EdB

You can't judge it well from that sat. pic. It is not very common for the big lake to get to murky for fishing. It happens in the river plume after heavy rain but it is usually fishable outside of it. The only time it can be a problem is if there is a huge blow for a few days prior to your trip. It really has to rip. Don't let the satellite pic make your decision. Boats will be fishing by April. Your best source of info on lake conditions will be here on these boards once a lot of guys start fishing.

Can't help you on the launch/harbor info but the stained water is always better than clear water in early spring. It has to be very, very murkey to become unproductive. If you only have 3-4 inches of visibility, it will be a problem. You want to target the warmer water and the stained water is usually a few degrees warmer than the blue water in early spring.

Congratulations Matt, looks like it will be a great summer for you.

Hey Terry, We stayed too long fishing on the river and never got down to the docks to check the levels. If I get down there next weekend, I'll try to check. From the forecast this week, doesn't look like a good week to get the trolling season started yet.

Went back and added some pics throughout.

We are on the trailer and headed home. No more bites. I'll edit in some pics later.

I just switched to a bobber. Took off the heavy coat. First cast, nice hen in the boat for me!

The sun is shining, getting warmer. I just landed another colored up male.

John lost his. I hit our first jumper, he was thrashing and leaping. I lost him jumping. Fish are kicking our butts.

Had a lull and John just got one on.

I just put a chrome male in the boat for number 4, Looks like its going to be a great day.

He got him!

Fish on for John. Let's hope he boats this steelie.

Just hit another fish, fought it for 5 minutes and it came unhooked.

Dropped back, John hit one and she come unhooked at the net.. I just lost a screamer that took me into the wood. Hot fish today!

John got a 9 lb hen in the boat.

Fish on for my buddy John.

Got anchored at 7:45. Third cast, wham fish on! I landed a colored up 8lb male. A few minutes later, my buddy hooks up, one run and gone. I'll keep you posted as the day goes by.

Neat concept, not in my budget this year. I think I'd up to some heavier line launching one on a core or diver if I did have them. Line breaks could be costly.

Lower St Joe is looking as low as I've ever seen it in my life. Going to check the depth at my buddies slip after I fish the river this weekend. Going to drop a lead on a line to check it. I'll stop by the launch and let you know what it looks like. Probably can't measure depth there but I'll post what I find.

Welcome Jess!

Welcome aboard Herb!

Great fish, great pics, way to go

Welcome to GLF Rob!

We had our first fishing trip to Lake Mi this season to the St Joe pier. It was a great start to the 2013 season. We were fishing steelie skein and spawn bags on the bottom. Still ice on the pier but not too bad for fishing. I bet a lot has melted since we were there. Action was not hot but we had a steady pick all morning hitting a fish every 20-30 minutes. We got some real nice browns. Here are our 3 best ones. This was our best one, weighed 6-1/2 lbs. I got 2 browns, 2 coho and 1 big whitefish. Our total for 3 of us was 5 browns, 3 cohos, 1 steelhead and 3 whitefish. Out of about 20 guys on the pier, only a few other fish were caught. It really helps to have good spawn this time of the year. When the water warms up some, spoons and other baits start to work. All fish were caught in the river water; nothing caught lake side which is normal when the water is this cold. Since that pier can get real crowded in spring, I’m only sharing this report with supporting members. The next few weeks should be good if you can make it out. If you can’t, please respect this info and don’t pass it on to the masses. It is nice to not have to get out there at 5AM to get a good spot. Good luck, Ed!