Daily Fishing Reports

Daily Fishing Reports Has Moved!

2011-06-13T14:13:00.002-05:00

I've moved my blog to www.angler-charters.com/fishing-reports. Please update your bookmarks!

Huge Trophy Lake Trout!

2011-06-08T22:52:00.003-05:00

The southwest winds have blown away the warm surface waters and created a situation called an upwelling, which means the cold water from the deepest part of the lake is coming in towards the shore to replace that water that has been blown away. The surface water outside the harbor is 50 degrees and the Alewives are packed into the harbor along with the Perch that came in yesterday afternoon. The Coho's are in 43 to 48 ft. of water.......... find the bait, find the fish! The Lake Trout are 90 ft. and deeper on the bottom with a big dodger with and fly behind it.

Don't put your boats away yet!

2010-10-21T12:11:00.002-05:00

Some of the best fishing of the year is upon us, as every Fall. (The problem is the weather is bad also) The Salmon and Trout have come to their Winter sanctuary in deep water (130 feet to 180 feet). From now until the Lake starts freezing, the Spring Cohos and next years Kings are schooling and can be taken on the surface with Spring patterns (Cohos on small red dodgers and tiny flies,...) . The huge spawner Lakers are also readily available along with Browns ( in 46 to 60 feet of water). There are alot of Kings out there hitting spoons down 30-60 feet.

Following the "Yellow-brick-road"

2010-09-19T13:05:00.002-05:00

The Kings are knocking at my back door every morning here in the harbor. The fish have arrived at the harbors in search of the river they were promised by mother nature only to be disappointed. They are waiting for the rains to swell the river so they can make their final journey upstream to spawn. The fact there is no river will become reality eventually, right before they die. Nice Kings and Cohos as well as Steelhead are being taken during the early mornings and at sunset on a variety of baits from spoons to body baits to spawn, even minnows are working because the bait is tiny (small perch)

Awesome Action!

2010-09-03T11:23:00.002-05:00

The Salmon and Trout ( Not Lakers) are working the shallow bait pods, which are moving into skinnier water every day. These off-shore winds (40 M.P.H.) today are changing the water temperature drastically. An upwelling is taking place resulting in the shore temps being in the high fifties by tonight, or even colder. The salmon are gathering around the harbor mouths looking for the "river" to run up after the rains bring the water level up. The larger "spawners are coming into very predictable areas (outside all the harbor mouths), which makes for great fun.

Lucky King!

2010-08-31T17:44:00.002-05:00

The off-shore winds have pulled the cold water and bait up against the ridges (46- 51 feet) and the salmon followed. The sun is dropping quickly in the sky and goes down earlier and earlier every day. This indicates to the spawning fish that it is time to gather for the "river run up-stream". Spoons trolled up and down the outside edge is producing great catches! Going fast allows for covering more water and gets the aggression bite from the angry Kings.

Pirates?

2010-08-31T09:38:00.002-05:00

This morning we went back to where the bait was yesterday, but it had moved shallower. WE started taking fish in 51 feet of water and trolled out with a following sea to 115 feet taking nice Salmon and Steelhead the whole way. No best depth for catching fish because the sun drove the fish out away from the shallow bait pods.

Chicago Browns

2010-08-29T21:33:00.002-05:00

All the action Saturday was deeper most of the day (65 feet to 75 feet of water). All the boats went back to that location this morning, but the sun was obscured by a haze and this kept the fish shallow with the bait all day. I noticed a huge school of bait in 51 feet of water that was half a mile long and couldn't see myself going out deeper where no fish were caught up to that point in the morning out deep. We set lines and aggressively went back and forth from 51 feet to 56 feet of water using tiny spoons that were the size of the forage base there. WE had our limit within a few hours!

Never seen anything like this morning!!!!!

2010-08-10T16:18:00.002-05:00

We left at 6am with my group and went out to 60 feet of water where we started to observe surface feeding fish all around us. The conditions were perfect: cold surface temperature, fog, and a tremendous bug hatch. There were fish gobbling up bugs everywhere! We were running 5 and 6 core lead lines with small spoons because there are huge amounts of last years spawn of Perch down 20 feet all over. Riggers down 40 feet popped every 5 minutes with Small spoons along with everything else. Action was hot all the way to 100 feet where we turned around and slayed them some more. Straight East of Montrose. We were trolling real fast( 3.6 knots SOG)

Limit Catches!

