DUSTER

Thought I would post this info for member MCBA Capts. and interested fishermen. Several weeks ago we started posting on Facebook for our members and the interested public. We're able to get info out in "real time" as we receive it for our members...If your on Facebook...just do a search on Facebook for MICHIGAN CHARTER BOAT ASSOCIATION...and our page will come up for you...Some Capts are posting pictures already to the page for the public to see...Also we're "test" buying a little advertizing on Facebook to get our name out to a bigger public...via the Facebook network. On another topic...we're in the process of doing a new website with all the new "tekky"things...such as APPs and more user friendly navigation site features.. That should be up and running sometime in May 2014....

John...........George has been gone for at least 1o years or better now. Time flies and it could be 15 years now ,I just don't remember for sure. When George was alive I bought several 100 flies and squids from him . His son Casey Ritchie took over the fly making business and still may be making flies. I still see a few around in several area tackle stores in northern Michigan. George's aqua-gold fly was a killer on king salmon for me with a Bechtel fish catcher flasher in white/glow or white with silver prism tape. Another one that worked great was George's black squid fly and a white Luhr Jensen dodger on over cast or dark days . George usually gave me a good break on flies if I bought a 100 at a time,think I was buying flies from him for a buck a fly if I bought a 100 and they at that time sold for 2.75 each at local stores. George was a firm believer in the double single hook set up on his flies and over the years I've come to think he was right there.... I lose more fish on today's treble hook flies....such as the KRW flies. Now I buy KRW fly bodies and make my own double single hook set up. George lived in Honor,MI on Big Platte lake and had a barber business in Honor and I grew up in Benzie county so I knew him for many years. Just in the past several weeks his twin brother Dave Ritchie past away. Dave wrote for the Detroit Free Press for many years doing the sunday outdoor page. Both Dave and George wrote books on fishing in their lifetimes. George also wrote for the local weekly Benzie Record news paper on fishing/hunting in north west Michigan. The Ritchie brothers grew up in the Flint,MI area and both moved to northern Michigan...Dave lived in Buckley,MI and as I mentioned earlier George lived in Honor,MI.... I still use some of George's flies that I have left,just last week I used a yellow/glow squid and a chrome dodger for lake trout off of my home port of Arcadia. MI

Congrats....with your new boat....those Tiaras and Slickcrafts have some of the best hulls in the business. I'm sure you'll be happy with it..

Same here ...Ed...but I change Ken's treble hook to a single double hook fly set up. Most of the time I buy the 3 pack fly bodies from KRW and make my own hook setup. I was on a friends 33 Blackfin on Tues. evening the king that came in was caught on the 2 single hook fly and the other lost on the treble hook fly on its way to boat after 5 minutes or so into the fight. Same colors,same spin doctors on both dipseys.

Some of the guys came down to Manistee from the Arcadia marinas to fish the Tightlines for Troops tournament over the weekend...no problem in the channel for their boats. Those boats averaged in size from 30 to 33 ft with inboards..

Hej Jonas.....flot laksen i billeder....tillykke med fin fangst i Svergie

Ed...your right about the TWIC card not being required...but I do know the Coast Guard licensing center in West Virginia asked for a current issue photo copy of it when I did my license renewal this last February....So its kind of like you don,t need it from local Coast Guard people but need it for license renewal...go figure I guess....We,ve talked about this at MCBA board meetings and still do not have a 100% firm answer from Coast Guard officials .

I hope they open this summer...Arcadia is so small..that after Labor day there's just not enough people around to keep a resturant/bar open...Its changed hands many times over the years..

Bruce .... any news on Dredging the Arcadia harbor ? If that's not done before the Tightlines veterans tournament how will you get out of the harbor to travel down to Manistee?....According to Jimmy at Arcadia marine ....they are waiting on money for dredging before they start the dredging process.

Matt....... I think Denny just turned 80 or is right around eighty if I recall...great guy...I've known him for 28 to 30 yrs and always a great Capt.and friend to talk and chat with.. And if you have 8 million in the bank at 50 you can buy a marina instead of charter fishing...:D

Arcadia Township has a good launch ramp right on 1st street between the public marina and Acadia marine's private boat slips....can't miss it, Arcadia is to small to miss it:D. For Camping there's Sunset Valley resort/motel and they have camp sites.Their about 3/4s mile north of town off of M-22. Another is Muldavid camp grounds right at the north corner of 1st and Lake st..they have RV and camping right there on Arcadia lake and a primitive boat launch there as well. Sunset valley resort is probably the better of the two ..

It's a 82 Tiara/Pursuit and yes I'll move back to Arcadia right after the Tightlines for Troops veteran's benefit tournament in Manistee on May17th and 18th

double posting

Matt...he wants to...but he's trying to sell the boat and business. He told me it's hard to sell a boat without a customer base if he just shuts it down and walks away. So he'll be out there again the way it sounds as of our conversation last weekend.... Beautiful Rampage 33 he owns Matt...there's your 1st charter boat for you .

Out of winter storage and In the water again ...the work begins now with getting rods and reels filled with new line. Spoons,plugs ,flys and flashers need to organized ,last summer's charters kind of left everything loose in tackle boxs and drawers down in the cabin....So I hope to be out on the big lake next week.

Think everyone is a little uneasy right now about the salmon "where abouts" in the big lake. Could be their out in deep water . I'm going in the water soon with my boat,guess I'll have to start looking if we don't see any spring salmon in May. We usually get an early run of 6 to 14 lb fish,kings, in mid to late May up our way. Maybe I'll have to target "offshore" steelhead this year...and with the late spring and longer winter,there should be some "scumlines" form up in June/July off Ludington to Frankfort. Guess time will tell.

Yep...I agree with Ed...the only reason to me for a kicker motor on a 27 to 30ft boat would be ....a backup motor if your main single motor failed. Such as a single motor 27 to 30ft Sportcraft or similiar boat. Have seen one 28 Cherokee with a small diesel engine installed when it was buildt at the Kaleva,Mi plant.That worked pretty good as they were able to hide most of the motor below decks... From what I had heard,I guess it was real cheap on fuel for trolling . It had enough power to maintain boat control in a 3/4 ft sea without running the main engines...or so I was told anyway..