flyman013

Great job on the season Jim. Was our best year ever for salmon as well. Only made it out four times with a total of 12 fish, but that is the best fish per trip average we have ever done, and we managed our first over 20lb. Hate to see the season end, but put the boat to bed on Saturday.

Great looking bird, Ed! I miss hunting those guys.

Thanks Ed. I suggested a kicker also and I think it is on his list.

My father in law recently bought a new to him boat It is pretty bare bones, so there is plenty of room to rig it out. Both have back problems and would like to put electric downriggers on. The boat has a Yamaha 175hp outboard. Does anybody know if there will be enough power for 2 Big Jon Captain Pak riggers with Nav lights, fish finders and marine radio on? Would hate to get these on and find out there wasn't enough power to operate them. Thanks.

Thanks for the update Scott. I was out of South Haven a few weeks ago and it was the same story. We are heading up to Lake Superior. Hopefully we'll have better luck.

I'll be building some rod holders from scrap pipe from the shop. Built a set already for my boards and love them. Will be adding dipsey rods to the spread next year, so I needed some heavy duty holders. Also will be converting the VRO fuel pump to a standard pump.

Sorry for your troubles. My boat broke down last year in July and I chased those "gremlins" for the rest of the year and finally put the boat down for the winter broken. Chased the problem some more in the spring and finally fixed it and it is running better than ever. It is frustrating, but to be able to fish the Great Lakes to me is worth the headaches and hassles. Keep up with it and good luck to you!

We saw 2 of these in Manistique this summer and wondered what job they did, surprises me it's all closed in. Put me in for a $100.00 and sack of coal!!

They are closed in because of the rough conditions of the Great Lakes. These boats can actually roll into the waves and not sink (kind of like a bobber). I saw a few of these in Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Superior. They are pretty cool and well suited for commercial Great Lakes fishing.

Thanks for the pictures! I love seeing the big ones from Lake O. I've noticed that most the fish seem to be missing the adipose fin. Is it just the photo or do you catch alot of planted salmon over there?

I feel your frustration. We are lucky if we get out once a month, so we try to make every trip count. We are having our best year so far with a total of 12 fish boated all year. When we first started, we maybe caught one salmon all year. What helped me was keeping a journal of what we used for lures, speed we trolled, water temps, weather, speed, and depth we fished. That at least gave us a starting point for our next trip out. Our mantra on our boat is when you don't catch too many fish, you really appreciate the ones you do catch. One more thing, for every report of someone catching their limit, there is about twenty more people who don't report they got skunked.

Awesome, Thanks for sharing. Makes me more excited for my trip up north in October.

When I catch a laker I don't want, I put it in the livewell with the aerator on for about five minutes ( I have a long livewell). Just put them in, reset the line and come back to him and he's ready to be released.

Jay,

Congratulations on getting in shape and recovering. You have a beautiful dog. Enjoy your fall hunting adventures.

Flyman013, what brand of electric anchor winch do you have and are you satisfied with the quality and operation of the winch?

Good ideas.

Patio

I think it is a Powerwinch 25. Not sure if they make them anymore, but I bought it used. I think it is good quality. All the motor and gear components and mounting frame are metal. I can't remember which one I looked at new, but the gear box was plastic and you are just asking for trouble with that. It is a power up and power down. I don't care for the power down feature, but that is my only complaint. Good luck!

I put an anchor winch on my bow. I just extended the pole for my nav lights to raise above the winch.

Welcome Jess. I fish the bay around that time as well in a 17' aluminum and do just fine. If you stay in the bay, you should have no trouble, BUT, keep an eye on the weather. We've had it go from calm to 5 footers in a matter of minutes. We have always had luck in front of the hospital that time of year. We will be up the first week of October this year. Let me know how you do and have fun up there, it is truly beautiful that time of year!

That is awesome! Won't work with MS Explorer like they said. Worked great with Firefox.

Well done, I thought that was you guys at the boat launch last night but was not sure enough to say hey.

Thanks. You should have came over, we would have loved to talk to you.

Took a short trip in the evening out of South Haven, and the lake was calm and beautiful. Ended the night 3 for 5, all kings. We were southeast of the pier and caught all our fish between 80 and 90 FOW, 50-55' down on the riggers on flasher and fly combos. My wife caught one of the biggest salmon we ever caught, a 22 lb. hog. Have a great time out there.

LeAnna's Hawg!

It would barely fit the cooler.

Looks like he had a "Happy Troller" plate and the relaese rope got caught in the prop.

Frank, Do those have an integrated fuel tank, or is it a remote tank?

Welcome Steve! I fish Port Austin and Grindstone, but for bass and walleye. If you need some help with that, let me know.

I've used the Mr. Twister. It works great for skining, but prefer a regular fillet knife for everything else. Never tried it on salmon.

Sounds like an awesome day on the lake. The flies were terrible out of South Haven yesterday too.

Congrats on the place!