Creekerman

Thanks for the update...and for keeping us all informed!

Blessings on the birth, mother, father, child and grandparents!

St. Joe 4-1-17 4 for 5 all Coho. One quick hit as dypsy was initially deployed. Two shakes and off. Time fished: 9:00 - 3:30 Two licenses on boat. Depth of water = 25-30 FOW Bait = Storm UV rattlin Thin Fins in Pink fire (2). and Green fire (1). Also orange Dreamweaver dodger and blue fly. Top 10 feet of water Troll speed: 2-2.5 mph

Anyone know how to boil salmon eggs for Whitefish bait? How long to boil? Do you freeze them afterward? Any other tips-advice?

Had a dental appointment in Grand Haven today. Hooked on the boat and launched solo for the evening bite from Holland. Ended up one short of a limit…. 10# Steelhead on 10-color leadcore with JJ Mac Muffin Moonshine spoon approx. 90 FOW 8# King (minutes later) on same 10-color leadcore with JJ Mac Muffin Moonshine spoon approx. 90 FOW 4# Coho (Double) on Downrigger with white Spin Doctor and poofster fly 70 FOW 59 down 2# Coho (Double) on 5-color leadcore with moonshine "Ratchet Jaw" spoon 70 FOW Happy even though one short of limit...Thanks be to God!!!

@ Taddpole Last couple of times I've been out, I've only gotten hits trolling East (and a couple heading back West). Last night we kept trolling across the 110-90 FOW and got our hits on both sides of 100. North or South troll in same depth...nothing!

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it. I definitely want to see a future full of Kings in Lake MI. Obama and Co.....not so much.

Thumbs up!!!!!

Well, we got out there (2 on board-6 lines), but it was getting pretty rough…too rough just before dark. Wish we could have held out about 45 minutes longer, but it was getting a bit hairy out there. I’ll bet we could have picked up 2-3 more. We did well….almost hit for the cycle!!!! Couldn’t believe it when we landed a huge Brown. Here was the catch: 17 lb King on green splatterback plug on 5-color (only about 25 feet down?) 10 lb Steelhead on White Spin doctor and white fly 80 feet down on downrigger. (only 2nd Steelhead this year) 12 lb. Brown on White Spin Doctor with white fly on 300 copper (only Brown this year) 5.5 lb Coho in White Spin doctor and White fly 60 feet down on downrigger (only the 4th Coho this year) In a year of getting mostly Kings and Lakers…couldn’t get a laker to complete the Lake Mi. cycle. BUT I’m happy with the box we got….4 for 4….no lost hook-ups.

Nasty flies were on the attack last outing... I'm wondering if anyone has tried using one of those Thermacell mosquito repellant devices on their boat? Does it work? Claim is that it protects up to 15X15 feet or 225sq ft. Thought I might consider it instead of using skin applications. Any experience? Amazon.com link http://www.amazon.com/Thermacell-Mosquito-Repellent-Outdoor-Repeller/dp/B00UTIDBW2

South Haven 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM 5/27/16 5 for 7 Two licenses aboard—myself and a neighbor - Trolled 6 lines. VERY FEW BOATS ON THE WATER ... all day Morning double… 170 FOW: 16 lb Lake Trout On Downrigger @ 150 feet down with Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly 14 lb King On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. Late morning Legal Lake Trout on downrigger (can’t remember depth) approx. 180 FOW on Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly Mid-afternoon 3 lb Coho On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. 210 FOW Missed (top water leaping) Fair-sized Steelhead on 5-color leadcore Dream Weaver small orange dodger and blue-copper fly. 150 FOW Late afternoon 4 lb Coho On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. 140 FOW. Missed small-fair Lake Trout near stern on Downrigger @ 100 feet down 130 FOW with Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly

South Haven 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM 5/27/16 5 for 7 Two licenses aboard—myself and a neighbor - Trolled 6 lines. VERY FEW BOATS ON THE WATER ... all day Morning double… 170 FOW: 16 lb Lake Trout On Downrigger @ 150 feet down with Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly 14 lb King On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. Late morning Legal Lake Trout on downrigger (can’t remember depth) approx. 180 FOW on Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly Mid-afternoon 3 lb Coho On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. 210 FOW Missed (top water leaping) Fair-sized Steelhead on 5-color leadcore Dream Weaver small orange dodger and blue-copper fly. 150 FOW Late afternoon 4 lb Coho On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. 140 FOW. Missed small-fair Lake Trout near stern on Downrigger @ 100 feet down 130 FOW with Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly

