Twill23

Spring fishing can be one of the most enjoyable, or one of the LEAST enjoyable trips of the year, and it really has to do with what you want to chase. There will absolutely 100% for sure be a FEW fish out in front of the pier heads and on the beaches in the spring. Browns, steelhead, and the occasional king. If your after those spring kings that seem to be drinking rocket fuel, well the majority of those fish are schooled up in really tight pockets (in normal years) as they move from their winter resting grounds(150-200fow) to warming, shallower, bait-filled water.

Only use the flasher/flies in the spring, when the fish are below 100'. Spring is generally a spoon bite.

Ken said it 100% correctly. Spring is known for a spoon bite, but those kings below that 100' mark are "neutral" mood fish and thats what paddles are for!

I'm also going to hop on that St. Joe bus for spring time fishing. It truly is incredible when you catch it right.

2012 St. Joe look back

The most common copper setup is the 300 copper. It fishes in that 45-60ft range depending on speed. It also is the same length as a 10 color, but much better for fighting fish. We also like short coppers, say a 150. Personally, i believe the more copper on the boat, the more fish your going to finish with at the end of that day. The stuff is fantastic for mid day when fishing really slows down.Bloodrun sells spools in bulk for a very good price, that allows you to tie up multiple set ups from one spool.

Jim Bobber posted this pic a while back.

Hmmm. That sure does look familiar. It's called a gitzit. Little Lake Huron special Jimmy picked up from a friend.

Wire divers are by far our go to rods. We run 4 of them 99.9% of the time.

There's nothing better than watching the wire get hammered time after time. Bloodrun makes a 7 strand wire that is just unbeatable. We went with the 9 and 10ft rods to get them away from the boat,and have proper tip separation. we matched those with Tekota 700lcs because of the upgrade in the drag system over the 600lcs. The 600lcs dont provide enough drag when pulling mag divers back over 200 feet with paddles. They also tend to slip a lot when fighting fish.

This year has been a fantastic season. Unfortunately the weather wasnt as cold as we would of hoped, but diver season was still pretty good. Large numbers of old Squaw were all over the NE part of Michigan.

This year was our first full year of layout hunting. It's an absolute blast, and a pure addiction. If it's something you've never tried, and your a waterfowling fan, its a must!

Been a busy year this year, not so much with work, but busy being in the great outdoors.

This year has turned out to be a fantastic waterfowl season so far. The divers are starting to show up, and it will only get better! Here are some pics of the season so far. All of this is around the Alpena area!

As always I'd like to thank Mark(CaseyII) for makin the trip from Holland to Alpena to help us kill some birds.

Opening morning fire on the island.

A few beers prior to opening morning(Hit the blind at 11pm the night before)

Mark(CaseyII)-Holding Harley's first ducks!(The dog )

Mark's dog, Harley, on her first duck hunt! Never having duck hunted she still managed to retrieve several downed birds, and even pounce on a wounded one!

Another vote for don on tangled mess Charters. You'll have a very good time. We frequently fish together and there's never a dull moment.

Give him a call on his cell at: 616-889-6603.

Thanks guys. This year really has been great. Its not every year you can break the 1000 fish mark before September. We do have a few trips left in the next week. So if anyone wants to ride along give me a shout!

Rest of the pics wont upload! The rest can be found on my facebook page.

July and August were two of the best months a person could be out on the lake. Mark(CaseyII) and I were lucky enough to have most of the month of July and August off of work, allowing us to spend an absolute ton of time on the water.

Unfortunately, being off work doesn't mean either of us had a ton of free time to post reports, but here is a wrap of of the absolutely stellar July and August we had.

Between the dates of July 23rd and August 23rd we were lucky enough to boat 456 fish in 31 trips.

392 of those fish came in the month of august alone.

Fishing inside of concentrated bait is never option number one. But if its your only option at the time, running much faster than normal. Ie 3.0-3.3 at the ball will produce more strikes.

Ideally you want to avoid fishing in the concentrated bait. Move to the inside or outside edges. Aka stop marking bait and fish that new line.

Salmon are not very bright, but even they can tell that a spoon or fly/attractor is not real when they have thousands of alewives swimming around.

The theory behind increasing your speed is that most of the time when this bait has been so heavily concentrated its been at low light hours. They're relying on their sense of vibration to help them... not giving them time to hone in on your baits make them accidentally strike you instead of one of the 300 alewives your right next to.

