season opener - Holland/Saugatuck

[2MD]

 

Made the September ritual run down from Holland and setup fishing Saugatuck at around 4.30pm today

Thankfully water had finally finished turning over and was icy cold outside of the mud

 

1st King smoked the mini-dipsey with chrome red head in 22fow south troll right in front – MISSED EM!

 

2nd King drilled the rigger 15 down blue spackle jplug in 23fow same spot same direction – GOT EM!

 

3rd King just ripped our small dipsey with jplug that was out only 19 feet (not a typo… just two poles length) on the inside of a turn in 16fow right out front same spot – GOT EM even though the jplug harness had buried itself in him halfway down!

 

4th King came on the rigger down 14 bright green jplug in 20fow same spot same southern troll direction as before – GOT EM! This one was our biggest of the night

 

5th King just drilled a 2 color moonshine super glow plug as we trolled into and through the channel after the sun went down – MISSED EM but it was very exiting as he just crushed it but eventually got off

 

6th King we had go was on the rigger at 8.45pm on a glow jplug 12down as we were trolling west back out of the channel – MISSED EM as he came off for whatever reason in the darkness after 5min

 

So we ended 3 for 6

Tried flashers and got no takers

It was all jplugs and no particular pattern of plug obviously

Water is very weedy so requires lots of checking and resetting lines but still had a blast!

This is the very best time of year and our favorite way to catch em.

 

Everyone has been saying how bad fishing is and how hardly any of the fish that run are 4 year olds even anymore but hey guess what it was sure good tonight and resembled success we have had the last few years.  Hope they stick around for a bit!

 

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by 2MD
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[Mega Byte]

Nice catch!

[FBD]

In my effort to beat 2MD to the first post about harbor fish, we worked Holland last night.

First skunk of the year.  Broke a rod and didn't bring rain gear either so it was a trying night.  And plenty of salad to boot.  Back at it tonight.

 

Any idea how big that last one is?  Serious tank of a king.

[BrosB4Cohos]

Good report glad to see some action headed south...Just curious what kind of speed you are running when going through channel and out in front of piers...i can’t seem to get a speed dialed in when transitioning from river to lake in the fall for Kings...trying out of SoHa tonight 

[FBD]

Boat stinks.  Just doubled lost the rigger hit but took a 15# egg wagon off a deep thunderstick 20' off a yellow bird.

[2MD]

nice Kevin - everything we got last night were hens... good sign as the big males have yet to show! And as far as trolling speed we usually run plugs on the upper end of the spectrum 2.8-3.0.  Seems like most guys might be trolling too slow, but who knows...

[2MD]

kevin, are you trolling saug or holland tonite? good luck and let us know how you end up! I have to go to Indiana all weekend so it is up to you

[FBD]

2/5 now.  13# buck on a rapala and lost a hell of a screamer when the board got  buried on a clump of weeds and he doubled back on the boat.

 

I always troll fast no worries there.

[FBD]

2/6 rip that didn't stick on a rapala. 

[FBD]

Pulled the riggers and put two flatlines out instead.  Ever see a king hit a plug 25' from the boat?  Ever see a king hit a plug 25' out when you just choked in four planer boards to make a pass up the channel?  We got him but he effectively ended our night.  I think we didn't get the last rod untangled until Coral Gables.

[FBD]

Ok, finally time catch up.

 

Started last night with a mix of riggers, divers, and planer boards.  After marking nothing in the clear water and fishing out to 30' and seeing the other boats doing nothing, I recalled how we used to fish ports where it's shallow out front.

 

Trolled north, swapped the riggers out to spoons so we could stretch them back enough to be a head ache then put out four planer boards way out.

 

First pass in close board gets smoked.  While that's coming in rigger bounces a couple times.  Still not convinced that was a fish.  Land the first king, start dialing it in but hard to work the spot as I need to cut big arcs with boards out.  Have a good pull back that doesn't hook up, then another, then get a nice buck.  Lose a screamer that was out over 400' when it buried the board in some weeds then ran back towards us and we could not keep it tight.  Picked up one more at dark.

 

All smaller fish, like 12-15# and all hatchery.  Gonna share this thread with the d n r so they know we are seeing returns.

[FBD]