South Haven 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM 5/27/16 5 for 7 Two licenses aboard—myself and a neighbor - Trolled 6 lines. VERY FEW BOATS ON THE WATER ... all day Morning double… 170 FOW: 16 lb Lake Trout On Downrigger @ 150 feet down with Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly 14 lb King On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. Late morning Legal Lake Trout on downrigger (can’t remember depth) approx. 180 FOW on Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly Mid-afternoon 3 lb Coho On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. 210 FOW Missed (top water leaping) Fair-sized Steelhead on 5-color leadcore Dream Weaver small orange dodger and blue-copper fly. 150 FOW Late afternoon 4 lb Coho On 5-color leadcore with clean Blue Dolphin slim spoon. 140 FOW. Missed small-fair Lake Trout near stern on Downrigger @ 100 feet down 130 FOW with Dream Weaver White crush with Big Weenie Poofster fly

Thanks for the report

Thanks for the report

Thanks for the report

I used all DR862MHR on ALL my set-ups (dipsies, downrigger, and leadcore) with the exception of my long copper lines (300 - 400'). I've never had a problem with them! Some of mine have seen 4 seasons without a problem. They fit well in the boat for storage and they seem to hold up well. I've used the Okuma Classic Pro copper/leadcore 8.5 ft rods for my long line copper and 2 of the 3 the tips have broken off. Not happy about that for the cost. I replaced the tips with Twili-tips so I could continue to use those rods. I've never had to do anything with the Daiwa Wilderness rods. I've purchased mine from Northwoods Outfitters in Pinconning Their website is a pain to work, but a call to them works well https://northwoodsoutlet.net/product-category/fishing/ This website has the rods at a great price.... http://equipmentfishing.blogspot.com/2011/11/daiwa-wilderness-trolling-rods-model-8.html

Besides a marine radio that automatically scans the weather channels, having a smart phone with weather app on board is extremely helpful. It saved my hind a couple of times. Saw the red cells coming across the lake from Milwaukee and another from Chicago. Got off the Lake in the nick-of-time. Otherwise would not have been adequately warned. Also a DNR officer convinced me of the need of extra bilge pumps. I added extra and upgraded the capacity of the ones I already had. Now, If I turn on my pumps I think I could put out fires on other boats both starboard and port with the streams it shoots out. BTW...I effectively used a 15 ft open bow boat prior to the present vessel. I certainly feel safer in the 18.5 footer I use now.

Do you use snubbers? I swear by them. No matter what rigging I'm using, whether SWR, dipsies, meat rigs, spoons, rotators and flies...any rigging...I always have snubber in the set-up. Some guys laugh at it, but I swear I get better hook-ups with them. Most outing we land every hit. Last year we had a streak of going 39 for 41. So I swear by them. Works for me, and I'm sticking to it.

We had hoped to get out for the early morning bite on the 18th, but the conditions looked horrible from the data we looked at. We watched the data on the weather bouys, on the NOAA site, on the Weather sites, and on the lakeside video cameras and the conditions changed by the hour…worse, better, worse, better. We finally decided it looked good enough for about 5 hours for a possible night bite. We crossed our fingers not knowing if we would find adequate conditions or not. We got lucky (or blessed...depending on how you look at it). It was a little rough the first hour….but settled down nicely before we watched the red cells coming across from the southwest. Boat size = 18 feet, 135 I/O w/ 9.9 kicker.

8/18/15 Ended the day 4 for 5. We lost one on a father-son double. We waited out the morning with touch-and-go weather…left at 2:30PM and launched at about 6:00 PM. Three licenses on board…my b-in-law, nephew, and I. Tally was; 14 lb King, 13 lb King, a 12.5 lb King, and a 4lb King. One on Live wire SD with John King green meat rig on 300 cu One on Mtn Dew SD with John King yellow meat rig on other 300 cu One on Rigger @ 91 ft. down with John King Super Black Mamba rotator w/ black/white meat rig. One on other rigger @ 80 ft down w/ moonshine "Green jeans" spoon Lost one near boat on slide diver w/ blue splatter back glow SH plug. Very few other fools on the Lake...most of the time saw no other boats. Beat the storm coming out of Chicago by getting off the Lake and in time to button down the boat. Ran ahead of it all the way home and got the boat sheltered before the storm arrived. Our timing for the day was about as perfect as possible fitting in the fishing amidst bad weather on both ends.

Best Day This Year Ended the day 7 for 7. Two licenses on board...6 lines out. We kept 6 because one was an undersized Lake trout. The take-home tally was; 19 lb King, (2) identical 14 lb Kings, a 8 lb King, a 9 lb Steelhead, and a 26 inch Lake trout. Details... 2 fish on a blue-chrome splatter-back plug on 5 color leadcore 2 fish on yellow meat rig with yellow spin doctor on 10 color leadcore 2 fish on Live wire spin doctor with green meat rig on 300 copper. The undersized Lake trout was caught on caramel dolphin spin doctor with caramel colored fly on downrigger….the only fish I've caught on a downrigger since May 17th this year. That Live Wire SD and green meat rig combo on 300 copper has produced at least a hit on the last 6 outings on Lake Michigan and 5 fish for the box. Fished 105 FOW out to 144.