GLF

Dyer man boats Lake Michigan net buster Indiana DNR has certified a 29.3-pound Lake Michigan brown trout, caught by Glen Duesing of Dyer, as a new state record fish. On April 2, Duesing was fishing along the north wall of the State Line Power Plant near Whiting, when Indiana's biggest brown trout attacked his Smithwick Rogue crankbait. "Our boat was trolling for coho (salmon), but rough, stained water and wind forced us to try fishing for browns along the power plant wall," said Duesing. There was a lot of warm water from the power plant flowing down the wall." Duesing said as soon as he felt the fish taking line he told his boat mates it was a good fish. "We pulled everything, rods and outriggers, and drifted and fought the fish for 20 minutes. We got the fish next to the boat, and when I saw it, I again said, 'This is a GOOD FISH!'" As Duesing and his crew tried to boat the big brown, the weight of the fish broke the net handle. "The fish wouldn't fit in the net, and then the net broke," said Duesing. "Luckily, hooks on the lure stuck in the net mesh and we pulled the fish and tangled mesh into the boat." The champion angler weighed his catch on a state-certified scale at Howard and Sons Meat Market in Munster. The scale stopped spinning at 29.3 pounds. The fish stretched 3 feet and 3.75 inches. A tape wrapped around the fish's belly measured nearly 2 feet (23 inches) of girth. Lake Michigan fisheries biologist Janel Palla from the Lake Michigan DNR office in Michigan City verified the catch was a brown trout. Because of the brown trout's large size, Indiana's fisheries chief Bill James suspects the trout was a Seeforellen strain of brown trout stocked by Wisconsin. Seeforellen browns are native to alpine lakes in Europe, where they are noted for their large size and long life spans. Brown trout grow well in Lake Michigan. The Indiana state record brown trout record was topped once in 2001 and twice in 1999. In Oct. 2001, Mitchell Boilek from Hammond was fishing from his boat for Lake Michigan smallmouth bass, when a 25-pound brown trout smacked his tube jig lure and yanked him into Hoosier fishing history. In March 1999, the record 23-pound Lake Michigan brown trout caught by Joe Hankins of Martinsville was surpassed in September of the same year when South Bend resident Steven Bay pulled a 24-pound, yard-long brown trout from Michigan City's Trail Creek.

Thanks Bev and Jim!

