6/26/01  The hard luck story in the Pro-Am belongs to "Team Sunrise," after being a top 5 boat on the first day of the Pro-Am.  They had 160 points going into the second day, and a good catch on Sunday, but they got back to the harbor 3 minutes late and had to disqualified themselves.  Motor problems cause the delay in returning.  Never the less, congratulations to all the participants.
    A decent report came in from Dan, a Ludington Port Reporter.  Inshore Salmon fishing is beginning to stabilize. Click here for Capt. Dan's Ludington report.

6/24/01am  Finished about 18th (Pro-Division) in the Budweiser Pro-Am Tournament with Dave, Justin and Dave.  We boated 10 lunker Lake Trout that averaged about 11 pounds a piece (2 were released to be legal).  Finding Steelhead and Salmon was almost an impossibility for us and the most of the tournament fleet.  Click for our Port Reporter's outstanding 3rd place report      
      The tournament was a huge success with 131 boats entered, although we finished out of the money.  The Amateur Division was taken by "Reel Apeelin," with 330 points, the Pro Division was won by "Fishlander" with 330 points too.
      Now for a reel fishing story about a great group of anglers who fished the tourney with me.  In the 2 days of competition, they had 14 fish hooked up and boated 13 of them.  The one loss was caused by a hook breaking, which was no one's fault.  You can't do any better than my team did under any circumstances, no way!  Fun was had and shared by all during the 2 day event.
                               Click for Team Kingfish catch photo 
      Plus, this was only the third time they'd ever fished in Lake Michigan for Salmon and Trout.  The bottom line is, you won't meet a better-quality group to fish with, who I've come to respectively call, "Team Kingfish!!" 

6/23/01  Fished south and the results were meager.  Weighed in only 3 fish, that totaled 18 pounds.  Many boats did far worse, of what can be considered an extremely slow day on Lake Michigan.  We're in the middle of the field as far as points go in the Pro-Division.  When you're as far down as we are, you can only go up.  Look for an improvement tomorrow.............I hope!!!!!!!!!!

6/22/01  We finished 10th overall in the Ladies Classic in Manistee today with 46 pounds in the 5 fish we weighed in.  My Ladies Team was more than fantastic, boating 11 of 12 fish hooked.  Plus, they only missed one strike too!  I'd like to thank Rickie, Melissa and Nicole for being such terrific anglers.  These women could teach most men a thing, or two, Reel Fact!! Click here for ladies the catch photo
   All the fish landed in today's tourney had a Silver Streak hanging from their jaw.  Anti-Freeze and 3 of the Streaks in Capt. John's Dirty Dozen were the lure choices.  The body count was 2 Steelhead, 1 King and 8 Lake Trout.

6/21/01  Fished out of Manistee this morning with "Team Sunrise," we boxed 8 fish by 8:30am and missed several strikes.  Our pre-tournament box averaged about 7 pounds a fish.  We didn't stay in the "Hot Spot" long enough to call attention to the plot of water, we want to work tomorrow.  We pulled lines around 10am and finished up the boat maintenance started yesterday.
         Click here to see the fish box we caught this morning by 8:30am

6/18/01  I fished today with Mark Sabo and his son, Matt.  Threatening skies and thunderstorms prevented us from venturing too far away from port.  In a 150 of water, young Matt got a taste of how hard a King Salmon in the 15 to 20 range can scrap.  After a 15 minute battle, the monster King swam free, as the line got cut underneath the boat...shucks!  We then moseyed out to deeper water and had another 7 hits and "6 fish on."  Click here for "Team Sabo"
    The father and son team never lost a hooked up fish for the rest of the half day trip, boating 2 Steelhead to maybe 10 pounds, 2 King Salmon and a couple of decent Lakers.  Storms finally chased us off the lake, just after 12:30pm.  I thoroughly enjoyed the company of "Team Sabo." 

6/15/01  We got off the dock around 5pm after the thunderstorm warning expired. Fished the inshore water depths of 100 to 220 feet and for the most part, all we found was small kings.  Moved to the 450 foot range and found 49 degree water only 5 miles from port.  Action was good, with at least 10 to 12 strikes in 4 hours of trolling, but our landing ratio was very poor.  Overall, we boated 6 fish and released 4 small Kings.  We were on the 13 and 14 north line (just south of Manistee a tad).

