Spring Coho & Perch
Early March Catch

3/31/23  Time marches on to April.  Improving weather next week looks promising.  Slider was missed in yesterday's chat about baseball/fishing.  Have a great weekend!

3/30/23  Major League Baseball's opening day.  There's ironic similarities between fishing and the game of baseball.  Tangents begin with steals, fish steals a bait, not a base.  Fish can make runs, but not score.  Both sports can happens in all kinds of weather at anytime of day, or night.  Crowds can make a wave, we all know about waves on the Great Lakes. Worst one is striking out, meaning the dreaded skunk.
            Detroit Tigers are the oldest of all teams in one city, going back to 1894.  Close to the same time William Shakespeare, of Kalamazoo, Michigan invented the first level wind reel in 1986.  Both sports pump billions of dollars into our economy.

3/29/23  Fishing tournament cheaters get caught and plead guilty.  A pair of OH Walleye tournament anglers who got caught red-handed stuffing their catch with lead weights. Now have to forfeit their 100 grand boat and other penalties.  What motivates people to cheat?  Winning at all costs is not winning when you're a thief.
             Their winnings would have only been 28k.  Cost and shame to their reputation exceeds that 10 fold and will follow them for life. Click cheaters pay the price

3/28/23  In today's split subject photo there's my MC MI boat registration stickers.  It costs me 40 bucks a year for what?  Boat launches I've used at Ludington, Manistee and Frankfort are supported by launch fees.  Onekama has free launch with EZ parking and access that's probably my favorite. Click MI boat stickers
               So, the big question is what am I getting for 40 bucks a year?  Most all MI boat launches have been built since the late 1970s are are supported public launching fees.  MI is currently operating on huge budget surplus that we see no benefit of.

3/27/23  Admittedly, I'm behind when it comes to smart phones.  But that don't mean I can't learn useful functions of this tool when it comes to fishing.  A quick photo will store your fishing license pronto.  Same goers for your boat registration.  Apps cover everything from wind to MDNR's app for regulations and purchasing. Click DNR app
              Smart phone GPS will guide you home if your boat electronics fail.  Most useful is weather radar that can show you cells moving across the Great Lakes. Click cell license
             Older apps are 2.4G, new cell network is 5G.  Have a dual band network at home and need to see if my apps still work when I'm away from home on a 5G connection

3/26/23  Yesterday's 6"-8" of a wet heavy snow does not put us in a spring mindset.  Like you, I'm waiting for the weather to break for the better.  We've been dealing with cold and snow since last November and it's time for warmer temperatures.
                 Tomorrow will be about organization with a useful tool.

3/25/23  2023 fishing licenses are available now at the MDNR's website.  Looks like the new licenses have been available since March 1st, 2023.  Easy to purchase online..  Best part is you can print out several copies and have a file to print out more.
              The best 11 bucks I'll spent this year was for my senior license.  While I don't look for this year to be gangbusters, promise is 2024 from all the small juvenile Kings that made their presence known last year up and down central Lk. MI ports.

3/24/23  Need to check and see when the new 2023 fishing licenses are available for purchasing online.  At any price, the cost is a bargain for the amount of recreational hours spent fishing.  Buying online is fast and simple once you have an account setup with the MDNR.  Last year's license expires on 3/31/23.

3/23/23  There's no joy in announcing the new page covering what happened to Manistee 15 years ago during the Little River Tribe's debacle into commercial trap net fishing. 
               This was a mess from the get-go in 2007 until it mostly ended in 2008 with floating ghost nets creating hazards to navigation.  Page consists of random excerpts from archived daily updates, photos and a whistle blower document. Click LRB Rip-Off
              This sets the stage for the next push of the LRB into the realm of gill netters.  They were not successful 15 years ago and are destined to fail again.  There's no way to make instant mariners, this comes from years on the water with abilities to maintain a sea worthy boat.  Look for more scams when the new Consent Decree is settled this May.

3/22/23  Heard a eulogy at my wife's grandmother funeral that had a good preacher.  He said people spend 90% of their time worrying about things that will never happen.
              Case in point about the Little River Tribe pushing for gill nets.  They've proved in 2007-2008 they have no skills as commercial netters.  Next is the question of boats capable to set long strings of deep water gills nets they don't have.  Lack of experience sunk their boats in the last go-round when every Little River band tribal netter eventually failed.  So, even if they set gill nets don't look for this to be long term.

3/21/23  Taking today off.  Need time to digest pieces and parts of the new page I'm working on that proves what crooks a few members of the Little River Tribe were.  Select individuals stole millions of dollars and ripped off their tribe and us.  Anyone who takes this tribe at face value is in for a rude awakening when it comes to their end of the bargain.
              Good thing is I have all the archived photos, documents and daily updates that layout without any shadow of doubt what scam they pulled.
              This whole Jim Dexter MDNR Fisheries division rubber stamping gill nets shows what dummies we pay money to.  It's sad and laughable what idiots are running the show.

3/20/23  Great news!  Mr. Winter 2023 has met his expiration date and been evicted from the calendar.  Improving weather means more outdoor recreation activities.  Recreation is formed from the word, "create."  It's up to you to make fun stuff happen that makes living life worthwhile.  Personal time/recreation beats the daily ho-hum drudgery.
             In a huge way, looking for the 1st day in the 50s-60s to get my boat ready for the maiden voyage of our shiny brand new season.  It's going be a big joy!