Want to put more fish in your boat? Then make sure you have an assortment of Dipsy Divers at your disposal. DIPSY DIVER If you are new to the sport of Great Lakes fishing you may be asking what on earth a Dipsy Diver is? A “Dipsy Diver†is a device manufactured by Luhr Jenson & Sons, Inc. A dipsy diver is a round disk with a directional weight system (keel), with optional extension ring. The Divers come in four popular sizes, Magnum (4 1/8†Diameter with larger keel sinker), Standard (4 1/8†with a regular keel sinker), Small (3 ¼â€), and Mini (2 ¼â€). Different Sizes of Dipsy Divers Rings can be placed on the dipsy to increase surface space creating more resistance and better diving and plane ability. There are standard and magnum rings created for the 4 1/8†divers. This disk can be set up to dive straight down, to the port, or starboard side of the boat. To do this, look on the bottom of the diver, you will see a directional dial from 3R to 3L. R for Right or Starboard side of the boat, L for Left or Port side of the boat. (Port and Starboard is always determined by looking towards the bow of the boat). Directional Dial The numbers indicate how far you want the dipsy to plane to the side. The 3 causes the furthest plane, and a 0 is straight down. You would use a 3 for your outside dipsy and 1 for your inside. A 0 would be used if you ran a dipsy down the chute (straight off the back). The “trip†mechanism (on the top) needs to be set (by pushing it down) in order for the dipsy to dive. A set screw is located on the side of the trip allowing you to adjust the tension. You want to set this trip just heavy enough so it doesn’t trip with speed changes but light enough to trip when a fish hits. Lower tensions should be used on less aggressive fish like Walleye. I will attest that it is a bear to bring in a big king and fight the diver at the same time. Trip Mechanism A snubber is a piece of rubber tubing that acts as a shock absorber between the dipsy and your lure. A snubber is not always necessary with monofilament line because this line will stretch some unlike other types of line. Snubber Last but not least, the leader. Leaders for dipsies, like other leaders, are used to space your lure from your diving device. For dipsies, leaders should roughly be the length of rod you are using. (A 10’ pole should have a 10’ leader). The reason I only use a leader as long as my rod is because when you bring a fish to the back of the boat if you have a 15 foot leader you are going to need and extendo net. I’ve found that unless you are a master netter on the big pond that you will lose a lot of fish if you do not have control of your net. If you need longer leaders you can use another product derived from the same idea that is called a slide diver. LINE TYPES WITH DIPSIES * Monofilament: 20-30 lb. test, 300 yards, used mostly on higher, outside divers * Super braid: 30 lb. test, 300 yards, used for inside or low divers * Wire: 30 lb. test, 7 strand, used on inside low divers RIGGING A DIPSY 1. Tie snap swivel to your main line 2. Attach swivel to trip mechanism on Dipsy 3. Check/Adjust tension of trip mechanism 4. Set trip 5. Set directional weight 6. Attach snubber 7. Attach leader 8. Attach bait (flasher-fly, spoon, and plugs) Okay now drop this diver over the side of the boat but keep it out of the rigger lines and whatever else is out there. Make sure you reset the line counter on your reel. The amount of line you let you depends on what depth you wish to fish. There are some publications available that have depth charts for the various divers’ available (check out www.fishdogco.com for Big Water Precision Trolling book). If you don’t want to buy one of those books there are a couple ways to figure out for yourself how deep your divers are diving. Set your divers out to a desired length of line out. Then gradually navigate the boat to shallower water until your divers start hitting bottom. But let me tell you it is much easier to buy the books. Luhr-Jensen’s website (www.luhrjensen.com) under tech info will also provide depth info. OUTSIDE DIVERS My Mono Dipsy rods are 9’ 6†Shimano TDR rods with Okuma Convector 30D Line counter reels spooled with 25lb Ande line. I will refer to these rods as my “High Divers†or “Outside Diversâ€. I will again set this to a ‘3’ setting. A couple words of caution on the mono divers, if you set out a mono diver much farther than 180 feet they are very tough to trip. You may end up fighting the diver for a few feet before you will be able to trip it due to all the stretch in the mono. INSIDE DIVERS My Super Braid Dipsy rods are 8’ 6†Okuma Classic Pro rods with Okuma Convector 30D Line counter reels spooled with 30lb Power Pro or 30lb Berkley Fire Line. My Wire Dipsy rod is an 8’ 6†Okuma Blue Diamond roller rod with Okuma Convector 30D line counter reel. I will refer to these divers as my “Low Divers†or “Inside Diversâ€. For my inside diver rods always use a shorter rod than the outside divers. This helps keep the two from tangling. I will also put a magnum ring on the diver along with setting the weight to a 0 or a 1 so it doesn’t plane out to the side as much. This helps for reaching desired depths and reducing tangles. More words of caution: Super Braid or Wire you must not jerk them too hard or you may break your rod or line. These two lines have little to no stretch GET OUT AND TRY IT I have given you a small glimpse into the world of Dipsy Diver fishing. With what you read here you should be able to gear up with some divers and go out and catch some fish. The Rod & Reel combos I have mentioned are available from a website sponsoring Member The Fishdog Company. They also have the Dipsy Divers and quality snap swivels. Written and photographed by Jim and Beverly Six(SixShooter)

Mums the word for a day or two

:eek: Hey Josh, Do you think you could send me all your jpegs? It would save me a lot of time

I went with the medium size spoons. I added 25 new ones today. More are in the works. :Chernobyl:

Here is a fishing log created by The Dog House. Thanks for allowing me to share this with everyone! This is the revised log, and will display on one page.

Fisherman's Landing, in Muskegon. It is a city boat launch with a camp ground. They have a long dock on the water that will hold 10 - 15 boats. You can leave your boat in the water and camp. Fishermans Landing

Welcome to the site Kayle. You can shorten your learning process by asking questions, or you can take the long way and learn by trial and error. We look foreward to seeing you around, and will try to answer all of your questions. Mike

Who can tell me what port I am at?

I fixed the issue with supporting members not being able to access the chat room. Sorry guys!

Except for the fish chat issue.

This will have to wait until I am home from work.

This would be an oversite on my part. Matt is in the supporting member usergroup and I over looked adding the usergroup to fish chat. Come to think of it...I think I forgot to add the charter captain group as well. This might explain why none of the charter captains have been in fishchat. I will get this taken care of. Mike

Thanks for the heads up Joe!

