Salmon Assassin

Out of Milwaukee, I go deep when the water close to shore is pee warm.... I experiemented in 2009 with it and expanded in 2010...

In 300-350FOW, I never fished deeper than 80ft down and had a ton of success. A pro king blue dolphin was hot as well as 225loc of copper down the chute with a moonshine happy meal. I found that after the sun breaks the horizon the bows and cohos come up to feed on the scattering bait fish. You wont mark a lot of bait balls but you will box fish.....

When your out there experiement and play a hot hand. If your really getting action between 270 and 330 FOW, stay in the range in a triangle pattern, fish above the temp breaks and the fish lures that will reflect the sun. Blue/Green, orange, and cracked ice patterns did well for me after the sun came up in deep water....

Brad's cut plugs packed with tuna in garlic oil also took a lot of fish, the shamrock and wonderbread were killers.

Last year I started making my own flies and had really good luck with them, now I want to start using Tourney Rigs, but I dont know how..... Anybody?

I fish Milwaukee, after the sun breaks the horizon I head east and fish 285-350 fow. I did this last year in a 16.5' Lund. If your going deep pay attention to the waves and weather. I also advocate getting a kicker, you never know when your gonna need it.

When fishing deep water I normally fish from the surface to 75' down.

Oh yeah, 300 FOW of water is about 13.5 miles from the main gap

If I am fishing just 6 lines, here is my starting line up...

Rigger port: Sliver Lighted j Plug

Rigger star: Moonshine blue flounder

port dipsy: homemade green glow fly on mtn dew flasher

star dipsy: moonshine wonderbread

copper board: 225 LOC moonshine happy meal

lead board: brads wonderbread cut plug

This is ever changing though after about 30 minutes. Pro King blue dolphin, moonshine bloody nose and dancing anchovy is thrown in as well as red/white flys, pink alewife spoon gets some loving.... but those listed above are my normal summer spreads to start.

I use tuna in garlic oil.

I ran copper last year, but I ran it down the chute with no board.

I fish out of beautiful Milwaukee. I am not a member of the GLSF, I would love to but I work EVERY Tuesday.. I might see if I can get off for the next meeting and then sign up and join. I cant remember the surface temps below 50 last year, but I also cant remember what I had for breakfast.

When I am out deep I like to fish the upper colums of water, I prefer to set up in 180-200 FOW and work east fishing maybe 75' and up.

I fish out of milwaukee and I write my name and phone number on the boards and of the two I lost last year, both were returned.

This year I am going to expand more on my planner board set ups. Here is what I am thinking and I would like feedback as well as what is working for you...

I normally fish deeper water, out fo Milwaukee in order to avoid the crowds and charter boats (no disrepect to charter boats, I dont like the guys who follow charter boats, I am amazed with a body of water the size of lake michigan people still manage to cross lines) Anyhow...

In 2009 mono boards with a one ounce to one half ounce inline weights, killed the salmon when the August surface temps were 43 degrees in 50-55 FOW. This last year, the water never really got cold and mono did barley anything for me.

I was thinking for my 6 boards I would run the following, I am curious if excluding mono boards will do a big dis-service to my spread.

125' Copper Board

180' Copper Board

225' Copper Board (with moonshine happy meal, kills fish)

8 Color Board

5 Color Board

3 Color Board

* Putting the SWR on a board is always an option as well when the bows are feeding up high in the column.

Thanks in advace for your feedback......

Before you name the boat you should read and follow the traditions...

http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htm

Moonshine Bloody Nose........ A 15 color, wow that would be the rod that everyone else gets to reel in!

A box full of lakers is better than a box full of nothing.... The only time I specifically targeted lakers was in early April last year, after that it was all silver fish. The lakers really loved the moonshine jj mac muffin fly....

Mid Day I like to run DEEP and pluck rainbows in the upper water column.

Whoa, people target greasers?

I have given up on getting an auto pilot for me boat because it's a 1988 with power assisted streering.

My plan now is to mount my kicker to my swim platform. I want to buy a panther steering system but I wanted to know what you guys think of them.

2011 will be my fourth on the big pond, and the previous years June has been the most frustrating month so far. I usually start in April and stay close to shore and fish for lakers (all released), May is about cohos and a few kings, June just sucks... I was wondering where and what people are pounding for fish....

Part Two: Deep Water

After the floods of July I deserted the pack of boats that stayed between shore and 125 FOW and went deep, approximately 13 miles of shore to the 290-320 FOW range. I was fishing in the top 50' of water and in August and September I had several limit trips out there catching bows and cohos. I wonder if the fish are out there all year... A buddy of mine who was formally in the coast guard gave me some pretty detailed maps and this year I want to fish the mid lake reef complex.

I did the kicker last year and this year it's a probe and if I can get some overtime an AP will follow. If you have good working downriggers especially big jons then your already ahead of a lot of people. I like the added security of a kicker and the speed options it gives you. I couldnt do a steady 3.2 on my main but can with the kicker.

I am not a charter captain or expert, but why would run something 600' back? As far the cut plugs I love them, the wonderbread cut plug packed with tuna in garlic oil reduced the salmon population nicely this year. I had more luck with tuna than herring, and I ran the plug off a dipsy with no flasher. I would recommend cutting down the leader they give you to about half though.

They cost $8, live a little and get one, they catch fish on days when nothing else seemed to work.

I am curious why you just run riggers and leadcore. Both catch fish but have you considered cooper or dipsys?

If fish aren't high in the water column, then go deeper. I recommend the little blue boy fly, I dont like body baits, I would put down blue and white glow spoons. For example run some moonshine dancing anchovy, blue flounder, and JJ Mac Muffin.

Last year I had a small 16.5ft Lund and I was just happy to place in the top half of Milwaukee's Brew City. I got 12 tall boys of a beer and some bragging rights so in the end it was a wash. I have some concerns of how that tourney ended but I keep them to myself and next year I just hope to crush the fish....

I had pretty good luck this year with meat. I used the cut plugs packed with tuna packed in garlic oil. It's smells terrible but I got action almost everytime I ran one. I ran them without any sort of flasher or dodger. After the heavy rain storm in Milwaukee in July the water really changed and I started fishing about 3.2-3.4 SOG and the action picked up.

The blue paint on my boat had a problem with oxidation, the previous owner parked it outside for the past four years. I used the 3M rubbing compound and buffed the boat today. I followed it up with NuFinsh wax. The boat shines but it's not as bright as I wanted. Aside from new paint what could I do to get a rich shiny paint look back.

I would have been a fire fighter but I am not getting on a ladder, besides I would rather sit in my squad and block traffic versus standing in the freezing cold spraying water on a house. I do however like watching you guys saw the trussles off houses and huge pieces of roof for the sake of "ventilation". Either way I suppose you guys have a purpose.

I started running SWR's last year and they have been awesome. Basically it's two colors of leadcore on your down rigger set ups. I would start the day running one SWR and one regular mono and if one was getting the action over the other I would switch over. One thing I have found with salmon fishing is that things are never the same one day it's all dipsy bites the next it could be leadcore on boards. The key to success is finding what works and maximize it.

Not to really overload you but if your not running meat rigs I would start. I run the brads cut plugs packed with garlic roasted tuna and those things murdered the fish.

How come so many firefighters are charter captains, firefighting has to be the best part time job on the planet. No disrespect intended of course because after all I what you hose jockeys would refer to as a " blue canary".

Fish the power plant in oak creek, or your welcome to ice fish the summer lagoon with us we usually managed atleast one a day.

I already have a couple okuma copper and leadcore rigs, I am looking for someone to sell me some more.