3/19/23  Mr. Winter 2023 swan song has let us know he's not done, just ...quite yet.  Past few days have been windy and chilly.  Highs in the mid 20s and lows in the mid-teens seems more like January weather, rather then days before official spring.
             Looks like after tomorrow, we have clear sailing with predicted spring-like highs in the 40s from tomorrow on.  Good to see relief on the horizon.
             Started a new page to document the scams of the Little River Tribe with their go-round fake attempt to be tribal trap net fishers.  Most of which is from 2008.  This page will feature photos,  documents and excerpts from archived daily updates.

3/18/23  In my 23 years of daily updates none are as important as sport fishing vs. commercial fishing in our Great Lakes.  For the most part, sportfishermen support their fishery thru license fees.  Commercial fishers pay squat!
             There's a wide disparity in the worth of hook & line sport fishing vs. commercial netters.  Commercial fishers do not care there's an advisory for pregnant women on Lk. Trout.  Their goal is to take as much, as they can ...in the shortest amount of time.
             Drive behind my chat for today came from WI's Steve B. who keeping us informed with WI commercial netters pushing to target Lk. Trout.  Fishing is supposed to be about recreation and fun that needs our protection.  Click WI article about LT netters.

3/17/23  Happy St. Patrick's Day.  California Salmon anglers are not going to have the luck of the Irish with their Salmon season being closed.  Closure extends to Oregon down to Mexico.  This is the worst possible news for our brother W coast fishermen.
              We all know there's issues with the spotty King fishery for past 4-5 years, but at least we get a fair shot at catching some.  Click CA Salmon closure article

3/16/23  As of March 9, 2023 is officially listed as my trademark for Rip Teezer™ from the US patent office.  Now I get to use™ to protect the name of my soft plastic strips that's been a game changer for the way I fish.  Haven't used bait, strips or whole since 2012 and never feel I'm at a loss for doing so. 
              Seen the X-Glow strips out produce bait more than once is side by side tests.  This was a project learning exercise in in-house manufacturing that took months.

3/15/23  1st fishing report out of the Port of Manistee, MI says a few Browns have been caught S of the harbor.  A better yet unconfirmed report mentioned the harbor was better.
               Inshore, on the beach fishing is all about water temp.  Below 38° never produced well for the charters I ran.  40° to 44° was prime with easy limits in April.  This outstanding fishery dried up by 2005 to very inconsistent results.
               If was fishing today? ...my time would be spent working the color break where the river water meets Lk. MI that's always attractive to bait fish.

3/14/23  Burbot are an oddball species that don't hit a trolled lure very often.  In my 50 some years of fishing the Great Lakes, may be boxed around 10.  They curl up in the box like a snake and are said to be good eating.  Know from filleting a few of them, there's not much meat, only good piece is the tail section behind the rib cage. Click for Burbot
             Bob L was kind enough to email us a photo from his buddy that was ice fishing in the U.P.  Interesting part is a LED light was added above what he was jigging.  A brown trout took the LED setup too.  His only 2 fish of the day came on the LED rigged lures.

3/13/23  About a week away from the official start of spring 2023.  Looks like 30s and some 40s, as we approach the changing of the seasons.
              Going down the rabbit hole of the soon to be here gill nets at all central Lk. MI ports is hard to get way from.  I have history with the trap net fiasco in the mid i2ks here in Manistee, MI.  Made it a point to list all locations with GPS coordinates.  Safe zone was always the deeper side in 200' of water.  Expect to do the same this May when the new consent decree takes hold.  Safety for you will never be overlooked on my end.

3/12/23  Still trying to hash out that Pandora's Box Lk. MI gill nets open.  For 40 years everything was against gill nets.  The MDNR gave the fake Little River Tribe 6 million dollars for trap net fishing.  This money was stolen in a quick money grab.  Tribe chief had to go on the lamb, because there was fraud going on.  Little River Tribe was not a tribe according to the Department of the Interior.  They got tribal status from an add-on in a port-barrel congressional bill.  Townsfolk in Manistee voted a referendum against a casino.
              Granted the MDNR has little negotiating leverage when the federal court confirm tribal fishing rights.  Bad part is what ever the tribes agree to, look for their end of the bargain not to be upheld.  Witnessed this in Manistee with nets not being marked, being lost, because they were to lazy to pull them when winter approached.

3/11/23  Dave Caroffino from the MDNR wins the dummy of the month award for saying gill nets were in some way going to protect Lk. MI fish.  Obviously, this idiot just crawled out of a dung heap to be spokesman on Channel 9 TV News out of Cadillac, MI.
              Caroffino is part the Jim Dexter criminal cabal that allows contaminated fish to be sold to the public.  MI Department of Health has a poor track record going back to Flint, MI's lead contaminated water.  Dioxin laden Lk. Trout will be a big national story someday.

