Playin Hooky

Yeah Mark, 2" so far is probably enough! We'd only had .3 in the past 3 weeks while others were getting a good soaking along with the heat. I walked in the garden this AM and it was only a little mushy. Amazing how much water can be taken up when there are cracks in the clay 3" deep!

thanks for the report. It's an interesting time fishing the NE side, not knowing what's going to bite next!

Nice! We'll be back in a week, hope the fish are filling in all the empty spots we trolled through last time up there! Eric

Thanks Nick! We've actually done a fair amount of fishing, just not on LMI to that point. Spent a week in Cheboygan on vacation and did 4 trips on the Straits. Dismal is nice word! 2 kings and 3 lakers, only lost 2 other fish--one a big king. it has improved since we left--of course. Thankfully the walleye on Mullett Lake were on fire so we had a great time there--for a change!! Hoping to get back over Sunday and/or Tuesday for another try.

We only marked one large bait pod around 65 fow while fighting the first king. Had some large "veils" of suspended material (FLEAS?) in the area as well. Fleas were pretty bad, thought they'd not be so thick in the cold water, but never posed a problem landing a fish. Quite a bit of debris--weeds, branches, etc--out there as well but never saw a defined scum line.

Made our first drive of the year to LMI this morning. 315 departure! UGH! River water temp was 76 degrees but the flag was flapping in a strong E wind. "Could be an interesting morning," I thought. Ran out of the channel and watched the surface temp. A few boats were set up in tight, a couple deeper. We ran to 50 fow and the surface temp was 59 degrees. 42 degrees 30 down! Yeah baby!! Dropped lines and started west. Just set 6th rod in 64 fow and a dipsy on 3 out 105 with a grn/glo fc and glow green fly started ripping. As a newcomer was fighting that (and the fish put a whoopin on the boy) a 5 color with Mongolian Beef went screaming. Netted the 5# steelie off the core, dumped it in the box and netted a 16# king a minute later. Reset, turned back in and followed our footprints. Hit a 4# king on a rigger 40 down on a MS double trouble. Reset that rod and a 7 color with red Jamaican sunrise fired. 12# king in the box. Reset, started to turn out from 50 fow and the 5 color MS Mongolian Beef went again with a 5# king, then the 7 color RJS fired and a 2 color with nuclear mixed veggies doubled. The fish managed to stay untangled although I'm sure our driving wasn't the reason! Those fish were 15# and 14# kings. Reset the 2 color and it fired immediately with another king of 10#. Continued to work the same water and never took another rip. Angle NW out to 80 fow--nada! Lightning sparking to the west and radio chatter of a storm approaching from those with the radar turned on. We packed it in around 900 and headed in. Water in the CHANNEL was 51 degrees by that time! Much sooner than I had planned after burning the gas to get there, but we had a great morning, stayed dry and didn't get lit up! that's a good day! Now if only the rain would make it here to save my food plots.... Eric

Capt John, I was in Cheboygan this weekend and heard they had 1 boat for the ladies tourney so canceled? 8 boats for Saturday and Sunday, and one or more pulled early as they were catching nothing?? How are things over toward Cedarville/Detour? Thinking of heading that way for a day next week and then on to the Soo to fish the power canal. Eric

Nice job! Especially handing the GF the 300' Cu! Good to make her earn her first fish!

So, Nick...your new job is running a SEA-TOW franchise?? That 2 trips in a row, isn't it? Nice work--good on ya! Eric