EdB

Ohio limits againt this weekend. We fished between the Sister Islands in water depths 29-31 ft. Pulling all spoons, diver disks back 80 and 90 and riggers a foot or two off the bottom. Spoons were Moonshine shell bell, red grape, agent orange, stinger confusion(best), perch, and copper watermelon. Some fish were getting caught up by Fermi in MI waters. Good luck!

Got this e-mail from the LACA.

To all,

We have been alerted to LRBOI annual assessment test netting to take place in our area this week. Usually these assessment nets are placed during the afternoon and removed within 24 hours.

If you are fishing/boating in the area mentioned in the vicinity of the transects listed below, please take appropriate precautions to avoid the buoys and to miss the nets. (See the note below)

Jim Fenner, Pres. Ludington Area Charterboat Association

Jim,

We will be starting our fisheries assessment activities out of Ludington this week along the following transects;

1) <!--[endif]-->N43O 50’

2) <!--[endif]-->N43O 45’

As in the past we will be fishing a total of (6) 1800 foot gang of graded mesh experimental gill net. These nets are bottom set and are 6 feet off the bottom. The nets will be marked with orange flagged staff buoys on each end. We will be setting 3 of these nets between 50 and 200 feet of water depth along each transect.

I'd recommend an autopilot. It's one of the best boat investments for a fisherman, especially if you take out rookies very often. Pick an open slot, set your course, tell a crew member to watch for boats and set up. They hold course much straighter than a rookie and many experienced boaters. You'll have a lot less tangles on a big set in the dark since your going straight instead of figure S's. Great when having to net fish or make adjustments. If you fish a lot, after you put one on your boat, you will never own another boat without one.

I am using a 4 ft leader and only running spoons on them. Moonshines and stinger scorpions. Last week in waters 18-20 ft deep, we were running them back 40-60 ft. This weekend in Ohio we were over 26-28 ft of water and we were running them 80-90 back.

Got out again today and got our Ohio limit for 3 of us and were done at 9:30. We fished out by W Sister again in 27 to 28 ft of water. Ran all spoons, stingers and moonshines on riggers off the bottom and diver disks out 80 and 90. Speed was 2.0 to 2.2. Looks like the hex hatch is getting started in close. Good luck!

Great day fishing out in Ohio today. Action in MI waters was slow today from a few buds fishing there. We fished between the Sputnick and W Sister and stayed away from the packs. We pulled our limit in a couple hours. Spoons did all the damage for us. On riggers one or two feet off the bottom and diver disks out 60, 80 and 90 feet on the boards. Moonshine glow bloody nose, red grape and blue melon. Stinger scorpion perch, shrimp, rainbow trout were the best. It should be another great day there tomorrow. Good luck!

We had quick limit Sat near N-bouy but had to work a bit for them Sunday but we went south from there to find them, just inside of the dumping grounds. They really turned on just before the storm hit. Moonshine spoons have been hot lately, on discs back 40 and off riggers 1-2 ft off the bottom. Thunderstick jr's have been working good off the boards 80-100 back. The season is shaping up great, 5 trips and 5 limits in the last 2 weeks. Good luck!

Yes, I don't pick up a fishing rod in Oct and November.

I wish I could get the wife to send the kids to the babysitter to fish. She won't give them up on a weekend for anything now. Maybe that will change in a few more years? I brought them all out once this year but the best I can count on is a couple hours on the water with them. A full day trip is not in the cards yet. Thank god the fishing was hot when I took them, helped my freezer a lot! I'll probably see you down at the park this weekend.

Hi Spanky, I tried to call you a couple times on the radio but couldn't reach you. Get any bigger fish on the meat? 15-18 inchers for us. Good eating but finding one over 20 inches has been tough lately.

We pulled limits Sat and Sun. They came fast on Saturday and we had to work for them a bit Sunday. Trolling tots and spoons, gold/black and perch tots off the boards were best and a stinger dolphin was the best spoon today. Seas were rough this morning but it got nice out later. We fished 14-18 feet of water out of Bolles Harbor. Good luck!

I crewed on a buddies boat last Sat out of Pentwater. He was in the PSA tournament. Fishing was kind of tough there lately and the 6 rod limit makes it tougher. We got 6 fish that day but we worked hard for them. We were on a mission to target big steelies or lakers since the tourney is based on the biggest fish of each species and not combined weight. We put it on a west troll and never stopped taking it out to the 47 line west. No big scum lines and no big deal. We did hang the 2nd place steelie that day but it got bumped off the leader board by Monday. I came home Sat night but they got 6 fish on Sunday and 6 on Monday so the fishing is still on the slow side. Good luck!

