FBD

Lost my depth finder on a trip with a stiff east wind a while back so I could not pull off a N-S troll. That was miserable. Ride them out until too rough hammer on until the deep rigger bounced. 300’ copper dug in on the on bound troll I turned pulled all the other lines so I could work that snag up off the bottom. Snag was the biggest king we landed that year and once we snugged it back up it made that known…

I run lets see an ancient fish finder I traded for bags of weed, an aquarium temperature gauge that cost $3, and a Garmin hand held GPS. Learning how to read your boat, the rods, and the weather is way more important than relying on tools that can fail you. One of the best trips we had I broke my transducer off the stern and never set the subtroll on the 22’. Learned later the break was down 90 that day funny we caught fish from full cores all the way to bouncing the bottom in 140’ or so

22’ Four Winns cuddy. Launching solo is not pleasant.

Lake flipped hard, wanted to try out front for steel but heavy seas ruled that out. Wanted to try the channel but people casting and weird waves ruled that out. Tried Mac instead, hit a small sheep setting lines. That was it. Gave up around 7 as it was cold. Marked several bait balls in Mac and most of the hooks we marked were tight to the bottom, which is different. There was a pile just in front of the channel opening in 29' would have been interesting to jig that spot and see if it was a late last push of kings, not that I would expect them to wait once they got into Mac.

Smoke plume that only got bigger. Coming home they were still spraying down a smoldering car in 196 by the Ottagon overpass.

Sheepzilla with the front hook of the lure in its gill plate…

Tried Mac last night for walleyes. Just too few fish marked for as much salad as we needed to clean off. Mind you I had a great trip this year where we caught a pile but I probably set 100 boards that night constantly cycling through the spread. But when a lady in a Four Winns ran right up my stern as I was trying to figure out what board to clear for her then made a turn and decided to run over a couple that was the last straw. The look on her face as my board was slowly getting pulled into her boat as it slapped on the surface was kind of funny. She didn't like when I told her she'd better go to the marina and get her outdrive seals checked out. Tried to troll the channel apparently slow no wake stupidity knows no social economic boundaries. Everything from a 50' going through at 10 mph to an obese guy in a John boat that between his girth and the half throttle he was applying looked like it was going to flip over. Finally get out front that wasn't much better. Wasn't expecting to fish kings so I was running two riggers two one colors and two walleye boards with 12# leaders and Flicker Shads. Got a few sheep then a flicker shad got smoked. Yep J plugs and Thundersticks all over but nooooo the king decides it wants to hit a little pink pearl walleye bait. Game on. By the time this thing got to the boat it had the port rigger J plug and a one color with another board in tow. Crew could not pick the fish up enough for me to net it, fish was straaight up and down and no where near tired, just as I decided to chase it down with the net as the least worst option it turned and took off and was gone. Actually broke a point off the hook and not the leader a testament to the skill of the guy on the stick playing it just right. Soon after that a one color took a huge rip that we were sure was another king but nope a mid teens side hooked sheep. At that point the traffic slowed down and the graph really lit up so we thought we'd be on them but nope, that was it. Not what I was expecting but a fun trip none the less.

Got out on front of Holland tonight boat traffic was crazy was not prepared for kings. Got two sheep, one massive, and lost a 20+ king just out of net range. Details to follow but there are some out there yet. Water 65 in plume 60 out.

My daughter snapped this unknowingly getting the moment a king was just hitting the inside board…

Well you have this friend that fishes the bath water out front and catches more kings than I do fishing where they should be…

Since it didn’t flip flip my daughter and I skipped Holland last night and went out of Saugatuck. Brought gear to hammer 25-50’. Web cam showed a calm lake. Got to the end of the channel and waves were crashing over the pier. 2-3’s spaced out from the NW with a 15 mph east wind made things fun. Got out to 25’ set up riding them didn’t get far and a slide diver fired. Fish fought weird turned out to be a large channel cat. Plume was packed down the beach not beyond 20’ of water so working that didn’t work out. Got to the point headed out to 40’ marked just enough fish to keep that interesting but no takers. Sammy Hagar’s voice in my head told me “stop looking out, start looking in” so by choking the slide divers way up, repurposing the rigger rods into board rods and running the segmented two colors as one colors we got up in the muddy water and headed for the piers. Caught a sheep. Then a board got smoked huge splash board went right back into place. Big splash board ripped back again. Then it jumped 20# king easy got the board in taking it off and the thing runs past us thrashed on the top and was gone. Well played king you won. Turned to ride the waves another board gets smoked land a nice king. Turn back into them get almost to the pier hook up another board turn to ride the waves and fight and fight this thing huge sheep. Going to net that other diver gets ripped gone before I get to it. As we are doing this the wind switches from NE to N and whips up to about 30 mph those spaced out 2-3’ waves turned into tight 4-5’s right quick and we had to hammer a mile into them. That was amusing in a 14’. We were looking up at some of them had to tack and take them straight away else they’d climb into the boat. Choked up the boards got into the piers was wicked half way down the channel. Wished I would have thought to work in close earlier and brought better gear to do it.

Seen steel up out of temp crashing young of that year bait including perch this time of year. Small jointed perch rapalas got hit a lot but the fish just destroyed them at $10 a pop…

Pug needs a bath…

Seems to be a trend about this time each year just load up 20-70’ down and drive around like a mad man from 100’ to however far you feel like going out and pick off steel. If you do hit one clover leaf the area as they will school. I’m waiting for them to get in closer but we went swimming in South Haven Saturday water was 74 degrees! Might have to wait a while longer.

Took a bit to find this but if I caught a 29# coho I can promise you it’d be all over the web.

Had to double check the fish stocking database but the Platte gets planted heavily as that’s where the brood stock come from / hatchery is, but the St Joe, Kalamazoo, Grand/Rogue, Muskegon, Big Sable, and Manistee all get plants too. Didn’t realize they were that spread out I know the amount we get in Holland / Saugatuck has really gone up in the last few years spring and fall. Those are some pretty steelhead I’m getting itchy seeing all the picture you guys are posting.

Coho spend a year and half in the hatchery and another year and a half in the big lakes. Some run after one season in the lake (jacks) and rarely do you see one that stays out longer although Team Hammbone weighed in a 29# coho in Frankfort some years ago.

Awfully small king for four years in the lake.

Table fare gonna be suspect this late…

There’s been a huge slug of bath water stacked up over here I would highly expect some repair mature fish (regardless of age) to be behind that water still waiting to run.

Most kings like 95% have run after three summers in the lake. I think the last study I saw on the grand was 5% after one summer 50% each two summers and three summers and a few four or more summers.

Nice. Two steel and a king? What did the guy in tight catch my 9mph boat isn’t going out to 165’

My music selections are all off maybe that’s why I’ve been struggling lately…