Salmon Assassin

Nice to hear thE fish are shallow, save the wallet a little bit. Nice catch

It was a rough day on the water with 3-6 footers really limiting where I wanted to fish. Powered out to 110 FOW East of the Filter and started east, got out to 200 FOW before turning and trolling with the waves southwest back to shore.

Ended 9-10 with two bows being over 10#. Hot set up was a MS Wonderbread on a 8 color. Rigger bit had strarted to pick up a little PK Rotten Bananna with Raspbery ladderback did well for me as well. Had one dipsy hit and thanks to a cheap swivel that broke that fish ran off with my lure and dipsys.... AHHHHH

Over 70 on the surface with 50 degree water down about 45'.

I think the biggest bite is still out deep, charters were fishing that all week and I really think if you want to get on some fish you need to find them deep and really work the area.

Good Luck and God Speed.

I have noticed this year more than any other year that the pre dawn bite has been really slow. Last few years Come late June and forward the best bite times were 3am-8am. This year the bite after sun up been a lot better. I am also noticing that pro kings are way out fishing moonshines. Anyone else seeing better results sun up vs. pre dawn.

Going forward the boat isn't going to leave the dock until 5:30am

Nice fish, out of curiousity what time of day did you hook into those puppies. I am done with trying a pre sun up bite.

I would get good reels to start, I love Okuma Convectors, $80 each but will easily outlast most other reels. For downriggers I love 7' Ugly Sticks, everything else I like TDR's. I run 25# big game mono, it's all preference, I dont know how much more stealth 17 or 20# would be, but the added strength is worth it's weight in gold.

If you get the convectors you will not be disappointed.

Here is my thinking on tourney fishing. Every fish you caught Friday was one less fish to catch Saturday. If you make a couple of passes through a spot and clear out the fish come Saturday what's left? I normally go out of the way to avoid packs of boats too. I think the fishing pressure and boat traffic scatter fish as well. I don't mind being by myself boxing fish.

If I didnt work every tuesday I would join the club, seems like a lot of really nice guys but the job seems to get in the way with a lot of things. I was pretty surprised at the low catch numbers, I know a lot of guys stayed in shallower water thinking the big kings were there. I caught two kings in the teen's range out deep, the fish seem to just be stacked out there. 200FOW+ is my bread and butter, I dont worry about the fuel costs to get out there I just want to be on the fish.

When the call came out at 5:30am to release the boats, I hung out while the majority took off north , and after the remaining boats headed south. I petered due east. All by lonesome I petered out due east of the north gap with a little south in the troll. Set up in about 65 FOW, once we got the call at 6am, we quickly got the lines set. Was welded down for a bit but finally starting picking at the fish. I kept a rigger down deep hoping to pick up a big greaser but that didn’t happen. I had some luck yesterday in 210FOW and trolled out to my waypoint. That’s when the fun started. I trolled back and forth of 210-265 basically due east of the main gap. The hot lure again was the rotten banana with green ladderback; the raspberry ladder also caught fire.

5 color and riggers did the best. Pounded rainbows and kings in the deeper water, basically had the whole area to myself. My biggest rainbow was 11.5 pounds; biggest king was only 16 pounds. I finished 14-2??? I was the victim of breakoffs today lost a bunch of lures.

I picked 10 good ones from the box and weighed in 79.90 pounds which was good enough for 13th out of 125 boats. Not too shabby, got a huge chunk of hard salami and a check coming for $156. I spoke with some folks who did not go very well, looks like north was not the place to go. Biggest king was less than 21 pounds. 109 pounds won the whole kit and caboodle. Last year I had 41 pounds for 49th place, I am beginning to think I am figuring this salmon fishing out.

Had a blast and did pretty well out there. I went out there with a plan and I stuck with the plan and was rewarded. I purposely pulled lines at 14 fish, figured I would leave something out there for next time.

Nice fish and good job.....

How deep were you when you lost the probe and did you gps the spot? I have a buddy that dives and he's planning a trip soon.

Sorry to hear of your rough trip. I've had days like that just not that expensive.

The lull might be coming to an end, I think the lake thinks it's late June. The coho bite maybe done but bring on big kings and flying bows!

Fished with a work buddy today, left the pier at the same time as yesterday around 4am. Set up in 45 FOW a few ticks south of the filter. Was treated to quite the lighting show that was going on in Kenosha and Racine. Nabbed four wish between 65-85 FOW, all kings with a 3 year old putting on quite the air show for me.

Fish came on 125’ CU board with homemade green glow fly with blade and mtn dew hot spot

SWR down 50 took one on magnum hot lips

5 color board aqua fly and mtn spin doctor took one

Finally a dipsy fired and stayed glued, nice king on FF….

Water was still warm on top, temps were 66 in Fox Point, seems like everyone followed the charter boats there. Got chased off at 7am by incoming weather. Rain doesn’t bother me but the red, orange, and yellow on the weather radar was enough for me to exit. 4-4 in 3 hours, not bad at all!

Appreciate the days of quick limits ALOT more.... bounce things off the bottom for greasers..... (I'm guilty of it too) The slime balls taste like crap grilled but a guy at works loves to smoke those things and is always willing to swap for some vension....

Left the pier a little before 4am set up a little south of the filter on a NE troll in 55 FOW, hit some quick action in 72-75 FOW and got welded down for 3 hours. Fish were marked EVERYWHERE and the surface temp average upper 50’s versus 68 this past Sunday.

Fishing off the bottom produced the fish, Spoons which took fish were wonderbread, hot lips and MGD. Caught a shaker on a green fly being twirled by a mtn dew hot spot… Marked a lot more in shallow versus deep, thermocline was averaging upper to mid 40’s about 30 down.