3/10/23  Posted 2 new photos today courtesy of Wayne J.  1. it's game on for Lk. MI out of Manistee, MI with 2 docks installed at the 1st Street boat launch.  Click docks in
              2.  new entrance to launch your boat is across the road where the entrance to the Lakeshore Motel that's now the Hampton Inn.  First impression it looks like a cluster where you have to drive around and thru boat parking.  Time will tell how this works out.
              The Hampton Inn is getting a free ride building a 5-6 story motel/hotel.  Tax payers of Manistee bought and paid for sewers, power grid and roads.  So, Hampton gets all this stuff for free, even has the right to change roads. Click new launch entrance

3/9/23  Video update about prey/baitfish trawl data.  To decipher approx 2.5 acres is a hectare.  25mm make a little over an inch.  You can get a taste of what's going to take an hour to watch.  I recommend viewing it on YouTube by clicking here.

3/8/23  Plan was to dig into the history of downriggers, that's postponed until tomorrow.  Changes to Manistee's boat launch are in the works that concerns a new entrance.
             These changes are to accommodate the multi-story Hampton Inn being built on the old Lakeshore Motel property across from the 1st Street Beach. Click more info
              This a white elephant that's not going to show a profit.  Hampton needs 25,500 rooms booked a night out of 36,500 nights (100 room building).  25.5k is 70% that read once motels/hotels need to be profitable.  This must be a tax write off the Hampton Inns.
             No problem to book in the 4-5 warm months.  Wind coming across the lake during winter will teach you what the meaning of cold is.

3/7/23  This weekend is clock yoyo time.  We'll "spring" forward 1 hour to DST (Daylight Saving Time).  The US senate unanimously passed a bill to make DST permanent.  My web research didn't mention this bill being signed by the president.
            Know there's more people for it, than against it.  Biggest gripe is about school kids going in the dark.  Fix this by starting schools as hour later.  Debate goes on about DST saving energy that's not a black and white issue, because of today's LED lighting.

3/6/23  Don't know about you, but I'm ready for some tee shirt weather.  Winter is getting long in the tooth and ready for it to be over.  We've been dealing with winter in Manistee since last November and it's time for spring like temps.  Granted, we've had a very mild winter.  Fact is tee shirt weather is good to look forward to.
           Posted a photo of a King we released when my best bud, John J was still with us that's a good example of warmer days ahead & hopefully soon!  Click JJ & released King

3/4/23  Have a great weekend, you more than deserve it!

3/3/23  Before picture of crud inside my computer shows the dust and dirt that can accumulate over a couple of years.  Blown out with compressed air it's squeaky clean on the inside.  Unfortunately, the after photo was too blurry to use. Click computer crud
          Partitioned the new 2TB SSD where I have drive G 750GB of space.  Will be installing Linux's Ubuntu OS distribution as I try to move away from Microsoft.  You can run Microsoft programs inside Linux with a program called WINe.

3/2/23  44° at 11am yesterday says March 2023 came in like a lamb.  Average daytime highs will continue to climb this month into the lower 50s by month's end.  We're less  than 3 weeks away from official spring, as our mild winter passes into history.
            Spring cleaning my computers with compressed air to blow the crud out.  Computers fans process massive amounts of air and that means dust.  Have some before and after photos I'll post tomorrow.
            Newly cloned 2TB SSD is working fine after a few few password hiccups on high end software.  Will be partitioning cloned C drive later today.  Prices on new SSDs have fell like rocks to very affordable prices.  SSD stand for solid state drive, no spinning disks.

3/1/23  Hello March 2023!  We're just weeks away from official spring and you know what that means ...Great Lakes fishing!!  In like a sheep/lamb, might best describe today's weather.  Out like a lion?  We'll just have to wait and see, as time marches on.
             Upgraded the sata hard drive (SSD) in this computer to 2TBs from 1TB by cloning it with Crucial's Acronis.  The cloning process takes hours, but it's actually quite easy.
             1TB will be a backup drive with a functioning WIN 10 OS in case Microsoft's forced updates corrupt my system like early last week.  Only thing left is to install the new 2TB SSD when I open the computer case later today for a remount.  When the case is open will blow the dust out with compressed air (used to air brush) in the shop.
                        My guestimation snowometer stands at 74" (72 + 2).

2/28/23  Featured photo of graph shows when BKD (Bacterial Kidney Disease) cratered the Lk. MI King catch rates in the late 1980s.  This devastated my charter business when I was in Frankfort, MI.  While still able to fill boxes of LTs for Lk. MI customers, repeat business melted away like a snowflake on a hot stove. Click Salmon graph
              Same time frame Lk. Huron's King/Chinook Salmon catch went up.  In 1989 moved my summer charters to Port Austin, MI and did see a rebound in repeat customers.  Fishing off the tip of Michigan's thumb was top notch.  EZ limits of LTs when needed, but enough Kings to keep charter customers happy with mixed bag and big numbers.
              Left Port Austin, dockage was too iffy at Bruce Deshano's marina who owns OffShore Tackle's inline boards   Bruce mentioned more than once about selling it.  So, long term moved back to Lk. MI out of the Port of Manistee, MI at Riverside Marina in 1991.

