EdB

Didn't go fishing today due to blown out rivers and raging wind so I stayed home and fired up the smoker. Low and slow!

Nice catch Adam!

Way to go, nice box for Feb. in those tough conditions too.

Glad you had some success Joel. I'm a troller too and load up on king skeins in summer and freeze them for the river. That's all we use to start and then we'll get some steelie spawn in the river. Sounds like your on track now, good job.

Why not king spawn, it works great in the rivers. Been whackin steelies all winter on it. Works off the pier and beaches in the fall too. The only time I'm picky on having steelhead spawn is for pier fishing now till spring. I got some king spawn if you want it.

I got one coho and we hit a bunch of whitefish between all the trout. Nice steady pick all morning. We used spawn bags and fresh skein wrapped on a hook. The 3 of us got 9 browns, 1 coho and 9 whitefish for the day. It was cold again but the sunshine was shining. Awesome weekend!

It was the brown blast.

Now that we had some fresh gold, we hit the pier today and railed on em.

Hit the river Saturday, always nice when everyone catches one. All 3 of us got a nice big hen and we got one more male and lost a few more. That wind was biting.

You can't go wrong with Tiara, best big lake boat in it's class. The key thing with a used boat that size it to have a marine survey done on it. It will cost a few bills but it will insure the hull is sound with no rot issues. That is rare on Tiara's with the way they are built.

I downloaded a Navionics ap this winter but it cost $9.99. It shows your position and clearly shows the pier heads and harbor and rivermouth lakes and depth contours. It also shows inland lakes with depth contours. I was looking forward to the inland function when ice fishing but the ice has been shaky in south central Mi all winter. I would not want to rely on a cell phone as my only navigation aid on the big lakes. It would make a nice back up but it is a good idea to have primary GPS on board if you are fishing offshore.

Don't expect much this time of year, it is too early. I can't speak to the peak time in Clearwater but April-June is best in the keys.

Here is a DNR Q&A on the new regs: Frequently Asked Questions About the Mentored Youth Hunting Program What does the new law do? The law allows youths under the age of 10 to hunt with a mentor. Mentored youths will be required to obtain a mentored youth hunting license and hunt in conjunction with the Mentored Youth Hunting program. When does the program begin? The program begins March 1, 2012, and mentored youth hunters will be able to participate in the spring turkey hunt. What are the regulations for this program? Mentored youths must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old, with hunting experience and in possession of a valid Michigan hunting license. The mentor is limited to two hunting devices (firearm, bow or crossbow) in the field while mentoring a youth hunter. When the youth is engaged in the act of hunting, he or she must be within arm's length of the mentor. The mentor will be held responsible for all actions of the mentored youth hunter while in the field. How many youth hunters can I mentor in the field? The regulations and law do not put a limit on the number of children a mentor may take in the field with him or her. However, the DNR strongly suggests you limit the number of children to one or two to ensure a quality and enjoyable time for your mentored youth hunter. How much will a mentored youth hunt license cost? The cost for a mentored youth license is $7.50. The fee was established in the legislation that created the license. Parents or legal guardians will also need to purchase a $1 DNR Sportcard for the youth hunter. The Sportcard gives the youth a unique identifying number in the DNR's license sales system. What hunting privileges are provided under this license? Resident small game, two deer tags (any deer), spring and fall turkey (for any public or private lands), all-species fishing, and resident fur harvesters. If filled with a firearm, deer tags may only be used on private land, which is consistent with current state law for youth hunters ages 10-13. If my child is nine on March 1, but will turn 10 later in the year, is he or she still eligible for the Mentored Youth Hunting program? Yes, if a nine-year-old child possesses a mentored youth hunting license and turns 10 during the license year (March 1 of current year through March 31 of following year), the mentored youth hunting license will remain valid until the end of the license year. Does my child under 10 need hunter safety classes first? There is no requirement in the Mentored Youth Hunting program that the youth hunter take a hunter safety course first. However, the DNR strongly encourages that they do. See a list of hunter safety courses by county. Is it safe to take children under 10 hunting? The intent of the law is to let parents and guardians, not the government, decide when a child is ready to hunt. Statistically speaking, youth hunters are the safest hunters in the woods because of the direct adult supervision they receive. Does my mentored youth hunter have to apply for a turkey management unit hunt? No, a mentored youth hunter can hunt in any turkey management unit or on public land. Can the deer tags for a mentored youth hunter be used on public land? Deer tags can be used on private land only with a firearm, consistent with current state law for youth hunters ages 10-13; however, archery equipment may be used on public or private land. What is the apprentice license? The apprentice license is for anyone 10 years of age and older who has not received hunter safety certification. An individual may hunt with an apprentice license for two license years. For apprentices between ages 10-16, the accompanying hunter must be the apprentice's parent, guardian, or someone designated by the parent or guardian. What license do I purchase once I receive my hunter safety certification? If you are 10 years of age or older with hunter safety certification, you can purchase regular hunting licenses. What if my child just wants to fish? Does he or she need a mentored youth license? No, if your child just wants to fish, he or she can fish in Michigan without a license until they are 17. However, the DNR does sell a voluntary $2 Youth Fishing License that supports fish habitat management in Michigan.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153--271172--,00.html NRC Approves Mentored Youth Hunting Program for 2012 Contact: Dan Eichinger, 517-373-9337 or Ed Golder, 517-335-3014 Agency: Natural Resources Feb. 10, 2012 The Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has approved a new program aimed at introducing children under the age of 10 to hunting and fishing. The Mentored Youth Hunting program will start with the 2012 season, with licenses on sale starting March 1. "The Department is fully supportive of this new program that will help introduce children to the sport of hunting, ensuring that we successfully pass along Michigan's rich outdoor traditions," said Rodney Stokes, director of the Department of Natural Resources. "We wish to thank our many conservation partners who helped develop this program with the NRC, providing a new opportunity for us to interest Michigan's youth in hunting and fishing." The $7.50 Mentored Youth Hunting license will be a "package" license that includes small game, spring and fall turkey (private or public land), two deer tags (any deer), a furbearer trapping permit and an all-species fishing license. An adult mentor must be at least 21 years old, have previous hunting experience and possess a valid Michigan hunting license. Another provision of the law allows 10-year-olds to hunt big game on private land with a firearm, which was implemented starting with the 2011 deer season. The regulations approved by the NRC for the Mentored Youth Hunting program include: No limit on the number of youth a mentor can have with him or her in the field, leaving it at the discretion of the mentor. A limit of two hunting devices ? bow, crossbow or firearm ? per mentor. The youth in possession of a hunting device and engaged in the act of hunting must be within arm's length of the mentor. The mentor shall ensure that the hunting device is sized appropriately to fit the physical abilities of the youth to ensure safe and responsible handling. The mentor will be held responsible for the youth's actions. The issued deer tags under the Mentored Youth Hunting license can be used for either sex (antlered or antlerless), are not subject to antler point restriction regulations in certain parts of the state and can only be used on private land, consistent with current state law. Voluntary mentor guidelines have been developed by the DNR, and are available at www.michigan.gov/mentoredhunting, along with other information about the program. A workgroup consisting of representatives of several conservation organizations, including three youth representatives, developed recommendations for the regulations, which were adopted by the NRC. Organizations serving on the workgroup included the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever, the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association, Ducks Unlimited and the Michigan Hunter Safety Education Instructor Association.