As thousands of Michigan walleye anglers take to the water this spring, fisheries managers with the Department of Natural Resources are behind the scenes, working to ensure the fishery remains a vital component of the state?s water landscape. When walleye fishing began gaining popularity among anglers in the 1970s, the Michigan DNR started developing methods to rear large numbers of young walleye and thanks to these successful efforts, this program is now well established. Currently, DNR produces 5 to 10 million fingerlings annually from fry stocked into rearing ponds and grown out to fingerling size, according to DNR Fish Production Manager Gary Whelan. Additionally, DNR directly stocks up to 5 million fry each year. While fry stocking is less expensive and simpler to do, it is much less dependable so both fry and fingerling walleye are used in the DNR stocking program to ensure success. "Today, walleye rank in the top three angling opportunities in Michigan, with bass and salmon", Whelan said. "The stocked fingerlings complete most of their growth outside controlled conditions of a hatchery." In fact, walleye spend less than a week of their lives in a hatchery setting. Each spring, adult walleye are netted from three areas of the state. The eggs are fertilized and then sent to either the Wolf Lake or Thompson State Fish Hatcheries where they incubate 18-21 days before hatching. Within a few days the walleye fry are placed in a special bath which marks their bones with a permanent mark, then transferred to one of 50 to 70 outdoor ponds located throughout the state. "The mark makes it easy for us to differentiate between hatchery fish and wild fish. The marking process leaves a stain in the bones of the hatchery fish that can be seen under a black light. This process gives us valuable information as to the percentage of fish in the overall population that are wild or hatchery-produced," Whelan added. Many of the rearing ponds are owned by private groups, working in partnership with the DNR to increase walleye populations in Michigan. In early spring, specialists and cooperators fill the dry ponds then fertilize them to increase fingerling production. In late April or early May, the ponds are stocked with fry from either Thompson or Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery. In June and July, when the fish reach 1 ½ inches on average, they are ready to go to their permanent homes in rivers, inland lakes and the Great Lakes. Walleye are the largest member of the perch family. They are challenging to catch, delicious to eat and provide a year-round sport fishery. In the spring, walleye congregate in shallow bay waters, where they seek out rocky areas and submerged bars. They prefer a water temperature of 55 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Walleye are carnivores, consuming large quantities of minnows, sunfish and alewives along with other small fish, burrowing mayflies and crayfish. Prime feeding times are in low light periods that include very early morning and evening, and night. The average walleye caught in Michigan is three years old and weighs from one to three pounds. The state record walleye was caught in the Pine River, Manistee County, weighed over 17 pounds and was 35 inches long.

Here a picture from yesterday. I have enabled the video mode on my camera so it takes a 10 sec video also.

Thanks for the report Butch!

Who has been following the Bird Flu in the news? I saw a segmant over the weekend about it. They did not talk "if" the bird flu reaches the U.S., they talked "when" it reaches the U.S. Here is a map of H5N1 Wild Bird Flu Outbreaks as of February 2006. H5N1 Wild Bird Flu Outbreaks as of February 2006

Nice day on the lake. Thanks for the report!

Welcome to the site. This is the place to ask questions about fishing on Lake Michigan. This is what all of the members here do. So....ask away! I am not from the Chicago area so, I can not comment on the slips and storage in Chicago fees. I am not familiar with your cat, but if it works on the ocean, I am sure it will work here. Alot of people with smaller boats(under 18') will not fish in 3-5' waves. Others with bigger boats will fish in 7-10' waves.The key to trolling will be being able to slow the boat down fast enough. If the motors will not idle slow enough, you can put out drift socks to slow the boat down. They also help take some of the rock out of the boat in rougher water. Ideal idle speed during the sumer is 2.4 - 2.8 mph. In the spring(March/April) you will want to troll at slower speeds. Salmon fishing generally starts in March and goes all the way to Oct/Nov. They can be caught year around. During the winter months, anglers target the warm water discharge of some of the power plants. Since 9-11 you are not allowed to be within 1,000 yds of a Nuclear plant. Inside the 1,000yds is where the warm water discharge usually is and where the best fishing is.

One thing you can also do is to turn the boat motor off and see if the noise goes away.

