scgibby11

Alright, I've had the weekend scheduled off for longer than a month. I've purposefully not made any definite plans because weather and conditions always change.....

Now this weekend (April 29-May1) is getting close! I've considered lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, staying closer to home for Salmon on Lake Michigan, or even heading inland for the Walleye opener.

Saginaw and Erie--I hear it is high, muddy water and debris. Sounds like not a great bite.

St. Joe or South Haven--Saturday calling for 40 mph gales from the south

Where would you head?

Scott

Maybe it has been where I fish, but I hadn't picked up a walleye on the big lake out of St. Joseph before. We picked up this hog last week. It was a nice surprise while salmon fishing!

I generally launch at the DNR site on the Benton Harbor side.

Is there a fish cleaning station somewhere that one can use in the port of St. Joseph?

I see they have one listed at the DNR marina near the channel mouth, but I suspect that is for people who have a registered or transient slip there.

Wondering if there are options for getting fish cleaned before driving home.

Scott

I did "bite." Bought a couple. Awaiting deeper season. I did get tired if the walleye boards in waves sometimes diving while pulling long copper.

Scott

I mounted mine down in the cabin as in this picture. I checked it with a compass, and it was an area of minimal interference. It seemed to get it out of the way!

Scott

I have two wire setups and two copper setups (400')

Scott

congrats on the bonus, Bob! Find that boat!

Scott

I truly don't want to sound stupid, but for someone's sake who might not have thought of it.....

The "left" setting is for the Port/left side of the boat. Not the fisherman's left when he is facing aft setting lines.....

Scott

Last year I didn't even get out until April 19th. This year, despite the cold weather, I've made three trips. So nice to see the water, and even better to get fish!

scott

Well done!

I always forget the numbers of the dipseys, but I think it is a size one. They are not the magnums, but they are the regular ones I use for deeper applications. I even left the ring on them.

They seem to be hitting like that, so I just left them and haven't bothered with other sizes or removing the ring for shallow applications.

Hits were both on superline high dipsies and low wire set-ups.

Scott

We also go out around 8am yesterday 4-7-11.

It was slower than 6 days ago, but we still took 9 coho and 1 NICE 13 pound king. He put up a nice fight.

We got not one single hit on the boards. All came on torpedoes, dipseys, and 1 on a rigger.

Best lures: Brads (firetiger, copper, copper w/pink). Some came on peanut flies, and one coho on a green spoon.

The king hit a Brad's copper with pink on a dipsey, setting 1, out 35 feet.

Water is warming. About 43 around the river plume, but much south of there, gets back to 39.

Scott

Beautiful! Man what fun!

I have some pictures now. Always a good trip if the kids catch a couple!

I took the kids and we had our season's first outing yesterday.

13 for 17, all coho. Flat calm, not too cold. Outstanding day.

Hit the water around 1-1:30 pm. Pulled lines around 4:30 pm. We trolled south initially, well beyond the water treatment plant. We picked up 1 there, but it was slow, trolling from 14-25 FOW. Water well south of the harbor was 36 degrees

We headed back near the river plume and pierheads. Temp increased to 38-39, bait bods, and non-stop action.

Almost anything we put out hit, but the hottest sticks were the deeper ones,near bottom in 20-25 feet near the harbor, one on a dipsey (setting 1, 35 feet out) and one on a musky torpedo diver.

Best lures: red dodger, red tinsel fly; Brad's thin fish (red, copper/pink); shad raps

Scott

well done!

Added autopilot and a trolling motor. The itch is real strong right now.

I am about to send some PM screen shots. Check your messages.

Scott

Hello,

I have never fished Lake Ontario. If I were to take a trip from SW Michigan, which port or city would be the closest and most productive?

Scott

I use something Navionics calls the PC App.

Name: Scott

Age: 46

Residence Location: Kalamazoo

Area(s) Most Often Fished: South Haven, St. Joseph, St. Ignace

Years of Experience: 10+

Boat Size and Info: 24 ft Seaswirl

Boat Name: Damsel Fly

The picture below is from about 1979 or 1980. My dad had a friend with a nicely rigged Trojan sport fisher. We would sit by the phone on Sundays dreaming and hoping that we might get an invitation to go to South Haven and catch salmon. We frequently did.

In 1982 my dad decided to buy a boat of his own. He aboslutely loved it, and together we learned more and more about salmon fishing on the great lakes until he unexpectantly died 3 years later at the age of 48.

My mother, siblings and I continued to use the boat for a couple of more years, but it wasn't the same, and we eventually sold it.

Now, for the last several years, I have been taking my kids out, and I'm certain I love it more than they, but they humor me. I honestly cannot tell you how fun it was, the very first time out with the kids, telling them all the old stories, and trolling around for a couple of hours without a bite. All of a sudden a rod popped, my 10 year grabbed it, and 25 minutes later I netted a 15 pound king. His eyes were as big as saucers!

A few years later, he brings 'em in like a pro. I sure hope they have the same memories that I do.

Wow that was a long time ago. Check out these pictures! Where'd my hair go....?

I'll be out sometime the first week in April. CANNOT WAIT. CANNOT WAIT.

Put autopilot on the boat this winter. Ready to try it out......

Scott

Just mounted mine. Can't wait....

I do a lot of deep diving on the great lakes, and you can frequently hand grab the burbots when they are on the bottom or on wrecks. Freaks them out!

Hi all. I'm not asking anyone to give up their spots, but a little information about perch fishing in So. Lake Michigan would be great.

I have the boat at the southern end of the lake most years until the end of May. I then move it north. I generally salmon and trout fish but spend some time on the bigger inland lakes further north.

I would like to go for some perch this Spring. Any advice would be helpful. Is there much of a perch bite in the spring? I tend to go out of St. Joe's or South Haven.

Thanks,

Scott