Awesome to be trolling and catching in February, way to go!

Good luck to Hunter and Wyatt and the pit crew too.

Yes in Ludington. Occasionally in the spring in St Joe. Probably ran it less last year than prior years. We can generally put good boxes together without meat, last year was easier then prior years so we ran less meat. When we are fishing hard, like at a tourney or if I'm staying out for a long time into mid day, I won't be without meat. It does shine late morning. Some will profess the small 6 rod spread with meat only but I always like to drag as many lures as I can. We have lot's of success mixing meat in our spread. If I was running charters, I'd wouldn't leave the dock without it. Seems as I age, I like to fun fish more than I want to fish hard. Not going out on rough days, no 2 a days, coming in early etc. That's also due to fishing every weekend all summer and 3 weeks of vacation time. Don't really care to fish meat if I'm easy fishing with buddies who get to fish all the time. There has been more days lately where I don't really care if I get 5 fish or get double digits. I'm not going to bother with meat when I fishing like that. And then there are trips where we want to fish hard all day and load the box, we are taking meat that day.

Reports saying Tigers picked up Prince Fielder. No official comment from the Tigers as of now. Hope this is true!

Congrats and enjoy.

This is a blow to the 2012 season but there are some good free agents to fill a DH role. Still, Victor sure protected Miguel. Miguel would have had another 50 intentional walks if Victor was not behind him in the line up.

Sounds like a fun day with your son!

Nice job, a lot more fish in the St Joe this winter than the past few years. All that high water in the fall really brought them in.

Nice job, thank god for steelhead in the wintertime!

This awesome weather for January is making winter steelheading real comfortable. We fished the river again and hit 9 fish and landed 5. All fish came drifting spawnbags. It's nice not needing to wear gloves all the time. The size of the fish this year is a few pounds larger than average and with the water temps up, the're hot. Got some smokin runs and some jumpers. A lot of fish in the system so it looks like it's going to be a good winter season this year.

Thanks guys. Joe, sent you a PM.