With the unsettled water, the summer change over is in full swing. The fish are still here, they are just scattered in small pockets, and moving fast. Here one day and gone the next. Good catches are still being taken by some. Here are some recommendations: 1) Do your home work. Stay in contact with other fisherman that have been out fishing recently. Where did they go? How was the fishing? 2) Don’t spend too much time in one area. Pick a compass heading and cover lots of water, until you find fish. 3) Change your program often until you find what works. 4) Don’t forget to check the water temp chart before you get started.

Over the weekend the best fishing seemed to be northwest 07s to the 12s north and the 32s to the 37s west. There was a nice scum line. Steelhead and kings were being taken. Most of the action was on the core rods, 3, 5, 7, and 10 color all produced fish. High mono divers 140ft to 170ft back also took fish. Some rigger action set from 45ft to 70ft down with moon shine bates. Bright colors are working well on the cores and divers. Mixed veggie was the hot lure. There were also some reports of fair catches being taken from little point.

Monday we fished in front of the project in the 53s and 54s. We started in 100ft if water in the morning, it was slow, only 3 fish. Pointed the boat west, when we hit the 36s and out to the 38s, the fish started biting again. 5, 7, and 10 color core was our best. Some rigger bits 55ft down and 61 down took fish. We ran all spoons. Bright colors were our best. Mixed veggie was hot. Had a nice box in the end.

The fishing has slowed down from last weekend. There are still some good catches being taken. Now you have to work for them.

Fish were being taken from the 59s to the 01s in 90ft to 140ft. Riggers went best from 45ft to 70ft down, with Moonshine lures. A Mag Crab face was hot at 70ft. Fire line divers back 125ft with a Mountain Dew Spin Doctor and a green glow fly went well. Wire divers back 100ft with a tuxedo and mirage fly took fish. Full cores with a Moon shine Smite also caught fish.

The Spring Kings are in. This is the best spring fishery I have seen in years. These King salmon are fat and healthy. Some are better than 15 lbs already. In the cold water, pound for pound, these are the hardest fighting salmon we catch all year and they taste great too. The meat is firm and bright orange. This is what I put in my freezer.

The new limit on salmon this year has been raised to 5 per person. Even with the new limits, people are limiting out. We fished twice on Sat., and caught 35 fish. That’s nuts!
We fished from the 02’s to the 05’s, in 145ft to 220 ft of water. We had mostly a spoon bite. Riggers were are best, down 57ft, 61ft, and 69ft. Led core, 7 color, full core, and core a half, were all hot. Wire divers back 120ft and 145ft, also had action. The spoons were Moon Shines on riggers and mag. Dream weavers on the cores. They were biting on everything. What a great day!!!
This is an exciting fishery. Don’t miss out!!! Give your favorite captain a call.

Hi everybody! Since the charter fishing season came to a close in October, I have had several successful hunting trips. My favorite two hunting trips were, first to Wyoming, and the second to Quebec. In Wyoming I was able to shoot two Mule Deer, and two Antelope. In Quebec, I shot two Caribou.

Now that hunting season is over, the freezer is full, and winter has set in, my thoughts turn to once again to fishing. I will do some ice fishing, but my thoughts have already turned to spring. Warm weather, calm seas, a cool breeze in my face and visions fishing with all my friends come to mind. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Now is the time to book your charter boat for spring and summer fishing. Booking your charter boat early is very important. The summer fishing season is all too short. July and August are very busy. They both only have only a few weekend days available. If you have a specific time you would like to go, consider these facts. There are some 60 charter boats in Ludington. By August you will be hard pressed to find one available. All the best charter boats and the best captains will be spoken for. So don’t wait.

HOW TO PICK A GOOD CHARTER BOAT AND CAPTAIN
There are as many different types of boats and captains, as there fisherman. Having fun and catching fish is what it is all about. The secret is to find a charter boat and captain that will suit your needs. Talk to the captain. Is he knowledgeable and fun? Is he someone you could spend eight hours with? Get to know your captain. Here are some of the questions you might ask:
1) How many years have you been a captain?
2) What size charter boat do you have?
3) How many people will it accommodate?
4) Do you have a clean stand up bathroom?
5) Do you have a first mate?
6) What do we have to bring?
7) What will we catch?
Looking forward to fishing with all my friends again.

Salmon catches on the Big Sable River in Ludington State Park were productive during mid-week using flies, egg-sucking leeches, and spawn. The Big Sable partially runs through Ludington State Park connecting Hamlin Lake to Lake Michigan.

A new batch of kings is at the pier heads. Fishing was good in PM Lake also. Riggers, down 10ft to 20 ft, 40ft to 60ft behind the boat. Divers set on 3 1/2, out 45ft and 3 color and 1/2 cores, all with plugs. Fishing was good at the state park in 45ft of water, with the same basic program. Our best plugs were Ace high double glow and the Dreamweaver green later back.