2/27/23  Posted an interesting graph with MI stocking and catch rates on King (Chinook) Salmon from 1968 thru 2015.  It shows the peaks and valleys with a fishery that's in a constant the state flux (always moving).   Highest Lk. MI catch rate was 1986 and then again in 2012.  Granted it doesn't take into account 2016 until now.
              Know everyone has concerns about the gills nets ready to descend on central Lk. MI ports.  1986 peak was just after tribal gill netters took massive amounts of Lk. Trout from Little Traverse Bay (Petoskey) to S of Manistee. Click Salmon graph
              Lk. Trout preferred bait is Alewives according to what I've read.  LTs eat 24/7 365 days a year.  Know cold winter water does not take Lakers off the bite.  In 1990 caught limits of LTs down 100' in 34° water in early May in Lk. Huron's Alaska Bay E of Port Austin, MI.  To be continued tomorrow.....

2/26/23  Tomorrow's focus will be every cloud has a silver lining.  New hire training session went well.  Plus, I knew his uncle back 20 some years ago.

2/25/23  New hire employee training day this afternoon.  Need more help to free up my schedule to get more water time.  Trained a new prospect a week ago yesterday.  This turned into a ___ storm.  In week he had my tools and supplies, nothing was ever done. 
               Concern on my part was to retrieve materials and tools, because no emails, or phone calls were answered.  Got lucky when he secretly dropped off all the stuff.  Glad it happened this way to save an awkward face to face meeting.

2/24/23  Ending the week on a positive note that says progress.  Printing 3D diver rings is moving along nicely.  Made about 40-50 rings in green, black and red.  It's a marvel to have in-house production.  Still amazed on the tolerances I designed in so these rings fit size "0" dipsey divers.  Injection molding tool wear over time and actually grow larger.  That had to be taken into account during the design process.
            Big predicted snow storm was a fizzle with only 4"-5" of wet heavy snow.  Next week every day is predicted to be above freezing for Manistee, MI.
             My snowometer stands at 72" (67 + 5) for the 22/23 season.

2/23/23  Fixing issues is a battle we fight all to win.  Never will Microsoft's Win 10 updates grind me to a halt.  Seen price drop on sata SSDs (solid state hard-drives).  Ordered a 2TB at $120 to clone the 1TB in use.  Plan is to clone existing SSD and replace with the new 2TB.  1TB will be on standby for a swap to keep my business up and running.
              Windows 10 is good thru 2025 with Microsoft support.  Then, Win 10 is a dead duck and Windows 11 takes over.  Big snow storm is dumping inches now.
             Tip: software purchased online comes with a product code for activation.  I have a folder in my documents named, keys.  All codes purchased are archived in case of moving to a new computer, or catastrophic operating system fail.

2/22/23  Recuperating from a marathon to get my business back up and running after a computer meltdown.  Not self inflicted, but Microsoft's Win 10 buggy update .net framework.  Think this a bigger deal and just has not made the news it ...yet.
              Big storm is on the way.  In like a lion, out like a lamb is long standing March myth.  You can make your own mind up, 30s and snow showers is what a week from today is about (3/1/23).  Just that much closer to spring fishing and demise of winter's grip.

2/21/23  Catastrophic computer failure from Microsoft Win 10 update.  Took out the network/internet side completely.  Had to do a fresh install.  Lost all of my programs.  This is deep deep do.  Called Microsoft paid support,  Never called me back.  Lost downloaded programs, do have product keys to re-installation. 
              Not to mention passwords that were lost.  I'm taking a day off from computer where I've been living for the past 15 hours, trying every workaround to no avail.  Be back Thursday once my severe computeritis wanes.  Not being able to print shipping labels had us shut down. No big deal, jumped thru hoops before and no doubt I'll have to do it again.

2/20/23  Downhill side of winter for sure.  Especially, with the warm temps in the low 50s this past weekend.  Know there's some winter left, but my thought have turned to readying my boat.  Next warm day, when schedule allows, plan on working the boat.
              Need to stow last summer's tackle and gear up with lighter line and spoons for inshore shoreline trolling.  If and when the smelt show up is the big question.  If they do, places N of Manistee's harbor like the Barr Lk. outlet will be holding fish (mostly Lk. Trout).
             If and it's a big word, 25'-30' of water possibly could have some Kings like in years past in April.  Off the harbor is a prime area when the water temp is in the 40s.

2/19/23  We're about 1 month away from official spring 2023.  It's entirely possible could be on Lk. MI out of Manistee, MI in 3 weeks. When our mild winter changes into spring?
              My anticipation builds.  Feeling the water surge underfoot refreshes my soul.  This year will be my 55th season chasing Salmon and Trout on the Great Lakes.  Count myself as lucky to have chosen such a fascinating & challenging lifelong path.

2/18/23  Some want dive charts.  Don't waste your time.  Error on line counter reels can be almost 15% to skew chart data that I view as mostly fiction.  Divers attain more depth the slower you go, if you're looking for the 110' down fish.  2mph seem to give most depth.
              Know with our cupped diver rings on 35# test Spectra Black Spot, dialed on 1 can hit bottom in 100' of water with 185' of 30# test 7 strand wire.  120' deep is possible when you add our 10 oz Diver Diggers.  There's no easy answer on dive, or any lure depth.
             That's why when the fish ain't biting, find out for yourself by banging bottom.

