Lake Michigan

I want to give a Standing Ovation to the 2 fishermen that saved 3 people and their dog after their boat capsized.
Great work Guys.

Fished Thursday morning heading out at 4:30. Greeted by heavy fog, solid 2 footers with some big swells thrown in. Headed out to the NE and started marking fish around 90 fow so started setting up. Took a nice 4 year old king (18#) on a J-plug and a 2year old king on a Moonshine Sand Burr on the wire dipsey out 75, Both came in the dark before we could get most of the lines in the water. Took two more Coho around 5#'s each on the rigger down 55 with a J-plug and then took a nice 4 year old (21#) on a moonshine glow spoon on a dipsey out 75. Ended up finding a shaker on the 10 color which some how got wrapped into the 7 color. What a mess. Glad we had good helpers on the boat to straighten that one out! Other than that not much action. Boards were silent. Ran a 5, 7, and 10 color and another 5 color, 200 steel and a 300 steel. Had a couple drive byes so ended up with 6/8. Lake started to flatten out around 9 and the bite stopped. 

Late report from Saturday morning, solo trip.  Motored out to 55 fow ~4:30 am and started to set up, only to find my bow mount was non-functional.  Bah...how important is boat control really anyway??  So... I set aside my pampered expectations of consistent speed and direction and went back to the old school steering wheel for the day. 

Anyway... got set up and about 5:15 am one of  my riggers popped off and stood straight up.  Figured it was a drivebye or maybe just came loose in the chop.  I grabbed it and started reeling in only to find that there was actally a fish on there running right along with boat and it was not small.  Thought I had a big laker on and strong armed it up from the bottom.   When I got it to the surface next to the boat it decided to change tactics and ripped out ~80 feet of line.   Not a laker.  Finally got er in... nice 16 lb king!  And I didn't spin around in a full circle even once (as far as you know) fighting a fish in one hand and fighting a 10mph NW chop with the other.  That was on a rigger down 45 with moonshine Agent Orange spoon in about 65 fow.

Decided to continue on working 60 to 70 fow.   Just before sunrise that same rigger popped off again... bounced once or twice and stood straight up again. Couldn't be, right?  Grabbed it, reeled up and again, another nice fish on running right along side the boat.  I can't get our dog to walk along side that nice, but apparently salmon are well trained.  This one didn't play possum for long though, a couple good rounds of in and out and boated a nice 11lb king.

Nice start to the morning but got tough once the sun came up.  Worked my way out to ~110 fow and  ~7:45 that same rigger took a fat little 4lb coho who managed to cross over to the other side of the boat to get under my dipsey... and then back out... get under my rigger... and then back out before finding the net.  Now that one was trained like my wife's dog.  Straight line troll, no circles, I swear!

Stayed in the 100-120 fow range for the rest of the morning but that was the end of the action for me.  Packed up ~9:30 am.  Finished 3 for 3.  Ran a wire dipsey and a 2nd rigger that whole morning, but neither got touched.  Viva la Agent Orange,  I guess!

Picture isn't the best.  Despite my new training regiment, I still can't get fish to hold themselves up for pictures.  Go figure!  

Take Care,

D.

Fished July 30 430-9PM out of South Shore to avoid McKinley. Started in 50 fow but water was a too warm 60F.  Moved out to 80 fow and found 50F water. Worked way out to 140 fow. Most bites came between 105-140 fow mainly just before sunset and a little after. Best set-up was a DR down 50' at the probe. Used spoons and FFs. All bites came on mag spoons with bloody nose and carbon 14 the best producers. Went 3/6 picking up bows and smaller kings. Kept one bow for a family meal. Good luck and tight lines to all.

Fished SUNDAY 100-180FOW past fox point.  very sporty out to say the least.  caught fish both ways S and N troll.
dipsys pretty quiet.  riggers at 73/90 and then pushed deeper and set at 122/140 with Fire flies dragons breath n mke pickle and dragon slayer w/ war pig doing most of the damage.  300 copper pitched in for a big king FF set and 8 color with ratchet jaw took a nice bow.
finished boating 7 and missing 4 others with 2 losses close the the boat.  water temp break was down 70 it was 50 deg.  
NO BAD DAYS

anything going out on the big pond? been out of the country for a spell. need a salmon fix!

Fished sunday 7-16 early morning in strong west winds...Fished out of south shore and stayed south and shallow 45-75 FOW. Boated three fish and missed one. All fish and bites were around the 60 FOW, all on Downriggers (38, 40, 45, 55 depths). Two browns (15.5 and 6 lbs)and one rainbow (5.5 lbs) in the cooler. Orange glow spoon with green strike took on fish, NBK, took two and bloody nose had one hit. No bites on dodgers and flies this week.  Hope this helps.

Good luck to anyone doing Salmon-a-rama

First time fishing Milwaukee this year and excited to get there because fishing two days ago was spectacular according to friends. Launched next to my friend Clay, about 330 and sat down about five N. in 75 feet of water marking plenty of hooks and bait. It took a while to get bit and lead off was 250 copper with magnum RV Sandburr. Not too much later at fired again but nobody was home.Next rod to fire was a five color with regular RV Ratchet Jaw and unfortunately it also picked up the seven color so it took Dawn a lot of extra work to get that fish to the boat. Meanwhile, the 35 foot Rigger with a flasher fly, fired with a nice 11 pound king.  

They were coming in simultaneously and the king managed to get itself around the center downrigger cable. I brought up the center Rigger a bit to take some tension off then grabbed the rod opened the spool on the reel, letting the fish run. Then I did that in and out underneath and around the cable trick with my rod and managed to get the fish in!!

Then silence. Sun started to rise and marks and fish disappeared. I talked to Clay and Ken the sailboat guy who only had a couple of fish also. Very very much different as compared to the other day. Stayed inside a while longer and then headed east. Got out to 240 feet of water and a Center Rigger down 101 bounced reg Sandburr but nobody home. Put on my favorite “cohokiller” the Mountain Dew flasher with orange tape down 40 back 40 taking a coho. Last bite was a Four-color with regular RV agent orange taking a rainbow. And that was it folks!

Temp in 80 feet of water down 40 was 58 but I didn’t care because it was early. 240 feet of water down 50 it was 51. Kept my speed on the Depth Raider DRx-10 2.8 to 3.1 mph.

Last time I was out my Depth Raider was reading down speeds that were not correct. Anywhere from 3.5 to 4.8 and had no idea what was wrong. I carry a spare probe and that did the same thing. Called Curt Kell about getting a new head which arrives tomorrow. Newbe on the boat today asked regarding the speed what does kn/h stand for? OMG knots!! I had never really adjusted the speed all the years I have used the Depth Raider. I was able to use the mode button and get it back to miles per hour and I was golden. I had to admit my error to Curt and he sent back a ha ha ha!  I wouldn’t have thought of that either he said. Lesson learned!!

Despite the limited bites we did as well as the majority of people that cleaned fish today. It was a beautiful day to fish compared to yesterday. I won’t be out till the first Saturday of SAR fishing out of Port.
Grey Beard

I was just down there. There's a few spots for single car parking rite by the launch where u walk on the pier.

Wondering if any knows if the pier is accessible for fishing purposes? Also where do they have single vehicles parking with the construction?  TIA