Saugatuck Mud - hunting matures - metal boat mission 9/26

[2MD]

PUG got the Tracker Grizzly 18footer repowered but sadly had never caught any kings with the new motor so we rocketed down to Saugatuck as the sun came up and see if any late runners were still hanging out front.

4 for 4

Three Chinook and One Coho

What a BLAST!

Took us a while to find them and what they wanted and at what speed they would hit out of anger but eventually we got em dialed in.  Nothing directly out front or in the channel.  Sure a ton of em surfacing though – tight lipped they were - was maddening to watch!

Today they were north of the pier quite a ways right on the edge of the clean and dirty water in about 30-35fow.  They wanted it fast trolling north and slow trolling south.  Chrome red head and mongoose and a bright yellow plug were the chosen ones.

 

[jdh]

Nice work.  Wanted to make it out today but had a last minute meeting schedule late afternoon.

[FBD]

Pug needs a bath…

[2MD]

PUG got a good bathing indeed and is ready for more should this wind calm down...  

[FBD]

Since it didn’t flip flip my daughter and I skipped Holland last night and went out of Saugatuck.  Brought gear to hammer 25-50’.  Web cam showed a calm lake.

Got to the end of the channel and waves were crashing over the pier.  2-3’s spaced out from the NW with a 15 mph east wind made things fun.  Got out to 25’ set up riding them didn’t get far and a slide diver fired.  Fish fought weird turned out to be a large channel cat.

Plume was packed down the beach not beyond 20’ of water so working that didn’t work out.  Got to the point headed out to 40’ marked just enough fish to keep that interesting but no takers.

Sammy Hagar’s voice in my head told me “stop looking out, start looking in” so by choking the slide divers way up, repurposing the rigger rods into board rods and running the segmented two colors as one colors we got up in the muddy water and headed for the piers.

 

Caught a sheep.  Then a board got smoked huge splash board went right back into place.  Big splash board ripped back again.  Then it jumped 20# king easy got the board in taking it off and the thing runs past us thrashed on the top and was gone.  Well played king you won.  Turned to ride the waves another board gets smoked land a nice king.  Turn back into them get almost to the pier hook up another board turn to ride the waves and fight and fight this thing huge sheep.  Going to net that other diver gets ripped gone before I get to it.

As we are doing this the wind switches from NE to N and whips up to about 30 mph those spaced out 2-3’ waves turned into tight 4-5’s right quick and we had to hammer a mile into them.  That was amusing in a 14’.  We were looking up at some of them had to tack and take them straight away else they’d climb into the boat.

 

Choked up the boards got into the piers was wicked half way down the channel.  
 

Wished I would have thought to work in close earlier and brought better gear to do it.

[2MD]

awesome report Kevin

good reminder to all of us to keep high lines ready - shocked they were in that tight!

[FBD]

Well you have this friend that fishes the bath water out front and catches more kings than I do fishing where they should be…

[FBD]

My daughter snapped this unknowingly getting the moment a king was just hitting the inside board…

[2MD]

beautiful fall sky 

nothing like catching the rip when it happens!

[Reel-y-hooked]

Great pic of sunset !

[FBD]

Got out on front of Holland tonight boat traffic was crazy was not prepared for kings.  Got two sheep, one massive, and lost a 20+ king just out of net range.  Details to follow but there are some out there yet.  Water 65 in plume 60 out.