SUPERTRAMP

Today I was with Dennis Neidlinger, former owner of Pro King lures, he passed on the news that his twin Brother Ken( Silverking) Neidlinger has passed. Ken was a pioneer in the fishery at St.Joe, and even if you did not care for his manners, he was one of the best dirty water fishermen I have ever met. He Charted for over 40 years, both on the big lake and on the St Joe river for steelhead. He was truly a great fisherman, and his video series helped a lot of new comers to get started. I am now the owner of his boat Silverking. Ken suffered from dementia in the last few years of his life, and Passed last Thursday peacefully.

Well we left the slip @ 6:30, set up just south in 65 FOW, marked a ton of bait and fish in there, started a SW troll, setup included 3 color, 4 color, 5color, 6 color and 2 10 color rigs dipsy on 1 out 80 and 100, riggers at 35 46 and 2 on the bottom with fixed sliders.

First fish was on the 10 color 6#King spoon was a stinger lemonlime. next we got a nice king on rigger down 46 stinger orange killer. Then it went dead. Decided finally at 10:30 to go back to where we were last sunday. Trolled south in 77 to 85 FOW and found some cooperative Kings. First one was on a 10 color with a stinger glow Christmas, then one of the fixed sliders with pink panties spoon went. Both Kings around 15# While landing the 2 fish a third went on 4 color, and we had our first Laker of the day (only one too) on a stinger Orange Killer. Last of the 6 we ended up with was on a 300 copper with a Stingray lemon lime glow. Not bad for a day when the Charter boats were struggling too.

Sorry to hear you're selling out

Just got used to Capt. Kenny not being at the helm. It's going to be hard figuring "Who's-On-First"

Martin

Yeah, I will probably get a trailerable rig, but this boat is really an awesome fishing machine. Working auto pilot updated electronics, lots of rod holders, 4 walker tournament pro downriggers, 25 rod and reel combos including leadcore, 300 coppers, dipsy rigs both power pro and wire, all of the tackle, too much to list. All for $15K.

This boat is still for sale, price reduced to $15,000 includes all tackle, and slip @ Brians Marina in ST JOE for the season. Call Mike Chamberlin 269 929 4221 for a showing and test drive. Will include a trip out on the lake and fishing for a serious buyer.

Nice job on the Silver fish. See ya out there Sunday. The Silverking will be getting after it.

Kevin u r the man. 14' boat in 3 footers. Nice job on the carp. But the persistence at beach fishing is really admirable. I have to say WELL DONE. But at age 69 I also have to say In my 30's I might have tried that but today, not happening. The FBD handle certainly fits. Great report, and great catch.

Mike when you say Mountain Dew echip, are you talking about the white blade with Mtn Dew tape, or the Mtn Dew blade with either pearl or Mtn Dew tape? Seems there are a few different options and I've always wondered which is being referred to by most...if it even matters to the fish that is.

Mtn dew blade with mtn dew tape. Ken Neidlinger turned me onto that after I made a couple of flies for him.

Sadly Ken is now in an adult foster care facility, his dementia has completely taken him.

We usually use different flashers, either spin docs, I personally like echip flashers, out best this spring has been a mtn dew flasher with a home tied pickle sunshine fly and a green e'chip or spin doctor with a chartreuse red dot spin n glow or a chartreuse p'nut. Let you ball down till u get slack in the cable and bring it back to tight then raise it about 1 to 2 feet. If you aren't getting bit try slowing down, we have had to go as slow as 2 mph this spring, but normally 2.3 to 2.5 is good laker speed. Last week end we tried to stay within 1 foot of the sand, and that is where we got bit. Another good set up is a trash can Dodger with a P'nut, ( wobble glo) When the other stuff is silent I always put that combo down.

The DNR has put a freezer for fish head donations at the St Joe city launch it is located on Anchors Way in St. Joe. Possibly one of the nicest launch facilities on the lake, Cleaning station, perch scaler and good safe parking. $5 per day parking fee, or $35 for a season pass that can be picked up @ the St Joe city hall.

The fish definitely moved out of St. Joe this week. Made the weekend tough going.

Tough fishing in St Joe too. We are starting to see the results of the decision to reduce plants. I certainly hope that the Charter guys start releasing these 10 to 12 inch fish they are killing.

