eastcoasttransplant

Hey guys, So today my wife and I made it down to the Tinley Park show (nice event), met HondaCat and then went looking for the famed Pastrick Marina. Now I have a 17fter that I keep up in Winthrop Harbor but have been told that the coho bite in southern Lake Michigan is outstanding in the next few months. Some have suggested it would be a good idea to trailer my boat down that way and fish there for the first couple of months until the fish make it up to the Waukegan / North Point area. My questions begin here.....it seems like the most direct way to get down to the Pastrick area would be down the Skyway but that becomes pretty costly. Therefore, I'm not sure if it really become viable for me to make the run south. What do you guys think? Secondly, unless you know the area, there are some not so great looking spots when attempting to get to Pastrick. What might be some good options for me to consider? Also do any of you know a place to keep the boat overnight or for a weekend instead of constantly trailering the boat back and forth to winthrop Harbor? In the end, I'm just trying to figuing out if fishing the sourthern end is really something worthwhile for me or if it will end up being more of a hassle. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all.

I would say DO NOT get the manual downriggers. I have used both over my time fishing in NJ and now here in IL and especially when you have a limited crew electrics are just much simplier to use. You can find good deals for used electrics online so definitely check there first. If you puruse the internet fishing forums each has a for sale section where some great items go up for sale at discount. PM me for a few of those forum addresses. Best of luck.

In looking at the few threads and seeing the wealth of knowledge here, I was thinking it might be nice to share a little information about ourselves potentially in an effort to help others. It's nice to know someone who fishes the same area as you, lives nearby or wants to bounce info off of one another. Here's the basic format I was thinking of for those who want to share their information: Name: Age: Residence Location: Area(s) Most Often Fished: Years of Experience: Boat Size and Info: Boat Name: Feel free to supply as little or as much information as you would like and feel comfortable with. I just thought it might be a nice starting point for those who fish the same waters to get to know each other and perhaps begin an information share or something similar. I'll Begin: Name: Phil Metz Age: 36 Residence Location: Palatine, IL Area(s) most often Fished: Waters off of Winthrop Harbor, Il and Kenosha, WI Years of Experience: 2 months on the big lake but 31 years on east coast saltwater and freshwater locations Boat Size and Info: 17ft Tracker Dual console with 115hp Mercury outboard Boat Name: In Too Deep My wife and I relocated to Illinois 3 years ago and after spending a few years on shore decided to pick up an aluminum dual console last year. We launch most often out of North Point Harbor in Winthrop Harbor, IL. Due to circumstances, we only had the boat out for the months of July and August but did well enough to be excited about this coming season. Over the years I've done everything from kayak fish saltwater bays and marshes, shark and tuna fish off the Jersey coast to tying flies for finicky east coast trout. Now that we have the boat there's a whole new realm of possibilities. Looking forward to an exciting 2011. Thanks all.

Ok so it's no secret that this will be my second season (first full season) on the big lake. Due to circumstances, I only used our boat for the months of July and August and had it pretty much wrapped up in September. The engine was winterized and the leads removed from the batteries. I realize I will need to recharge the batteries, and check all the safety gear (VHF radio, etc.) but is there anything I should do separately when running my first trip out this season? Basically, do you guys take extra time to warm up your engine, baby the engine for some time before going full throttle, adjust speeds as opposed to just sticking to one trolling speed primarily? Anything else you would recommend? My boat has a 4 stroke 115HP Mercury and while I think I'll just take some precautions on my first trip back out, I was just wondering if there was anything else you guys recommend. Thanks all.

Just curious if anyone keeps their boat at State Line Storage off of Russell Road in Winthrop Harbor, IL. I'm not looking for positives or negatives, just curious who may keep their boat there. Thanks.

Check out In-Fisherman for an older article about fishing way down deep. Mark Chumura on the Michigan side regularly fishing deep and has set up a program to do such. Heavier riggers, balls and releases are needed fishing real deep but it can be done. This year i am trying an 11" paddle with a home made meatless teaser rig. we'll see if that can get them to go in deep water.

Large Plano tackle box for sale - $20 PM or e-mail me if interested. Available for local pickup in Palatine. Thank you.

Fishfinder has been sold.

Fishfinder tentatively sold. Will update upon completion of sale. Thank you.

Will drop fishfinder again to $50, which is over half off the retail price. The unit retails for around $110, for this dual 83/200 Khz unit. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested. Ladder and rails have been sold. Thank you.

Will drop fishfinder to $75. Only used two months last season.

I have a 2010 ProGuide 17 WT.

Rod Holders and FishFinder are still available. Rod Holders are $15 or best offer. A little more about the FishFinder: Lowrance X50 Dual Sonar Fishfinder (Working unit with all hardware and cables included) Use for two months last season on Lake Michigan. The unit came with 2010 Tracker Boat package but I moved up to a larger unit with more pixels Asking $100 or best offer. Buyer will pay shipping charges. Please send pm if interested. Thank you.

