Meat season

[young gun]

Hey you guys i just started using meat rigs last july through august. They worked great when the morning bite shut off! How early in the year do you start noticing kings like meat rigs, and list a couple meat rig flasher fly combos you like.

[mattmishler]

I fish mean as soon as I start fishing flies. Last year I think I ran some 2nd week of may when the kings moved offshore and caught fish on mean 3rd week of October. I don't run a ton early or late, one usually on a low diver.

White plastic Mountain Dew inlay, Illusion Teaser rig.

Green dolphin Flasher, wild fern meat rig

Blue/green dolphin Flasher, Hypnotist teaser.

UV Blue Green dolphin Flasher, blue no see um teaser.

UV Mountain Dew on Chrome, Yellow fern teaser.

White with while slick with Oceana teaser

[chandler]

From July to the end of the season we pretty much set our whole spread with meat rigs to get the bigger 4 year olds. Don't really start fishing meat till the big kings start showing up.

[highpointdf]

We ran a lot of it last year. There were days they would not touch anything other than the meat. Low riggers almost every set.

[Gnarf]

i mostly run big weenie combos.

Whitey on the moon HD

UV purple death

Cracked Ice Blue/Glow UV

and i have some capt john king rigs aswell.

Chrome head 2 teaser green is my favorite.

Run SLOW, like laker slow. and i use blue and green label brined whole herring with tails still attched. I also take the time to fine tune the roll just the way i like it.

And alewives if i catch any and brine em.

[dballock17]

I didnt run meat untill august last year and we did awesome. I also was wondering how early to start using meat. Good forum.

[SeaCatMich]

The last 4 years I have caught fish on meat rigs as early as May. I generally run the smaller meat heads (Big Weenie) with strips behind the small flashers until late May when the water starts stratifying. Then I go with larger heads and strips or whole herring (or alewife). Brined alewife freshly caught off the breakwalls (Holland, Grand Haven, St. Joe) work really well.

[VanderLaan]

Brined alewife freshly caught off the breakwalls (Holland, Grand Haven, St. Joe) work really well.

Do you use a sabiki rig or a cast net to catch the alewives? Curious what works best.

[fishy1]

Once the kings show up in Ludington usually in May I will start running a few meat rigs on low divers .I have run the artificial bait strips made by Batrix out of Canada for years now and my catch rate is as good or better than some I know who run herring and no mess or smell to deal with they also last forever.

[SeaCatMich]

Do you use a sabiki rig or a cast net to catch the alewives? Curious what works best.

I have tried a cast net in the past but when Michigan changed the regs to allow 6 hooks on one rod I started using the Sabiki. I found that Michigan's 8' diameter for the cast net didn't make that very effective if the alewife were not really concentrated.

[SlamDunk]

Meat is good anytime. As always it depends on the where you run it, what presentation your using, color, speed, large vs small blades and meat heads, etc, etc.

However for me personally I typically only run it mid-day and usually only on one rig. It is just too much hassel for me to care to run any more than that. I suppose if I was struggling and it was the only thing I could buy a bite on then I would load up with it.

[Legacy]

On Lake Ontario, we are running meat at the first signs of Kings in spring. Anytime we are King fishing there is meat in the water.

[Long Lines]

I have tried a cast net in the past but when Michigan changed the regs to allow 6 hooks on one rod I started using the Sabiki. I found that Michigan's 8' diameter for the cast net didn't make that very effective if the alewife were not really concentrated.

Would you be willing to share the details on the sabiki rig you use? Where are you getting them, what size hook? etc.

[Killin' It]

Sea Mitch,

What brine do you use for ales,

And what process?

[SeaCatMich]

Sea Mitch' date='

What brine do you use for ales,

And what process?[/quote']

I started out using borax and kosher salt for a minimum of 6 hours -- 12 to 24 better. John King method. http://www.michigansportsman.com/Tips_n_Trix/Cut_Bait.htm

Big Weenie brought out there brine a couple years ago I got it and it has worked well in 2012 & 2013. It too takes 6+ hours but adds ice to the mixture.

Both work well for whole alewife/herring. I prefer the Big Weenie a little more for cut bait.

[SeaCatMich]

Would you be willing to share the details on the sabiki rig you use? Where are you getting them, what size hook? etc.

I got the sabiki rigs off of eBay. Couldn't find any locally here in Michigan. A couple of months later I posted on the GLA website and got some from Gary at Big Weenie.

They have 6 "flies" per setup and I got different colors -- green, yellow, and glow. They all work. The hooks are size 8 and 10 -- look like plain aberdeens.

