12/30/12  Just felt the need to share today's featured photo of the hyper-holo lure tape.  I work with this metallic tape everyday and never tire of this dazzling pattern built for the 21st century.  Lure tape is supposed add shimmering "alluring" effects.  The more the better.  So, why not put the most active lure tape on tackle in the first place?
                Lure tape did not come out until the later 1970s.  Back then it was all plain-Jane dodgers with painted finishes.  Holographic metallic lure tape gained a foothold in the early 1980s when it added to attractors.  Click super hyper-holo tape
                To the best of my knowledge this special hyper-holo lure tape is another world exclusive to the line of tackle we make ...here in Manistee County, MI USA!
                The test version Super Mamba with the H-H tape was in the water for less then 5 minutes when it scored it's first strike back in Aug. 2012.  Then, it was game on!

12/29/12  2013 is going to be a heck of a year.  I've reached a major milestone that will be discussed in greater detail after the first of the new year.
                 2013 will be a fun opportunity for me to post 365 new updates across a wide range of topics pertinent to our Great Lakes sportsmen thru-out next season.
                 Need to cover the unidentified fish object in my underwater video.  Had two silver blurs that were in .20 second of video footage. Click for UFO anomaly?
                 Was this an anomaly?  Were these blurs actual fish?  Salmon can surpass 20 mph.  20 mph equals 29' per second & underwater camera range was no more than 15'.  So, it's quite possible we had UFO snooping around.  Just don't know what kind.

12/28/12  There are reel-signs on the horizon for the 2013 fishing season.  Preseason activities like fishing shows, seminars, and meetings are not that far off.
                 MI Sea Grant's Ludington Regional Fishery Workshop will be held on January 12, 2013 in Pentwater, MI. from 9am thru 3:30pm.  Click registration info 
                 This workshop is in Mason County at the Comfort Inn & Suites off of U.S. 31, Exit 158 between Ludington and Pentwater. Click for scheduled topics
                 One topic that needs explaining is how "we" MI anglers are going to bear the brunt of the reduced King Salmon stocking efforts in Lk. MI.  There's no sound science to back up the MDNR's theory on natural reproduction.  There won't be either until 2015 when Kings stocked this year return.  The entire 2012 crop of all King Salmon smolts were all implanted with micro wire tags.  Firm data with no estimates will happen in 2015!

12/27/12  Small price, big victory is my story for today.  For 10 bucks replaced the old, cheap, noisy, CPU fan, and stock substandard heatsink.  This conquered the annoying endless drone on the computer used the most in my office  Click CPU fan swap
                Never messed with a CPU before, but there's a first time for everything.  Had to clean and replace the thermo-compound.  Then, snap the new larger $10 super silent wonder in place and enjoy the reel-fact you can't hear run.
               Coaxing extra life out of computers beats the expense of buying new.  The cost rundown for upgrading my PC to a 480 watt power supply, new CPU fan, adding twice as much memory, and a used $20 eBay video card came in at around $100.

12/26/12  Finally achieved acceptable symmetry with the new 1200 pixel wide redesign of this page.  90% of visitors have their monitors set at 1280 x 720 and larger.  Changing from my old 1000 pixel wide layout was a must do.  Click old design
                Rigger and boat noise in my new "Gettin' Down" article is far from the norm.  If anyone knew how much noise/underwater signature was being telegraphed down below, they sure never mentioned it.  Sound track in the video is from 3 riggers.
                Number of riggers down has effected my outcome. My easiest days seem to be when we had down only 2 of the 3 riggers on my boat. Click for "Gettin Down"
                2013 will be a ground breaking year concerning underwater video when I have a whole season to investigate underwater visibility and sound transference.

12/25/12  Merry Christmas and thanks for visiting.  I'm honored every time you do!

12/24/12  Merry, Merry Christmas to everyone on this Christmas Eve Day.

12/23/12  Good news for all!  Today will be 8 seconds longer, as we're finally on the road to more daylight.  Recent system snow/rain added probably a good inch to Lk. MI.
                Still working on reformatting this page to a widescreen format.  Lot's of issues with the cross section of browsers used.  Internet Explorer 8 and 9 are used by 60% of visitors.  Next in this order: Safari, Firefox, mobile browsers, & Google's Chrome.
                I am very proud of the content of this website.  Showcasing it in the best possible layout is a labor of love.  Stand by for more website improvements!
               My front-yard snowometer is at 16" total for the 2012-2013 season.

12/22/12  Yesterday's first day of winter in Manistee County, MI dumped 8" of wet heavy snow.  You know, the kind that breaks branches and takes down power lines.  Was on generator power most of yesterday until late afternoon.  Click for heavy snow
                 If you're a regular, you can see the new widescreen format I'm working on.  Not sold on this & more tweaking is needed.  Still need to jockey some content around.

12/21/12  Thanks to all who checked out my new article with accompanying video.  This was a first for this website combining written content & media. Click new article
                Today is the winter solstice and the earliest winter since 1896.  Days will gradually be getting longer tomorrow, cuz today is the shortest day of the year.
                 Need to redesign my websites to more current standards.  Larger widescreen monitors were not around when I began this site in late 1999.  This is a toughie, because of the many different settings used by visitors and devices used to view.  Tablet and smart phone visitor usage is small now, but growing. 

12/20/12  Decided to debut my new video and text based article today just in case the 21st (tomorrow) doesn't work out OK for us.  Sound track is spot on.  Super Black Mamba flasher looks and acts like fish are self evident.

12/19/12  Been burning the candle at both ends trying to wrap up my new article before this weekend.  Then, possibly debuting this piece on Sunday.  What this article covers to the best of my knowledge is ground breaking.  Focusing another aspect of trolling with downriggers.  What is this new thing? ...guess you'll just have to wait and see.
                 Installed more RAM memory in 2 of my computers trying to get a little more computing power to handle video files.  What I need is pricey workstation superbox to cut and edit high-def videos effectively.  Click changing RAM memory sticks

12/18/12  Among other things spent the best part of yesterday ...working on my new article, "Gettin' Down."  Still in need of minor rewrites, but most of it's done.  This article will feature about 5 minute video showcasing what's it like on the bottom of Lk. MI.
                My latest work will debut on, or before Christmas Eve Day.  Combining both written content and 5 minute video with narration is a 1st for yours truly.
                Another 1st? ...this article done in the widescreen format for nowadays monitors that are 16 x 9 instead of the older style 4 x 3 aspect ratios.
                The video in this article showed me how woefully inadequate my computers are at editing gargantuan 4 gig HD video files.  4 gigs is about 1 hour of raw HD footage.