2010-08-03T14:31:00.002-05:00

This morning began with rain and calm waters, the perfect combination for great fishing. We began trolling in 55 feet of water and immediately started taking fish. Spoons down 30 to 40 feet were working best, but everything was taking Salmon and Steel head, from Dipsy-Divers, lead core (7 colors to 13 colors out) , copper lines. We trolled out to 125 feet and back to 60 feet taking fish the whole time. Lakers were best in 90 feet of water on the bottom with big dodgers and flies. Spin-and-glow rigs also took Lakers.

The Perch are hitting hard outside of the harbor on anything you present to them.

"Just in time for our Weekend BBQ"

2010-07-30T21:00:00.003-05:00

The fish are still relatively shallow for end of July and still hitting the usual patterns, anywhere from 46 feet to 130 feet of water. Find your school and work them. The larger fish are in 55 feet to 65 feet and also way out in 130 feet. Small Salmon are in the middle. Riggers with spoons down 50 to 60 were working the best.

We saw an incredible sunrise this morning, but by the time I got my camera it was over. There is nothing like watching the sunrise reflecting off the city as it rises. Green and orange colors slowly walk down the buildings as the sun gets higher in the sky.

"Silver Fish"

2010-07-21T23:16:00.002-05:00

Our Salmon(Kings and Cohos) and Trout (Browns and Steelhead) are still working the current scoured ridges between 56 and 66 feet of water. When it's calm like today, these humps and ridges become evident by the flat looking water between the ripples, that contains water being pushed to the surface by the underwater currents. This temperature change also is holding insects and bait in areas that appear to look like "slicks". Weeds and "Lake Michigan Jellyfish" (plastic bags) are gathered in these areas, along with other garbage. It's sort of like an eddy in a river that garbage and weeds collect. The fish are much further South than just a few days ago because the lake temperature in Michigan City is 50 on the beach, and they are looking for that edge.

"Skamania Mania"

2010-07-13T12:22:00.002-05:00

We have been running into pods of Summer run Steelhead a few times a week and the results are very large (spawned out) fish in the boat. They made their spawning run in Indiana/ Michigan streams in the Southern end of Lake Michigan in Late May (this run is usually in late June to early July) and are feeding voraciously on orange spoons. The Salmon are still in shallow water like in the past few weeks and trolling parallel to the shore along the ridge line presents your baits to more fish than trolling through them. Spoons are taking most of the fish.

Is it July or September?

2010-07-06T21:17:00.002-05:00

We just had an upwhelling yesterday (water temperature by shore dropped 13 degrees overnight) All the West and South winds blew our warm surface water to Michigan and sucked in cold water and the SALMON! There are fish where they were in April and May. Great catches of all species is the norm. In 46 feet of water, down 30 feet, the water temperature is 52 degrees.

GOT TROUT?

2010-07-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

We decided to attempt catching all five species: Steelhead, King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Brown Trout, so the fishing began deep (100-120 feet) using large dodgers and green flies right on the bottom. Within a half an hour there was a "deer in the headlight look" on deck. " (six fish weighed total of 120 Pounds) I changed everything to spoons and pulled my lines up from 40 feet down to 60 feet and moved at 3.0 knots S.O.G. Instantly we had a double that was Lake Trout! Crazy fish were not acting like Trout. From 75 feet of water to 70 we had both ten core leads screaming out and two down-riggers. In less than half an hour we had 8 real nice Steelhead! We trolled into shallow water (55- 46 feet) trying for Cohos, Kings, and a Brown. Lost several large Kings before time and cooler space were gone.

"Speed Kills"

2010-06-30T19:25:00.002-05:00

The silver fish are still outside of the first ridge (shallowest part 46 feet, where the weeds are) I troll next to the drop off up to 60 feet by watching my fish finder and GPS to not slam the bottom with my rigs. Riggers down 40- 45 feet are working just outside of the ridge and as you get a bit deeper drop your riggers down up to 55 feet. Spoons trolled up to 3.4 knots SOG are the key to catching these shallow fish.

Speed Really Matters

2010-06-22T10:16:00.003-05:00

There are two separate schools of fish that we are targeting, the Salmon and Lake Trout. First decide which species you want to go after and then fish for them specifically. There are silver fish in real shallow water (40 to 60 feet) and Lake Trout out deeper (80 to 120 feet). Spoons are working best for the silver fish, but make sure your speed is appropriate for their needs (around 3 knots S.O.G.) Riggers down 40 feet are taking the majority of Salmon, while the Lakers are preffering big dodgers with a green fly of "Blue-boy" on the bottom. SLOW is the key for them, hit the bottom with your ball and pull it up a foot. Make sure it is all the way down for maximum bites. Speed should be 1.8 knots S.O.G. to 2.1 knots. Slower the better! There are Salmon out deep, but make sure you chose your species and watch your speed. When fishing for the Lakers I run only 3 riggers and 2 copper lines only. Triple headers are more common than not. We had 4 triples and had our Trout limit! Then pull lines and "rip spoons" for Kings in the shallows for the rest of our limit..

