Far Beyond Driven

Thought with the reduced crowds we would have no issues in the channel. However, some people a bout half way down the channel fired repeated casts over my stern even when I was scraping the rocks on the south side to give them room. "We OK". BS we're ok, you know what you're doing. So we fished out front, caught two sheep and then right at dark pulled two kings, an 8# on a spinny down ten and a 4# on a two color mag moonshine off a board, the only short core I had left after we ok man cast his eighty pound braid over all the others and broke me off. Glorious night out there. Sad to think how few chances are left to enjoy it.

Anyone that can look at a king and tell you how old it is is either ignorant or a liar. I've turned in over 30 c w t from the harbor and have yet to see a four year old fish. Granted none of these were twenty plus and none were from years twenty plus fish were common.

Practice combat fishing in Muskegon and nothing at Holland will surprise you. And thanks to all for the harbor reports. Now all sing "it's a small world"

Running boards is way down on the list of stuff not to do in the channel. Oh well, 90% of the boats will go away in the next two weeks. Got to stock up on the intense fishing when I can.

Funny when a 25" walleye looks small!

I know I can wail on the kings slow rolling glow flatfish at 1 knot but I won't try it if other boats are around.

Try combat fishing in south haven or Whitehall, where you can cast across the channels. It's too skinny to run divers there.

You learn very quickly who is competent and who you need to avoid, and boat size is not a factor. Last night I came within 10' of getting t- boned as a guy "could not see me because of the sun". Another guy stopped his boat in the middle of the channel to fight a fish. Fine, but when you stop the fish can go anywhere. Much safer to pull them out of traffic and then slow down to net them.

Got out at 4:45 solo in the 14' nothing going. Picked up a crew member on the north shore at 6 and still nothing going. Had to bail at 9 due to a funeral. Between 7 and 8:30 we rattled off 5 kings and lost 5 more. Green glow j on a slide was hot with boards taking most of the other hits. Guys on the sail boat were cleaning up too, but they really need a bigger net. They pulled one in with the plug hooks in the net and the fish hanging out of the net. That never works for me. Went back out at night. Much slower but picked away at them, ending up 4/5. Three of the kings were in the 8-11 pound range and one was an absolute choad that pegged my 25# scale and had to be bent to fit in a 120 quart cooler. We had to dismember the carcass to get it through the grinder.

Ran boards last yesterday am and pm and didn't cause anyone any issues. Well, one maxim that motored up and ran over my board line well within 100' of my boat. He finally slowed down after he saw my board levitating 30' behind his boat but cost me a one color and plug. Most times my boards are on top of my slide divers, which set at 5 are farther out to the side. If you fish get out to 200' in the channel you're asking for truoble. I run 50# braid divers and 30# on everything else with the drags down tight. I lose fish for it, but I don't have to bother the boats around me much.

Guys, I'm downsizing to a 10' Jon boat with oars next year. If I don't win, I will have arms and abs of steel.

A couple years ago in October we went 7/7 with 5 steel, a king, and a brown in 6-10' of water. So some days it may pay to look tight before heading way out.

Jumping, rolling, swimming past. But not a bump. Nice night though.

Holland has net pins and gets a good return if you hit the right days. Ill be out the pulling kings and coho out of the channel while most boats are shrink wrapped. A few years ago we were 5/7 on the first Saturday in October, last year we were 2/5 on September 22. Oil spill didn't make it downstream, so n/a to any fishing below the dam at allegan.

4 points. Too bad we quit at 5 in the first one and ran into the piers looking for a brown instead of staying out and catching a 20.2" laker. Should have read the rules a little closer..... Well played Mr. Ash. Thanks to Jon for pulling this together and to the sponsors and all who fished this.

Kicker is nice as a safety feature but in 4000 hours I've been towed in twice. My 350 is 1.3 gph but my boat is lighter than 1mainiac's.

I blasted and repainted a dual axle trailer. Took about 6 weeks of nights and weekends. Well worth it. Do not go with white, it shows everything. I went with navy to match the boat and the few rust spots from stone chips hardly show.

Until season closes Lakers will be on the bottom in 80' give or take. Come mid October until ice up trout of all kinds can be had from the beach out to 30' it so. 12/15/12 last year we were 3/4 around the bubbler with a laker and three steel. Never had a lot of luck with immature kings out deep this time of year but have found steel from 180-370' (yep, 1/2 hour out at full throttle), if you find them they seem to be in tight little groups. Can't troll too fast for them, we run 3-4 mph on the GPS.

Still running the old navy four winns. There's another one a lot like it in Holland and if the fish are in close, he'll be in there, so you're not seeing double. I love slide divers as I run longer leads on my riggers, and then the dipsies are not as close to the boat. I run the diver on a top shot of 50' of 30# mono with a 2' leader of 20# behind the diver. I run mostly j plugs on these, about 30' back and 30' out. These were my best rods last week green glow on one and silver red head on the other. Wonderbread was doa this year, odd, as that's usually money.

Jon. Please pm me your address. I meant to meet you at the launch but telling my wife " we need to leave now" was interpreted as "I have time to take a long shower" and when we met benden rods a couple miles from the launch I knew it was too late.

Got my butt handed to me by a duck boat full of kids. Cool! Sounds like we should have stayed more in mac but our first fish came at the end of the pier which kept us out there....

As soon as the water gets into the high 50's you can target them in the shallow water. Expect steelies and Lakers in the mix. I do well with small spoons, but in the fall the browns that were 2# in march are now 5-7# so regular spoons work. Rapalas are a safe bet. Planet boards are your friends as they're kind of boat shy.

Drop a note if this is a go as I want to make it to the weigh in if possible.

Kids in soccer. Gonna have to sit this one out. Bummer.

Last night: "What did you get that fish on?" Hot and tot "What's a hot and tot?" A plug. "What color?" Firetiger "What color is that?" Pretty slow last night, 1/2 on kings and a rip on a board (2 per side) that we missed. Two on the piers and one boat hook up seen.