tgafish

14 minutes ago, Martin1950 said:

Tom, thanks for the report.  We're doing the shake-down tomorrow in the AM.  A fish or two will be the icing on the cake.

Martin

Should be a good day Martin.  I'm sure a bigger spread would have put more fish in the boat quicker.  2 other boats at the launch when I pulled out.  2 guys who only had one bite and 3 guys who had 15 fish.  2 guys said they never touched deeper than 20 fow.

2 minutes ago, Nick D said:

Where is the best launch to use fishing there?

Are the docks in?

Thanks much Nick

St Joe City Launch.  Yes all the docks are in.  Lots of guys launch across the river at the Benton Harbor DNR launch because they already have their sticker.  I've had a truck broken into over there and know of several other people who have experienced the same so I try to  stay on the St Joe side.

ended up going solo yesterday AM.  I could not seem to find consistent pods of fish.  Trolled from the pump station down to the A frames and halfway back again with 3 bites all in 26 fow.  Tried the beach out to 40fow.

Finally landed on a pod at 2pm in 19 fow and picked up my last 3 in 20 minutes.  

Firetiger thinfin and smelt F11 took all 6 hits.

4 hours ago, FBD said:

 

 Structure, a concept growing up trolling around here, that I don't understand.

Fished Leland once before I had a contour chip.  Sandblasted my rigger balls pretty good that day.  Cant imagine how the guys fish up around the straights.  Would have me puckered so bad I probably couldn't get off my seat to raise the riggers.

I'd rather be out there Kevin but you would have to come out and tow me back in after I burned through my 6 gallon gas tank

Yup Ed I was wondering if you were a forum member.

mr this is the first year I've taken my smaller boat out on the big lake.  With the way the temps have been going up and down I've been keeping the I/O under wraps.  Trying to copy FBD 

3-23 Midday

Fished Port Sheldon from 10-3.  Went 2-3. 3 and 4lb brown.  Lost another that was probably 6 or 7.  All bites came on top of or on the deep side of the second bar. Spent half of my time in the second trough and even a little right up on the beach without a bite. 

Temps were 35-36.5

1-2 on gold with red stripe 3.0 Mag Lip

1-1 F9 brown trout

One other solo at the launch with 2 browns also

Fun start to the year

Went out Sunday morning and ended up 2 for 3 with 2 fat 8-10 lb steel.  Tried from 60-190 fow from 8-11am.  All 3 hits were in 130-135.

White Paddle and white fly down 75

Dr Death standard 300 cu

Hello darling standard 250 Cu

Speed was 2.5 SOG

We went into Muskegon Lake at 11 to try for perch.  Had a pretty steady bite for an hour but mostly small 5-6 inchers.  Bite shut down hard after a front blew through

I thought Kings only ate alewives.  How did you sneak those shad into it's belly???

Amazing to see this picture and then be greeted with 3-5 foot breaking rollers at 7am this morning!

I have to agree with FBD on this.  We need to reduce the kings and reduce the lake trout.  I agree that if we can get an equal predatory reduction in Lake Trout then we can hold off on the king cuts for one year but it has to be one or the other or both.  We can't let predation continue at current levels and expect a legitimate future for the king fishery.

I do sincerely appreciate the efforts put forth by the GLSI in reducing LT plants but you need to move from your king reduction stance

The response from the MDNR is that if you took all of the hatcheries around Lake Mi and only reared baitfish you would be able to feed the current predator base for only 2 days.

Great stuff Terry!

Yup kyped up ho's look cool as heck!

Got out for a couple hours tonight and we were rewarded with the best king bite I've had all year.  Set lines at 7PM and pulled them at 9:15.  Bite started as soon as we got set and ended at 8:20.  Lots of bait balls associated with the bottom.  4 hits came off fish working these balls.

3 for 6.  6lb, 13lb, 14lb kings landed.  All males.  All natural.  2 screamers came unbuttoned. 1 broken line.

70-80 fow just North of Duck Lake.  Only took bites going against the current at 2.4-2.7 SOG

1-2 flounder pounder mag down 52

1-2 white with blue dot SD with transparent meat rig down 60,  Blue dyed brine

1-1 BW Mag meat rig with a king belly strip no spinny on a slide diver out 110

0-1 White spinny green squid high diver out 90

0

1 hour ago, FBD said:

No planet board and core,attached to this one?

Yup but it was originally attached to my boat this time 

Fished with the wife 6-915.  Two shakers ho's in 100fow on a streak jr 40 down.  Night bite started late as the graph lit up just before full dark in 65 fow.  Took a 3lb King on a blue jackal on a 150 32Cu and then right after tied into a beauty on the full core with a green ghost J plug.  just enough light to barely make out the board.  Landed him in complete dark.   Ended up pulling the boga down to 27lbs.  New record for me and my boat

Yup it's a king.  Bird is a warbler.  I was out there from 5:45 to 10:30.  Clipped the damn unlighted green buoy in the dark. Luckily just a scratch.  Worked the pierheads for an hour or so in the dark with nothing to show for it.  Picked up and ran out to 50.  Worked that for a while bumped out to 90 where I finally started to mark some fish.  Took 2 lakers both released in there and then turned west until I took a 5 lb king in 165fow. Pulled lines shortly after that.  King and one of the trout came on a Streak jr pink alewife.  Surface temp was 70 out deep.  Coldest I found was 47 just South of the pierheads

Nice boot!

18 hours ago, Fake Bait said:

  I really like the looks of the Leadermates!  If they were $30 a pop I would jump all over those.  I may not catch any more fish, but I would like I really knew what I was doing on the ride out.

Appreciate the tips!

Cabelas has the leadermates on sale right now for 14.99.  I use bundeze for tons of stuff because they are a great company but the leadermate looks like the ultimate.  I just ordered 2

Largest I've ever seen in person was 17lbs.  About 12 years ago out of Manistee.

They are actually both Ho's.  Just been a long time since we've seen double digit ho's.  Nice catch!

Bob I tried to run my A side fillets with the backbone in and the backbone out just to see if that made a               difference.  Martin I have some blue colored fire brine on order.  I'll see what comes of that.  Last time I was at Rays they had some very good looking blue label in the freezer

3 hours ago, jdh said:

What aren't you having success with?  The meat firming up OR the fish biting them?  In terms of getting fish to bite - i've had extremely mixed results.  It seems like the familial bite strips and my own alewife strips have performed the best for me.  Not had good success with other methods.

Getting bites.  I check for a good roll and have gotten bit in past years but there seems to be a lot of guys getting bit before the sun goes down on meat and I haven't been touched.  All my bites are coming on spoons even though I'm running 2-4 meat rigs out of 6 lines all evening long.

I've used fire brine, John Kings borax and salt method, added brightner sometimes, added garlic sometimes.  I've used variations of all in between.  When it's hard to find cut strips I have no problem fileting my own but I just do not seem to have the success that others have running the same programs. I have not tried Big weenie brine yet but I can't imagine it would make that much of a difference.  Anybody have some thoughts on this?