6/8/01  I tried to fish today with Liska, Chad, TL and Doug Herig.  Lk. Michigan is dead from Muskegon to Frankfort and we didn't fair any better, so after a 3 hours it was wisely decided to reschedule this charter.  Right now, fishing is pitiful in all the major northern Lk. Michigan Ports.  
    I spoke with "Sea Joy" Mike Bradley in Frankfort on the channel 10 and he reports no action at 9:00am.  Then I called "Riverside" Paul Schafley who moved his boat from Manistee to Pentwater is search of fish.  Paul reported 1 fish at 10:00am and was 25 miles off shore, west of Pentwater looking.
    The fishing will be improving once we get a south blow and the alewives quit dieing off and giving the fish easy meals.  Gas in Manistee fell a penny to a $1.73.

5/30/01  I'm sending out the lure packages offered on the E-mail List today.  I finally received all the spoons requested.  I'm shipping US Priority Mail, so if you've ordered the package deals they should be there in a day or two.  Hope to be shipping the 6 packs of Bechholds Flashers by the end of the week.  
    These outstanding money saving tackle deals are only available to the E-mail list members.  Interested in the special tackle offers?  Then sign up for the E-list located at the bottom of this page.

5/27/01   Wayne and Julie Yoder along with son Doug tried to fish Lake Michigan today.  The weather was windy from the north, raining and temperatures in the high-40's.  Needless to say we cut the trip short, because of the nasty conditions.  Plus, the north blow brought in a bunch of cold water, scattering the Salmon.

5/25/01  Jeff Jones and his friends Mike and Jason were my guests today.  They deserved far better treatment than I was able to muster, because of a lingering cold I just can't shake.  Even though we lost a triple header and I was under the weather we managed to boat 11 fish on the half day charter.  Catch photo
    Jeff landed a mean 18 pounder that peeled about a 100 yards of line against a stout drag.  The overall death toll was 9 Kings and 2 micro tagged Lake Trout.  The tags were retrieved by the DNR Creel Census Taker.  Click here for Jeff's Tuna

5/20/01  Lynn and Jeri Pollack landed 4 Kings to almost 2o pounds and a richly colored dark gray Lake Trout.  The conditions were ultra flat glassy calm with not a dimple on the surface.  The fish were spooky and hard to come by for me, but Jeri landed her largest fish ever Click here for Jeri's Tuna and it was just too nice not to enjoy Lake Michigan!     

5/19/01  I had a superb time today as long friend and veteran of many "Salmon Wars," Bob Hoover took his superb family on a event today.  His fantastic wife, Rose was accompanied by Bob Junior, Mike, Kelly, and last but not least Debbie.  Mr. Hoover has fished with me since 1987 and has never went home disappointed.  
    Today they boated a dozen fish, mostly Kings to about 15 pounds.  The action was over a 130 to a 160 of water and most fish were caught from 9am to 11am.
                             Click here for catch and family portrait.

5/18/01  Took 9 fish on the Jeremy Parker half day trip today, while battled a severe cold, or as I call it "Boat Phenomena."  The fishermen today did a great job on the fish when the opportunity presented itself, but with a temperature of 102 I wasn't with it at all.  Tried to find another boat to run the trip and just couldn't.
                       Click here for their catch photo  

5/17/01  I'm going to try and finish with the Saugatuck thing this weekend.  I should be trailering the boat back Monday.  With me being home I'll have time to finish the Bechholds Flasher Deal, Fishlander Spoons, and I'll setting up an account with Luhr Jensen.  If you're a member of my E-mail list you'll be entitled to purchased fishing tackle at reduced rates compared to the stores.

5/16/01  I had to cancel the Bill Webb trip for today.  Thunderstorms are nothing to mess with, let alone the high winds and heavy rains that accompany them.