Hey guys, So this year, when my father-in-law comes out from the east coast, we plan on fishing a few days on Lake Michigan and a few on Lake Winnebago out of my 17ft dual console. Never fishing Lake Winnebago before, I'm wondering what we might expect as far as the fishing opportunities? Anything to particularly watch out for? Anywhere you guys suggest i could gather further information about the lake and it's fisheries? I purchased an inland chart of the lake and also just bought a Navionics chip that covers Lake Winnebago. Fro what I've read, walleye seem to be the number on fish that anglers go after when out there and the overall depth is pretty shallow. My father-in-law is planning on coming either late March or late April. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all

Hey guys, So this year, when my father-in-law comes out from the east coast, we plan on fishing a few days on Lake Michigan and a few on Lake Winnebago out of my 17ft dual console. Never fishing Lake Winnebago before, I'm wondering what we might expect as far as the fishing opportunities? Anything to particularly watch out for? Anywhere you guys suggest i could gather further information about the lake and it's fisheries? I purchased an inland chart of the lake and also just bought a Navionics chip that covers Lake Winnebago. Fro what I've read, walleye seem to be the number on fish that anglers go after when out there and the overall depth is pretty shallow. My father-in-law is planning on coming either late March or late April. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all.

Hey Tim, You're on Chitown-Anglers as well....correct??? I'd be willing to meet up and go over things with you either during the off season (now) or as soon as you get the boat out of winter storage. BTW....you said you didn't try the boat but you did test the motor...PLS!!! Give me a shout and we can go from there. Oh, I see this is from 2010....but you can still hit me up if you need to go over anything.

Large Plano Tackle Box $20 Cannon Quick Strike Rod Holders $15 Stainless Steel Boat Rails $40 (40 1/2 inches long, 1 1/2 inch rise, 1 inch diameter tube and 2 inch diameter base) Lowrance X50 Dual Sonar Fishfinder (All hardware and cables included) $100 Three step portable boat ladder $20 Available for local pickup in Palatine, IL. Please send pm if interested. Thank you.

The ball won't really "bite" into the water as much as a planer or dive bomb. What you're suggesting can be done for sure. Guys up north, near Sheboygan and beyond, regularly use ball weights off of boards. The things is, as with most spreads, you're lighter weighted rod sure be the farthest outside and slightly back from the rest of the presentations and the heaviest weighted rods on the inside and closer to the boat. That helps reduce your tangles. Now throw in the chute rod........once you start running so many rods you run a greater risk of tangles (no rocket science there). Your spread is weighted and staggered so that the rods move to the middle of the transom after hookup. Throw a chute rod in their and you now have a presentation that is directly in line with where your hooked fish are going. If your chute rod is weighted heavy enough, the fish will pass over your line. If not, you're line is so far back that your hooked fish will end up crossing the line and becoming a PITA. Thus, most guys I talk to forego the chute rod. Will it catch fish....absolutely, but will it eventually cause tangles.......probably.

Wow, now I see I'm missing rod holders...LOL. It's usually only me and a friend on my boat and I usually run two cores, two dipsys and two riggers. If I get another person in the boat, I'll add either two more cores or two more dipsys and may stay with 8 rods or stack a rigger. I asked the question about ball rigs and chute rods and most stated that while it will produce fish, it can result in more headaches and tangles than it's worth. My real issue with rod location and set up it that with the addition of the bimini top, windshield extension and sides (during cold, wet weather) I really only have the back half of the boat to work with.

Sounds good KJ. I'm sure Dan won't disappoint and it seems like there's some nice door prizes. See you there.

Ok, my wife and I are in for Feb. 26. Should be a great class with lots of opportunity to learn.

Sorry guys, my comment wasn't an attempt to put down the fishery on the Michigan side. Unfortunately, I have never even had the opportunity to fish Lake Michigan from the east side. I only heard that MI had less obvious structure than say the Kenosha, WI area that has very obvious dropoffs known as The Hills. I am glad that lots of you chimed in to correct my comment and show that there is plenty of structure to fish on your side of the lake.

For what it's worth I hear there is a lot more structure on the WI side of the lake where Dan fishes than the MI side. From what I've heard from others, most are fishing temp breaks on your side of the lake.

Definitely a good read. As it's been stated before, not your typical where and how to fish book but a much greater message gain be gained. There is some religion involved, some faith and some great stories of Dan growing up throughout the years. It gives you a much greater perspective of where he's coming from and an appreciation for what we as fishermen have. Makes me really look forward to Dan's next release.

I'm thinking of heading up that way for the seminar. I'm located in Palatine and may be able to drive if others are interested. Just a thought.