Perch are hitting real well at the harbor mouths on soft-shells and minnows.

Nice Rack

2010-06-15T10:34:00.002-05:00

The fish are moving around following the bait fish so don't spend too much time fishing where they were yesterday or the day before. The schools have been shallower than usual on account of the cloud cover. They normally feed shallow during the night and as the sun pops up they find shelter in the deeper water. The bait is hanging where it normally is in the 46 to 56 foot range (where you see the bottom rising and falling quickly) Most of the lake bottom is sand, but there are ridges made of clay and rock that holds weeds, small aquatic critters, gobies, and the alewives, so this is a good place to explore during low-light conditions.

The perch have been slow since the North winds came in, but today we have South. This should result in a good afternoon bite (not biting right now, it's 10 am and nothing so far this morning)

"Pick Your Species"

2010-06-14T16:59:00.002-05:00

It's a great time to be able to pick which species of fish you would like to target. Perch are hitting like mad in and out of the harbors, so catch them before the waters become too warm and they move offshore. I do Perch charters B.T.W. (season closes for July) The King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Browns, and Steelhead, are in shallow water (46 to 58 feet) and are hitting spoons and flies down 20 feet to the bottom. The shallow, Spring patterns are not worth running anymore because the surface temperatures have risen, so put out your lead lines (3 colors to 10 colors out behind the birds)

The Lake Trout are outside of 90 feet, but best is about 110 feet to 120 feet. Big chrome dodgers with a green fly 20 feet behind the ball (on the bottom) has been working best recently. As the waters warm the Salmon and Trout will be all in the same area and the Perch will be on some of the off-shore reefs that are miles from shore.

Get Them While They are Hot!

2010-06-08T22:13:00.002-05:00

30 fish charters have been the norm for 6 guys! There are fish scattered all the way from 50 feet of water to 130 feet, but the best action has been outside of 90 feet. The silver fish are down 50 -60 feet and prefer a faster troll than usual (near 3 mph) Spoons have been taking the larger fish, but tiny flies are still producing well on the surface.

Perch have been feeding heavily and are hitting everything from shiners to jigs and softshells. I caught my limit of JUMBO PERCH today during the rain on a "paddle-bug" with a small split-shot 3 feet above.

"What are we going to do with all these fish!?"

2010-06-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

The salmon are anywhere from 50 feet of water to 115 feet down about 50 to 60 feet. My surface Spring patterns(Small dodger and tiny flies) are still taking cohos and some steelhead. Lakers are outside of 80 feet on the bottom, even though we got a few down 50 feet on a rigger and spoon and also on my 10 core with a spoon. If you want salmon and steelhead go fast ( near 3 mph ) Look for the bait pods and work them.

Anyone hungry for a fish fry?

2010-06-01T20:47:00.004-05:00

You need to keep traversing the dept gradient until the schools are located. We started fishing in 60 feet of water and continued deeper with dipsy divers set real shallow (30 - 70 feet on counter ) Yellow- birds with small flies and small dodgers are taking most of the cohos ( 3/8 oz. weights ) Lead lines ( 10 colors out ) using spoons are VERY effective and take many of the larger fish.

PERCH are in the harbors and will continue bitting while the South and West winds continue.

"Catch them High and Low"

2010-06-01T08:34:00.002-05:00

Fish are spread out from 60 feet to 116 feet of water. Cohos are still hitting tiny flies and small dodgers right on the surface. Kings on spoons down near the bottom and Lakers are right on the bottom hitting big dodgers with large flies such as "Green-crinkle" and the old stand-by "Spin-n- glow". I am still seeing the salmon and Steelheads feeding on the surface in the early mornings. Perch are starting to bite again after that North wind messed it all up.

Great Spring Fishing!

2010-05-24T20:24:00.003-05:00

The salmon are feeding on the alewives in the low light hours and running miles back to deeper sanctuary during the day. Spoons down near the bottom and surface patterns(yellow-birds...) with small weights (5/8 oz. and smaller) with small dodgers and tiny flies are taking the Steelhead and Cohos. Lake Trout are plentiful outside of 80 feet of water, down near the bottom with larger dodgers and "green crinkle" flies. Early mornings there are cohos and browns near the shore, even saw a bunch of cohos in the harbor while perch fishing. BTW the perch are in the harbors and just outside, hitting minnows. I catch them on a "paddle-bug" jig with a small split shot above it.