Had a couple good days at Erie. The action was red hot and we pulled our limit in 2 hours Sunday. It took 4-1/2 hours on Monday for our limit. We fished 14-18 feet of water about 4 miles south of Bolles Harbor both days. All fish caught trolling, we had stinger scorpion confusion and copper watermelon on the riggers set 2 ft off the bottom and tots and warts 50-80 back on the boards. Chrome in blue/black and green were the best cranks. Cranks were best Sunday, spoons were best Monday. Get em while it's hot-good luck!

Still one more day left and if it's not pouring out, I'm taking the wife out tomorrow AM for her last chance. The kids have really slowed down our hunting together.

It's been a great season for me. It started out calling in this jake for my brother.

My turn next and I got this limb hanger, 11 inch beard and with a 1-/18 spur.

3 days later, I guided my buddies wife and called in this big boy, 11-1/2 inch and 7-1/2 inch beards with spurs going 1-11/16. It was still in first place in the contest at Cabela's as of a week ago.

How about the hooks on this one:

Two weekends ago, I called in this one for my young hunting buddy Alex, it had a 10 inch beard and spurs were 1-1/8.

Caz, I've never smoked turkey legs before but all the legs from mature birds that I've cooked end up tough as leather. I don't think smoking them would help. But I bet with the right brine, smoking them would give them a great flavor.

Here's what I do with my turkey legs that we roast in the over. I cut the meat from the bone and grind it up in a food processor or blender. Add some mayo, copped celery, onions, lettuce and it makes a great turkey salad spread for sandwhiches. If you smoke it and it comes out to tough, try this and it might be good. Let us know how it turns out either way?

Had a probe down last weekend and it was 42 degree's down at 80 feet. 44 on top. I think that is a bit unusual for this time of year too, usually it is in the high 30's that deep now. Now the books say salmon like water temps in the mid 50's but I think the great lakes salmon have evolved to like colder water and 42 to 45 has been a great temp range to target for us. Outside of late summer, we find more fish in the 40's vs the 50's.

I change mine monthly through the season. Watch out on the farmers field, oil kills everything. When I was a teenager doing all the oil changes for 3 cars in our family, I used to dump it on a vacant field across the road, mostly in the same spot. A few years back, they developed it and built houses. There is a house with a fairly nice lawn over my oil dump with a big 3 ft dead spot they can't get any grass to grow. I chuckled when my mom was telling me they didn't understand why the grass wouldn't grow there. Most quicky oil change places will take used oil to recycle. I save my gallon jugs from windshield wash and put my oil there and take it to a local quick oil change. That is the best way to dispose of it for the environment.

Great to finally meet you too Ben, I'll stay in touch, should be there quite a bit for the rest of this month.

The kings are starting to go good at St Joe. 3 of us fished today and we landed 10 kings, threw one back and got one coho. We hit and lost a lot too. Our fish came on full cores, half cores, riggers from 40ft to as deep as 80 ft and a 1-1/2 lb drop out 120ft with a white and green seaweed meat rig. Free sliders on the riggers worked. Blue dolphin, monkey shine and a steve's bait were the best spoons, all took at least a couple. A double jointed orange and gold rap took a couple high lined behind a bird. We fished from 80 to 125 ft of water, deeper was better later in the morning. Good luck!

100-120 feet of water a little ways south was the spot on Sat. We trolled around out front and took 3 quick ones and it died there. Picked another around 9:30 that kept me hanging there longer than I should have,mostly in 40-50 of water. A buddy calls about 11:30 after a long west troll and lit it up at 100 feet. We ran out, hit 4 and boxed 2 in a hour but had to be at the docks at 1:30, I couldn't convince my crew to hang there longer as they had a committment on land. My buddy boxed 17 and he got out deeper late with only 3 in the box to start there. All in the top 50 feet of water, free birds, 1/2 cores, full cores, divers from 60 to 90 and riggers 40-50 did the damage, mostly spoons, dolphins were best, but double jointed orange and gold rapalas were good on the birds. I couldn't get back Sunday but friends picked away at some good boxes in the same water, not quite as fast but a steady bite.

I'm new here but hang around a few other sites. Fishing the great lakes is my passion 10 months a year but October and December is nothing but hunting. I'm on the water every weekend and as many weekdays I can blow off work or take vacation. We have our boat at St Joe till the end of May, Lake Erie in June and Ludington till late September. I started salmon fishing in 1976 off the piers, fished a small boat and bummed as many rides as I could through the 80's and got my current boat new in 1990. Boat stands for "break out another thousand" and she got her share this offseason. She's got lot's of hours and is super dependable but her retirement is on the horizon. I know or recoginze a few people here and hope to see some of you this summer.