Far Beyond Driven

I'll just flat out say it: I don't think it's fair for those of us who fish once a week, maybe once every other week to fish against someone in a "fun" league that first mates on a charter boat and fishes 4-5 times a week. Hence my hesitation to fish these events last year. That said, last event, the fish were at the piers and I just choked. We went 4/11 and had the fish to win. Being on the phone with work for 2 hours while trying to troll in the fog didn't help. Also, I see there's no rule 12. Let's make that "no fishing shrimp for steelies from an anchored boat." Rule changes look positive. Going to make for new strategies.....

I'm not going to a weigh in where I can't see my boat the whole time. I would think the back part of the municipal launch would work, the guys with slip boats can park by the cleaning station and carry (hopefully drag) over their coolers.

Work is slower this year, so I should be able to get to a couple of these. Now all I need is a charter boat to hook up with for current intel so I can set up on top of fish in every event and not have to waste the best hour or two setting up my program.

For numbers a single gold red thin fish probably took 50 fish last year. It has been retired for tournament use only. For weight we had a fire tiger junior thunderstick that took over 200# - literally could not keep that thing in the water around the pier heads. At 23# king looks stupid with that little plug buried in it's kyped up jaws.

I run my out downs (electrics) deeper, usually right on the bottom, and then my chute rigger is almost always an SWR right at the top of the thermocline. The only time I run the 4th rigger is usually way up high looking for coho or steel. Last time I had a tangle on the riggers, well, can't remember. But I did have some wire diver kings mate with all the planer board lines they could find.

I have removed it with a socket set one time. You can put it back then none the wiser.....

"Just as well we lost that one, the cooler's full any way". Over heard on the radio on the last WMFL event.

If you're going to fish solo in the harbor, then fish the edge of the pack so you can bail out of the crowd while fighting a fish.....

Kids go through a phase when they want to pile up birds and fish, gory or not. Most grow out of it. I used to be like that but then realized I've done enough that I have nothing to prove to any one any more. It's not just kids either, some people as adults have a "win at all costs, more than you" attitude. My daughters will never go through that stage. They have learned to respect the game we harvest, be it releasing fish or wiping the blood off them before a picture. Makes for better pictures all around. And a better experience where at the end of the day it's not whether or not we piled a limit of greenies in the corn, but it's my daughter sleeping in the back seat of the Jeep with her head on the decoy bag as I ride home that I'll remember. Don't need to give any fuel to the anti's either.

I've learned it's fun to pass the Lake Express Ferry when it's cranking, until you have to fill the gas tank in the boat that afternoon.....

1970's vintage Locos, Nailers, and J-plugs still work for me.

If you don't have a clue on how to launch a both, then don't show up for the first time at noon on a Saturday.

Left my house at 2:45 and was back home with the boat in the barn before dark. Trolled two flats and went 2/2 with a 9# hen and a 23" stream brown - what a pretty fish. Let both go, home in time for pizza with the kids. Nice afternoon.

Big lake season is done? I've stocked up on rock salt to open up the launches around here......

At what date do we go from latest to earliest trip of the year? Good times, only took about 4 hours to get feeling back in my feet. Loafers were not the right choice today.....

Size 4 and 5 spinners either catch fish or wrap your line up into a huge ball. Ran a lot of stick baits off lead core last year. Hooked a lot of kings on them. Hooked a lot of big kings in the gill plates with the back hooks and took 45 minutes to land them. Stopped running stick baits off lead core after that.

"you gonna get that fish in today . . . or do you need me to call a chick to help you? We had a guy taking forever to land a small king on a full core one time, so a crew member encouraged him with the following: "You know, I've had relationships with women that haven't lasted as long as you've been fighting that fish"

I'm still angry about the 20 odd coho we lost that day. I mean really, you should be able to fight 3 at a time. I was busy driving the tiller so I don't want to hear about your problems in the front of the boat..... As for the Cleo flipping remark - there was many a day I pulled one fish trolling in the piers only to figure Dave caught his 5 before midnight the same night. Guy who didn't clear the planer board spent many hours on the pier not catching anything.

I go to shake hands and talk to like minded people, not so much for the presentation itself. There's usually a couple vendors around as well to chat with. You will learn more fishing a couple hours on someone's boat than any day in the classroom. I've got 2000 hours on my boats and still like to hitch rides from time to time.

Context was clearing a planer board in front of the channel before it got ran over. He didn't, and I lost $40 as we never saw it again......

Boat was packed but I stayed home with a sick kid and cleaned the house. Planning on next Friday - if the wind is big, I think we'll play in the channel at Grand Haven....

Got 8 years on my YAD roller rods, nary a groove in the rollers, never seen the wire jump the guides. Best part is they were $40 each new on clearance. If I see any more I'll grab them as they're not made any more. Even played tug of war with the bottom and bent them down to the reel seat; other than the clear coat checking it didn't break.

"Because it's my boat, and when I say to do something on my boat, I expect that it's done and done now. I'm not hard to get along with if you understand that this boat is not a democracy. If not, you can always go back to flipping cleos off the pier and let me know how that works for you."

"Why will we pay for a gym membership and then buy a riding lawnmower?" Guy at work donated plasma to buy a leaf blower, and after using that, he could not fit into his deer gear for gun season, so he joined a gym, but that messed with his protein levels, so he could not donate plasma any more.....

Looks clouded up past the pier heads in Holland right now. Silly 40-50 mph winds.....