Far Beyond Driven

2/2 last night. Set in 100' went as far as 130' back in to 100' and ended there. Plan was to get shallower.

First fish hit while changing to the night program, 11# immature hen king on my NEW FLOUNDER POUNDER two color 86' down scraping the bottom.

Next hit was a huge rip on a wonderbread j on a full core. Could not stop it pulled lines and circled (occasionally beam to some massive waves) and finally netted a 15# hen stuck in the gill plate with the back hook. Surfed them back in at the dock by nine. No one out last night, i mean it was as lonely as March out there.

Check the wire arm on the blacks release for sharp edges, especially the end.

I run 2.7 or só around the piers with them. I have caught steel on the size threes at over 4 mph. Not sure how the catch them as they are darting all over the place...

Cabela's makes a nice pump that runs off D sized batteries. Have it in my 22' as a back up. Alsó good when the power goes out when the sump pump is running 24/7.

Mature kings out deep or steel and immatures? Last time we were in a tournament and could not get the heavies to go in close, we went out deep and had a riot on 4-7# kings and steel. Did not help at weigh in but a fun trip.

Good point to set the clutches on your riggers and have wire cutters, good sharp ones at that, handy.

Besides nets there is other stuff out there, like a shipwreck in 73' off Glenn that played tug of war with us once. It won.

You can fish behind me áll you want. I already got those fish.

I got bullied hard by a charter in front of Holland last year when maybe five of us were at the piers. He told me that charters set the trolling pattern and we have to fall in with them. Guess his clients got sick of watching us land four fish to their nőne. The last time i had to crazy iván éven though he was stand by i finally told hím that his gel coat cost more than my boat and i was done turning.

I have over 2000 hours in my 14' with at least half of it on the big lake. The only issue i have had with the coasties is when i had to pull the auxilliary over to get a planer board out from under them when they ran by on pláne well within 100'.

My 14' has a 20" transom and á 74" beam. Still, i rarely go beyond 100' and usually not more than 70'. I have a 22' for that.

I also have :

Fixed rádio

Hand held rádió

Tools

Spare spark plugs

Flares

Two fire extinguishers

Sea anchor

Navy anchor, chain, 200' of rope

Dye packs

Light sticks

Life jackets with whistles and strobes, spare life jackets, throwable on a rope

Seriously Looking at a p l b or án epirb.

Calm is relatíve. Limited on browns this spring in chop that made speed control a nightmare, but never shipped a drop of water.

And about 4000 hours on the lake, not that she does nőt throw a curve ball every now and then.

Replacement found. Big shoes to fill...

Remember when it was two rods? Félt naked running four rods for browns in my 14'.

Great detailed report.

And my second to last pearl nailer plug to a king on the copper. Leader broke between swivel and plug. Só may be it bobbed up and someone finds it.

A great feeling when you crank in a long line and feel less resistance than you should...

We had good times. You spent most of it on the chute s w r about 70' down.

You caught a Nice king for the neighbor's kid last August, his first big lake fish. And a couple big spring kings that were hiding under a temp break when we were half way to Wisconsin looking for steel last May. And you got my middle daughter a laker off the 200 copper in the youth tournament this year that was big enough for a trophy.

And because i forgot to reel you in last night while pulling lines, you broke off. Not to a fish, but to my error. Rést easy and I will think fondly of the good times we had.

1/4 last night no pattern 140' 80 down more or less. Ãll good hits just did not stay stuck.

Sorry guys, work put me on call this weekend. Really wanted to catch one of these.

Thanks to Dirty Dog for pulling the series together.

Still $20 to enter?

Sign us up.

I would like to start át 6.

6am shotgun start? Back in the day the last event started át 7. My crew doubts my ability to catch fish after the early bite.

That launch is stupid once the hangover crowd wakes up. If you 4wd and can launch without a dock, there's a slab launch on the south side of the lake behind the restaurant. If you can fit under the bridge there is a deeper launch at the end of Holly Drive.

Set a hook on my you get yelled at. Do it again you aren't coming back out. By the time that rod moves the book is as buried as it is going to be and all you are doing is pulling it out.

Had a massive steel ride the line up. Guy stops reeling turns around and says "gone" just as the fish dives. Rod is laid over the transom. Snapped like a spaghetti noodle.

Set you rods so you can reel with them in the holders. When a rigger fires, reel like mad until the rod tip buries or the luře is out of the water. Then pick up the rod.

My daughter and i were up here and slept in. Doh! Them my middle daughter popped a 14" bass off the dock while i got a couple 5" bluegills...

45 10' down off grand haven yesterday...

That said, usually when the lake flips, if we can't get them close we head out to 150-200 where the thermocline has not changed much.

When did they pick them up? We were 1.8 miles due upwind of them when they called and should not have missed them.

Set up in 60 about 6am and got fully set up in 80 on a 330 troll. Hit two kings on a white paddle mirage fly 200' out. Then a king on a mág bloody nose moonshine down 70. Beat a big king back into the lake with the net on the wire diver same white paddle when the front hook on the fly got caught in the mesh.

Lost a screamer mid run on a green glow ace high 92' down on a swr.

At 150 we turned back into them to get shallow to turn with them. Ran hot as we figured this was wasted time and popped a pair of 5# steel, one on a watermelon nailer 300 copper, the other on the ace hi 92 down. Crew did a great job catching up to that one.

Pulled lines to look for a boat needing a tow taking another king on a white meat rig 275' back on the other wire diver with a couple lines left to go. Never found the boat. Found plenty of boats that didn't offer to help. Come on guys, we are all in this together. Would have lived to turn back with them on a nice troll and boxed some more fish but on my boat we help those who need it even in tournaments.

Shout out to the guys who zigged and zagged to give everyone room to run long lines. Also talked to Zach Eno at the launch, nice to put faces with names.

We pulled lines on an active bite to go get them. Searched out a grid a milé + from their last location downwind, checked every boat in sight and all were OK. Tried to call the coasties on 16 no response so i did a radio check and got boats south of holland.

We were only 2 miles from them when they called first and could barely hear them.