12/17/12  Closed today out respect for the Connecticut massacre victims.
                 I tried to write about it, but my words skills are just not up to this task.

12/16/12  Mentioned this before and will do it again.  Periodically your computer needs to be cleaned out with air pressure to get rid of the dust.  Heat sinks, or fins around the CPU will get clogged.  How fast? ...depends on the run time during the course of a year.
                Fishermen as a user group rely on their computers for fish reports, wind, wave and weather reports religiously.  At least I do. Click dirty heat sink on CPU

12/15/12  If you look closely at today's picture, you'll see me standing below the hardtop.  Then, you'll see a remote control in my hand snapping this photo with the push of a button.  Remote controls for cameras?  I'm all in at 110%. Click for this pic
                Having your hands free to deal with fish, net-time, & general duties that goes on aboard is nice.  Can you a imagine your TV without a remote?  Scary thought ...eh?
                Seeing myself taking picture ...even though most of me is out of view? 
Well, it goes to shows techie toys are constantly evolving, towards the future, everyday!  Stuff like this is not necessary to go fishing, but it's sure one helluva enhancement!
                Tweaked the hardtop mounted action cam a bit for full coverage of the rear deck.  If all goes according to plan in 2013 you'll see my crew members scrambling to jump on a rod in reel-time on You Tube.  Seeing reel-action beats anything staged!

12/14/12 11 days to Christmas and 7 days away from the Mayan doomsday calendar.  We'll know in 8 days if this ancient culture was on it's game.
                Installed the hyper holographic lure tape in the fish shaped rigger weight used for capturing underwater videos.  Will the twinkle and the sparkle in the hyper-holo aid in enticing Mr. Fish?  Really, don't know, but if you don't try new ideas? ...you never will!
                My front-yard snowometer is about 8" total for the 2012-2013 season.  We got a few inches more at the beginning of this week ...that's melted off since.

12/13/13  Been in planning the planning stage for 2013 the day I winterized my boat this fall.  Learned a lot about rigger cams and how necessary it to have the camera on the correct angle.  Weights I have do have an adjustment swing-arm tail fin.  The large fin is to stabilize and keep the cam steady for good video. Click action cam fish weights
                 Never been a fan the slab sided pancake weights, cuz they're known to wander around.  The fish shaped weights in today's photo did not suffer from this tendency.  These fish-weights provided a rock-solid platform to capture underwater video.

12/12/12  Let's look at anomalies for today's theme.  Anomalies are out of the ordinary, or rare occurrences ...not expected.  Click 25 lb. King that was an anomaly
                On 8/28 of this year "Todd the Rod" put in the net, the largest King aboard my boat for the season.  Kinda semi lumpy seas, ...bounced my handheld scale between 25.10 and 24.6 pounds.  So, I called Todd's King a 25 pounder that was a good 6 to 7 pounds heavier then anything previously caught aboard my boat in 2012. 
                The 2012 crop of adult Chinook/King Salmon averaged around 12-15 pounds.  Any kind of fish over 18 pounds was a rarity this past season!
                Does it mean we were really skilled fishermen on a quest for hog Kings on 8/28/12?  No, it means we got lucky.  Something that doesn't happen often enough!

12/11/12  Ever wonder what happens when you hit bottom with your cannonball?  Well, wonder no longer, cuz I have a series of 4 images lifted off one of my underwater videos!
                Whacking the bottom off Manistee, MI in 35' of water kicked up a good sized cloud of sand.  The bottom off Manistee is exactly like it's beaches, all sand, some gravel. We videoed straight out & slightly to the S.  Click 4 part hitting bottom picture
               Noticed a lot deeper current ridges in the sand the closer we go to the drop-off (3 miles due W of port).  Closer to shore the furrows were not quite as pronounced.

12/10/12  Learning is today's topic that goes hand in hand with my new Gopro action camcorder.  Did a test run video with the camera mounted to my rocket launcher i.e. rod rack on my hardtop.  This was to see how wide the lens would shoot and what the camera is capable of covering.  With a little tweaking? ...full coverage of the transom will happen.
                 This will be a great tool to work with in 2013 capturing all the action on my boat.  Besides, it will cure camera shyness if it's running all the time.  This will turn every trip into reality fishing as it is, as it happens!  Click Gopro view on hardtop

12/9/12  Evaporation test started back on 11/26 ended yesterday on 12/8.  It was an eye-opener to see how much faster evaporation takes place in the low 70s temperatures compared to the mid 40s.  At least twice, as ...fast proved in today's photo. 
              Both test bowls were kept in shaded windowsills.  It took 12 days to lose an 1" of water and that's with no wind passing over it.  Click evaporation test
              Bowl in the cooler breezeway lost water at 1/2 the rate, or less.  Performed this test to get an idea of why LK. MI water levels are so low.
              The warmer the climate, the more water lost.  Last July was the warmest on record according to weather.com.  2012 could be the warmest year ever recorded.

12/8/12  Santa came a bit early for my fishin' bud, Todd the Rod and I.  Santa delivered a new 2012 Gopro Hero 2 to Todd and mine was the 2013 Gopro Hero 3.  Price point on both units is right at 200 bucks.  These cameras are tiny.  Like 2.25 by 1.5 inches less the water proof housings.  Both cameras shot amazing quality 1080i full HD.
              Keeping up with technology? ...impossible!   What's new this year will be on the way to obsolescence a few years down the road.  Click GoPro Hero 2 & 3 cameras
              I have to lay my plans out for 2013 now.  That means a steep learning curve to operate video equipment and "try" to get a better handle on the complicated video editor programs.  Video is a challenge I enjoy and like sharing with you. 
              I'm over 30k for video views on my You Tube page for this year.  While not exactly viral, it's still a substantial number that will only grow in the coming years.  All my videos are free to watch, cuz I chose not to monetize them with commercials.