Nice Cohos!

2010-05-05T19:22:00.003-05:00

The cohos are real nice sized for spring. Surface baits (yellow-birds) small dodgers with tiny flies are taking most of the cohos. Spoons down 20 feet on the riggers are taking brown trout and nice kings. Orange was working well when the sun was out. Limit catches has been the norm !

Spring Fishing in Chicago or Alaska?

2010-05-01T20:48:00.002-05:00

So here they are. Close to shore. Kings on spoons down deep near bottom. Cohos are on surface with small flies.

The Cohos have arrived in Chicago!

2010-04-15T10:30:00.002-05:00

The salmon and trout are thick along the Chicago shoreline. Limit catches are being taken on all the usual...crank-baits, spoons, dodgers and flies. Shore action is also good using alewives, crawlers, body-baits, spoons.

My Backyard

2009-08-24T22:46:00.003-05:00

The clouds were magnificent! The fishing was even better than the sunset. The Kings are showing up with some cohos and steelhhead along the shoreline. There are plenty of fish just outside of 50 feet of water. Even the lakers are in the skinny water, down 30 feet. The water temperature down 40 feet is 45 degrees!

Best Fishing All Summer!

2009-08-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

The Kings are staging in 50-60 feet of water along with huge Lakers. Spoons trolled fast are taking most of the fish, but flies also work. My lead lines are taking the biggest fish during the day, but the riggers keep the action going as long as you run your spoons back 50 feet or so to get them away from the boat. Sunny days use orange and purple when it is low light, or cloudy.

Now that's a King!

2009-08-12T10:06:00.003-05:00

The minority of what we are catching is Cohos right now because the Kngs have taken over and are more eager to bite. There are fish spread out from 50 feet of water all the way out to 105 feet. Trolling at a higher rate of speed than you normally would move will result in more fish on the line. Lead lines have been my rockstar rods, with spoons on them. The Cohos we do catch are HUGE.

Great Sunset or Sunrise?

2009-08-11T21:08:00.002-05:00

There has been a 12 degree drop in water temperature along the shore resulting in spectacular Jumbo Perch fishing. The winds from the West and South have blown away our warm water all the way to Michigan and cold water from out deep came in to replace it. This process is called upwelling. Outside of the harbor are huge schools of perch that can be taken on crabs or minnows.

"Kings - R - Us"

2009-08-07T09:44:00.002-05:00

The Kings are definitely staging for their final journey "upstream". They are in 65-80 feet of water hitting spoons, mostly purple, but orange is really hot on my leads when the sun is out. A fast troll is working best, try different speeds until you develop a pattern (2.6 knots S.O.G.) is where you should start.

Nice weather = Great fishing

2009-08-05T09:11:00.002-05:00

As our Summer arrives, the fish are coming to join the party. 60- 80 feet is still best for the silver fish, but calm, sunny, middle of the day conditions drives them deeper.

Big Kings are Gathering!

2009-08-03T08:42:00.002-05:00

August patterns are setting up conditions that is providing great king action! The kings are in 55-65 feet of water when there is a chop or clouds. Spoons are working best, especially on the lead cores. The cohos have scattered again with the crazy wind regime we are experiencing. Lakers are much deeper, but are being taken while fishing for kings in the shallows.

Nice Catch!

2009-07-30T00:33:00.002-05:00

Anyone can catch a big one. The lakers are out deep and the cohos are shallow(50-70 feet) of water. spoons are working well at high speeds.
Most of the fish are big, that makes for a great day on the water.

Almost another Grand Slam!

2009-07-28T20:16:00.002-05:00

There are two distinct groups of fish that are available. There are the Cohos and kings in 50-70 feet of water following the bait balls and there are Lakers, steelhead, kings, and some coho out in 95-120 feet. The kings are coming on spoons mostly on lead lines. For the past week four species have been taken, but there always is an elusive brown to remain to be caught.

Nice Catch!

2009-07-16T18:21:00.002-05:00

The fish are in 42 to 70 feet of water, Down 30 to

the bottom. Action is good,

Skamania Invasion!

2009-07-16T15:28:00.002-05:00

The skamian steelhead have arrived! spoons in t orange patterns are working best, down 40-45 feet. West winds are bringing the cold water and Big fish in closer to shore. Water levels from 43 to 60 in the early and late parts of the day are best.

Alaska or Chicago?

2009-07-12T14:45:00.001-05:00

The salmon are still in 60-90 feet of water, depending on the conditions. Dodgers and flies are working best, but spoons take plenty of fish also.

Huge Kings!

