BRIAN0214

I saw on here a member put SWR before every spoon he said he was catching fish on. I couldn't figure out what SWR was so I googled it. I found it was short for secret weapon rig. In short you put 2-3 color lead core on a down riiger set-up. I thought to myself what a great way to get your lure away from the ball of the downriiger since the lure would be 5-8 feet below the down rigger and several feet back. I will have to try this next spring! I was just wondering how many of you guys use this rig and do you have much success with it?

Thanks for all the help guys. I ended up just doing a very simple brine of 1 cup of salt to 7 cups of water and a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. I let it soak for 24 hours and used oak wood for the smoke. It turned out great! I will try a more complicated recipe next time. Thanks for all input! Pittmaster I would love to come to your house for a salmon dinner and appetizer!!!

I am looking to smoke slamon for the first time in my new smoker tomorrow. I could use some help. I need a simple brine to soak the fish in overnight. I also need to know how to set up the smoker and need to know what temperture to cook at and how long should smoke it for. Any input is greatly appericiated. Thank you!

I caught some steelhead with eggs inside and I know these are the best eggs to fish with expeciallly in the spring. I froze them will they be any good to fish with next spring? Or will freezing destroy them? I will use a spawn bag.

Thanks for the info guys. I am new to steelhead they are fun to catch and they sure taste better than kings!

Back in the 1980's when I was fishing out of Diversey Harbor in Chicago we had a channel on the marine radio constantly updating us of the weather and the wave height. My dad always had this on in the boat to help stay out of bad weather coming our way out in the water. It saved us a few times weather can change quickly out in the lake. I really could of used that here in Grand Haven yesterday. We started out in 1-2 foot waves and in 3 hours I am trying to get back to shore in 4-6 foot waves not fun! I looked at the weather report before we left and the small craft advisory was suppose to be lifted in the afternoon! So I figured the 1-2 footers would not get worse. I guess that was wrong. So I ask is there anything like that here in Grand Haven in the year 2010. If not what do you guys do to remain on top of the weather out on the big pond?

I caught a strange looking steelhead today. Does this look normal to you guys. The fish had a very long face on it compared to another steelhead the same size. Here is a picture of the fish with another steelhead the same size. This steel head also had a hooked jaw like a king salmon, but I know it wasn't a king. What do you guys think?

Started out at 9 a.m in 120 fow headed northwest fishing setup #1 rod 10 color lead core with double orange crush spoon. #2 rod 5 color with blue dolphin. #3 rod low dipsey with black spoon. #4 rod low diver with red spoon. Had first hit at 150 fow at 9:30 on rod #2 steelhead. Had 2nd hit on rod #1 at 10:30 at 170 fow steelhead. Third hit on rod #1 at 11:30 150 fow steelhead. Fourth hit at 12:30 at 130 fow on rod #2 steelhead. Ended up 4 for 4 for 3 hours fishing. The troll was very fast 5 mph! Very interesting ride home in 4-6 footers on the way home. Very scary in 18 foot boat.

Thanks for all the help guys I learned a lot!

Started fishing at 120 FOW at 8 am headed west had first hit was at 9:00 at 160 FOW on 5 color core with green dolphin lost it, was small steelhead. Next hit was at 10:30 still trolling west at 180 FOW on 10 color core with blue dolphin. Nice 33 inch steelhead 12 pounder. Scared me to death! I have 150 feet of backing and it almost stripped all of it off! Must off took me a good 15 minutes to bring in almost 450 feet of line! Marked fish like crazy from 130 feet to 180. Drives me crazy to mark sooooo many fish and only catch 2 when I fish for 7 hours! Oh well talked to one charter captain out of Ludington and he got skunked on a 6 hour trip on Sunday. So happy I upgraded to lead core. I am sure I would have been skunked without it! The steelhead belly had 14!!! small perch in it! Is that the main diet of Steelhead. I was surprised to see sooooo many perch in that stomach they where 1-2" long. What a great day to be out on the water! Sounds like the real good fishing might still be out deeper. I am starting to think the fishing near Grand Haven is not as good as it is in the Holland area. Any one else here feel the same way.

Ok I feel like its x-mas morning! I can't sleep! Heading out at 7 am out of Grand Haven. Its going to be beautiful on the lake today! I just upgraded to lead core today and bought two church boards! I am going to run 1 of each side of the boat. I am wondering how many colors I should put on each pole. I am thinking one I should put the full 10 color and the other one a 5 color? Also what spoon works best for you guys on lead core. I think I am going to go with a blue dolphin on one and a green dolphin on the other. Any input would be great. Thanks!

Ok its my first winter with a boat. I see a lot of people winterize their boat? What should I be doing to my boat to protect it from the winter? Its an 301 Ford with a Volvo I/O that will be stored in a non heated garage. I am a fishing fanatic and if there is a warm day in November I will be on the big pond. So I realy don't want to do anything to shut me down from using the boat. Is this possible or am I crazy since its in a non heated garage? Any input would be great!

Thanks guys for the input.

Hey Guys! I am in Grand Haven and was wondering is the 4 year old run over with or hasn't started yet? Water is still 60 degrees at the Grand Haven State Beach!!!! I don't see many people fishing for them on the piers or in the river. usually this time of year the piers are loaded with fisherman. Are they still waiting for them to come in or is it over. I am headed out tomorrow morning should I target fish around the piers and channel or go out deep? What do you think is my best chance at some fish? Any input is greatley appreciated! If I look for the 4 year olds should I ditch spoons and focus with j-plugs and hot n tots and tadpoles? Or are the 4 years old up the river by now?

