Ludington: Back in Business…Then the Tribal Net Happened
It’s sooooo good to be back in business in Ludington. This is always a big weekend. Big in a good way, big in a chaotic way, just big. The Tiara hit the water Wednesday and basically pulled me north like a magnet. I showed up with a list. Not a cute little list either. A full-blown adult responsibility list. Boat stuff, fishing stuff, haircut, wash bikes, El Rancho, and about 25 other things that all felt extremely important at the time.
Spoiler…Not a lot of them got done…obviously the most important item on that list was this morning’s fishing trip.
The lineup was elite: Me, Surgeon Jenn, Charlie Daniels, and THE Logan. Logan had already been out the night before and quietly stacked a two-man lake trout limit…no big deal. So naturally our plan was simple. Boat 12 lakers, pick off a couple bonus kings, slide in tight for some browns, and be back at the dock by 11 to start knocking out the list…Easy.
I was also very excited to introduce the world to my new concept…”Boatmeal™”. Yes…Boatmeal™. Think oatmeal…that you eat on a boat. Custom Yeti containers, dialed in recipe, no donuts, no cinnamon rolls. This is the year of growth. The recipe reveal was going to be the highlight of the blog...and then the lake said…nope, more like NFW!
We were rolling early. Fog thick, like real Ludington fog. The kind where everything feels calm, wet and fishy. We were 6 for 11, Jenn on the rod for what became 7 for 12. Things were smooth. Predictable. Almost too perfect. Logan was on the grind.
I glanced at the radar and saw a couple targets about a quarter mile off the port side. We’re thinking boat. My fancy Lowrance radar is earning its keep for sure!
Wrong – not boats…Those were tribal net markers.
We spot one. The other is another quarter mile west. We’re in 60 feet of water in front of the Projects and I’m staring at this massive blob on the graph from about 15 to 30 feet down. Long, wide, just…weird.
As I’m trying to figure out what the hell I’m looking at…Both riggers grab it. Then both wire divers. Then every long line. Everything! Instant chaos.
And right on cue, I hear my dad’s (Euge) voice in my head. Two rules:
Don’t fill your waders or you go “boot up”!
Always have side cutters ready because if you hit a net, it can suck your boat backwards and sink you.
Well…we got a live demonstration of rule number two…Absolute fire drill.
But I’ll say this. The four of us turned into a well oiled machine real fast. Which is impressive considering none of us planned on snagging a net with 11 rods out.
It was hectic. It was ugly. It was everything you don’t want.
But we got all seven boards in. We lost two downrigger balls, two divers and everything behind them, plus 5 spoons. Just donated them to the lake, or maybe the net owner? Very generous of us.
And just like that…our nice, organized list for the weekend turned into “spend the next few hours re-rigging everything.”
So as I sit here Friday afternoon…nothing is checked off the list for today…Nothing.
We still ended up 7 for 12. Lost a king on a 7 color Moonshine 5 Eye. Another bite on Logan’s gold Coyote. Both of those are now permanent residents of the net.
What I learned today:
Boatmeal™ is rock solid. Finished it right before everything went sideways. No bad juju involved because of the Boatmeal™.
What do you even do when you find something like that in the water. We called Scott at Captain Chuck’s and got the word out. Logan posted coordinates. We even called the Coast Guard. They asked me to turn around and take a picture. Hard pass…WTF?
Fishing without a Fish Hawk is just boating. Apparently Fish Hawk really wants me to become a boater. Third head unit in two years. They’ve been great replacing them but come on.
Logan watches lake trout rods like he’s sucker fishing. Somehow almost every bite ends up on his side. I don’t get it.
Leather strop for knife sharpening is legit. If you’re not using one, you’re missing out.
We re-rigged 11 rods back at the dock. Teamwork was elite. Surgeon Jenn won knot tying MVP. She was bouncing from rod to rod while the rest of us just watched.
The one thing that will absolutely get checked off the list tonight is El Rancho at 6:31pm. And this crew has potential. Me, Jenn, Charlie Daniels, Logan, Alison, Nick, Big Fish Brad, Petunia Josh, Zac…who knows who else shows up.
The lake is supposed to roar the next two days. Honestly…good. Gives us time to work on the list. Or at least pretend we’re going to.
400 W. Filer St., C1, Ludington, MI 49431 | Phone: 248-534-9202 | PullHardFishing@outlook.com