2009-07-11T20:45:00.001-05:00

So the salmon have moved, but are still hanging in 60-70 feet of water down 45 to the bottom. Dodgers and flies are working best. Spoons are taking the biggest fish.

Nice Steelhead!

2009-07-08T20:45:00.003-05:00

Some real nice steelheads are showing up. Best action for them and Cohos is still 70-80 feet of water. Down 40-55 feet seems the best, but when the lake is flat and the sun is high, fish deeper. Dodgers and flies are working better than spoons.

Summer patterns are here finally!

2009-07-07T08:09:00.002-05:00

It took long enough, but the waters have set up nicely. The salmon are inside of 80 feet of water.

Cohos are on fire!

2009-07-07T08:05:00.001-05:00

Fantastic fishing for salmon in 60-80 feet of water. 35- bottom.

Great King fishing!

2009-07-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

There are some nice pods of King Salmon in 65-80 feet of water. The cohos are ther also, down 35 to the bottom.

Plenty of Lakers!

2009-07-07T07:56:00.003-05:00

If catching a trouphy fish is on the menu...go deep! They are on the bottom in(100-120 feet).

The cohos are shallower(60-80 feet) down 35 t0 the bottom, depending on the clouds and time of day.

FAT COHOS!

2009-06-29T19:49:00.002-05:00

There are lakers out from 100 feet to 120, but the cohos are much shallower. 55 feet to about 70 feet is best. Big dodgers, green flies down 40-50 feet.

Steelhead are around again

2009-06-29T19:43:00.003-05:00

There haven't been alot of steelhead around for a while, but now we are consistently catching some. The nice weather has started some fantastic action. Cohos are fat and plentiful from 59 feet to 120 feet. They are moving so look for baitfish.

Getting real good!

2008-10-28T08:37:00.000-05:00

The Strong West winds is bringing the cold water much closer to the shore, maybe even the perch will move in! Large Lakers are getting restless and are biting well. The bluegills are also biting very well in the harbors.

Fall patterns are here...

2008-10-18T12:29:00.000-05:00

The fish have moved out to 165 feet of water to start! Most of the action was down 115-150 feet with spoons. Real tiny bait was in their bellies(1 to 3 inches). The Steelhead came on my lead core (10 colors) with a Magnum purple spoon. We took a few Spring Cohos which means there are more to come soon!

Time for Huge Lakers!

2008-10-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

It is time again to catch that fish of a lifetime. The huge trout are gathering for the Fall. All of our action has been outside of 140 feet of water, down 85 feet to the bottom. Spoons have been working best, all sizes.

Go South for best action

2008-09-29T19:42:00.003-05:00

The bait has moved South to almost Soldier Field. The S.W. basin from 75 -90 feet of water is where the huge bait balls are! Spoons and flies down 55 to the bottom are taking next years Kings and some trout. The kings are in the harbors, but not really biting because the water is too warm.

The Kings have finally arrived

2008-09-23T22:09:00.003-05:00

The Kings are inside and outside all the harbors and are hitting Thundersticks. Trolling J-plugs works best for boat fishing. Some catfish have been taken inside of the harbor(5 pound Channel Cats) . The majority of the fish are staying between 75-90 feet of water, depending on where the bait has moved. The bait in their stomachs is small(3 inches) so tiny spoons are taking the lead on strikes! The rain tomorrow should bring in more fish. The cohos have also begun arriving along the shore!

Consistent Winds equal consistent catches!

2008-09-23T14:17:00.003-05:00

The fish are between 75-85 feet of water, down 55 feet to 85 feet( deeper than 80 feet) Spoons of all sizes are working best fished back 60 feet!
Blue patterns when the sun is out are most productive. Find the baitfish and level out at that depth.

Next years Kings

2008-09-22T13:28:00.002-05:00

80-90 feet of water seems to be holding most of the fish, down 60-the bottom with spoons is working best. Magnum spoons trolled fast is best for these kings. The small spoons should also be mixed up in the spread to maximize the catch. The spawners are not showing up
outside the harbors yet, but should any day.

Go deep!

2008-09-22T13:21:00.003-05:00

The salmon are starting to collect in deeper water, 80-120 feet, down near the bottom. Spoons are taking most of the fish, both magnums and regular sizes. Blue dolphin patterns are the best when the sun is out, but monkey puke during low light conditions.

Westerly Winds Finally!

2008-09-17T06:54:00.002-05:00

The winds from the West have concentrated the bait and predators from 75 feet to 90 feet of water. The best action is on spoons of all sizes, down 60 feet to the bottom. Blue spoons were working best yesterday with the sun out, but as it sets the darker patterns stated to emerge as winners. Find the bait...find the salmon! Huge Lakers were near the bottom and the Kings(not the spawners) were 60 to 75 feet down. The spawning Kings are still lost because our water is still too warm by the shore, but that should change today.

