St. Joe 8-29& New Buff 8-30

[Dave Mull]

Slow day for me and my buddy Martin fishing out of his 16-footer Elinore yestrerday out of St. Joe. One lake trout on a wire Dipsy over 90 feet of water, set on 1-1/2 and back 180 feet. Big ring. Ate a Big Weenie Sushi Fly (the kind with an anchovy-style baithead in it) baited with a Slimers King Kut, green, soaked in menhaden cream. Saw quite a few fish between 70 and 150 on an out troll. Just got the one laker to go. It was a nice 12-pounder.

Today I fished with Uncle Bud and one of his Florida friends, James Clark a first mate aboard on one oof the boats he fishes on out of Fort Myers in the winter. We were two for four, landing a 10-pound laker and an 8-pound coho and losing a king on a fluke break-off (the leader line somehow got wrapped around the spinny and broke) and one other fish, probably a king that just came unpinned. Anyway, it was really slow compared to yesterday when Bud and a friend went 9 for 12 in 90 feet of water, mostly on meat. Today, we started in 90 and it was the dead sea, even though the temp was 44 and 43 degrees anywhere past about 70 feet. We saw bait in shallower. We were feeling bad for James, a hardcore angler on a Great Lake for the first time. Finally at about 1 p.m. we had a flurry of four bites. The first we lost was on a 350 copper, fly behind a Bechhold FishCatcher. Second was the laker, which hit a rigger, sushi fly behind a Spin Doctor (sorry, don't know what fly, but Blue Bubble, 10 inch spinny) 68 feet down. Then we broke off the king on another rigger, set 74 down, then we caught the coho, a really nice male, weighed in at 8 pounds at Capt. Cooks so Bud could take the lead on the coho division (no 'hos had been entered--love having internet access via an iPhone) among the Michiana Steelheaders.

It really was a good day when considering no flies, enough wind to stay cool, but not enough to make you seasick, and a really knowledgeable saltwater fisherman who appreciated catching two new species. It's great fun to be able to look at the Great Lakes anew when you have someone like that along.

[Dave Mull]

Soon as I figure out how to post pictures (using a PC for the first time in my Mac life) I will do so! Also forgot to mention what we found in the coho's gullet: a five-inch perch and about a four-inch goby. First time I've seen either in a salmon. Wonder if brown flies would work!

[Nailer]

Sounds like a nice time Dave. Thanks for the update.

[SUPERTRAMP]

Thanks for the report Dave, Water has cooled some since last week and the MC2 will be fishing again this weekend weather permitting.

[Jack Osborn]

So that Coho must have been hanging right ON bottom eh?...explains all the bottom huggers I've seen on the finder for the past couple of weeks. Thanks for the report.

[Building C's]

I will be out on 8/1 in that area sound hopefully the fish have stuck around!! Call me on the radio on 68. Building C's

[Priority1]

Dave, Thanks for the report.

[Building C's]

Got out today and followed the 006 degree heading out of New Buffalo to 55 FOW and worked on the south and west to 73 FOW and circled around a bit to get 2 lakers on a plug and dodger & Spin n glo. Heard there were some fish between 80 and 90 FOW so we ventured out there and picked up 2 kings and a laker. All three fish came on the SOG spoon. Two Kings on minis and a laker on the MAG. Great temps out there but no noticeable pattern where the fish were biting. Found 45 degrees at 63' and plenty of cold water. Lots of bait out there and saw some monsters on the graph. Meat rigs were dead along with dodger and flies. We threw the lakers back and the kings were stuffed with bait. Kings were 7 & 15# and the Lakers were 6, 8, & 12#s.