FBD

If it does flip, find a pier head and beat it up.  We had 47 degree water in close in the first week of October many years ago and beat up on the browns and steel fishing the plume in Saugatuck for about a week.  Even lost one nasty boot of a king that didn't run when it should have.

Excellent report.

When we've found them, there seems to be nothing of note to hold them where they are.  The water's all the same, no scum line, no bait.  But if you find one, cloverleaf the area as there's usually more.

I've found them in October in 370' out of Holland and trolling the beach in 6'.  Go figure.

Still chasing.  50 degrees out front not a mark.  Fished the channel and Mac.  Lots of salad / line cleaning.  Three catfish and about a dozen sheep.  Only lost one fish and I'm pretty sure that was a good walleye.  Forecast not promising.

Look up the plants for 2018.  I'm already going to be (cough cough) sick a lot in September of 2021.  And probably a little bit next year as well.  Heard of two and already got one jack personally in Holland - those should be last year's plants already coming home.

I'd hit the piers if I looked over and saw a cat on a boat.  Mine come running out of the woods as soon as they hear the trailer being backed into the barn.

Top video, about 7-8 seconds in, middle board, starboard side?

We got one last week trolling for walleye.  Unfortunately it fought like a walleye.  Then we got a 14# sheep that fought like a 20# king...

Sick of chasing your reports last year  as I'm usually the guy making reports and not following them, we hit Grand Haven last night.

It was a little bumpy out front.  Like "awh hell no" bumpy.

Trolled the too warm river because we were there and got a white bass.

Speaking of, in your video from in front of Saugatuck last year, don't you have a planer board out of formation?  Not that I went back and found your reports to see when I needed to start harbor patrol.

Some male kings will run after one year in the lake.  Commonly called "jacks".  Meat was probably light and it had a huge white gonad inside the rib cage?

Don't forget purple nurple.

Great story.  Great pictures too.

One if the most impressive reel abuses I've seen was a paddle fly down 100' on a 50# braid rigger rod with the drag cranked down.  Rod turned sideways in the holder and it went to 600+ on the counter before I could trip the wire diver and copper board on that side to get them to the surface, and turn on the fish.

We were in a tournament and I was already spending the big fish pot.

9# coho.

There's also Dutton (Dunton?) Park on the north side, Kollen Park on the south side, an unnamed township launch on the south side, and a dead end road next to the Tiara townhouse off Jenison Street in the no wake zone on the south side that has no dock.  This used to be a 4L Jeep only launch but with the high water I've seen a minvan launching jet skis there.  Bring snacks for the ducks too, they know my kayak by now.

When the lake flips, the options are:

1.  Hit the piers for steel.  The fact that you can't catch kings around the piers in the summer down here tells you all you need to know about kings in the summer in southern Lake Michigan.

2.  Go far enough offshore to find water that hasn't changed in temperature profile.  Those fish are unaffected.

3.  Fish lakers.  They're on the bottom in 80-120' regardless and don't even seem to notice that the surface water changed any.

For drama free, honest, detailed reports, yes.

But the fishery is such that there isn't much to report.  I've caught one king this year.  One.

Seen fish like that, missing gill plates, spines with a kink or even bent into a "Z".  Caught a brown with no lower jaw.

All seemed fat and healthy.

Great story on the rod.

How did they figure out it was yours?  Just curious.

I've got my name in the container with all my gear but not on any one knife.

Jeep Grand Cherokee is supposed to be able to Ford 24".  Not sure I want to try...

Is that a salmon?

Maybe several life times.

May I ask what port?  

Fishing the beach for steel a couple years ago and my guest's side of the boat is kicking my butt.  Finally see a hit and the fish is right off the board.  He was setting the plugs 10-15' back to my 50-75.

Airbags are probably not a fun way to wake up.

If this happens to you, take as much of your gear off your boat as possible.  Then demand that they tow it back to somewhere you have control of the situation.  Too many stories of equipment and tools being taken from cars and boats that get impounded.  When I balled up my car a few weeks ago, I waited until the cops left, then drove it home.  Not really legal but I was getting calls from the company that wanted to buy it from me within four hours.  And even after I signed the settlement and kept the car, they still call.

Nice of you to give the fish a beer.

"Action Stackers"

Otherwise known as "Scooter Clips"

Hopefully DW bought out the rights having learned from when they screwed over Bechold by making a direct copy of the Fishcatcher.

Fished the shore to the south last night.  Beautiful water, stain, nice chop, some clouds, 51-54 degrees.   Had a good rip on a monkey puke stinger off a one color about a mile south but it got loose.  Then we ran into cat tails and junk, at first so bad it was hard to troll, then so bad we could not even drive the boat.  Had to pack up and run out to 25' to get clean enough water to troll back.  Nothing out there.

DNR stopped planting browns south of Pentwater last year.  

Never the less, we are going to try for them soon.  

I use 10# on my short cores for browns.  I cut it off when the steelhead show up and also to use them as SWR's on the riggers.

With all the variables that come into play, it's all but impossible to say that something works better than something else.

If you think it helps, then it helps.