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Years of Salmon Fishing Experience


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Years of Salmon Fishing Experience  

163 members have voted

  1. 1. Years of Salmon Fishing Experience

    • 0-1 Year
      16
    • 2-4 Years
      25
    • 5-10 Years
      32
    • 10-20 Years
      36
    • 20+ Years
      54


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I have been fishing lake MI since I was out of diapers mostly for perch in the early 60's with my grandfather.Went Salmon fishing with my uncle in 69 and have loved it since kinda gave up in the mid 80's with the problems fished a few times in the 90's but was not the same. I got back into it in 2004 and it is fun again but long for the bighogs we used to catch has been hard to get thrilled about a 3 fish limit that weighs less then 1 did years ago. Having caught hundreds of 30 to 40 lb Kings it is tough to get the thrill back. I guess I will have to head up and spend time at my sons place for the big kings but every time the rod goes off and the drag screams I am ready, no better sound in the world.

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I think I was about 10 years old (mid 80's) my first time out and hated it cause I get sea sick. I tried it a half dozen other times over the next 15 years and the experience got better but would still get sea sick. In 01' I bought a new boat to mainly fish inland lakes but was talked into rigging it up for salmon fishing and was skeptical due to the sea sickness but with all the concentration of the things going on in your own boat kept my mind off the motion and then finally hooking, fighting, and landing a fish on my own boat I was hooked for life. Never been sick again and have been on other boats with no problems. So not including the sea sick years I have about 7 years fishing Lake Michigan and the occasional Rogers City trip on Huron.

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My first time I was 18 years old with a 14' boat, 7.5 hp merk, two home made riggers, a few cool ones, and a good friend, on Muskegon Lake. 12 hours of trolling and no fish, but we did get to watch 100's being netted. That was 29 years ago. Only get serious about it 12 years ago.

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It was July 1983, I went out with my dad, one of his friends and a great man that showed us a great time. He has since longed past away, but with every trip I make I know that he is my boat and helps me cath fish when others are not. Rest in Peace, and we will fish together soon, Captian Hector.

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I was 6yrs old, 1974 the first time I went salmon fishing on lake Michigan out of St.Joe on a 21' starcraft Mariner. Started runing my dads 24' coloso sea eagle, aka (Super tramp) out of St.Joe at the age of 13. I can remember fishing the Stroghs salmon bonanza and fishing right along side by side with Pete Robionious ( the original Dream Weaver) and Ron Burget on the Stormin Normin with all three boats having doubles of coho back in the hay days in early june 1982. I can remember the fish were so thick that when you went to let a spoon back to set it on the rigger the fish would grab it before you could even hook it to a rigger. the way we fished then compared to know with all of the coper and lead etc sure has changed.

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My father first took me in 1973 or 1974. I know he bought a new boat in the winter 74/spring 75, and my father said we had the old boat for 1 1/2 years.

Here is a very young GLF with a couple of fish from Ludington in 1974 with the old boat.

document20.jpg

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Nice pic Mike! I caught my first salmon off the Manistee pier in 1973 with my dad. I got hooked good then. I had my own 14 ftr rigged up with two home made downriggers from washing machine pulleys and a flasher depth finder by 1979. Had to count the turns and put big nails through the pulleys to set my depth. Getting a 5 king limit was not hard if you timed it right around the pier heads but I had more skunks than limits then because I didn't time it right. Once I had a double on by myself right off the Ludington north pier. When I got the second one in, about 30 tourists walking the pier all started a round of a applause for the lucky punk in the little boat. I learned a lot the hard way and I can remember more than a few 2-4 hour drives to get to a big lake port to watch the waves crashing or just to big for my little rig. Got to fish some bigger boats with friends through the 80s and there was no looking back.

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Great thread... cool pics and stories.

My experience is a mixed bag for sure. I grew up trolling for landlocked salmon here in NH. While the fish are only 15 to 24 inches long and a big one weighs in at 4 or 5 pounds, its much the same technique as on the Great Lakes. The gear is just much smaller. :no: I spent a few summers in my youth fishing Alaska. I was lucky to have an uncle that lived there and a grandfather that took me along. I learned what big water (ocean) trolling for salmon was all about. Also spent a lot of time there bank fishing the rivers for pink, red and silver salmon. Learned a lot of unique ideas from a very wide array of people I met each summer. I've used a lot of those ideas through the years and made them work for even the small fish here in NH. I've trolled on Lake Champlain quite a few times now. It is a nice happy-medium from Lake Winnipesaukee here in NH and Lake Ontario in NY.

I didn't start fishing the Great Lakes until a few years ago. So far all my Great Lakes experience has been on Lake Ontario. I've fished quite a few of the ports now... Henderson Harbor, Pulaski, Mexico Bay, Oswego, Sodus, FairHaven, Olcott, Niagara and even out of Toronto. To say I am addicted is an understatement! I've been averaging six trips out there per year, but really hope for more. My wife has already said we should get a camp in the Salmon River area... so thats in our short term plans. (Just waiting for the economy to make a turn now...) Would be nice to not have to tow the boat back and forth from NH anymore. Actually last year I left my boat in Pulaski for the last half of summer. :D That was so nice.

I lucked out last year and was asked to join the Pro/Am Team of Savant Spoon. The Sodus Tourney was my first/only one last year. I'm really looking forward to doing all the tourneys this spring/summer. Already cleaning and organizing gear to prepare for it! Cannot wait... its so much fun to be surrounded by that many people who enjoy the sport of salmon fishing. Great camaraderie and great fun!

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We have got some great responses to this poll. I love seeing pictures of when people started out there salmon fishing careers. The one thing in common is you can see the passion that we all share for the love of the sport. I started salmon fishing around the age of 5. To this day I remember holding a rod with a flat line and a blue and silver tad poly attached and caught my first coho salmon. 1 fish is all it takes to be hooked for life. Here is a picture of one of my earlier trips out on the big lake, I believe I was 6 years old in this picture.

mush01_thumb.jpg

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