phishtix

So I have tomorrow off work. The weather isn't looking very nice for any of the places I usually fish here in MI. Just really don't feel like fishing in sideways rain and snow. So I decided I'm going to head out of state and do some exploring. Trying to stay ahead of the storm that is forecast to hit us looks like I can get a bout 6 hours more of decent fishing weather if I head to Ohio.

I'm going to visit the Vermilion river. Already got an Ohio license and some maps. Anyone else ever been there? I've heard they get a lot of fish but they run a bit smaller in size than what we get here in MI.

Anyone have any advice?

So I was fishing the Kalamazoo River near Douglas/Saugatuck last weekend. While running my boat up the channel I was surprised to see 2 fish jump clear out of the water right next to my boat. They were silver and had forked tails. Not Steelhead or Salmon. Quite honestly while I've never actually seen one in real life they looked just like the pictures I've seen of those Silver Carp. They were about 20 inches long and both jumped clear out of the water right next to my boat.

Seems weird to me. I can't say I've ever had fish jump out of the water in the wake right next to my boat like that. Especially in February.

Is there any other fish that are silver with forked tails that might act this way this time of year?

I'm really hoping they weren't Asian Carp.

Thanks for the report. I wanted to get out this weekend but had too many family things going on. Sounds like it was just as well I stayed home.

At least it was better than working right?

Since no one else is responding,

I'm not a big lake fishermen per say but I do a lot fishing around the piers and surf.

I picked up a new G Loomis EX6 this past summer. It is advertised as being an excellent "mooching" rod. Don't know about all that. I got it for fishing the pier and surf. Its 10'6" and has what I call a "surf style" butt section. ie...the butt section is quite long. Sounds like that's something you were looking for.

What sold me on it is its so light, yet its strong. Not really a rod I would use for drift fishing because the butt section is too long and makes it uncomfortable for that type of fishing. I have used it to cast spoons but mostly I got it for fishing slip rigs with alewives. For that it works perfectly. Nice and long and even though its extremely light weight it has a really strong spine. Handles big salmon really well. I like it  

Wow must be quite a contrast moving from the north shore of lake superior to Detroit. Probably a lot less snow eh? But cool if your a Tigers or Lions fan.

Congrats on the new boat! And welcome to the site

That hen is super fresh!

First fish of 2017

Nice day to be on the joe. Water is up. Visibility maybe 6 inches. This was my only fish for the day.

Welcome

Glad to hear your doing so well. Hoping your all back in shape come fishing season!

Almost like a dream

Happy 2017 to you!

Last trip for 2016

Hit the joe Friday for my last trip of 2016. Didn't turn out great. I got the skunk. Oh well. At least I didn't have to clean fish right?

The river is in great shape. Water is up and visibility is about 1 to 2 ft.  

All in all 2016 wasn't a bad year for me. It was certainly better than 2015. Looking forward to 2017. Hoping this will be the year of huge steelhead and lots of 20 fish days

Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas to you also!

Wow! Sorry to hear about this. Condolences to his family.

I think all the snow we have is keeping the lakes from freezing good. I've been seeing a few brave souls out on some of the ponds around here lately and reading about a few that have gone though the ice. Be Careful!!!

One of the guys I work with fishes out of Monroe a lot. he said the same thing. Lots of under size Walleyes this year but couldn't keep his line in the water without hooking up.

Guess I could add a little information, sorry I was really tired when I got home last night.

Fished the St Joe. Water is low and fairly clear for the Joe. The fishing was not the best. Got this male using wax worms and a corky. Worked really hard for one fish. Pretty sure it wasn't exactly worth it, but I'd probably do the same if I had it to do over again. I'm weird that way

Tough conditions

Managed to stick it out for about 4 and half hours today. Wanted a fish real bad

Seriously though I may be getting too old for this.

I like the C Foam. Been using that stuff for yrs.

Too cold for the boat right now for me. I'm planning to fish from the bank this weekend if I can get there before the next storm hits. They're calling for it to hit Friday evening.

One of these days I'm going to make a trip over and check out Lake Ontario. I've heard rumors that 20 fish days are not uncommon over there. Need to find out if that's true  

SW MI river

Fished the Joe yesterday. Kind of slow for me. Only one fish caught. Saw a few other anglers get some but just the one for me. No complaints

Caught this hen drifting steelhead skien deep. Water was pretty cloudy from the rain the night before.

I was watching the "outdoor chef" this morning and he made a recipe for salmon wasabi balls. Looked yummy. Not sure how my stomach would do with the spicy wasabi sauce but maybe just tone it down a bit and I'd be okay. Worth a try.

Westwind, I like your idea of freezing the fish in Italian dressing. I might have to give that a try  

I did some searching on line and from what I read it sounds like just keep my motor in the down position when not using and all the water should drain out. Hope this is correct. I got some trips planned for Feb. If not I'll find out the hard way.

WTG!

Should be decent fishing this weekend. Too bad I have to do a big "honey do" list to get ready for the holidays. All my stuff is packed and ready to go though, just in case an opportunity presents itself

Just curious, I plan on using my boat all winter. It has a mercury 40hp 4 stroke motor.

Do any of you use your outboards during below freezing conditions and if so do you do anything special to keep it safe?

In the past I've used my outboards all winter without any problems. But this is my first 4 stroke.

Fished my favorite north east trib yesterday. Got three fresh chromers  All 3 came on eggs. Fished the lower and mid sections. Water has a good stain on the lower stretches but gin clear in the middle sections. I found my fish in the mid sections and all three came from log jams close to the bank. Tough fishing. I had to do a lot of retying. Lost my favorite hot and tot

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Go Lions!

Skipped a week last week as I let all the fish I caught go. This weekend I kept a fresh coho. So having fish for dinner tonight.

Maybe when I die I will give my body over to science so they can study the effects of eating a lot of fish  

Incidentally the coho was a hen and her eggs were still tight in skein. Her belly was bright white so she hadn't been in the river long. I'm thinking at this rate there will still be Salmon spawning into December and beyond.  Sure is a weird year.