12/7/12  Pearl Harbor Day, "a date which will live in infamy."  We lost 2400 Americans in 1941 on today's date.  Please take a minute, or two in remembrance.
              Title of today's featured photo is, "does this look good to you?"  This image was taken on 6/26/12 a mile, or so N of Big Point Sable under ideal conditions.
              The "looking good" question is about the vibrant deep blue color of the water.  Not to mention a decent late morning 10am King coming to the boat! 
               Yes, the 2013 Great Lakes fishing season is a good 4-5 months out, but there's lot's of things to do and look forward to ...as the days tick away.  That's my reasoning behind sharing this flat blue water pic we all enjoy so much. Click for this fish

12/6/12  Sale of my tackle manufacturing company has had offers that were declined.  There's a difference between selling and giving something away when my inventory/tooling is worth a heck of a lot more.  Not to mention the value of my established webstore.
                Unless somebody shows up on my doorstep soon with cash in hand soon I am fully prepared to retain ownership and move forward.  2013 will be my 9th season as a fishing tackle manufacturer.  Click 2013 Rage Red UV Mambas
               New for next season is the Rage Red Mamba featuring a 2 tone Mamba pattern the has a red tail and my exclusive industry leading special UV reactive red colorant.  Rage Red UV meat rig is at the top of my sales list.  So, this pattern in a Mamba is a natural!

12/5/12  Posted a photo of Todd B with his hand where the water level used to be at Onekama, MI's boat ramp.  I launched there twice last summer and had to back out with the outdrive in the up position to gain water depth.  Click Onekama boat launch
               Right now, I highly doubt there's enough water there for me to even consider splashing my rig.  Hate to guesstimate, but since last summer we've lost a good 18 inches which is probably on the light side.  All user groups of our Great Lakes waterways are effected.  Especially, sailboats that need a lot more water then power vessels!
               Then, there's the pressing question of how much water we need to be safe upon entering shallow sand choked harbors in 4' following seas without whacking bottom?

12/4/12  And ...the Ironman of the Year Award (drum roll please) ...goes to website member, Steve S.  He fished out of Kewanee, WI this past Sunday & ended up decent.
               Steve had this to share, "went 6 for 7 ...3 Lake Trout (released) missed one on deep rigger, brown 140 down in 200 fow (black mamba) .. bow same set up and then a bow on a 5 color. .. Nice day to ~maybe~ end the season and the PACKERS won!"
               I think highly of Steve's grit & passion for fishing Lk. MI in December, or maybe ...he doesn't take well to fishing in a crowd?  Click Steve's Dec. fish
               P.S. 61 degrees at 8pm last night wasn't hard to take for 12/3/12.    

12/3/12  Today's photo shows Onekama, MI's channel to Lk. MI.  You plainly can see the sandbar obstruction building on the N side of the pier's concrete retaining wall on Portage Lk.  I fished out of this port twice last August.  A first for me.  The safe deeper water was hugging the S pier and it was only about 7' deep then.  Click Onekama. MI channel
              I'm hoping this dangerously low water situation will cure itself in the next 4 months.  In the meantime, there several talking points in need of discussion and not just for Onekama, but all communities that provide access to Lk. MI.

12/2/12  Action sport HD camcorders are wonderful in my book.  These tiny sentinels can record every bit of action on your boat ...with just the push of one button. 
              Their HD quality is close to broadcast TV.  Your fishing can be relived and enjoyed long after the fact?  ...like I said, "it's wonderful!"  Click sport action cams
              Watched the full HD movie Salmon footage with John J, Todd the Rod, & I shot back in late May of this year that turned into an instant pick-me-upper!
              Technical aspects of which brand to buy?  I'm not qualified to steer you towards any one certain brand.  I do know in 2013 from start to finish, every minute of every fishing trip will be recorded with an action cam mounted on my hardtop. 
              I'd rather stare at 2 hours of footage with no bites onboard then most of the rubbish that's on the tube nowadays!  More on what I've learned about this topic soon....

12/1/12  Road trip to take some photos is on the agenda today.  Weather is on my side with today's temp in the high 40s, tomorrow in the 50s and Monday is predicted to reach into the low 60s.  Not too shabby for the beginning of December!
              My evaporation test is a long ways from done, but the bowl where it's cool is way behind the bowl kept in a warm house.  It stands to reason warmer causes more water to evaporate.  Something the Great Lakes can ill afford is more water loss!

11/30/12  Today's featured photo of Lk. MI's bottom at first glance doesn't have much to offer without captions.  Photo was siphoned off an underwater video shot on 10/1/12. 
                Depth down? ...55' that shows the gradual slope, drop-off, or Manistee's shelf, as it as known by the locals.  Troll direction was S and shows the bottom on an angle.
                When you're traveling at 25 mph you're covering close to 40 feet per second.  & your graph will read this deepening slant like you fell off the edge of a cliff.
                Next, is the carpet of black stuff that covers the bottom.  Which I guess is mussels & moss, but need to investigate this further to confirm. Click for this photo
                Lastly, is the pronounced outline of the black dots on the Super Mamba being trailed by the corkscrewing swimming action of a meat rig mimicking a water snake.
    This photo is part of my new "Gettin' Down" article that will debut around Christmas.

11/29/12  Too many ideas for today's update.  My mind is flooded with wanting to talk about how uplifting it was to review unedited raw video fishing footage shot in 2012.
                I know now, every trip in 2013 will have a micro sports camcorder mounted on my hardtop to capture every second of the good, the bad, and (most fun) the ugly. 
                Being able to laugh at the best laid plans of mice and men when things on the boat go haywire, ...sure beats the alternate of taking fishing too seriously!
                Next is where are the bucks around my place? ...with firearms deer season is just about over.  Have 6 to 9 yard deer ...all does every evening.  None in the morning.
                Help with my evaporation test with esteemed website member, Grant F expert from DuPont.  He enlightened us to evaporation rates being influenced by air flow that are tied to directly humidity.  Another well made point by member, guru Grant was a 4.3% rate of expansion of water from freezing to boiling.  Contracting cooler fall water accounts for a certain amount water loss not linked to evaporation.

11/28/12  1" of rain equals approx 10" of snow is a rough guideline that can vary depending on how wet the snow is.  Unless the forecast changes drastically?  Moisture content from November snowfall in Manistee County, MI looks like .5" to the outside.
                Not sure how on the amount of moisture we had in Manistee during November yet, but it's a long ways from norm that says ...plus, or minus 3 inches by 10ths.
                Back on 8/12/12 the North American Drought forecast listed most of Michigan as abnormally dry to moderate drought.  WI, IL, IN & parts MI's UP were in the same boat.
                Factor with a long hot summers and little snow in the last 2 MI winters are all contributing factors to the very low water in the Great Lakes.
                Day 1 on my evaporation test done.  Lost a good 1/8" of water in 70-75 degrees in the house.  Breezeway kept bowl in the 40s lost somewhat less.