2/17/23  Today's featured pic is 44 tabs for our cupped diver rings.  The cup in the ring allows for a screw to go thru the tabs to make it moveable.  Unlike the stock rings that never fail to break the holding tabs.  Click 44 3D printed tabs
               In house 3D manufacturing is a fun project.  Takes about an hour each to print the tabs and rings.  Cupped rings just like the cup on your prop makes it more efficient.  Making tackle from idea to final finished project is rewarding.
                  My snowometer stands at 67" (63 + 4) for the 22/23 season.

2/16/23  Busy with my 3D printer making the cupped diver rings that dive deeper with less rod strain/drag than the magnum large rings.  This is an original design to enhance performance and solve the problem of broken tabs on the Luhr Jensen stock ring.  Having moveable tabs that never break off makes my rings a bargain.
             With the up and down water temp swings of Lk. MI there's times when a ring will take the diver below the fish.  When temp is high forego the rings and get distance away from the boat for spooky mid-day adult Kings.

2/15/23  Ludington in person workshop has been closed.  Reason? ...not enough people signing up.  It's sad in way to see lack of public interest of a long running seminar.
               The rot with the MDNR Fisheries Division begins at the top with Jim Dexter.  He's the most failed CEO since the crook, Bernie Madoff.  Dexter has been promoted to the point of utter incompetence.  Examples like cutting the King plant even though the returning Kings at the Little Manistee River Weir were at all time historic lows. 
               Then, the MDNR gives WI the lion's share of the Lk. MI King stocking total.  WI's share of Lk. MI is far less than what MI has.  Closer is saving Lk. MI from what happened to Lk. Huron's Kings 20 some years after the fact ...duh?  Nail in the coffin was there's no bait.  Then, in a few short years there's dead bait all over the surface of Lk. MI.

2/14/23  Happy Valentine's Day.  Give your loved ones a hug.  For me? ...that's a wife of 50 some years and 3 wonderful doggies.  Human affection is good.
               Seems the Ludington Workshop is having a hard time getting attendees and might cancel this 40 bucks a person to listen to speakers that have lost our trust.  They could give me 40 bucks to attend and I wouldn't walk across the road to claim the $40.  Much less to hear self appointed experts that cut the King fishery off at the knees.
               MDNR and those associated have lost all public credibility and have a 80% disapproval rating from polls I've ran in the past.  It's sad to see the inmates running the asylum and actually get paid with no regard for those who make their living from the Salmon fishery.  This includes charter operators, deckhands, & tackle manufacturers.  Plus, Lk. MI business such as marinas, campgrounds & towns grown dependent on Salmon.

2/13/23  It's game on for the 2023 season.  Those fishing the S end of Lk. MI on IN waters having been doing awesome on Perch and Coho.  Perch are on minnows and soft plastics.  Sizes are over 10 inchers to jumbos.  This is as good as it gets for table fare.
               Coho are a tale of 2 cities depending on location fished.  Some are having to sort for 14" (legal size), while others are catching 20" plus fish. Click Perch & Coho
               This is the earliest I know of the start of the new 2023 season unless you fished from an icebreaker. 48° and full sun at my place yesterday echoes the warm winter.
               Must thank S Lk. MI reporter, Tom "the frog" M. for filling in with today's topic.  This year marks 20 years of knowing him and it's time to give him a nickname, aka Frog.

2/12/23  Tyler M from Juneau, AK made today's update possible by emailing  his 1st winter King Salmon.  Juneau is located in the S part of AK on what's called the inner passage of sheltered waters.  The weather this week for Juneau ranges form 32-38.  So, it's not terrible cold, but still, plenty chilly. Click winter AK King and map
             Trolling open water in February is a not what the Great Lakes fleet does, due to ice issues.  Water temp we have at this time of the year is another piece of the puzzle that holds us back.  Although, about 10 years ago, caught Kings off Manistee, MI in 34°-35° down deep, ...like 125' to 150' in mid-March over 200' of water.

2/11/23  Checked weather high temp for Manistee, MI since January 1st.  In the past 40 some days, only 6 were below freezing.  Interesting to note, from the 17th of February, average high is above 32° and it gets progressively warmer thru March pushing 50°.
               The Lk. MI season kickoff usually is E Chicago, IN as soon as the ice clears from the harbors.  Will call and check with sources on what going on today.  Know the IN fleet hits the pond early for the Coho bite.

2/10/23  Cleaning the shop, it was a mess.  Plastic shaving from machining spoons neded to be vacuumed up.  Want the shop presentable to 2 new potential hires.  Hope they work out, have 2 more people interested from my Craig's List post.  This will bring my workforce to 4 people doing small jobs that melt into 1 big one during final assembly.
               My snowometer stands at 63" (61 + 2) for the 22/23 season.

2/9/23  Yesterday it was 43° at 4pm according to my thermometer.  That's balmy for Manistee, MI at this time of the year.  Willing to bet we've had more days above freezing since January 1st then we had in a long time ...maybe ever?
             Weather like this is manna from heaven for river guides.  Not fighting everything freezing like steering, shift linkage and line frozen to the rod guides making guiding easy.  20 years ago when I quit guiding, never had weather like we had this year.

2/8/23  In the process of hiring more help for the 2023 season.  Great time train is now well before July-August crunch time.  Manufacturing Meat Rigs™ is labor intensive and a tough way to make a buck.  Making them last for many seasons comes from replaceable hook leaders and cushioned crimps that do not weaken the main string of flies.
            Double snelling hooks is not easy.  This job takes about a 100 snells to master.  Singles are OK, but for maximum hooks on divers, copper and lead core 2 hooks are better.

2/7/23  2023 boat registration alert.  The 2023 season is not all that far off.  It's wise to check the sticker at the end of the MC numbers to see if you need to renew.  Registration expires ends on March 31st.  Still plenty of time to get this done.
              In 50 some years as a boat owner in MI I have forgot this more then once.  MI Secretary of State does send out forms to fill out.  Then, send you your stickers.
              For the hours of recreation, boat registration is a bargain.

2/6/23  Don't know much, but what I do know? ...I know very well.  Anything negative effects MI's Great Lakes Fisheries.  The 2 words "gill net" are a punch in the gut to all who ply the waters for Salmon and Trout.  Gill nets kill everything ...period!
            2 miles of gill nets off Manistee, MI will decimate the Lake Trout stocks in 2 years.  LTs are more, or less a homebody fish.  If there's bait and the right temperature? ...Lakers do not wander like Salmon do.  That why the new consent decree is so bad.
            Negativity breeds less interest.  Understandable with the high cost of owning a boat suitable for big water.  It's a major chunk of yearly income to operate.

2/5/23  There's 46 days of official winter left.  This means there's a reel possibility we could be fishing off Manistee, MI in about 6 weeks.  Earliest I can remember fishing out of my home port was around the 15th-20th of March. Click 4/19/01 Brown Trout
             Up until 2002-2003 early season shoreline Brown Trout was a big deal out of all central Lk. MI ports.  3 Browns per person limits were fairly easy to come by for the fleet.  Nowadays, you're lucky to catch few before this fishery evaporated.  MDNR was stocking big numbers of Brownies to no avail.  Hopefully, this fishery will come back.

2/4/23  2023 Ground Day was cloudy, hence no shadow.  This means a early spring if you believe in folklore.  Worst case is 6 more weeks of winter that's highly tolerable.
             Coldest weather of 2023 has been here for the past couple days.  Not to fear, February thaw 1.0 begins this coming week with temps in the 40s.

2/2/23  My ground hog hunt didn't go too well.  Woodchucks in Manistee are scarce during early February for sure.  Did find Meijer's has the market cornered on ground chuck.  So, that will have to suffice for today's wacky folklore prediction on winter's duration.
            History shows over the last 150 years, groundhogs only have a 39% of being right about predicting spring.  Just talking about the end of winter brings us that closer to outdoor activities and open water big lake fishing.  Click groundhog info

2/1/23  Delayed until tomorrow.  Out hunting for a groundhog.

1/31/23  Recent update from the MDNR on the new Consent Decree.  Skimmed thru the mumbo jumbo legalize that almost put me to sleep.  Bottom line is the Lk. MI tribal netters get about 3/4 of Michigan's coast with a lot of focus on Lake Trout.
              There's no amount of signing petitions and donating money that's going to stop the gill netters.  "That's just ain't gonna happen!".  Click decree update
               Sizing up your foe you need to know you're dealing with militants that don't give a damn about the sports/charter fishing fleet.  So, there's no reasoning with them.
They can be stopped from selling their catch of fish that shouldn't be allowed for sale, because of contaminates to an uninformed public.  It's gonna get messy, but can be done.
             Proof of militants, silver lining is the next up for my topics.  

1/30/23  If you checked out the map of MI state record fish, you'll see no cold water species of Salmon and Trout came from Lk. Huron.  Lk. Huron the water is rinsed thru from the St. Mary's River to the massive opening in the S end where the enormous St. Clair River drains it.  Factor in the cold water coming from Lk Superior.
              My charter days on Lk. Huron at Port Austin, Grindstone City and Harbor Beach my fish per hour was probably better then Lk. MI thru the 1980s.  Had more 5 specie catch charters on Lk. Huron with it's varied fishery.  Lk. Huron has always treated me good going back the 1970s, just not quite as many large fish, as Lk. MI. Click for records map

1/29/23  Good day to rest after backlog of orders are ready for shipping tomorrow.  Not extra busy, but enough to keep today's chat at a bare minimum.

1/28/23  DNR came out with a new interactive map that shows the weight/size of all MI state records.  State record Lake Trout came from Lk. Superior at 61 lbs.  Largemouth Bass pushed 12 and state record Coho is 30 pounds and change.  Central Lk. MI is well represented with records for Atlantic Salmon, Kings & Steelhead too. Click for map.
               My snowometer stands at 61" (57 + 4) for the 22/23 season.

1/27/23   Good day to change the date and get a start on orders.  End of the month order always go up and that's what's happening now.
                40 bucks at the door to attend the Ludington Workshop is outright ludicrous.  Personally, I see the whole DNR fisheries division as a ship with no rudder.  Their goals change faster than the weather.  Every dollar the State of Michigan invests in the Salmon program/stocking, MI gets 10 bucks back.  It's sad to see MDNR slip like they have.