Brown Trout Frenzy!

2008-08-30T10:06:00.003-05:00

The fish have moved shallower in the past few days(55-65 feet of water). The kings were not with the program, but the browns were going crazy! Dodgers and flies were the key, but spoons also will work. Plastic dodgers have been outproducing the medal ones. The Kings are out deeper, but still not gathering as they will in a few days. This stable wind/weather will do the trick! There are some kings outside the harbor in the mornings.

Go Deep!

2008-08-18T17:33:00.003-05:00

The fish have followed the cold water out and down to 100 feet, down at least 80 feet. The best action is 100 to 120 feet of water, down 80 feet to the bottom with dodgers and flies.

Fat Cohos!

2008-08-12T15:11:00.002-05:00

The Kings were down deeper(50-70 feet), but I like to eat and catch Cohos! This means going out beyond 100 feet, but fishing the 30-40 foot down range. Big orange dodgers with green flies works well! Find one and there will be blood on your deck if you focus on these tasty fish, they never like to be alone.

Grand Slam!!

2008-08-12T15:02:00.002-05:00

We caught all five species this morning! After the big North blow on Sunday the water was lime green all the way out to the 70 foot range. This pushed our fish out deeper, to beyond 80 feet. Spoons down 40 -75 were taking most of our fish, but as you get out to 125 to 140 foot, the action came shallower(top 30 feet). This pulled the perch out to 65 feet of water also.

Skamania Mania!

2008-08-06T14:09:00.003-05:00

The big storm the other day sucked in the cold water into 40 feet of water! Half way down the temperature is 49 degrees! The bait and the salmon are hanging out together and the bait is losing. The Summer run Stealhead are also in there chowing down making them easy prey. Orange spoons are working the best for the Skamanias.

Alaska or Chicago?

2008-08-04T09:19:00.005-05:00

The bait is still in 40-45 feet of water, so the salmon need to go there to eat. During flat or sunny conditions they move out to deeper water(60-130 feet). The trick is ti keep moving out until the insanity begins and then turn to stay in that level as long as possible. Spoons are still working, both small and magnums. Play around with colors and sizes as well as depths until a pattern develops.

Guess who won the battle...

2008-08-01T15:46:00.003-05:00

The fish are biting outside of 80 feet, best action 90-110 feet down 40-65 feet with spoons. My lead core lines are
working well as well as the dipsy divers. Purple spoons during cloudy conditions is a sure bet.

Better have a strong rotorary cuff!

2008-07-29T23:07:00.004-05:00

The kings are really starting to tear up my guys! Spoons from Dream Weaver super-slims to magnums down 40-65 are working best, but don't forget your lead-core!
Water depth from 70-130 depending on conditions (clouds).

Huge Kings!

2008-07-29T22:55:00.003-05:00

Joline and Crew caught all they could handle today. Most of the action was outside of 70 feet of water, but focus on 90-120 for most of the action. Spoons down 40-64 were working best.

King frenzy!

2008-07-28T19:54:00.003-05:00

In the morning the salmon are shallow(65-72 feet), but as the sun comes up they move out. Spoons of the dream weaver super slim are working best today, but that changes every day!

Too Big to Hold up!!!

2008-07-28T19:45:00.002-05:00

During the day the fish were mostly out 67 feet and beyond, down 40-70 feet. As the sun comes up they will go out deeper to 106 or so, but do not stay if the action slows down because they will travel into 40-45 feet of water during the night to feed, even though the water is warm! They have to eat! Spoons down 40 feet with orange are working best when the sun is out, but purple and dark colors work with low light conditions

Middle of the day bite!

2008-07-24T20:07:00.004-05:00

Most of our action was 80-100 feet of water down 40-70 feet with spoons. Orange was hot when the sun was out. Magnum spoons are starting to work well!

Crazy Weather year!

2008-07-22T17:29:00.002-05:00

The salmon are moving because the wind shifted, but 65-75 feet is a good starting place. Move around up to 100 and back to 60 feet until a school is found and then work it!

Happy Aniversary and Birth Day!

2008-07-21T20:28:00.003-05:00

We dodged the Mac race while catching fish in 90-105 feet of water. Cloudy conditions made the fishing fantastic! Spoons were working best. but "monkey puke" was producing down 40 and the leads were on fire with the same lures. Fish are in up to 60 feet of water, but the better action is outside of 75 feet.

20 pound King!

