the run has begun - Holland Harbor

[2MD]

the run has begun - Holland Harbor

Had the boat out in West Olive overnight camping on the shore so come 10.30am the kids and I decided to troll on back to Holland to return the boat to the lift.  We zig-zagged in that 30-40 fow the entire way running almost all flasher flies even on the cores but only got one release.  We did see a big Chinook jump out of the water about off Riley Street so that was kind of neat.  Anyways, when we got to the Holland pier heads at 1pm we seen the channel just full of boats and figured it to pretty much be a lost cause trying to troll since even without poles it was a nightmare circus squeezing through all the traffic.  So we pulled all the orange boards in and just left out a couple riggers and dipseys.  Then about 3/4 way through the channel where you get into the rocks on the southside our inside dipsey with 42 feet of braid out and a blue bubble spindoctor on it just got crushed.  Big ole male.  First big male we have taken of the season.  An insane fight ripping out line and nearly getting run over by several clueless boaters.  Eventually after fighting it well into Lake Mac we finally netted it while in neutral bobbing around in front of the old Piper Restaurant.  How random and bizarre to catch this hog at high noon in the heat of the day with all the engine noise and commotion in the channel.  The fall run of 2017 has begun.  Let's cross our fingers and hope what we ran into today wasn't just a fluke but that this year will more closely resemble 2013/2014 verses 2015/2016 where the run was almost non-existent!

[Dr Hook]

Or.........you may have just ended the Holland run by catching the only fish that was running.

Nothing on the graph in the channel or outside the pierheads yesterday morning leaving Holland.  We decided to check out Saugatuck as well with the same results.  Eventually set up in 120 fow south of Saugatuck.  Trolled between 100 and 160 fow all morning but all we managed to take was one 17 lb female in 130 fow on a braid dipsey 100 back with Last Brunch fly and UV crush spindoctor.

 

[littleboat]

Timing is everything!  What did your king weigh?

[dan agnello]

Good job; how big?

[2MD]

I hope Dr. Hook is not right but I fear he is... at least we got one yesterday though to remind us of tge ole days.

We didn't weigh it... it wasn't that big just really long being a male.  If I had to guess I bet it weighed somewhere in that 19-21# range and yes my son knows how to hold em out and trick the camera

[FBD]

Three hours at the piers in perfect conditions yesterday morning.  Even mark some bait and / or perch.  Not a bump, didn't see any one else hook up, never saw anybody on the pier hook up.  Went into Mac to look for walleye but within five minutes every rod was covered in salad. Back home sleeping at 9 am.

On a bright note, I just about hit a Sea Ray with no nav lights on at 5:45, and had some monster of a boat try to plane out right next to me throw such a wake that it tripped both my riggers and divers and sent my front seat crew member to the floor.  He thought he was going to fall out of the boat.  I thought we were rolling over.  At least a 4' breaking sheer wave that I had to spin and gun the throttle to take bow first or we would have rolled.

[littleboat]

No wake laws only apply to boats with small beams from what I  have observed in the channel. I guess we will have to keep a closer eye on you cut down on all that channel commotion. 

[FBD]

I was well outside of the channel, however, you are responsible for your wake.  He could have waited 10 more seconds to open it up until he was last the couple boats working the piers.  I'm sure this guy knew what kind of wake his boat threw and just didn't care.

I got stopped for excessive wake going 4.3 mph in my 14' in the channel.  While listening to the drivel from the sheriff we were rocked by the wakes of several 35-50' boats, but that was OK as they have to go that fast to maintain steerage per the sheriff.

[2MD]

Buddy of mine checked Allegan Dam this morning and the tubes at the farm and both had salmon... this seems kind of early... another guy I know who lives downtown GR days they are showing up decent at 6th Street.

[dan agnello]

I don't by that crap about the bigger boats can make wake due to steerage. My middle son has a 37' Twin engine Silverton in St Joe n he has no problem observing the no wake rules.  

The law should apply to all!

The problem is some boat operators (notice I didn't say captains) just don't care about others and some don't think.

The other main problem is you don't need a license to pilot a boat and this time of year many of them prove it.

More than once past few weeks had to tell people to not cut off my back lines and run parralel until we can all clear lines! Not sure if they know what copper and lead lines are either.

[littleboat]

No wake laws should apply to all, regardless of boat size, even throw in a little courtesy too.

[dan agnello]

Yep

[Sassy Sharon]

It seams like in some cases the Bigger the Boat the Less the Brain Power. It doesn't matter what Port your in

 

[@lastacyKevin]

This poster is correct that spot 3/4 in by the rocks inside the pier has always been money this time of year! The fight always ends up in front of the Piper Reataurant! Great fish for sure and good report ! This week in the evenings will be loaded with pier combat fishing for sure!

[FBD]

This is the first year in a long time I remembered the rocks stick out more than the break wall.  First year I haven't stuck a diver firmly in the rocks on my first pass.

We launch by the Tiara docks in the no wake zone.  My record, back in the three king limit era, was 47 minutes dock to dock.  We set up at the green can and were 4/4 by Big Red that night, went 6/10 by the time we were done.

[2MD]

that sounds like some fast and furious fall fishing - wish you had a youtube video of that trip - i remember back in 2004 hearing about a guy who went 30 for 40 in the Saugatuck mud - no joke

[FBD]

Labor Day 2011 my wife, buddy and I limited out with 12 kings, three coho, and a 10.4# walleye in the afternoon.  A brutal cold north wind and 4-6' waves out front kept fishing and pleasure boat traffic to a minimum, and warm water and low current kept the fish piled up at Big Red. We did not want to quit, so we called my nephew to pick up our oldest daughter from the sitter, and another cooler, and caught 10 more kings after picking them up at the launch.  

If I can find it there is a picture of 15 fish in a cooler that won't close, sitting on the back seat of my friend's Oldsmobile.  He drove around Mac to clean them at the cleaning station, but the DNR was there and he suddenly realized he had three limits and one license, so he took them home and brought them to the station five at a time.

I caught more kings that afternoon than I have in the last three seasons combined.

[FBD]

More fun in the harbor:

My last daughter was born the first week of October.  We scheduled her weekly doctor's appointments leading up to her birth at 10am and I'd fish before them.  If the fish were in, I'd miss them.  Third kid wife didn't mind.

My oldest and I were late to my middle daughter's birthday party as just as we were pulling lines on an afternoon trip we hit a double.

I was at the Outdoorsman in Jenison buying replacement tackle from the trip the night before and grabbing lunch when my second daughter decided to be born much faster than expected in Zeeland after zero progress all morning.  Remember that big bump on Chicago Drive in that area? You could launch a Grand Cherokee a long ways off it back then.

I crossed lines with a kid throwing a Cleo, and I cut his line and told him to wait.  When we came back around I threw it to him, but it hit the rail and fell into the channel.  So I dug one out of my box and threw it way over him, where he spent a while digging it out of the sand.

I chopped a fillet off a salmon in the channel and traded it for a hamburger someone was grilling at the state park.

Finished out a trip with Dave Mull having an Ace Hi hanging off his thumb, as we were on fish.

I've netted a fish for another boat while riding back in, a walleye guy jigging that took off chasing a surprise king across Mac.  I've had a guest threaten to shoot a king that hung up just out of netting range (he was legal to carry, but we agreed that while Alaskans shoot halibut we probably should not shoot kings, especially in traffic).

Back when I had two weeks vacation I took a week off each year just to fish harbors.  Had a 500# week in the three fish era, picking up strangers on the pier to stay out fishing.  I threw so many carcasses in the field next to my house that run that the cats and vermin could not keep up and my neighbor got an unwelcome surprise walking to his stand on opening day of bow season.  We laugh about it now and he cuts through my lawn.

Only guy in Saugatuck in the dark, setting the first rod in the release when a king ripped it from my fingers and somehow broke the line.  Being a freshly charged J plug I followed him until it slid up the line and popped to the surface.  We caught two fish that day with a CO's john boat tied off to my Four Winns and the CO helping to crew as he didn't have much choice at that point.  Tried to send a fish with him but he didn't have a cooler.

I miss those days.

 

 

[@lastacyKevin]

Yeah these stories are awesome and remember those days well!!  The pier head fishing was so fun in the day! My brother and dad talk about it often! I remember my dad giving a lot of money to the outdoorsmen there in Jenison as well!

[FBD]

Cooler 1 of 2.

Cooler 2 of 2 in progress with a couple hogs in the mix.

Silver red head size 5 J plugs, walleye bait of choice.  10# and didn't trip the rigger.