1/26/23  Ludington Regional Fishery Workshop will take place February 18, 2023 from 9:00am-2:15pm at West Shore Community College Administration and Conference Building 3000 North Stiles Road, Scottville, MI 49454.  Lunch is provided.  35 bucks to attend for pre-registered, 40 bucks at the door.  Pricey to say the least. Click for more info

1/25/23  2023 marks my 40th anniversary in the full time fishing business.  Since 1983 I have not earned a dime doing other jobs.  That's why I said "fulltime."
              20 years as a charter operator and river guide (mostly for Steelhead).  Ran big lake charters on Erie (walleyes), Huron and Lk. MI from 1983 thru 2003. 
              Ran my last river trip 20 years ago this November on an awesome note.  Caught and released 9 Steelhead all in the same run.  The fish kept coming, but the sole guest I had that day had enough and called the trip short.  9 river rockets will drain anyone.
              November in 2003 switched over to tackle manufacturing that been a reel-joy.  I've enjoyed every aspect of my career and look forward to more.

1/24/23  Decisions, decisions, and more decisions on how many more years I can carry the workload I have now.  Covid screwed the pooch for more people hired to take the burden of me.  I have the greatest job in the world, worked for this the last 40 years.
              Thinking out loud, breaking my tackle lineup to parts is the simplest and fastest way to sell.  Know I will not waste my time with rip-off artists that don't have a down payment on a free lunch.  Figure a 100 bucks into my PayPal account will buy a hour of my time to discuss and make sure it's a good fit for a ....maybe new owner.

1/23/23  Good news, we've completed the 1st month of winter.  That means there's 58 days before Mr. Winter slips into retirement.  Weather has been peachy since the Christmas blizzard for more good news.  Temps are going to be moderate this week.
               Tomorrow is a update I'm not looking forward to, as I plan my future.
             My snowometer stands at 57" (56 + 1) for the 22/23 season.

1/22/23  Ice coverage on the Great Lakes is at an all time low for this time of the year.  Lk. Mi only coverage is Green Bay.  Rest of the lake is pretty much open.
               No ice means sun penetration keeps the food chain growing.  Warmer water aids in Trout and Salmon growth too.  So, I see this as a good thing.
               Here's a link to an article about ice coverage: Click Great Lakes ice

1/21/23  Spending hours of time researching my next computer.  Choices are endless and so are the price points.  Moving forward on 4k fishing videos will be worth it in the end.  Looks like 1500 bucks for this new build.  Over the counter computers are loaded with unnecessary bloat ware.  Dislike Windows 10 and 11.  I have a shell program that turns 10 back with Windows 7 for the operating menu.  Microsoft keeps changing operating systems with no regard for the end cost to consumers.

1/20/23  Skipped today, busy with shop projects.

1/18/23  The technology that's available to us today is beyond incredible.  All you have to do is take advantage of it.  Can't wait to see future fishing 4k videos direct from YouTube on home big screen TV.  Run of the mill Great Lake fishing shows grinning and someone turning a reel handle and not much else.  Seldom to you get any whys and wherefores that went into producing said fish.  More, or less tackle commercials with no substance that leave us wanting info to learn from.  We're never too old to learn!

1/17/23  January thaw 3.0 continues.  Since the end of December daytime high temperature have been above average.  No snow at my place.  What was here melted.  This highly unusual for the middle of this month.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.
              Shopping for parts to build new computer is a pay as you go deal.  Purchasing case, Windows 11 Pro, power supply and optical drive this month.  Next month GPU/graphics card, motherboard, CPU, and RAM are on the list.
             Assembling a computer from components is no big deal.

1/16/23  From now on, all boat/fishing videos will be shot and edited in 4k.  Previous 1080 was good, but 4k will have 4 times the pixel count for ultra clear pro grade movies.  Trying not to get too far behind with the current technology is my reasoning.
             Built this computer used for updates and 1080 video about 6 years ago.  Upgrading to 4k will take more processing power.  Shopping now for cpu, motherboard, ram, case, graphics processor/card and case.  Hoping to build this omputer under $1200.

1/20/23  Spending hours of time researching my next computer.  Choices are endless and so are the price points.  Moving forward on 4k fishing videos will be worth it in the end.  Looks like 1500 bucks for this new build.  Over the counter computers are loaded with unnecessary bloat ware.  Dislike Windows 10 and 11.  I have a shell program that turns 10 back with Windows 7 for the operating menu.  Microsoft keeps changing operating systems with no regard for the end cost to consumers.

1/20/23  Skipped today, busy with shop projects.

1/18/23  The technology that's available to us today is beyond incredible.  All you have to do is take advantage of it.  Can't wait to see future fishing 4k videos direct from YouTube on home big screen TV.  Run of the mill Great Lake fishing shows grinning and someone turning a reel handle and not much else.  Seldom to you get any whys and wherefores that went into producing said fish.  More, or less tackle commercials with no substance that leave us wanting info to learn from.  We're never too old to learn!

1/17/23  January thaw 3.0 continues.  Since the end of December daytime high temperature have been above average.  No snow at my place.  What was here melted.  This highly unusual for the middle of this month.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.
              Shopping for parts to build new computer is a pay as you go deal.  Purchasing case, Windows 11 Pro, power supply and optical drive this month.  Next month GPU/graphics card, motherboard, CPU, and RAM are on the list.
             Assembling a computer from components is no big deal.