11/27/12  Semi scientific best describes my test for rate of water evaporation.  2 bowls with an inch of water spread over a surface area of 2.75 inches.  One bowl will be kept in an unheated breezeway at about 40-50 degrees.  The second bowl will be in the house in 72 to 75 degrees with a humidity around 65-70%. Click evaporation test bowls
                Photo timestamp test tells this test began about 10pm on 11/26/12.  Crux of this test is how fast water evaporates in differing temperatures.  In turn, trying to get an idea of how much water Lk. MI lost over the course of the 2012 season due to evaporation.  Lk. MI is constantly being replenished runoff by system moisture thru rain and snow.  In turn, the entire drainage of this watershed i.e. rivers and streams that flow into the lake effecting water levels.  Which are darn near, or at all time lows.

11/26/12  Snow gods tested their snow machine on Manistee, MI with 2 inches.  Total snowfall stands at 3 inches thus far. Click for 11/25/12 Manistee snow
                Posted a photo with bait strips made out of discarded salmon belly meat during last August.  My journey into making these strips work has been a not.  Even after being in a dehydrator for 2 days ...these strips soaked up a lot of water and became flimsy.  Flimsy is not good, with the meat eventually wrapping around the hook.  Haven't gave up on this and have plans for the another attempt next season.  Click Salmon belly strips
                   My Manistee snowometer is at 3" for 2012-2013 season

11/25/12  Just waiting for some inspiration to descend upon me for next week's updates.  Then, I came up with the idea of revisiting accomplished goals during the course of 2012.  Conquering, for lack of a better word concerning my You Tube efforts, because using the editing software is intense ...with most of it way over my head. 
               Pushing the 30k mark on You Tube videos viewed.  Which is a long ways from going viral, but it's a step in the right direction to share board based topics all focused on Great Lakes fishing.  Wanna see some videos about fishing? if so, please click here
                    My Manistee snowometer is at 1" for 2012-2013 season.

11/24/12  Small Business Saturday is a way to recognize local independent businessmen and their stores is today.  Small business is kinda a misnomer, cuz no business is small if you want stay in business.  Small business (like me) has to innovate to compete.
                In a departure from the past, my web based tackle store will stay closed thru the holidays.  Plan is to reopen on Super Bowl Sunday this coming February. 
                While we're closed to online sales, we are building tackle for 2013 in the event my tackle company does not sell.  There is a difference between selling and giving my business away.  2.5 times my 2012 gross is more then fair.

11/23/12  65 degrees for the daytime high in Manistee County, MI was not hard to take yesterday.  This is by far ...the warmest Thanksgiving I've seen here going back to 1985 when I first began guiding for Steelhead on the Big Manistee River. 
                Plan is to do a simple experiment on evaporation rates on water.  This will tie into the big story of low water in the Great Lakes.  Less traveled ports like Onekama, Arcadia, Port Sheldon, Grindstone City, etc. are all facing major issues if we do not get a more water between now and next spring.  Been dedicated to fishing the Great Lakes since 1968 and I've never seen the water ...as low, as it is now!

11/22/12  Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

11/21/12  Posted a picture yesterday of the entrance into Solberg's Marina in Manistee, MI.  There's at least 60 slips that depend on this very shallow channel that you can hop across now.  This scenario is the same at the ports of Arcadia and Onekama where the route to Lk. MI is in strong jeopardy.  Click entrance to Solberg Marina
               Let's hope the Mayan calendar is wrong, because a month from now...?
Well, you probably know the rest of the prophecy.  Besides, I'm too optimistic about the future to discuss a predicted demise from a civilization that has long since bit the dust.

11/20/12  5 sections on my new article, "Gettin' Down" are showing progress.  To the best of my knowledge there's never been another piece written about fishing has covered the subject matter I'm after.  It's my job to break new ground.  In turn, sharing what I learned about underwater videos capturing flasher and meat rig movement.
                This article will cover several videos & photos to verify the written content.   New reel-facts are very hard to come by, let alone prove.  Stand by for more info on my latest work, "Gettin' Down" ...to debut on, or before Christmas Day 2012.

11/19/12  Started on a new article that will debut around Christmas time.  Topic will focus on what I learned about underwater and web videos in general.  Only scratched the surface on this fascinating subject matter.  Shooting video in the fish world has been both challenging and rewarding.  Capturing POV, or point of view is like playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  Made it work in my You Tube movies mostly thru trial and error.  My most excellent crew, John J and Todd the Rod deserve a lot of credit for making this happen!
                Have close to 2 hours of footage shot with the rigger cam at depths from 30'
to 150' down.  Seen first hand the reel-facts that will be condensed down to about 5 minute movie.  Some of this footage was a shocker to me.

11/18/12  Low water is the big story this fall that has long range ramifications for all of us.  Marinas are going to take a hard hit with cost to dredge, if they can get permits to do so?  Permits are the fly in the ointment here, cuz every marina will be waiting inline until the red tape is cut.  Let's hope the DEQ-DNRs are racing to put groundwork in place.
                 Next is usability of launch ramps.  Then, access to depth that does not threaten boaters.  Manistee's 1st Launch had warnings stapled to the public launching ramps warning boaters about backing in too far.  Click low marina water now                 
                 I backed my trailer in too far at Grindstone City, MI in late April of 1991.  Axels fell off the edge of the ramp.  This was a beyond reel-mess, cuz the vertical part where the springs attach to the trailer locked my trailer no matter how hard I tried to yank it forward.  Had to hire a frogman/salvage diver with a wet suit to deal with the 40 degree water.   He tied inflatable bags to float my trailer up.  Then, the air bags were pumped up.  Cost for this misadventure? 500 bucks back then, more like a grand in today's money.
                       We need a good 2-3' of water between now & next spring!

11/17/12  The sale of my tackle manufacturing company is in the wait and see mode.  Yes, I do have interested party that I've sent detailed financial info to.  Good thing about the this potential buyer is ...as a group they've used my tackle and seen the results.
                 I've fought to stay small.  Made it clear to MC Sports and Bass Pro early this spring I wasn't going to put bar codes on my tackle.  Thusly, cheesing the idea of going the mass marketing route.  We're just not set up for large production runs.  I do not, nor will I accept ...a heavier workload under any circumstances.

11/16/12  Deer hunting around my place in Manistee County, MI?  Bucks are scarcer then hen's teeth.  This is a radical departure from what I consider the norm.  Most years I see several spikes, fork-horns from velvet on.  Not so this year.  Seen one OK 6 pointer 3 times and that's been it.  Usually, it no big deal to see 8s and 10s.
                Don't have a clue why the buck population is down.  Can only suspect the heaviest crop of acorns since I purchased my property in 1998 is the reason.
   Tomorrow's topic will be progress report regarding the sale of my tackle company...

11/15/12  Good luck to all hunters on the firearms MI deer season opener today.  Forecast for my area/Manistee, MI is partly sunny with high temps in the mid 40s.
                 Spoke about the historic Lk. MI low water levels yesterday.  Official Lk. MI high water mark was set in 1986.  I docked my charter boat then at Jacobson's Marina in Frankfort, MI.  Water was about 6' higher then it is now.  6' drop in water is a lot!

11/14/12  Today's featured photo of the Big Manistee River empting into Manistee Lake shows how serious this low water crisis is.  In the photo ...the exposed sand bars where the geese are sitting used to be under a good 3' of water.
                There's a hidden cost to this very low water condition.  It's the cost to dredge and redo launch ramps all across the Great Lakes. Click low water Big Manistee River
                It's impossible to predict how much water we're going to pick up between now and next spring.  If we do? ...it will come from system snows.  Not from the lake effect this area is known for.  Lake effect snow takes water from Lk. MI, then dumps it inland. 
                Experts have said, Lk. MI touched the all time low set in 1964 and is likely to set new low water level records during 2013.

11/13/12  Being your own boss has it's privileges.  With that being said, I'm taking today off from daily updates and focus my attention elsewhere. 
            Hope to get a photos of the low water sand bars, or beach that now is the mouth of the Big Manistee River where it dumps into Manistee Lake later today.

11/12/12  Snow for firearms deer season beginning on this Thursday?  Don't get your hopes up.  Checked the long term forecast.  Prediction is more temps in the 60s a week from today.  In the 1960s thru the 1980s is was a 50/50 proposition for snow on opening day, generally the 15th of Nov.  For about the last 5 years it's a no show for any snow.
                Hunters like snow.  Having the ground white lights up the woods and makes spotting movement a lot easier.  Not to mention being able to find your deer after you've hit it.  One tiny drop of warm blood melts the surrounding snow into a larger area.

11/11/12  Today is Veterans Day our time to honor our service men & women.
                    Found some interesting underwater Salmon videos on Sea Grant's You Tube page.  If you have some time on your hands?  Click here to access these videos
               I know firsthand how difficult it is to get quality underwater movies.  Making fish/fishing movies is a lot harder than catching them.

11/10/12  Firearms deer season is 5 days out beginning this coming Thursday.  Long range weather forecast does not include snow.  Daytime temps for next week are mostly in the 40s.  Snow on opening day has become a rarity the past 5 years.
                Been seeing a lot of does at my place.  Bucks are another story with not many around me making their presence known just yet.  After several mild almost non winters in Manistee County, MI there's more bucks around.

11/9/12  The Pine Creek photo from yesterday shows how low the water is.  The Big Manistee River where it empties into Manistee Lk. is dreadfully low.  Exposed sandbars at the mouth look more like a beach nowadays ...compared to just a few years ago.
               It's been said most of the water Lk. MI loses is thru evaporation.  Spring-summer 2012 was warm.  Maybe the warmest on record.  Warm/hot sunny days is when water is more likely to evaporate.  So, the our low water levels kinda explain this.

11/8/12  Today's featured photo is Pine Creek taken on Election Day 2012.  The Salmon spawn was over with only a few carcasses left.  It's captivating how fast the Salmon come and go after creating another generation in the grand cycle of life. 
              Spooked a majestic Bald Eagle that was on the creek getting his last snacks of free sushi.  Camera was in-hand, but missed this event.  Click Pine Creek 11/6/12

11/7/12  Need to clear up some loose ends before moving forward.  A few days ago I posted a photo of my 30 some year old GM 305 V8.  Please notice the rust and crud inside the water passages.  This is why I fill the block in my new motor with antifreeze.  Antifreeze has rust inhibitors for winter's long layover. Click 30 year old GM block
              Highlighted pieces of text is my way of covering what was said in further detail for future meaningful conversations.  Only scratched the surface on underwater videos that's being withheld until firearms deer season is over.  I feel by covering this content now ...a lot of the meaning will not hit home to makes it's reel-point.
              Thanks to the higher power election 2012 is finally done with.  The only polls I'm interested here are spelled poles.  My poles do not lead to a lot of jibber jabber!

11/6/12  Go vote today!  Let's get this mess over with.  My privacy has been invaded by the apostles and disciples from every point of view with a constant barrage of nonstop annoying phone calls.  Plus, people beating on my door at dinnertime to evangelize for their candidates i.e. political party in what I view as a flawed system.
              I've got a sure fire way to eliminate campaign workers, or salesmen from knocking on door for any kind of solicitation.  Stay tuned to see this device.

11/5/12  Great Lakes fishing is venturing into a mostly unknown environment.  Reason being? ...we cannot see what's going on below our boats.  This is what's fascinating to me about underwater video cameras.  I learn things every time a camcorder goes into the water.  Like how meat rigs coil ...then unwind in a wide looping snap roll. More on this!
              Presently, there's a lot more questions then answers.  During the 2013 season I will share every bit of knowledge in the grand experiment shooting underwater videos.
              Don't take this to the bank, cuz I've only shot footage at depth 2 times.  Did seem notice the light down below was more pronounced on a cloudy day and provided some light to depths of 150'.  Prior to this ...mistakenly thought it was pretty dark after 100', or so.  Most enlightening was the visibility factor of black, even down reel-deep!

11/4/12  Contour HD camcorder I used on loan from Calumet Marine is a good buy overall, but like all video cameras does not do well in low light situations.  Picture fades out around 10-12' back when mounted on a cannonball.
               This is an excellent super EZ to use camera above water.  Audio capture is off the scale.  Yes, audio is that good and more on this subject later!....
               Underwater case said to be tested to 60m, or about 190' down in my way of thinking (60m = 196' 7/32"). This Contour is waterproof on it's own to 1m.  In other words, less the waterproof housing, or case.  Price? ...around 200 bucks. 
               Drawbacks: 1, the battery is built in.  So, film time is limited before the battery needs recharging.  Although, the recharge cycle is fast.  2, there's no quick way to review footage shot onboard without computer. Click ContourRoam water sports version
               Almost forgot to mention, this camcorder would be top-notch system mounted on a hardtop, or rocket launcher to video fishing trips.  Lens is 170 degree wide angle.

11/3/12  2012 season? ...have to rate mine as incomplete.  Lk. MI's October weather never cooperated when there was an opening for me to go.  2011 was a far different when I closed out the season with at least 15 fish from 10am till 2pm.  That kind of EZ middle of the day action can carry you thru an entire winter.
              Winterized my boat yesterday.  Night time temps in the lower 20s forced this decision even with a small light bulb in the bilge.  So, my next trip is about 5 months out when March-April 2013 rolls around.  Man, ...that sounds like a long time! 

11/2/12  T.G.I.F.  Lot's accomplished this week building tackle for 2013.  Decided to name the new 2013 black on black Mamba, the Stealth Mamba.  Short, simple and to the point work best.  In the shop we have to have EZ definable names to handle items for orders.  Stealth Mamba fits that criteria precisely.  Click 2013 Stealth Mamba
           Tomorrow the learning curve with the rigger cam that's still in it's infancy.

11/1/12  November already? ...as 2012 continues to shrink away.  In about 10 weeks will be looking forward to a brand new season with all the promise it has to offer.
              Planning on revamping the webstore with a couple of new pages.  One will be called "Mambaville" with all new 2013 models and current Mambas displayed on one page.
              Next will be a page called "Clearance Corner."  This fall's inventory found overstocked almost finished flashers that will be moved at discounted pricing.

10/31/12  12,327 returning Chinook/King Salmon were taken at the Little Manistee Harvest Weir in 2012.  This is 2k less then last year (2011).  Fall run Steelhead was a dismal 283 fish, or 4966 less then the 1996 high water mark for this specie.
                 Hopefully, the MDNR will recognize the need to raise more Steelhead that do not rely on Alewives as their main source of food 24/7 like Salmon do.  Clean any Steelhead in May, June, or the early part of July and it's stomach contents are mainly insects.  Some water born pre immerging and terrestrials blown into Lk. MI.
                 I applaud the MDNR's record keeping transparency of the numbers of fish captured at the little river weir going back 1968. Click for this historical data

10/30/12  Remnants of massive mega Hurricane Sandy is ushering in a rare occurrance in MI weather.  That being a storm that moves from the E to the W.  Entirely opposite of the norm.  LK. MI seas are going to be huge.  Here's what NOAA has to say:
                 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...
REST OF TONIGHT...NORTH GALES TO 45 KT. WAVES 10 TO 15 FT
OCCASIONALLY TO 20 FT BUILDING TO 15 TO 20 FT OCCASIONALLY TO 28 FT.
                Update on selling my tackle business is so-so.  Had 3 people contact me.  Responded to the first 2, heard nothing back.  3rd person is more promising.  Mainly, because he already owns a tackle manufacturing operation and sees the value of direct internet sales.  Meeting is in planning stages to discuss details soon....

10/29/12  After a string of relatively mild winters ...I'm not seeing huge numbers of deer?
Granted there are some, but not the numbers in past years.
                2011 fish over 20 pounds was commonplace.  2012 there's not enough food and drastic cuts are in the works with Michigan taking the hardest hit.  Constant change is the nature of Great Lakes fishing that no one has yet to figure out.
                 October 2011 we caught plenty of juvenile Coho pushing 15-17 inches.  Then, August 2012 rolls around and downsized 4 to 6 pound Coho was all we got. 
                 So, the issues with the 2012 forage base of Lk. MI are probably true.  But in no way set in stone as the pendulum constant change swings both ways!

10/28/12  Firearms deer season is about 2 weeks away.  Snapped a photo recently of young 6 point with a red patch on top of his head.  Decided to name this critter Red Buttons who was a comedian in the 1950s & 60s.  The tip of everyone of his antlers has been chipped off for any number of reasons.  It's hard to say when the rut actually begins, but from what I've seen lately, it's either here, ...or not too far off. Click for Red Buttons the deer

10/27/12  There comes a day when you finally realize winter is one the way.  This moment happened yesterday with me seeing mostly bare trees devoid of foliage.  This past Thursday's warm breezy conditions denuded most of the trees.  Like normal only the oaks have leaves now as fall continues to wane.
                Did a photo session of the new trick tackle planned for 2013 that exceeded my expectations.  I'm sure you'll agree when these products are revealed.

10/26/12  Yesterday was the warmest day we're going to see for a long time.  Traverse City, MI got to 80 degrees.  My place was easily in the mid 70s.
                 Still have not winterized my boat.  Hope to cap off my season like last year with awesome October Salmon fishing we had in 2011.  If at all possible? ...need to get more underwater video footage as a learning tool before serious winter sets in.

10/25/12  Don't think for an instant that we're not doing production for the 2013 season, just because I have my business up for sale.  Like the new 2013 test black on black Mamba unveiled yesterday.  Click black on black test Mambas
                 Another interesting 2013 model is the Rage Red fire-tail Mamba we worked on yesterday.  Rage Red flashers have the same in-house red UV effect that nobody else has figured out how to do. Rage Red pattern is our number 1 selling 3 fly meat rig.  So, cloning a flasher to this deadly pattern is a no brainer.
                 New designs are a part of the evolutionary process.  I'm a long ways from done bringing you industry leading tackle years ahead of the competition!
                 Have some new ideas for the webstore that will be shared later on.

