late season opener - Holland

[2MD]

 

Despite the rain starting out and the howling northern gale winds and waves we decided to venture out and try fishing Holland Harbor again today.  Seeing as the temps dropped 27 degrees in 24hrs we just couldn’t resist.  We didn’t slaughter them by any means but we sure had fun!  Went 3 for 7 on Salmon and also caught a few sheephead and kitties.  Most kings came on smaller chrome red head size 3 j-plugs but we had a few on other plugs and even a flasher.  Riggers and dipseys mainly.  Lost a screamer on a board too.  Two of the king hookups were inside of Mac and the other 5 were down the channel a ways.  Highlight was we caught the longest Chinook we have ever boated at 42 inches.  It was a plant and just a beast to fight!  Now he is in the freezer and gonna go on the wall.  Anyways, we may try again tomorrow morning as it looks like the southern winds are coming and that just might be it for the cold water.  Exhausting fishing though… the 7 to 10 foot waves were just crashing over the pier all around us.  Turning in the arms and netting fish was something else.  Thankful to have gotten a piece of them though before they move up river!  What a challenging and disappointing run year 2021 has been, mainly because of the warm weather.  PS => seen more monster walleye caught off the north channel wall the last two days than I can ever remember

 

 

 

[2MD]

had to give it another shot before church this morning! left Holland channel (on Parker this time) about an hour before sunrise in tall seas... fortunately we got out there and setup when we did because it continued to build in the couple hours that followed ---> went 3 for 3 and here is what worked:

glow spoon stacker rod 6.45am 30fow off north pier trolling south

moonshine green jeans jplug dipsey 7.30am  25fow off spyglass trolling south

moonshine happee meal jplug rigger 8.00am 30fow off state park pavilion trolling north

the mud was smeared way north this morning and out where it began to mix into the cold was where we found fish... lots of birds eating... seen a Rhode Island sized seagull that we swear was big enough to be eating jack salmon

from the looks of it when we trolled into the channel the walleye had slowed down for the fisherman in there and we had no salmon takers either as we passed through

we will see how long this bite sticks around... the big male Chinook of the morning was another 2017 plant from what port we can only wonder? 

 

[ZachEno]

Incredible! Nice work in very trying seas!!


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[FBD]

Thursday night, practiced my wave surfing skills in the 14' deep V in the channel on an occasional 4-6', we ended up the night 4/6 with a bunch of 12" sheepshead, one maybe walleye and a big rip that didn't stick.  Could not figure the kings out.  Every fish you lose is an 8# walleye.  Every one.

 

Went back Friday night.  Much better conditions, even went out front for a while.  Watched two clueless kids in a 10' boat with an electric trolling motor and no life jackets scrape the wall all the way down the channel 10' from the walleye casting guys.  

Could not figure the kings out.  About 12 more 12" sheep then one 11.8# sheep that briefly made us think we had a king.

Had my 7 year old affectionately nick named "3 more rods" with, at dusk we left one rigger down and put out 8 boards and trolled back to the launch.  8:08 walleye in the net.  Rigger with a J plug down started bouncing, walleye slung over the side (50# braid ha ha) as walleye #1 was all twisted up in the net.  Throw that down and grab a board rod that's arched way over, hand that to my daughter and just in time to land it the net gets handed to me, third walleye on the floor (good thing, 10# leader no slinging allowed).  And then we trolled through the mother of all weed mats and trashed the whole spread and it was dark dark so we quit and got ice cream.