Thanks for the update heading out this morning!

Bob have you ever tried eating Sheephead? Lets just say you must be VERY poor if you think thats lobster!!! Its really really awful!!! Doesn't even taste good fried! I went snubberless on my last trip out..... (there a funny joke there somehere) anyway didn't seem to make a diifrence. Chinook are the fastest growing fish on the planet and Sheephead is one of the slowest. So if you get a big one its VERY OLD!!!

Started out at 11 a.m. in 180 fow trolled SW to 210 fow marked fish in 160-180 fow. Trolled back Northeast to 90 fow and caught first fish a small coho 19" long filled with eggs (more on second fish later) 200 feet back on high diver 5:00 p.m. on Silver Steak Glow Yellow Tail (AGAIN!) I spend $50 on new spoons and still only thing I can catch a fish on is THAT spoon! Wind starts blowing 1 footers turning into 3 footers. Decise to hit the Grand Haven channel Throw 3 spoons back in high diver. Within 15 minutes big hit! I am thinking OK a nice four year old! By the way on the Glow Yellow tail again!!! OOOPS not a King!!! Nice 15lb pound sheephead!!! UGH!!!!

I wanted to be out there myself today. Thanks for the fishing report today Bob!

Hi Jimmy, I do have dipsey charts for the mags and size 1 dipseys. I let out enough line to get to 100 feet down. Kyle I keep my dipsey diver release very loose. I rarely fish in anything more than a 1 foot wave so I don't have to have them tight to keep from popping in the rough water. Here's a general question for everybody. Snubber or no snubber? I use them and am 7 for 9. I know a lot of guys feel they loose fish when they use them. Are they really necessary?

WOW! I am amazed at all the feedback I have received. Thanks everyone for all your ideas. I actually didn't make it out today. I am really bummed the lake look great today. I am sorry I posted my original post in the wrong spot. I have so much to reply to I don't know where to start. Lets answer some paulywood questions first. I am using 20# mono on the poles and leaders. I tend to put plugs and and a flasher/fly on the mags. I run one about 100 feet deep and the other one about 75 feet deep. I do run 2 high (setting 3) dipsey divers and 2 low (setting 1) dipsey divers. I spool out 180 feet of line on the high and 150 out on the low. 5 out of my 7 fish have come off the the high dipseys! 1 off the low and 1 of the mag. My last trip out I let out 250 feet of out for the high dipsey and caught a nice king in 80 foot of water. Then it peeled of another 50 feet of and I had fun bringing in all 300 ft! That dipsey must have been real close to the bottom becuase once I got to 60 foot of water I could tell it was hitting the bottom. You guys maybe right the water is really clear and all those dipsey in the water might be scaring them off. When I did cath my last king I had only 3 poles in the water 2 high dovers and a mag in back. I guess sometimes less can be more sometimes. I do troll at 2.5 mph. My best troll seems to be a west to northwest troll. I see many boats lately trolling really FAST! I would suppose they are trying to get those fall 4 yeard olds to bite out of aggression since they don't eat because there hungry when they are about to spawn. Do you guys eat those 4 year olds when they are dark? In 1980's you would see a 30#+ fish once in a while. Now if you catch something near 20# your lucky? What happened? My theory is that they are over stocking the lakes and there are not anough alewives left to feed on. I saw a post on here that some scientist think that 2 year olds are now spawning. Thats sad if that true. I have to look into using a "pump handle" I amnot sure how to use them but I am sure I can find something on the internet. Do the 1 pound balls fall off when a strike occurs? I am going to get some down riggers. It just seems silly to buy them now with only a few weeks left to fish Next spring I am going to run 4 lead cores on yellow birds and 2 down riggers of the back. I hope this will produce better results next year. Hey Jim I might take your offer on those videos how much and do you live near Grand Haven? I can't make it to Holland Saturday. I usually work every Saturday. If you guys ever have a fishing outing on a Sunday look me up I would be happy to join. Wow this got long!

Hello Everyone, I am new to this forum. I am really happy I came across it. I can see there is a lot of useful information here with a lot of nice people. I just started fishing again on Lake Michigan in July of this year. I haven't done salmon fishing on Lake Michigan since I was a teenager with my dad in the 1980's. Lot's of changes in fishing gear since then. I have to say I am not having much luck. I come out of Grand Haven. I fish for 3-5 hours at a time and I am lucky to get one fish in the boat. I am not using downriggers or lead core. I am sure this is probably on of the big reasons I am not putting more fish in the boat. I run 2 mag dipseys in the back and 4 dipsey of the 2 sides of the boat. I fish mostly spoons. The Stinger Yellow Glo tail is the only spoon I have some luck with. I just purchased a Killer Dolphin, modified glo green dolphin, a wonderbread, black silver green glo, Blue Dolphin, glo candy corn, and agent orange spoons today since I see these are some spoons that have some success. I usually troll in 80fow-180fow I mark tons of fish just south of the south pier at 130-160 fow everytime out. Anybody else fish this area and see all these fish? I use ace-high plugs and never have any luck. I have had one hit one a silver dodger and white fly. I have tried many different color dodger fly combinations with no luck. I have to say when I do hook a fish they are nice size everyone of my 7 fish have been over 30 inches. Like I said I have not had much luck 7 fish in about 14 trips. I am headed out again in the morning of the 17th for 3-4 hours. I will let you guys know how I do with the new spoons. One question I do have is does anybody run dodgers before their plugs or spoons. I have not been doing this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks!