SPOONWASHER

Thanks guys!

Well we headed out for a couple of hours to get a shakedown cruise in. We fished everywhere from 5 to 35 fow. Ended up going 1 for 1 taking a big male steelhead in 30fow in front of Deerlick Crick. It hit a Hot Steel Rapala on mono behind a board with a 1 ounce weight. Water temp was about 38 in most places. This will be my last trip for awhile cuz I am having surgery Monday. Hopefully I will still be able to get the tail end of the spring fishing! We also saw a crazy jet skier out there in a t-shirt! It looked like Jarod and the Nee Hi were out so I'm curious how they did.

Atlantics! I have not been able to fish for them up there at that time of year but have seen several hitting the top of the water in August. I hear spring is the time for them. Try fishing in the passage and on out by the lighthouse or by the big reef there. I would stay higher in the water column and use stick baits like rapalas or chrome and blue spoons or something along those lines. Hope this helps a little bit and good luck! Let us know how you do!

For some reason the turkeys do not show themselves all winter at my house. No tracks...nothing! However they come back in the spring every year. With the warmer weather and snow melting they are starting to show. I got 2 big toms on the trail cam today! It is getting to be that time, I cant wait!

Here's a few more, they aren't salmon but they were from the Great Lakes or its tributaries.

First time out of Au Gres

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A couple of Traverse Bay smallies

And finally a brookie. I know its not a monster but I worked for hours to get this little bugger. Hes pretty and I got him on my own fly!

A great year it was! I look really young in some of these, its crazy how much I have changed.

First fish of the year

St Joe

A big Lake M spring king

And finally a nice Detour Channel king

Are best set up for hos is a red thin fish behind a inline board. We run one fly and one spoon on the 2 downriggers. The fly is usually red, orange, or green peanut fly behind a small red dodger.

I was just wondering if anyone has done good on walleye through the ice around here. I know Gravel and Cedar have them. Has anyone had any luck on either of these lakes? If so what tactics worked? I know Maple has a ton of them but I wont eat a fish out of there! Feel free to PM me if you want.

Thanks

Justin

Hey Erik, I just now saw this thread. I am very sorry to hear about your dog and hope your new pup will be a good one. When I get home I would be more than happy to post some more pics if you would like. Something that is very ironic though is my lab is named "Shiloh" too!! I hope all goes well with the puppy!

ZF early hunt for me!! Cant wait for that first day I get to hear the "woods waking up" again. There's absolutely nothing like the sound of a gobble on a crisp spring morning!

Those things are pigs!!! SWEET!

That is one awesome fish! Congrats! My great grandpa used to tell me stories of a huge muskie he caught and then proceeded to release it. As he did it turned around and got him in the hand, it kinda reminds me of that! Again that fish is a brute, GJ!!

Thanks for the wishes and words of wisdom! I got to pick the time to do it and I decided there was nooo way that I was gonna miss spring coho and king fishing!! They are doing the other knee 4 weeks later so hopefully I will recover in time.

Thanks guys! Unfortunately this will probably be my last time fishing down here this year or for quite awhile. Next weekend we're headed up to the cabin and then I'm getting my knee operated on. It all depends on how I feel after that:)

Finally found some fish today after school. Got out of school at 11 cuz of exams, headed to a buddies house for some food and left from there. Right off the bat it was looking like it was going to be an interesting trip because I forgot my weights:( We decided to set the tip ups anyways and just guess on depth. Put a lively lil sucker on it let some line out and walk over to set the other tip up. My buddy yells flag and I thought he was screwing with me when I turn around and see the spool unwinding like crazy:lol: Turns out to be a 25 inch pike his first through the ice. The day just got better from there. Got a 32 inch pike on a tip up with a bluegill and another 25 incher on a tip up with a sucker. The gill fishing was on and off. The camera was the key, seeing how they react and playing with them a little bit. Ended up with 20 gills kept. Best day so far, hopefully things keep picking up. Sorry no pics, there on my phone and I don't know how to upload from there.

:no:Justin

Thank you! I'm always outside chasing after one critter or another:D

Thats really cool! Congrats on a great fish!

I love your dog too!

Your story and pics just made my day. Thanks

Thank you!! And no problem:no:

Thanks for the pm Randy!

Oh ok, last night we fished Cedar and only got a few gills. Had a tip up go but break the line:angry2: At first the ice on School Section looked not so good but it got better. Still have to be very careful out there!

AWSOME job justin, i almost went to school section this morning.

The gill fishing was veryyy slow. Quite a few people went around the corner but I don't think they did any good. Have you heard anything good about any other lakes around here?

Nice job Justin. I was suprised to hear that it was School Section lake.

Us too! We heard a rumor about the DNR dumping some in there by accident but never new if it was true!

Thanks everyone!! It sure was a blast, I was only using 2 or 4lb test and really had to baby him with the drag!

Haha thanks guys!! And Nailer, who knows, I guess I'm just one lucky kid! The thing is that this is a very small lake. Supposedly 3-4 years ago the DNR backed the truck up and opened the door and they were walleye on accident! I guess once they started dumping them they couldn't stop and they released 5,000 fish!! Regardless of how they got there I am pumped!

So we headed out to a small lake (School Section) this morning in hopes of getting into some gills. Well that didn't happen, only got one tiny gill all morning. At about 12:30 we moved the shanty and got settled in again. After a couple minutes the Vexilar lit up!! So here I am thinking we got into a school of gills and moved my Firetiger Diamond Jig, # 14 size, tipped with a wax worm up to where the marks where. Jig jig, pause, slowly life, preasure, set the hook, zzzzzzz!!! Hmm maybe not gills anymore. I fought the fish for awhile thinking it was a Northern or maybe a big bass. Get it to the hole once and Dad said it was a Northern. Okay, I still want to get it in!!! It ran again and I fought it for awhile more, probably 5 minutes, and then when it got close I pulled it in hand over hand. Its head came up into the whole and its a big walleye! I put a death grip around its mid section and throw it up into the shanty, holy crap!!! Even better I caught it on the pole I made! 24 inches, 5 lbs 12 ounces. In the last pic the pole is 27 inches long and lined up with his nose, the first guide is 3 inches from the tip.

Thank you everyone who voted! And thanks Mike for having a wonderful site and contests like this. Congrats to everyone else who participated, there were some beautiful deer!