp and come clucks, they gobbled back, some from the ground and some still in the tree's. Then we heard a hen on the ground clucking so I started talking with her. She was yelping, clucking and purring and coming our way. The toms keep gobbling. I shut up and let the hen do all the talking. The gobblers loved it but I could hear they had hens with them too, all on the ground now. The lone hen came into our decoys and she must have liked them as she stayed around for about 20 minutes. We see a strutter coming about 150yrds out. She is still talking and he is answering. Cool, we have a live decoy. She starts to head his way and I cluck 4 or 5 times and she turns around and comes back. The strutter on the ground had hens and he is not coming our way, he is on a parallel path and drops out of sight. Another strutter come into view but follows the same path as the first. Even our live and still very talkative decoy can't bring them to us. She finally heads their way, I can't turn her and she goes out of sight. I waited a bit and gave a few clucks and purrs. Another gobbler answers back, he is close but just behind a knoll and we can't see him. I give a another cluck and a purr and we see the top of his fan and he is coming. He comes into full view just out of range and he gobbles. A couple soft clucks and he is moving our way again. I can see he's a jake but Rigel was going to shoot the first legal bird he could. He stop's and struts about 30yrds out. I tell Rigel he is in range and to get the gun up when his head is blocked by a tree or his fan. The bird stands there for about 5 minutes and the mosquitos's are biting both of us. I've got one on my nose and one by my eye sucking blood and nothing I can do. Rigel takes one in the face too and doesn't move. The bird finally struts in a cricle and Rigel gets the gun up. We get to watch him gobble again, I give out a really hard set of clucks, more like a putts and he drops his fan and sticks his head up and boom, Rigel drops him! Awesome morning! My hunt starts Monday and I just packed the Deepwoods Off in my vest. Here's a pic, the smiles says it all!

Nice job, the hunting conditions were tough with the wet weather. Way to hang in there and put a nice one down! Good job on the Rap call too. Did the poacher kill and take the turkey or did they miss?

Mike, you made a good call, nice box!

Nice catch Salmon Slammer! We had a tough go to start out Saturday at St Joe. We didn't lift a rod trolling south until we go to the Cook plant. I didn't see anyone hitting fish on the troll south. We finally starting getting some fish south of Cook in 50-60 ft of water. We ended the day 7 for 11, one king and the rest coho.