Although the boat is now referred to as the Salmon Assassin, today I was the greaser assassin... End 4-6, 2 big lakers, 4 year old chin, and a shaker king.

With a lot of poor reports recently I thought I would try deeper water in hopes of success. Powered out in the dark to 200 FOW and trolled east. Missed one to 205' on a FF dipsy and the rods went dead. Trolled to 290 FOW before heading back west. Picked up a coho on a Pro King MGD spoon on a 5 color in a 158 FOW and that was it. Found some interesting temp brakes but couldn't get it going today. From radio traffic I was lucky to catch one compared to some boats....

Fishing is tough right now and who knows what this heat wave is going to do.... The highlight was fishing with my mom for the first time. Atleast she got to catch one....

Dragged tuna, coho rigs, spoons, flies, and j plugs today trying to find something to work. Any suggestions?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh..... I was thinking shallow but I went deep almost 300 FOW and didnt see anything. I am glad you found them....Good job

How deep were your lines and what was the hottest dipsys, riggers, boards?

Get me on the radio my radio scans channels 16-68-07-and 72.. I really dont think those guys are doing that great in the pack with all the boat pressure... It's just knowing what set up the fish want and when..

I love your boat set up.... That must have been a ton of work to get it right where you want it, but it looks awesome! How much were you snickering inside when the copper rig fired and you handed it to the wife! Whenever the 10 color fires I always pass that rod off.. Good catch..

Set up in 55FOW with a northeast troll, picked up the first fish which was a king pushing 20# in 61 FOW on a mountain dew spin doctor dragging a Howie double glitter frog fly on a 5 color. That rig would claim all fish yesterday. Trolled out to 90 feet of water and came back in to 65 FOW. Pecked a couple coho along the way and finally a laker. Finally pulled lines in 140 FOW with shallow being the best.

Went 5-9 with two additional drive bys. I don’t count it as a miss if the fish is off before the rod is pulled from the holder…. The moonshine wonderbread took two hits on rigger but spoons were dead and without tuna I didn’t run any cut plugs.

First trip with the smart pilot and I don’t know how I ever fished without an auto pilot. All my projects which I had slated for the boat will be complete once I swap out the spreader lights with LED lights. Finally broke down and bought two spin doctors and after I caught 5 fish on one I think I will be buying a couple more. Talked to Captain Mike while cleaning fish and he only did 9 boxed so I don’t feel so bad…

Beautiful day on the water but there was a lot of boat pressure. Wednesday I will be back at it again…… Good luck gentlemen fair seas and full coolers...

Left the pier a little after 4:30am this morning and set lines around the Filter in 75 FOW. Ran out to 125 and picked up an average size Coho on a rigger 40 back and 33 down. Trolled out to 175 before picking up a nice brown on a 5 color board with 00 dodger and green/gold peanut. Couldn’t get anything going so I headed for swallower water and finally popped a nice king in 75 FOW, 2 color SWR on a rigger down 39.

Missed 5 others today and at 10am, waved the white flag and pulled gear. Tough day on the water and no matter what I threw at them the fish were tight lipped. Seemed to be pretty common amongst the Milwaukee crew this morning as no one was really knocking them dead.

Ran a double dipsy set on the port side and didn’t get anything on dipsys all day! I changed speeds, direction, even ran some copper but it was slow going. Moonshine wonderbread did take 2 of the 3 fish, so maybe it’s time for more spoons in the mix…

Did see a decent thermocline about 50’ down as the water changed from 64 surface temp to 44. I saw a lot of dead and dying alewives on the surface and couple that with all the boat traffic from this weekend and I think I know why fishing was tough…..

Didn’t come close to my limit but I got to fish in shorts and a tee shirt and had the top down on the boat. Friday is new toy day as the auto pilot gets installed so Saturday morning I will be back at it.

The little boy blue fly works wonders on the WI side of the pond. Look at what spoons are working and get flys that incorporate those colors.

Last year I ran 225-275 of copper down the chute and ran a Moonshine Happy Meal. That set up took atleast 1 fish every trip out...

As far as flashers you dont need to break the bank on a ton of gear. Get something blue, mountain dew, and cracked ice... Dont give up on running flys.

Absolutely gents. I know some charter guys don't want to hear it but.... Fish are deep. I never ran a flatline before so we'll see how it does.

Left the dock a little after 5 this morning and powered out to 100 FOW and set gear on a NE troll, riding the nice swells. Didn’t get touched until 185 FOW and that was only a hit and run on a capt dougie 2 color board. Kept it east and starting picking up action past 205 FOW with action ending in the 230’s. Swung back and picked up a couple more. The 5 color 00 dodger green peanut and mono dipsy set 45 LOC 00 dodger with purple and green peanut were the best rigs. Took a small king on a rigger happy meal set down 51’.

I would not recommend fishing from the harbor to 63 FOW as the MMSD decided to dump into the lake again. Past 63 FOW water wasn’t brown anymore. Surface temp outside the main gap was 68 degrees, mainly 52 degrees in 200 FOW, 45 degrees down 50’. West winds / rain brought a lot of debris out, be cautious for floating trees out there.

Ended 7 for 12, two kings, a really nice rainbow, and 4 cohos. Pulled lines at 9:45am so I could make court on time, otherwise I am confident another pass through would have yielded a two man limit.

Had some big marks down 100’ and saw fish breaking the surface, as the bugs were plentiful. Tomorrow’s plan is to get a rigger down nice and deep and also run a flat line… Didn’t seem like anyone was doing anything shallower than 125 FOW.

I have an EZ Steer, BUY the restrictor cord................ I cannot stress than enough. I really am not super impressed with it but it works until I can find something better.

I use these methods to pick spots.

1. previous experience

2. networking

3. water temps (this to me should be first)