Pentwater 8/16 PM, 3-4

Mega Byte · August 17, 2017

We started setting in lines in 60 fow. Had good marks between 70 and 90 so stayed there for bit with no takers so we headed west base on a report from Muskegon of good fishing in 180 - 210 fow. Very few marks out there until we got to 170 fow. Had decent marks between 170 and 205. It's probably best to start with what didn't work: green meat rigs. We ran a lot of them because they were effective on our last trip. They never got touched. I started to switch them out by the end of the night.

A green glow plug on a 200 Cu+Pb went twice. One was a chunky Coho (186 FOW, N troll 2.7@ball) and the other was a 10# steelhead (182 FOW, W troll, 2.5@ball).

A moonshine green flounder pounder on a low diver took two. It was a mag diver with the O-ring set back 160' so it should be about 80' down. Had a real nice king get off after some head banging. The hit was in 196 FOW, S troll, 2.4@ball. Because the size of these fish, I've added two snubbers to my wire diver setups. We have seen some massive head banging this year. For this particular fish, we also kept the drag looser so his head bangs would pull some drag and we managed the runs with our thumb. His still got off when he was head banging. Hooks were super sharp too. I test and touched up everything before they went in the water. Just happens sometimes. This same setup also produced a, 18# king in 186 FOW, N troll, 2.7@ ball. It was a double with the chunky coho.

Talked to a charted capt and he did well inside - at least that is what he told me. Maybe we should have worked that shallower water more.