FBD

Kind of surprised that wrapped up so quickly.  Good for the family.

At least the guy had a plan and let people know.  Two guys went out of Port Sheldon a couple years ago and weren’t reported missing for 2 days.  No sign of them or the boat ever found.

We we’re out last night with 2md and sucked it up.  One hit on a rigger in 50 down 42 solid fish crazy first run but ran the boat while I was taking off the fixed slider.  Caught a 12” master angler white perch out front to avoid the skunk.  Both on a standard flounder pounder.

I’ve seen tan fish with orange meat.  And silver fish that were hardly worth smoking.

Looking at the buoy and the forecast not one bit has changed.  Go back out do what you've been doing and I'd expect similar results.

Surprisingly silver.  How was the meat?

Got out in front of Saugatuck last night.  For after Labor Day there were an insane amount of boat traffic, but they stayed closer to shore and we had to head out a little bit to find colder water.  

First fish was a small, I mean small sheep on a magnum bloody nose Moonshine on a slide diver.  Just started to reset that crew yells "rigger" look over and it's still all hunkered over.  Then it takes off screaming.  Fish pops up and doubles back about 2' shy of the half core on that side thankfully, then goes all over, then at the boat, under the boat, in front of the boat, pretty much wherever it wanted.  Was more than amazed to net that without half the spread dragging behind it or cut off.  Silver #4 J on a one color SWR.

The nothing for an hour and a half, other rigger fires solid fish but without all the theatrics of the first one.  White 10" spinny 2' off the bottom.

Pulled the half cores to head in close, was choking up the lines pulling 50# braid into the reel on the prevously sheeped slide diver rod when it starts bucking in my hands.  Let go of that line as fast as I could.  Fish comes right to the boat which seems odd as it had a very broad tail for such a little fight, then 3' from the net it proceeds to take off towards Chicago.  I think that happened a couple of times before we finally got it netted.  GPS plot looked like a staggering drunk as I kept turning to keep the fish off the corner of the boat.

By then it was dark dark so we trolled up into the channel running out of marks as we did.

Way better than I expected.  Other than spring browns harbour patrol is my favourite time of the year.

The second option.  There’s no structure to speak of and the lake will be pretty much all the same temperature but they will certainly be here but not there.  So troll around until you hit one then work that area and see if there’s more, then repeat.

Most of this year's crop of kings probably shot the river last week.  There's immature kings around but I find them tough to target as the lake cools down.  However, there's plenty of steel availble just need to find them - they can be in 6' or 300'.

There’s a pug in this picture if you look closely.

Ended up 6/7 in front of Saugatuck last night had four in the first half hour then it fell apart.  Sheep in the channel headed out 16# king then two 4-5# coho.  Though we had a pattern then it shut off.  Swapped lures found the rigger and diver wrapped up coho in the rigger alewife on the diver.  Had one pull back on a one color j plug in ten feet that could have been the bottom.

Every picture just push the pug a little more towards the center until the kids are covered...

Thanks for the intel last night was the most fun I've had in a boat in a long time.

Heard rumors kings were in close.  Got out last night and sniffed out front, nothing going.  Slid out until we hit cold water on the bottom and fired a double on both long lines.  Sheep and a 7# king.  Slid out a little deeper 225 copper digs in, 3# walleye.  Got a little darker and things just went full stupid.  Riggers and divers took over, at one point we had a fish on the floor, fish in the net, fish on the diver, and rigger fish through the seven color.  Got that all sorted out only to have the last rod down fire just as we reached to pull it.

Ended up 7/12 including the Lake Erie creatures.  Two mature kings, two immature kings, and a football of a Master Angler coho.

Boat is a disaster the rigger rod and 7 color are still all wrapped up in a ball.  Leaders all need to be checked and swapped out to 30#, plug harnesses retied, drags backed down.

I’ve had times where I’ve had room with the number of crew to set extra lines even though it’s ridiculous, then hit a fish on a seven color when the beak is down 70’.  You never know…

Don’t be afraid to fish junk lines up out of temp.  Especially if you turn a lot those lines will draw fish.

Bummer.

We fished Mac last night and there was an 18" dead and very ripe salmon floating in there past the no wake buoys.  Found that odd.

Took a minute but that’s good!

Check your rod eyes or release with a q tip just in case there’s a nick?  Had a black’s release with a burr that was breaking off even 30#

We were out Saturday night in the 14’ and quickly learned that was a mistake.  Fish finder puked no way to tell depth other than dropping a rigger down.  Didn’t even get everything set and the 200 copper screamed.  Set the poor man’s auto pilot (ride the waves) and started clearing lines and my daughter landed her first king in probably ten years. Just the riggers down turned back into them and pounded in until they hit the bottom where it wasn’t any calmer like I’d hoped.

Took forty minutes to get in never even bothered to try to plane out.  

Lotta boats in the tourney could have used those fish.  Had crew alarm went off at four pulled up the buoy and said nope.

There's fixed sliders

Free sliders

And super free sliders where you don't even bother to hook it to the rigger before throwing it over...

There’s been days I’d wished I had oars.  At $4.79 for rec gas even the 15 horse hurts…

Man I like fishing in November…

You will need a twilli tip if not using rollers.

More four year old coho showing up too.  Weird catching a 8-12# "king" in the spring then looking it over and seeing it's a coho.  Hammbone weighed a high 20's coho in a tournament a couple years back...

A good GPS / Plotter if not part of your locator, and a really good VHF radio in case things get sideways.

Down temp / speed is debatable.  I know a lot of really good fisherman who do not run them.

Cat been demoted as mascot?

300 Copper Happee meal sounds kinda familiar...