We managed to boat 6 today, 4 Lakers, 1 King and 1 Steelhead. I started straight out, in 80 FOW, and trolled SW and didn't have a sniff. at 11:00 my buddy Doug called me and said he found some fish in 75 FOW off of Stevensville. I trolled down that way and worked back into the 75 foot depth. Our first fish was a nice trout on a 10 color stinger orange killer. next came a Steelhead on the same spoon on a 4 color. Then we had a runner on 300 copper Stingray Lemon glow, 14# King. While netting that a rigger with green 8" echip and green spin n glo fired. Laker. 2 More lakers on 6 color and a 3 color 1 Green Dolphing Stingray, and the other on a modified Blue dolphin stingers. The only bites came on a south troll 2.4 to 2.5 at the ball, a lot tougher today than last week. Water on the surface was 53degrees, and 39 on the bottom. there was a clear 5 degree temp break at 45' . Good luck will report again Tuesday weather permitting.

Nice Job Kevin. Glad u r getting out.

Nice Job. Hope we start seeing a few Silver Fish. Would be nice not to have to target Lake Trout.

The Walker downrigger service center in Allegan, 269 673 7442, he may be able to help you get what u need. He is really good and has serviced my Walker's for years. He used to work at the Walker plant in Kalamazoo. Give him a call.

Where are you located? Do you have a notebook, 12 pack, and gas money? Thumb a lift here, be respectful, ask good questions, and take notes. You'll learn more that way than online or at a seminar.

Amen to that. I also recommend hooking up with guys here looking for riders. You can always learn a lot from riding along and taking notes. Most of the guys here are very good about equipment, and the where and how when they report. Shy away from the hero posts and watch the guys that catch fish day in and day out.

I would double up on 225 and 300. These coppers are in the water most days for me.

Dittto. I hate running the 450 coppers, it takes all the fun out of the fish. I catch more fish on the 225, and 300 bloodrun copper that on the other lengths. My spring setup doesn't even have copper in the mix. I use 2 to 10 colors, usually 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 colors and when I have to add copper I run the 225. Later in Summer when the fish are deeper I just put away the leadcore short cores until we go Steelhead fishing.

If your around some serious structure you have to watch it. Down here, we have not problem putting riggers on the bottom

Yup St Joe is a big old sandbox. Manistee is a different story. Not gonna do it there.

Don't you lose some cannonballs dragging them on the bottom? I've always be scared to do this.

I go to the bottom and get slack cable, then pull up about 2 feet above the tight cable. I use 200# cable and 12# balls.

I have fished up to 8 rods off of a 16' boat no problem, 3 boards per side and down riggers or dipsy presentations. The downriggers are kind of un necessary when in 16 Fow. or less, but riggers set 5 to 9 feet, clean mono with any rapala or bomber long A or jointed minnow, small spoons on 1, 2 and 3 color and you have an 8 rod presentation. It works. be sure to run your deepest (3)color closest to the boat, and your clean mono furthest out, u can run spoons on that too with a small pinch on weight. I now fish a lot more rods on my big boat, but we get into single digit water and catch browns weather permitting.

great job Mike! Were you dragging bottom continuously dropping your riggers as you headed out or were you just keeping them in the bottom 10ft or so?

I kept 2 riggers on the bottom, adjusting as we went out. Pound the bottom and catch a trout.

We left the slip @ 6:15, ran out to 70 FOW and set lines on a 330 heading setup was 4 color, with a stinger orange killer, 6 color with the same, 2 10 colors with Stingers, anything orange, 2 300 copper with same spoons,riggers on the bottom with mtn dew echip and green glow echip mtndew with pickled sunshine fly and the green echip with a chartreuse red dot spin n glo. both e'chips were hot, made a troll out to 200, turned and came back thru the same wate. steady action right till we pulled lines. Speed 2.5 mph at the ball. Ended our day with 9 Trout and 4 Coho. Not bad for fishing in sporadic downpours.

On top of that we had a finch hitch a ride out in the fog.

Where were u fishing? We might be able to help u get on fish if you let us know where u r fishing. Good Luck and welcome

90% Lake Trout, They are doing what I did last Sat and Sunday, Catch lakers and then try to get a couple of silver fish. Last weekend we had the perfect storm, no bait, and Full Moon. Lets see what happens next time out. I have a trip planned for Sunday.

The fact is that the small kings being caught are not fresh planters, those are still in the pens. The small kings being caught are natural reproduction, they all have all of their fins and are really all nice 10" kings. We have released about 25 of them so far, but I see charter boats keeping them. (That is a real shame).

Sunday we will be pounding the St.Joe area and I believe we will still be on Lake trout. I talked to a fisheries guy and so far not much in the way of baitfish on the Michigan side. But I bet if we could get some Wisconsin guys to report they have baitfish all over. The last time we had this kind of spring shortage of bait, Wisconsin had em all.