Rascal Trophy Fishing

Very nice TJ, I bet you have a lot of good times with the new boat, good fishing.

Sounds good Alex, keep up the good work.

I'd test without the kicker on first, and if that isn't it, call Fish Hawk and ask for technical assistance for correct answers.

Welcome to GLF Dave, and don't be afraid to ask away. The guys here are courteous and love questions that can help all the time.

Nice pics and report Al, I'm also surprised to see some Lamprey marks already in the cold water.

Welcome aboard Mike.

Welcome to the site Kevin. You're going to love it here, these guys are great for info, and courtesy. Enjoy & thanks for joining.

Salutations for all gifts to Aaron, Lyn, and Kylie, great job all.

Nice work Mark, many congratulations on the June blessing.

I like your style and approach Kyle, keep up the good work.

It's a little tough up here in Ludville this spring for sure. Anyone fishing the area, as I advised in the past, will want to check out my group website for current fishing reports at fish-ludington.com. I hope this helps and encourages you guys to come back. These reports get more regular as the season progresses, up till mid-Sept.. Thanks, and good fishing.

There's no doubt about new sticker shock when you look at a new boat, car, or truck, it's ridiculous nowadays. What we all as keen fisherman and boaters want to never forget, is that there is no price you can put on a lost soul on the water. I have to keep reminding myself this too after many decades of boating, it's just part of the sport that we all committed to yesteryear. There are a lot of well maintained boats out there for distressed sales too nowadays, shop wise, and buy well.

Welcome to the site Mark/FishDoctor. Do you have an opinion or facts to dispute the DNR studies? I know I disputed them at a LACA mtg. last year, but my statements were based on facts of fishing in the lake, not skewed statistics and theory. The speaker, a rather young fellow, never had personally fished nor been on a boat in his life. When I and another captain offered him a free trip to look in person at the fishery and catch them, he declined our offers, and said he had another date. That kinda gave away his hand at the new decline in stocking news, which we were disappointed in. Given the fact we saw better seasons of recent than past years, we expected the DNR to keep doing what works, not what some think might work. Planting less, imho, is the wrong answer right now, if we want a strong fishery to continue into the future. Thanks.

I guess I could also mention that testing with the USCG changed quite a bit in recent years. There are many more hoops, as far as sections of tests, that require testing. There are also a lot more differing tests given, in the old days, maybe 2-3 tests. You could take a class, and the teacher would know in advance which test you would take, and prep you on that specific information/questions. Some of the tests also require a 90% pass grade, some require 80%. If you fail any part of the assorted tests, you have to retest again, before a year elapses, or start all over again. You will also have to pay to retest again, travel, stay-over, gas, etc.. The sport trolling license in Michigan was $100 for about 5 years or so, and discontinued. We also have no guides license unlike Wis., and perhaps other states. Many seasoned capts. have all the credentials, and are great fisherman, then suddenly, lose their license due to any physical ailment that may show up in a physical exam. It's no catwalk anymore, and for the non-serious person, not doing it full time, and wanting to make a living from it, I don't recommend it.

One thing for sure is, it's a very stinky process. They also seem to work best after the big morning bite is over, or the mid-afternoon bite is slow.

Ryan made a very accurate statement about todays new charter requirements. I do believe though, that the TWIC card is no longer required. The rest though, is right on. The amount of hoops and related costs have gone thru the roof these days. It wasn't anywhere near this much in the old days....lol. You are also required to belong to an org. that has you on a random drug test program year around, that's about another $150 for memberships, plus you have to renew your license every 5 years with a new physical, that's another $250 or so. Then you have to get your boat, or the charterboat being used, inspections from the DNR for about another $250, depending. Then the charterboat has to have a lot of new safety equipment and such, including special marking on PFD's with special doo-dads, another $500+. By the time you're done, you have a nice fat wallet drained. You are also now a part of Homeland Security, background checks back to birth, and you can't have any legal problems at all. The amount of federal paperwork is voluminous at best. You are now approaching about $3,000. This isn't for the faint of heart, nor the guy just showing off for fun. Good luck.

There is quite a bit to it James. Let's start with where you are from, and your experience, type of boat, and your intentions. Start out by finding your local charterboat association, ask, they can answer and give you packets on the trade I'm sure. There's also MCBA, try their website too. Most go to a capts. school also for starters. Good luck.

Is the Michigan steelheaders still alive? I have been a long-standing member at large, and tried to contact by email and phone, only to come to a dead end.

Locked and loaded, here fishy fishy.

Nice afternoon and night bite Brian, keep up the good work.

Great safety advice Larry. Good thing Dennis is astute at being mechanically inclined. I of course would advise getting a new gasket asap.

Looks like great eating material to me Terry.

I'm sure it isn't often you make this kitty kat report Jimmy, stand tall in your first trip, I'm sure it will repeat more often than not.

Welcome to GLF John, these guys are great for any questions you have.

Thanks for sharing Mark, nice hunt.