5/13/01  8 fish were boated on the 2 Daves charter today after being cancelled out by weather yesterday.  Boat Daves are world class folks to fish with.  Plus I lost the original story    Click here for their catch photo.

5/11/01  13 fish were boated on the Robert and Carolyn Bell trip today.  Bob had a reel taste of the outstanding King Salmon Fishery off Saugatuck, Michigan.  Both the Bells did great job with the fishing rods, once I broke Bob's habit of "Billy Joe Bob's Hook Sets."  TNN and ESPN has ruined many fishermen with those B.S. TV hook sets!  Also, it was a shortened trip, because of the fast catching. 
                  Click here for a wonderful couple with a bunch of fish!

5/8/01  We took 18 fish today on the Sandy Melder half day charter with constant action on King Salmon.  It was a Tuna fest with line ripping Kings busting us up.  The fish were aggressive to say the least, and 80 feet of water was best.
Click here for an awesome dockside photo    Click here for Sandy's Tuna photo

5/6/01 Mitch, Jim "The Net" Fisher and Lars Hierta rode the Kings hard today and put their limit away wet!   My guests and myself boated 18 fish on today's charter.  Overall, we boated 2 Steelhead, 1 Laker and 15 Kings to maybe just past the 20 pound mark, also 9 of the Kings were hogs.   Click here for awesome photo. 
     This trip started off with Lars wanting to gain some "hands on" knowledge and celebrate Mitch's 44th birthday, which I know they accomplished in a grand fashion.  It was a plus for me; that they were already experienced in their own right and had proficient skills with a fishing rod.  The worth of the anglers surpassed today's awesome Salmon Slaughter!  Listen to this, they went 18 for 20 on hooked-up, ornery, screaming hog tunas.....quite an feat in anyone's book, no brag, just fact!   
       
5/5/01pm  Warren Jr. & Warren Hoover and Mike Potter who are long time veterans of the Salmon wars with King's Charter.  Also, their friend Russ Kilbourne, got in a short evening cruise after the howling east wind subsided.  We had 6 fish hooked up and managed to boat 5 fish (Kings and Lakers) in a little over 2 hours of trolling.  A special thanks to Warren "The Flash" Hoover Jr. for being quick on the rod and getting most of the fish hooked up.  Click here their for catch photo.

5/5/01am  Steve Jr. and Dr. Steve Fry met with me at 7:00am to hit Lk. Michigan in quest of Salmon and Trout.  Brutal east wind to at least 25 knots caused fishing to be on the slow side (wind from the east, fish do not feast!).  We still managed a couple of Lakers for the younger Steve (9 years wise) and a pair of decent line ripping, mean spring Kings for Dad to land.   Click here for the two Steve's photo

5/4/01pm  Ian and Todd Sloan were my first trip off the dock in Saugatuck.  Lk. Michigan served up 12 fish will to strike and we boated 2 Kings, 3 Lakers and a Steelie.  The heartbreaker of this charter was the fact a strong King well into the 20 pound range broke us off when it tangled up with other lines.  Click here for photo

5/3/01  I'll be leaving for Saugatuck today, and if all goes right should in Saugatuck early this evening.  Daily updates are on hold, because I don't have a laptop that I can travel with (next purchase).  Fresh information will be available as soon as I get access to the internet.  Also, please leave messages on my voice mail for a prompt and speedy reply.  Boat and I'm ready for the stupendous action on spring salmon.

5/2/01  My extremely foxy guests today were Sandy, Niki, Sara, Bambi and Barbie.  These ladies are strippers from the Deja Vu.  The recent warm weather prompted these gals call me, so the could improve their tans and get rid of existing tan lines.  Needless to say, I was excited at the chance to take them fishing!  Then, just as we were leaving the dock, I rolled over and woke up, because the alarm went off. 

5/1/01  I spent yesterday and I'll be spending the day doing maintenance on the lake boat.  Changing the oil and putting bottom paint on is in order too.  Fishing reports from Saugatuck are reel good, with Steelhead and Salmon comprising the majority of the catch.  The 12th of May, which is a Saturday is open from a recent cancellation.  Interested in a great catching trip?  Call me at (800) 552-2009.