10/24/12  I'm sure you've heard this saying before, "once you go black, you never come back."  In my case it's very true to what's put in the water.  I can recall only a few times since 2004 black was not part of the spread.  Click 4 2012 boxes proving this point
                The new Contour rigger cam still needs more time for me to get comfortable using it.  This can be a useful tool that might take some of the mystery out of big lake fishing.  Low light video recording might see back 12' from my 2 test sessions so far.
                Painted a couple black on black test Mambas with black reflective vinyl that looks sharp.  Question is, how will they look to the fish? Click test Mambas

10/23/12  Making a firm point that will resonate with all is no EZ matter.  I've been on a quest for the magic color that will catch Great Lakes Trout and Salmon since 1968.
                My line of tackle offers 13 models with the base flasher color being black.
About 50 different colors and patterns are offered.  Let call that approx. 25% of the model lineup.  This 25% percent accounts for more than 60% of yearly gross sales of flashers.
                In turn, making black the overwhelming choice that's going out the door.  This can be born out by the clearly defined black silhouette of the black dots on the Super Mamba flasher 80' down. Click rigger cam down 80' with Super Mamba flasher
                Black is the only standout identifiable color the rigger cam picked up.  Do fish see black as effectively?  Don't know ...but from tackle sales there's a strong case for it!
                                   More on this topic tomorrow.........

10/22/12  Took my most intensive inventory to date for the sale of my tackle company.  Found some interesting reel-facts to be shared with you this week.  This data will be on firm ground with the underwater videos posted earlier this month. 
                Like I said, the underwater color visibility question has been bugging me for at least ...the last 2 weeks.  Forthcoming info was an eye opener for me!
                 I will present my case tomorrow and you can be the judge and jury to the evidence presented.  Then, form your own opinion.  Probably, this will be the most important offseason fishing info shared thus far ...going back to i2k!!

10/21/12  On 10/5/12 I said the only moving part on my flashers were the ball bearing nose swivel.  Technically, that was a wrong conclusion on my part!
               This biggest moving part is water turbulence and light being bounced around.  Ever since I shot the first few underwater movies it's been an obsession to figure out with what's going on with color down below. Click 2013 Super Mamba 80' down
               Kinda figured the new cannonball video cam would create move questions than answers.  This will be continued tomorrow with some factual tangents to the tackle I sell.

10/20/12  A new state record was recently confirmed by the DNR! The new record comes courtesy of a Great Lakes muskellunge caught on Saturday, October 13 at 10:30 a.m. by Joseph Seeberger on Lake Bellaire in Antrim County. The fish weighed 58 pounds, measured 59 inches long and had a girth of 29 inches. 

10/19/12  Planned retraction will have to wait for another day.  Finished the 2012 3rd installment of July, August & September for the all the pages: Past Results
                Every daily update from the year 2000 on has archived season long results for your review.  12 years & counting is the way I look at it: Click July, Aug, & Sept 2012
                Going to try to bookend my big lake season soon.  This coming Sunday looks decent.  This would give me 8 months of boat usage.  Making it worthwhile to own.

10/18/12  Ownership comes with responsibility to complete projects.  Started on my storage building 1n 2010.  Lots to learn with this being my first journey into erecting pole barns.  Site preparation meant taking out trees and having fill sand hauled in.
                September 2011 the concrete was poured for the new floor.  October 2012 electrical was finally done.  Used 27 of the new style Spiral Compact Fluorescent light bulbs throw as much light as regular 100 watt bulbs, but at only 1/4 the cost to operate.
                The SCF bulbs put out plenty of light.  Click to see end result
                Loss of 5700 Coho at the Platte River Hatchery in Honor, MI seems pointed to vandals snagging , causing oxygen depletion according to Traverse City's Channel 7 TV.
                Tomorrow will be one of my rare retractions from past statements!

10/17/12  Contingency plans are a must.  If my webstore and tackle company do not sell this year leading into next I'm fully prepared to move forward.  This will be done sometime after the holidays in 2013 with the reopening of the webstore.
                Plan 2 is to put everything up for sale at the conclusion of the 2013 season until 2014.  If and if, is a mighty big word ...I will liquidate my entire inventory during early 2014 if no sale happens within the next 2 years.
                This would give me most of my asking price and I'd still own the tooling and mich-angler website.  In the future if ...I remain the owner this will require limited runs of most selections to lessen my burden.  When tackle is gone, it's gone and no more playing catch-up into all hours of the night to keep high demand items in-stock.
                Tomorrow, I'll share what I learned along the way about building a pole barn that's been about 3 years in the making.  Click pole barn lighting

10/16/12  Today there's 2 topics on my mind.  First, if I can average about 5 fish a trip from April into September in hours of 8am thru 10:30-11:00am? ...anybody can.  Providing they use the knowledge base offered on this website.  Big lake trolling knows no boundaries where all can succeed.  Granted, my 5 fish average is a drop in the bucket compared to my 20 years in the charter business.  But there's a tremendous difference between fishing everyday, or just few hours once week, or two.
                 Second, tomorrow will discuss my plans in the sale of my tackle company and mich-angler website.  I have been in contact with interested parties.  So, it's a wait and see deal on how that goes.  I do have contingency plans if the sale in 2012 doesn't happen.  These plans will be covered in greater detail tomorrow.
                 Just in this morning. 5700 Coho Salmon died, or were killed in Honor Mi's Platter River State Hatchery.  Initial signs point to vandalism.   There's been a long standing legal battle from the Platte Lake Association trying to close this hatchery down over the years.  More news on this when it comes available.......

10/15/12  Most worthy news is the Army Corp of Engineers is delaying the Asian Carp barrier study with stalling tactics that will not cure this looming problem.  Acting in 2015 when these Carp are on our doorstep now is way wrong.  It's almost criminal to neglect this issue that effects the entire Great Lakes watershed.  We need more then lip service!
               Heavy loud cover and rain make my satellite internet connection internet very unstable.   So, today's topic is very abbreviated and needs further discussion..

10/14/12  Rain, rain and more rain that we didn't get last summer.  Octobers can be wet.  This helps draw in Steelhead into the river systems.
                Semi running out of patience waiting on a decent day to fish Lk. MI a day or 2 more before winterizing my boat.  This time of the year is always on the too-rough to fish side, but this year even more so with a constant barrage of heavy seas.

10/13/12  Experiences aboard my boat do not translate to everyone, but we caught 12 to 14 pound Kings in April thru and into September.  Never seen a growth spurt that reflected the August herd of Salmon that remained for the most part 12 to 14 pounders.  It's like this year's crop was frozen in time.  Contrary to the 2011 over 20 bruisers.
               Was there a food shortage?  Did lack of Alewives downsize our fish?  Does genetics play a major role with mostly 3 year olds returning, instead of 4 to 5 year olds?  
               These are all questions above my pay scale to answer and are better left firm data and the fish experts to answer in due time.