1/16/23  From now on, all boat/fishing videos will be shot and edited in 4k.  Previous 1080 was good, but 4k will have 4 times the pixel count for ultra clear pro grade movies.  Trying not to get too far behind with the current technology is my reasoning.
             Built this computer used for updates and 1080 video about 6 years ago.  Upgrading to 4k will take more processing power.  Shopping now for cpu, motherboard, ram, case, graphics processor/card and case.  Hoping to build this computer under $1200.

1/16/23  Russian is being spoken in the below video.  Not hard to decipher.  The crux was the tandem treble hook pig stickers that prevent lost fish.  No matter what country you're from, the brotherhood of fishermen transcends politics, race and creed.
              Nice to see some live fish action.  Reminds us of what's to come in 2023.  Yep, the clock is clicking with the mid point of January crossed.  Click for this video

1/15/23  Posted a short video Atlantic Salmon video in horizontal. Click for this video

1/14/23  Test Link for Baltic Sea Atlantics on our XG-Frog Super Mag meat heads.  It's a cell phone vertical short movie, but it tells a good story on how effective snelled double trebles are.  Hope to flip it horizontal and show it here.  click for this video

1/13/23  There's a back story on yesterday's photo thought to be from Lithuania.  Actually, it's from Kaliningrad, Russia.  Customer had to do some creative shipping to get tackle into the Russian Federation.  Maybe restrictions due to the Ukraine war?
              Do know the Black Mamba SUV Salmon Buster spoon has seen some serious use with all the tin red coating on the VMC hook being gone. Click Black Mamba SUV

1/12/23  Photos from the Baltic Sea's winter Atlantic Salmon season today.  One of the perks of my job is to see fish caught on my tackle across the globe. Click huge Atlantic
               Our Salmon Buster Lexan spoons are probably the best saltwater spoon ever made.  Nothing to fade, tarnish, or paint that chips and peels off. Click Blk Mamba SUV
               No metal spoon has the dart and dive erratic action our Salmon Busters do.  Buster do not ride tail heavy at slow speeds.  Proven to catch from 1.2 to 4.0 mph.
              Know my spoons will never reach the popularity of those that play tackle store bingo with tons more selections than necessary.  But that's what keeps them in business.

1/11/23  It amazes me the leaps and bound across all technology fields.  Went from a Herters flasher in 1969 to a 6" paper sonar machine in 1977.  LCD mono screens in 1996 to a full color 12" sonar/GPS in 2006.  So, no matter what was cutting edge, wait a few years and it will be old news.  Newer electronics can come with future software upgrades.
              I try to purchase the mid-price point.  Router recently purchased is working like it should after 2 firmware updates.  802.11b was the 1st WiFi available back about 20 years ago..  Several upgrades later we're now on 802.11ax.  My Linksys router, over WiFi can handle 190Mbps on the new 802.11ax protocol.  Internet speeds I could only dream of before Spectrum fiber was installed last November.

1/10/23  Adjusted for inflation the price of multifunction displays i.e. sonar/GPS has not been priced out reach. 3K will get you a decent one.  That's about what I paid 10 plus years ago for the 12" Raymarine, formerly Raytheon.  About 6 years ago this machine had a firmware update that made it even better. Click 12" Raymarine
              In today's photo the split screen, 50kz on top with wide angle with some detail lost.  The 200kz bottom screen shows more detail with a fish suspended off the bottom and scattered bait to the right of the trap net lead.  Good to have show and tell demos.

1/9/23  Just a bunch of things going on.  Trademark for Rip Teezers™ has been accepted.  This has taken more then a year with the USTPO; United States Trademark and Patent Office.  Costly too, about a grand when all things are said and done.
            Sonar photo of the trap net lead don't give you much to work with.  Leads were marked with hard to see gallon jugs.  Flag staffs on the ends were more visible. Trip for the net photo was to mark it on my GPS, then share with the Manistee fishing public.  If someone was to get hung? ...kiss all your tackle goodbye.  Click sonar net pic

1/8/23  UPS is off the chain when it comes to shipping packages to AK.  For a 1 pound, 12" by 4" by 4" package, UPS wanted $104.54 to ship to Juneau, AK.  USPS did for 8.95.  Ever since UPS went public rates have climbed thru the roof.
             Updated my shipping policy/options at www.michganangler.com that now says, "no UPS shipping" to AK.  USPS does it for 90% less.
             Called the customer about the switch that turned into a good conversation.  Tyler's area is concentrating on winter Kings that prefer fish shaped flashers.  Asked him to send us some photos of my tackle on the job.  Hope he does.

1/7/23  Mild January temperatures will continue to the 15th according to long term forecast from Underground Weather.  This not good news for those wanting to ice fish.  Fairly warm 30-40s temps will not build solid ice for foot traffic.
     Warmer than normal temps will keep Lk. MI ice free with a continuous food chain.

1/6/23  Looking for positive news.  Found out today is 11 minutes longer then the first day of winter back in December.  By the end of this month our days will be close to an hour longer then 12/22/222.  Daylight will grow exponentially, as we move toward spring.
             Trying not to get bogged with the net issues soon to be upon us.  Part that hurts is ports that I know best are being targeting.  Best bet for now it to wait and see what happens and set a foundation to dry up all retail fish outlets.  Tribes know there's advisories.  I see their fish being shipped out of state to an uninformed public.