Electrical noise usually affects the display with many black dots at high speeds and high sensitivity readings. One or more of the following sources can cause noise or interference: Possible source of noise Other electronic devices How to isolate it Turn off any nearby electronic devices to see if the problem goes away. Then turn them on one at a time to see if the noise reappears. Possible source of noise The boats engine How to isolate it To determine whether the boats engine is the source of the noise, increase the RPMs while the boat is in neutral and stationary to see if the noise increases proportionately. If the noise appears when you rev the engine, the problem could be the spark plugs, alternator or tachometer wiring. replace the spark plugs with resistor plugs, install an alternator filter, or route the control head power and transducer cables away from engine wiring. Possible source of noise Cavitation from the boats propeller(s) How to isolate it Turbulence created by the propeller can cause noise. make sure the transducer is mounted at least 15" from the propeller, and that the water flows smoothly over the face of the transducer at all times.

Muskegon County Mona Lake will continue to be stocked with walleye. Plans have been developed to restore white bass and Great Lakes muskellunge into Mona Lake. Ottawa County Spring Lake, Crockery Lake and Lake Macatawa are scheduled for surveys this spring and summer. The Grand River will receive 26 percent less chinook salmon as part of a Lake Michigan- wide plan to reduce prey consumption by 10 percent. An experimental white bass egg-take will take place on Lake Macatawa. A white bass restoration plan calls for population restoration in Mona, Muskegon and White lakes. The Chinook salmon stocking in Macatawa River has been moved to a net pen within the lake. Great Lakes creel surveys will continue at the Grand Haven and Holland ports. St. Joseph County The St. Joseph River, Palmer and Sturgeon lakes will continue to be stocked with walleye on an alternate year basis. These fish will be marked so the MDNR can evaluate natural reproduction, year class strength, and percent contribution of stocked walleye to the creel. Muskellunge stocking will also continue in Long Lake in Fabius Township. Van Buren County Northern pike stocking was discontinued in North Scott Lake. Pike are difficult to mass produce in the current DNR hatchery system. Therefore, the DNR Fisheries Division will concentrate its management on promoting natural reproduction through the protection and rehabilitation of spawning (wetland) habitats. The East Branch Paw Paw River will continue to receive brown trout, the Gilchrist Creek strain, and Bankson Lake will receive muskellunge. Walleye stocking will continue in the Black River in South Haven and Maple Lake. Chinook salmon stocking in South Haven was reduced 14 percent to as part of a Lake Michigan-wide plan to reduce prey consumption by 10 percent. Yellow perch populations are on the rebound, so anglers should expect better catches of yellow perch in Lake Michigan. Surveys are scheduled for Upper Jeptha and Saddle lakes. For more information on the management plans, contact Jay Wesley at 269-685-6851 or at the Plainwell Operation Service Center located at 621 N. 10th Street in Plainwell.