The name of the boat was, "The Black Pearl" no fruit involved. Lol.

I haven't been able to post much because we've been so busy lately. Fishing everyday and many days twice a day for the last 2 and a half weeks.

Fishing continues to be fantastic. We were lucky enough to take a 3rd place finish in the Holland Steelheaders, as well as a 5th place finish in the Holland BRC Save the TaTas. A big shout out to Don, the captain of Tangled Mess Charters for helping to raise over $200, then donating the money from our 5th place finish back to the cause. It's a great cause, and i encourage everyone to try and fish the ladies tournament next year.

The real reason for this posting is because of the recent oppurtunity to take a young man fishing with us that has been wheel chair bound his entire life. Unfortunately he has had Spina Bifida since birth.

Aaron From Lakeshore set up the trip. All of us jumped aboard "The Black Pear" Mark Rapson's boat(CasseyII here on GLF). After the trip Aaron did a little write up on facebook, and i personally could not have said it any better.

So here's what he had to say:

"Good Fishing!

I had the opportunity to go fishing with Dan and his friend Shannon from Fulfilling life Ministries last night. Shannon has Spina Bifida which has caused him to be wheelchair bound since birth. This did not stop him from reeling in 6 really nice Salmon. When we were going out we asked him what his biggest fish ever was, her replied “8lb Catfishâ€. It wasn’t more than 15 minutes later he was fighting his first fish of the night, an 18lb king on a downrigger. I have never seen someone so excited about catching a fish, his smile was so big I’m pretty sure other boats around could even see it. We had a total of 20 other hits on various rods, some never hooked up and others were lost on the way to the boat. Never once did Shannon get upset or discouraged, he just smiled and waited for the next rod to go off. He constantly was laughing and joking around with everyone. He said it was one of the best experiences of his life. I watched as he

took pictures of the sunset, fish and the shoreline. He just kept saying how awesome it was and how blessed he felt to be there with us. I think we can learn a lot from someone like Shannon, I know I did.

It seems like every day at the store someone is discussing the latest tournament drama or who they thought cheated and always hoping for one more fish. I know I am guilty of getting discouraged when a fish gets off at the back of the boat or a buddy bumps one with a net. Or when the last fish you needed for your limit slips out of your hands and misses the cooler.. happened twice to me this year.. Things happen and often times in the heat of the moment we lose our cool. I thought about this while I was standing at the back of the boat moving back and forth I watched how my legs compensated for the movement of the boat. I thought of how I am able to run to the other side of the boat to grab a rod with a fish on it. Dan and Shannon shared stories of others with physical disabilities and the healing they have received by hunting and fishing. This made me realize quickly that we are blessed much more than we often realize. I encourage everyone to take someone fishing that normally would never get the opportunity, not only will they truly value the experience but it will change you as well. All this great fishing we have this year made me forget about when a great day of fishing was 6-8 fish in the cooler at the end of the night. Experiences like this help remind me that 6 fish is an awesome night, with the right perspective."

It definitely was a changing experience for me. Salmon fishing is a great privileged that we are all blessed with. Everyday someone is trying to prove they are better than the next guy. Everyday someone is stretching the truth, making fish bigger, adding a couple to the cooler that weren't really there, cutting off some of the time they actually spent on the water, and adding a few bites to their statistics that really weren't there. I fully admit i have at one time or another done each and every one of these things, but after seeing the sheer pleasure in this young man's eyes after catching these fish really made me realize again what is the most important aspect of salmon fishing. Having a good time.

With that all being said, i really really encourage you to take someone on the lake the wouldn't normally get to go. Show them a good time, and don't worry about trying to deck load the fish. A couple of nice kings will make more memories than you can imagine.

Nice job Phil!

What time did you launch?

If your looking to have an easy division, then make a powder puff division. Half price weigh half the fish!

My opinion was based on trying to make as many people happy, with as many entrances as possible. Not a "powder puff" division.

The biggest issue for the Big Red committee SEEMS(i dont know for a fact because i am personally not on the board) to be trying to make guys who feel they're "legitimate" fisherman AND the "average joe" fisherman enter the same tournament but still feel as though they're fishing a level playing field.

We won't personally be fishing the main event unless fishing is extremely tough, or unless i find a crew who wants to go out and fish for fun and drink beers.