10/12/12  Days since about mid-September have been chilly.  Night time lows have not pushed the freezing mark too hard.  First killing frost/freeze was last weekend at 30 degrees.  My boat is not winterized yet and plan on at least 2 more outings on Lk. MI before my rig is stored for winter's long nap.
                My next big lake trip happen when is not 4 to 12 footers like it have been for the last 3 weeks.  Need fairly calm conditions to shoot more video.
                Need to prepared for next week's job/performance review.  My boss is a ...at times is a cruel taskmaster that demands ultimate effort.  Stand by for the outcome.

10/11/12  Lk. MI is within .4ths of an inch of the all time low water level.  High water mark was established back in 1986.  Let's hope we get some water before next year.
                As promised today I'm endorsing my pick for president in the upcoming election.  I pick the guy that wins after the election is done.
               My vote this year should go to the candidate who calls me the least.  Using our home phone numbers to further their agendas is an invasion of privacy and wrong.
               Regan started this question when he asked America, "are you better off then you were 4 years ago?"  My answer is yes to every 4 years thereafter.  Because I rely on entirely myself and don't wait for government to make my life better.  If I waited for the government to do stuff for me? ...I'd being living in a box under I-75 with all my worldly belongings in a shopping cart and you wouldn't be reading this update!

10/10/12  Today's basket of loose thoughts: this year was warmer then average until fall hit.  Lk. MI has been especially rough, or you'd have seen some fish reports.  2012 crop of acorns are huge around my place and numerous.  Deer will be eating these all winter.
               My dreaded job performance review is scheduled to happen soon.  Tune in tomorrow for who I endorse for president & why!

10/9/12  Technical details of the new 4 minute video posted yesterday say the original video was 504 megabytes.  This was shrunk to 40 megs ...then uploaded to You Tube.  You Tube's proprietary software compressed the 40 megs even further.
               My point is how much detail is lost when doing web videos that do not show the full high def the movie was shot in.  Videos do become pixilated, but the sound track is stereo MP3 format & remains high quality. Click recent Pine Creek Salmon video
               There is a tradeoff in videos for web usage load time.  Even with the loss of video quality it's still a leap forward over still photography. Click Pine Creek page

10/8/12  Video update of 10/7/12 spawning Salmon in Manistee, MI Pine Creek:

10/7/12  After seeing the lack of available light to shoot video at depths past 80' down attractor/meat fishing has a leg up over other methods.  Attractors with meat churn up the water (sound), add visibility (sight), and natural smell (scent).
              When you combine the big three of sound, sight, and scent it stands to reason you're putting the odds in your favor.  Fishing any kind of attractors just requires a little more attention to speed to get dialed in.

10/6/12  Haven't covered the 2012 poll results dating back to 2003.  There have been no dramatic shifts over time.  Once again those fishing meat had the highest percentage when you combine cut-bait and whole bait adds up to 37%.  Spoons have remained pretty stable since 2003 with 25 to 30% of the votes.  Click 2003-2012 Poll Page
              Flasher-fly and J-Plug users are the group that's in a constant state of flux.  My long running poll could be skewed and a little off fleet census choices ...due to this website's main focus is on meat.  Overall combined attractor fishing was at 57%.
              Please keep in mind prior to 2003 meat fishing was a non issue & never gained ground until I touted the advantages and what reel-bait can do back in 2003.
              Tomorrow?  ....why you should have a solid attractor program.

10/5/12  After reviewing the 1/10/12 underwater video footage 3 things came to mind.  First, was the new crystal ice chip holographic tape on the 2013 Super Mambas.  The moving sparkling holo effect was very visible 80' down in low light conditions.
              Next, was the black dots on the Super Mamba clearly defined as light filtered thru the clear lens quality flasher blade.  Dots were still dots, not a blackish blur.  So far, black is the only discernable color the camera has be able to see down below.
              Last, after watching the 12" flasher spin to the point of almost hypnotizing me ...how any tackle manufacturer could put off brand, or cheapie Chinese made swivels on their tackle.  This is the only moving part and it's very important to use only the best. State of the art Sampo swivels drastically cut down, or eliminate line twisties.
              Finally figured out why underwater video does not let much light in.  It's the frame rate that's being shot at 25 to 30 frames a second to capture movement.  Ultra fast shutter speeds does not allow to adequate fame exposure in very low light conditions.

10/4/12  Topics that warrant further discussion are: water levels, poll page tackle usage shifts, Lk. MI temp, video camera frame rate speeds, acorn crop, etc.
                Felt so good to take most of yesterday off, gonna do the same today.  We all need time off from the regular treadmill of life stuff. 

10/3/12  Lk. MI bottom from 30' to 50' is mostly sand off the Port of Manistee, MI then it changes.  After 50' there's a drop-off the locals call the "shelf." 
              On the other side of 50' as the bottom slopes to deeper water the bottom is 90% covered with what looked like carpets of mussels to me.  Need to check this further with a dead stop of the rigger cam to confirm exactly what's there.
              More to come on the visibility of the new hyper holo tape on the new Super Mambas & Super Silver Bullets. Click Super Mamba 80' down 5' behind the camera
              Plan for today is not to turn on a computer.  I'm taking the today off seeing webstore is closed for the season.  Lot's of projects to complete before winter sets in!
             To view the results of our recent poll that dates back to 2003 click here

10/2/12  Part 2 with the downrigger camera showed some improvement.  Have decent videos at 30, 40, 50, & 80 feet down showing my flashers and meat rigs.  The video camera had better results under a cloudy sky unbeknownst to me then in Part 1 that was full sun a few days ago.  Lots to learn here before I make any speculations.
               When my sampling poll on your best method to catch adult Salmon is done the plan is to share a few photos off the video.  Then post a new video on my You Tube page.

10/1/12  Tying up loose ends after the closing of the webstore at midnight is job 1 for tonight.  Thanks to everyone who's purchased my tackle making 2012 my most successful season since 2007 prior to the Great Recession that hurt everyone.
              Tomorrow more underwater test videos providing Lk. MI cooperates.  Seeing my tackle at varying depths is technology light years ahead of me becoming a Great Lakes fisherman back in 1968.  Electronic wizardry we have nowadays is truly amazing!
              Please vote in today's poll.  This is the exact same poll I've been running since 2003 and request your input.  Click for poll page data going back to 2003