The Department of Natural Resources' Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit recently released a list of fishery management changes and activities for the upcoming angling season. These changes and activities include fish stocking, habitat rehabilitation projects, creel census, research studies and fish community surveys. "These management updates have been released as a means to notify anglers and the public of changes in management and to let lake and stream property owners be aware of our survey activities," said Jay Wesley, Southern Lake Michigan Unit manager in Plainwell. "We also value public input regarding our management changes and encourage anglers to report on current management activities." The Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit covers the Grand, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Galien river watersheds and all the lakes and streams within that area. Each year, fisheries biologists evaluate management options on various water bodies in order to achieve increased fishery benefits. Following is a list by county of management actions that have occurred in the past year and a list of waters that the DNR intend to survey in 2006. The DNR also asks anglers to provide feedback on specific management options. Allegan County The DNR will continue to stock steelhead into the Rabbit River. Chinook salmon stocking into the Kalamazoo River at Saugatuck has been moved from a direct plant to net pens. This should increase the survival of those fish. A new strain of brown trout, Gilchrist Creek, will be stocked at Saugatuck to replace the Seeforellen strain. The Gilchrist Creek strain has been out performing other strains on inland waters, so it is anticipated to do well in Lake Michigan. The Kalamazoo River Assessment is complete and available on line at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Hard copies are available at the Plainwell Operation Service Center. The annual Lake Allegan Carp Derby will take place on Free Fishing Weekend, June 10-11, to raise awareness of water quality in the lake and Kalamazoo River. Barry County Crews were on Thornapple Lake early this spring as part of the annual northern muskellunge egg take. The Thornapple River near Hastings will be surveyed as part of a long-term status and trends analysis of smallmouth bass. Several tributaries of the Thornapple River will also be surveyed for the Grand River Assessment. Brown trout stocking in the Coldwater River near Freeport will be evaluated mid-summer. A creel survey will be conducted on Gun Lake throughout the spring, summer and fall to assess the fishery and walleye stocking. Berrien County The St. Joseph River will continue to be stocked with walleye on an alternate year basis. These fish will be marked so the DNR can evaluate natural reproduction, year class strength and percent contribution of stocked walleye to the creel. Boom-shocking will occur on the St. Joseph River in various locations to evaluate the walleye stocking program. Fish community assessments are also planned for Singer Lake and Townsend Creek. Creel surveys are planned for the St. Joseph River, Dowagiac River, the Port of New Buffalo, and the Port of St. Joseph. Steelhead stocking will continue for the Paw Paw River. Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout stockings will continue for the ports of St. Joseph and New Buffalo. The brown trout strain was switched from Seeforellen to Gilchrist Creek for these ports. Chinook salmon stockings were reduced 36 percent for St. Joseph to help reduce prey consumption in Lake Michigan by 10 percent. A new fishing access site on Brandywine Creek off of 15th Street in Niles was purchased by the DNR. This site will be managed by Niles Township and will provide urban trout fishing opportunities. Branch County Lake Lavine rainbow trout stockings will continue and have been discontinued Gilead Lake. Angler reports have been poor for Gilead Lake. Walleye stocking will continue in Matteson Lake, and the channel catfish stocking has been discontinued until a new source of fish can be identified. Union Lake stockings of channel catfish, walleye and northern pike have been discontinued. Calhoun County The Calhoun County Conservation District has been active restoring rivers in this area. Rice Creek will soon be reconnected to the Kalamazoo River after the Marshall Dam in the City of Marshall is removed. An Inland Fisheries Grant was awarded to remove this unsafe dam. Dickenson Creek in Historic Bridge Park near Battle Creek will receive some habitat improvement by Kalamazoo Valley Trout Unlimited. A brown trout assessment will also take place this summer. A comprehensive habitat and fish community survey is scheduled for the St. Joseph River in July. Cass County Birch Lake rainbow trout stocking will continue. This was dropped last year; however, several anglers came forward declaring how good the fishing has been in Birch Lake. Stocking will continue at a lower rate to reduce competition with cisco. A netting survey will be conducted on Belas Lake this spring. A creel survey and fish community assessment is scheduled for Dowagiac Creek between Russ Forest and Lake LaGrange. A major river rehabilitation project is underway at Dodd County Park to restore meanders to the Dowagiac River. This project is scheduled to be complete this fall. Walleye stocking will continue in Magician Lake. Clinton County A management plan developed by Fisheries and Parks and Recreation divisions will evaluate options to address the Eurasian milfoil problem in Lake Ovid. Weevils, a milfoil-eating insect, are being considered as an alternative management option to chemical control. Eaton County The Village of Dimondale was awarded an Inland Fisheries Grant to remove their dam on the Grand River. Charlotte also received a grant to remove a dam on the Battle Creek River. These projects are expected to start this year. Several tributaries to the Grand River will be surveyed this year. The data will be used in the Grand River Assessment. Lake Alliance in Potterville will no long receive rainbow trout. Survival of trout is low; however, the warmwater fish community is doing very well. Gratiot County No management updates for the Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit. Hillsdale County No management updates for the Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit. Ingham County Various tributaries to the Grand River will be surveyed for the Grand River Assessment. Discussions are underway with the City of Lansing in regards to future management of the North Lansing Dam. Ionia County Walleye stocking will continue in Morrison Lake, and brown trout and steelhead stockings will continue in Fish Creek. Prairie Creek will continue to receive steelhead. Jackson County No management updates for the Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit. Kalamazoo County The management plan for Gull Lake will be updated this year. Rainbow trout survival has been poor for several years. Rainbow smelt have recovered in the lake. Fisheries Division is considering dropping the rainbow trout stocking and replacing it with a low lake trout stocking to supplement the fishery. The DNR is also considering cisco restoration to the lake. Anglers should contact the Plainwell OSC with opinions and suggestions. Muskellunge stocking was discontinued in Austin Lake due to a history of fish kills and recent fish disease issues. Kent County The Rogue River, Spring Brook, and Bear Creek will all be surveyed to evaluate their coldwater fisheries. Fish community assessments will be conducted on Long and Campbell lakes. The Lower Flat River will be sampled to determine the population status of the river redhorse, a state threatened species. Muskellunge stocking will continue in Campau and Murray lakes. Buck Creek will receive a new strain of brown trout, Gilchrist Creek. Montcalm County The Flat River and tributaries will be surveyed for the Grand River Assessment. Clifford Lake will again receive walleye for stunted bluegill control.