It does cost a TON of money to fish a big time tournament, and I know, that to most of my crew and I, it's not about the purse at the end of the day, it's the name at the top of the board that we're after. When we're beat we congratulate the guys who beat us. Just look at the Grand Haven tournament. EXTREMELY tough fishing and for those that put their fish in the boat and finished in the top truly deserved it.(Flycatcher ) It would have been a COMPLETELY different story had it been a weigh 5 tournament.

I just think that on a weigh 5 tournament, when fishing is GOOD, you may not see the top fisherman at the top of the board. I still have this opinion after having won a weigh 5 tournament this year.

IMHO, it is just a competition at who is best at catching big fish. Can the average Joe go out and get 5 big fish and win? Not as likely as some one that has his program dialed in, and knows how to target big fish.

I really don't understan why one would fish the 333, and not the tournament, when the tournament is just a bigger version of the 333.

Totally agree on the first part. I also think a lot of it has to do with egos. Not to bash people, but what's the first question you get asked when you hit the dock?

"How many you get?"

I agree with most of the post.

I do think that the separate divisions should be treated differently. If you truly trying to get everyone in involved, AND trying to get as many participants, Then the two divisions should be different. IE; Am: Catch whatever weigh 5. While pro:Catch 15 weigh 12. Your getting at both target audiences, and those who really want the competition will get it by having your best fisherman fishing for the toughest boxes, while still having the amateur division weighing in a much easier box to come by which is more appealing to the weekend warrior.

Just what i think.

Wow......

Still available!

Fishhawk TDR places the 300 45# at 63 at 2.5 and the 10 color at 40.

Nice job fishin!

Nice Job Jimmy!

I'm not offended by the comment but wonder where your cleaning fish In grand haven when your not docked on chinook pier?

That's a good point too. The fish cleaning station there is considered public.. but don't tell that to any of the captains... They do help pay for upkeep, but it wasn't funded by them when it was built. You can clean fish there at any time, just have to be respectful.

that's just what i've been told. We only cleaned fish there during the tournament, and had no problem getting a key from a charter after the building was locked up at night.

Does it make sense that as long as the bait is speed tolerant, the salmon can swim fast enough to catch it?

I wanted to add a little bit to this.

Salmon want to be comfortable. It's one of the reasons they didn't survive and find a new feeding source in Lake Huron. It's also one of the reasons they will cruise across the entire width of Lake Michigan in one day.

They don't like to be uncomfortable. That being said, as we understand it, kings are comfortable with eating our bait, on average, at 2.5mph. I believe this is speed related to effort like mentioned previously. That's how much effort they want to spend to eat something.

As far as making a bait go an undetermined speed saying a salmon can catch it may put a few fish in the boat, but may not put the numbers in the boat that most fisherman are looking for. Although it may not be the optimal speed, kings CAN be caught going over 4.0mph.

My personal opinion... Launch in Grand haven and run the boat up to Muskegon... I don't mean to bad mouth anyone who may live in the area.. But it just has poor facilities. Just my 2 cents, and i hope not to offend any1 from the area.

I have ridden on a well known local charter who does not measure the speed at the ball, yet they have been highly successful for many years.

Does it make sense that as long as the bait is speed tolerant, the salmon can swim fast enough to catch it?

There are several gifted fisherman on the lake who have fished long enough before all the special electronics came out that are extremely good at reading their gear. They do this by reading their chute riggers and dispies. Knowing the angle of sway back at the correct speed. They also understand how their divers are supposed to be pulling when things are right..

I personally depend on my down speed. Personally, i stopped using a gps speed several years ago.

You wanna come into my physics classroom and guest lecture when we talk about relative motion?

Sure, Then we can get a few boats together and get the kids on the lake!

The only thing I might add is that when the fish are suspended in a current they won't notice there's a current. Similar to us not noticing the earth is spinning really fast because there's no reference. In reality, an east wind is actually air moving slower than we are.

As far as fish not knowing their moving is not totally true. Remember fish have a different sensory system than we do. They will feel the vibrations with their lateral line, as well as different in pressure. They will also notice when extra air is rushing through their gills. Remember, if they stop swimming in a current, they drift away(to a certain extent). It's ALMOST like an earth with no gravity, and the chance of wind. Also, their reference points are a little bit different than ours. They use temperature, pressure, vibrations, sight, and even smell as a reference. Also, salmon have almost like a built in compass. They know at all times which direction they're facing.