2008-07-18T13:29:00.002-05:00

The afternoon was different then the morning. We started out deep(80-100 feet) but as the sun set the fish moved in, the steelheads and browns were in 35-45 feet of water, which resulted in a Grand Slam! All 5 species were taken!

Great sunrise and awesome fishing!

2008-07-18T13:22:00.001-05:00

The fish were out in 80-100 feet in the morning, down 45 to 60 on the riggers. Spoons were doing best, especially the magnum ones!

Big Fish!

2008-07-13T22:41:00.003-05:00

The bait is in 30-45 feet of water, but during the day the fish were out in55-65 feet of water. Spoons are doing well, but spin doctors on dipsy divers is turning on! Tomorrow the salmon will be in 30-45 feet because of the upwelling of cold water to the shore. Colder water is closer to the shore!

My backyard...

2008-07-11T12:33:00.002-05:00

What a storm! Just got in from the lake. The Kings are loaded in 65-75 feet of water! Spoons are working best down 50-65 feet. Dark day, dark spoon: purple...

The Guys from Henry's Sports!

2008-07-07T15:52:00.002-05:00

We caught most of our fish on the lead core in 70 -75 feet of water. The purple spoons were working best because of the clouds. Down 45 to 60 worked best. The storm was just a bonus!

Even little guys can pull in a hog!

2008-07-06T20:28:00.003-05:00

This King was out in 100 feet of water down 50 feet. He hit a big silver dodger with a white fly. The fish were down 40-55 mostly as far as action goes. Orange crush spoons during sunny days is always a winner!

Great Catch!

2008-07-06T20:21:00.002-05:00

She fought this 17 pounder on a lead core with 12 colors out with an Orange Crush spoon. She fought it for 20 minutes! In the am they were in 65-75 feet of water, but in the afternoon they moved out to 90-100 feet. Down 50-60 with spoons worked best.

Four species again, but with a Brown Trout...

2008-07-01T16:45:00.003-05:00

The Waukegon armada from the tournament finally left our waters. The boat that won the contest caught his fish due East of Montrose Harbor! Today the fish started shallow(42-45 feet) of water, but the best results came as yesterday in70 feet. 50 feet down with spoons worked best. The lead lines also were productive (10 core).

Four species again!

2008-06-30T15:17:00.001-05:00

Best action was in 70-75 feet of water, down 40-50 with spoons.

The West wind is good!

2008-06-29T16:10:00.003-05:00

The winds have brought tons of bait and with them gamefish! Even the boats from Waukegon and North point are fishing in front of Chicago. The best action today was in 65-75 feet of water down 35-45 with big red dodgers and green flies, fished way back.

Perch are also huge and willing to bite, come early!

Four species!

2008-06-28T13:15:00.002-05:00

The fish were anywhere from 45 feet to 105 today! The bait was balled up in 45-50 feet , but that bite was early. The water out deeper produced more fish. Spoons down40-50 were working and dodgers and flies down 40 -50 were also taking fish. Find the bait and work that area.

Looking for up to 3 people for Saturday...

2008-06-25T20:33:00.001-05:00

Saturday afternoon could use 3 guys ($110/head)

18 pound King!

2008-06-23T19:23:00.002-05:00

There have been a huge amount of kings near the 50 foot range! The best fishing of the Summer is here.

I have Saturday afternoon open.
6 people 5 hours, $650

Good thing the clouds were not bitting!

2008-06-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

The bigger the storm... the bigger the bite.

Monster KINGS!

2008-06-22T20:06:00.002-05:00

There are a ton of huge kings in 50-80 feet of water, depending on light conditions and wave height. Spoons down 50 were working best, but don't put away the big dodgers. Lead lines were also taking nice fish. One steelhead and brown were taken, but our lake trout got away at the boat!

Perch are everywhere and huge!

Strike while the iron is hot!

2008-06-16T20:17:00.002-05:00

So if you were waiting for great weather and fishing, here it comes. The fishing/catching has totally changed since last week. There are silver fish and tons of bait from 40-70 feet of water and they are very willing to bite! Find the bait, find the fish. Spoons down 35-45 are working the best, but don't forget the lead lines.

Perch fishing is fantastic, but don't forget the season is closed in July, so time to book your perch charter now. $650 for 6 guys including the fish cleaning.

What a storm!

2008-06-15T21:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the fish were out in 70-100 feet of water, but today I went back and only took a few lakers when all hell broke loose! Huge waves and wind from the West sucked cold water into the shore (53 degrees) which also brought in a ton of bait and along with the bait came big cohos and browns! The fish are in 40 feet of water!

The perch are on fire! Limit catches for all that try.

JUMBO PERCH FRENZY!

2008-06-09T17:21:00.002-05:00

The perch action is awesome! Some real JUMBOS are coming in like this 1.8 pounder!
Perch charters are $650 for 6 people for 5 hours, including the fish-cleaning.

Best fishing so far this year!

2008-06-09T15:05:00.003-05:00

The best action has been out in 90-110 feet of water. Big dodgers and flies down 70 to the bottom are taking most of the fish, but do not forget to run your 3, 4 and 8 core with spoons for some real Monsters!

Spring fishing with a big bonus!

2008-06-08T16:12:00.002-05:00

The fishing is off the hook! Every time you think that just the cohos will be hitting, the monsters show up to make the day!
Early and late the place to start is 45 feet near humps and work out to 80-110 for the lakers and others. All the usual stuff works, but down 65- the bottom for the lakers.

The fish on the right is an 8 lb coho!

Coho frenzy!

2008-06-03T17:45:00.002-05:00

One day the spring coho fishing is "Fall Laker fishing", the next day the cohos are back. 90 feet of water seems to be the best, down 70-90 feet and the surface are where the fish are. All the usual stuff is working.
Perch are starting to appear!

Spring Coho fishing?

2008-06-02T21:47:00.002-05:00

So in the morning out in 110 feet of water we loaded up on cohos, but the afternoon was different! The lakers were hitting spoons down 70-90 feet down. The fish are out at least 80 foot of water to 115.

Huge Browns!

2008-06-02T21:40:00.002-05:00

The cohos were active, but by putting some spoons out in the spread increases your chances of a more mixed bag. The cohos love small flies with red dodgers! Yellow birds and dipsy divers are taking the majority of the coho salmon.

Got perch?

2008-05-19T15:00:00.003-05:00

The perch are here, but the winds from the North and East have shut them down. Our salmon have come back real shallow, 20-30 feet of water! Find the bait, find the fish.

Pay attention to details for limit catches!

2008-05-16T07:47:00.002-05:00

I just woke up in Montrose Harbor, (Yes, on my boat!) I am going out again this afternoon, but yesterday was red hot! THe salmon are munching on the massive schools of bait that are starting at 47 degree water(40 feet). Limit catches are the norm if you pay attention to details! One detail is speed! play around with around 2 knots(S.O.G.) and zig-zag to find out if they want it faster or slower. If the outside lines on a turn hit, speed up. If your inside birds hit on a turn, slow down.
Best rigger depth depth was 25 feet, but run your spoons back at least 30 feet up to 50 feet!
Small flies are still the deal for the cohos! The perch are close! Real close!
I am putting on my blades and trolling for girls this morning. Wish me luck! Maybe I will catch my limit. L.O.L.!

2008-05-14T17:53:00.002-05:00

The fish are following the bait and the bait is relating to horizontal temperature stratifications. We left the harbor with 53 degree water temp. and by the time we were out at the crib-line, the temp. was 46 degrees! The water the fish were relating to was 46, so get to it and run that column of water with spoons and flies. Yellow-birds with 1 oz. of weight, back 50 feet was HOT. Spoons have to match the time of day and cloud conditions! Just because it worked this morning , doesn't mean it will work in the middle of the day. Play around with dark spoons in the am. and cloudy days. Middle of the day orange,... will do best.

I spotted the jumbo perch just outside the crib-line! The JUMBO'S are close!!

Last minute SPECIAL Weekend Rate!
I have an opening this Sunday Morning. 6 people, 5 hours, $550.

Time to go deep...

2008-05-10T20:00:00.001-05:00

We passed up the shallow water where there still are some nice fish to go out to the colder water at 70 feet. The surface temp. was 40 and within 3 hours there were 30 nice fish in the box! Surface to 90 feet down on both flies and spoons were working.

Coho Frenzy!

2008-05-06T09:36:00.001-05:00

Just like the good old days! We pulled out at 6am and just came back in with our limit for 6 guys!
5 browns and 25 cohos! Time to come fishing guys.

Best coho fishing this year!

2008-05-05T21:14:00.002-05:00

We went out for a few hours and took some browns on spoons , but when we got shallower than 18 feet the coho grabbed 7 flies at once!
You need to put out yellowbirds with small weights to catch these coho salmon.

Great weather equal great fishing!

2008-05-04T20:22:00.002-05:00

The cohos have come in right behind the bait schools that are filling up the harbors and shores. Limit catches are becoming the norm! Spoons and dodger/flies are working well on the planer boards and down-riggers. Many huge browns are also mixed in with the cohos along with an occasional steehead, king, and lake trout.