I actually had used them to catch bait down in the keys about 10 years. A guy on the bridge down there was using a special home made rod for the rigs. A typical rod does not work well with the long "leader" and multiple hooks, so I made a couple of the sabiki rods up and they work great. Basically the "rod" is a 7' long piece of 1.5" diameter PVC pipe with a spinning reel taped to one end abouta foot from the end. A 3/4" hold drilled in it about 6" in front of the reel to let the line go through the pipe and out the far end. The sabiki rig reels right up into the pipe/tube when done and I use a rubber band to secure the bell sinker at the end. it doesn't cast great but you can get a rig out 50' or so if needed. Most of the time I just swing the rig out though right along the breakwall.

Here is a YouTube that is a pretty good example of what I did to make my nome made rig:

[Killin' It]

If you wanted to use strips how do you go about using the BW stuff?

[SeaCatMich]

If you wanted to use strips how do you go about using the BW stuff?

Are you referring to using strips in the BW meat heads or how to brine them with the BW powder?

[Killin' It]

filleting my own herring and then using the BW powder

[SeaCatMich]

For the strips I put a little of the powder on them for 4-6 hours before I freeze them (vacuum sealer). Then when I pull them out to use, I open the package and lightly sprinkle a little more of the BW powder on the meat side. I do this at home and put the strips in a small soft-side cooler with a ice pack. By the time I get them out to use on the boat (usually 2-3 hours later) they are thawed enough to use and are plenty tough. If they are not yet thawed and easy to pull apart, I put a little lake water in the bag with them -- but make sure to put back in the cooler to keep them cold when not baiting up.

[UBDSLO1]

I'll be using meat for the first time this year, and I'll have whole and fillets in the water. After watching many west coast programs on meat, I do feel confident in running it this year. I think the hold up for me was/is the hassle of running it and the "mess", but if it helps put a few more fish in the box, then it will be worth it.

[SeaCatMich]

I'll be using meat for the first time this year, and I'll have whole and fillets in the water. After watching many west coast programs on meat, I do feel confident in running it this year. I think the hold up for me was/is the hassle of running it and the "mess", but if it helps put a few more fish in the box, then it will be worth it.

The "meat is a hassle and messy" is easily resolved by being organized and some pre fishing prep time.

I have a good quality "12 pack" soft-side cooler that is my bait cooler. It has a reusable ice pack that fits right in the bottom and will keep the bait cold for a whole trip. My pre trip preparation means that I have both whole bait and strips ready to use when they go in the cooler. No cutting bait on the boat. I started with other brands but have gone to the Big Weenie heads... mainly because they are ready to use right out of the package. Others required that the bait be bent/tuned to get the right roll but I have found the BW heads don't -- they catch fish too. Put the bait in the head and hooks in the bait and put it in the water.

I guess compared to just running spoons, plugs, flasher/fly... it does add a little mess but I think you will find it is worth it. 45% of my fish have been on meat in the last 3 years and most of the time that is running it on 3 rods in my 3 license 8 rod spread or 2 rods in my 2 license 6 rod spread. Most of the time it gets the biggest fish... and the strikes are awesome!

[SeaCatMich]

I'll be using meat for the first time this year, and I'll have whole and fillets in the water. After watching many west coast programs on meat, I do feel confident in running it this year. I think the hold up for me was/is the hassle of running it and the "mess", but if it helps put a few more fish in the box, then it will be worth it.

The "meat is a hassle and messy" is easily resolved by being organized and some pre fishing prep time.

I have a good quality "12 pack" soft-side cooler that is my bait cooler. It has a reusable ice pack that fits right in the bottom and will keep the bait fresh for a whole trip. My pre trip preparation means that I have both whole bait and strips ready to use when they go in the cooler. No cutting bait on the boat. I started with other brands but have gone to the Big Weenie heads... mainly because they are ready to use right out of the package. Others required that the bait be bent/tuned to get the right roll but I have found the BW heads don't -- they catch fish too. Put the bait in the head and hooks in the bait and put it in the water.

I guess compared to just running spoons, plugs, flasher/fly... it does add a little mess but I think you will find it is worth it. 45% of my fish have been on meat in the last 3 years and most of the time that is running it on 3 rods in my 3 license 8 rod spread or 2 rods in my 2 license 6 rod spread. Most of the time it gets the biggest fish... and the strikes are awesome!

[fishy1]

I'll be using meat for the first time this year, and I'll have whole and fillets in the water. After watching many west coast programs on meat, I do feel confident in running it this year. I think the hold up for me was/is the hassle of running it and the "mess", but if it helps put a few more fish in the box, then it will be worth it.

Check out the herring strips on Batrixs website and you wont have to deal with any mess.Ive heard many people say its the scent of the herring that makes the fish bite so I propose a question.Why do salmon bite on metal spoons or flies behind flashers because of the smell of them or there lure action?

[fishy1]

Wondered if you got my PM's for some reason they are showing as not being sent.