Ludington Fishing Report: Charlie Overslept...The Salmon Didn't! 19 for 25!
It was kind of a weird week for me, but weird in an all-good way..Monday I bought a new-to-me Bradley smoker for $50 to match the one I already have. Apparently two salmon smokers weren't enough, because Friday I found another Bradley for $100. So now I own three salmon-smoking machines. Completely necessary purchase.
We also had our annual Employee Week at work work, which basically meant I spent the week eating way, way too much food. Almost none of it was good-for-you food. Unfortunately, pretty much all of it tasted good. Some things need to be fixed next week.
I left Farmington Hills yesterday, swung through Surgeon Jenn's place, then made it to Ludington with enough time to get the boat ready, hit El Rancho and actually sit in the condo for a couple hours with the TV on doing absolutely nothing. That does not happen often.
In between doing nothing, we had to do a little fishing-crew shuffling…MHS Class of 1987 legend Tim McKennie was originally slated to fish with his son Tristen, and we were looking forward to having them aboard. Then we found out Tristen apparently has some hot-shot Wall Street-like job in NYC and had to work this morning. Priorities, dude…remember “blue horseshoe loves anacott steel!”
Out with the McKennies and in with Charlie Daniels and Cousin Pat! So today's crew was me, Surgeon Jenn, Logan, Charlie Daniels and Cousin Pat. We were also supposed to fish Logan's second $100 Pop-Up Tournament today, but...ahhh...Logan canceled it! The weather looked iffy and his field went from something like eight boats down to five. I support your decision, Logan.
Although, in hindsight...It was freaking perfect out there this morning!
The plan was simple. Leave the dock around 5:00am, have lines set before 5:30am and load the deck with hogs, preferably including one Big King Bonanza hammer.
Everyone was at the boat early and ready to rock. Well...Almost everyone. Mr. Dependable himself, Charlie Daniels, was nowhere to be found. My 5:00am text: "ETA?"…Nothing. My 5:07am phone call apparently doubled as Charlie's alarm clock. Dude was sound asleep.
I got the classic, "I'll be there in 10 minutes!" And I'll give Charlie credit. He showed up in about eight. No phone. No coffee. I'm not even sure he had time to pee. That's hustle, people.
We finally pulled away from the dock around 5:20am, made our way down the channel and blasted through the Lund Armada guarding the pierheads. We ran straight out and a little south, basically back to the same area we fished last Saturday, and set up around 70 FOW south of the south nets.
Then, just like last Saturday, we got everything set. And...Nothing…Nothing…More nothing. Nothing for a long...ass...time. At least last weekend we got to watch hogs chase out riggers – hardly and marks today!
I'm starting to think this has officially become our program…Get every lure perfectly set…Admire our work…Wonder where all the fish went.
Then...ShitShow™! Just like last Saturday, rods suddenly started popping all over the place. Fish going everywhere. People going everywhere. Nets going everywhere. At one point we had a beautiful four-rod tangle developing while fish continued hitting other rods. Perfect! When the dust settled, there was suddenly a nice pile of fish on the deck.
We spent the rest of the morning poking around between roughly 60 and 120 FOW and managed to scrounge up 10 kings, 5 coho, 3 steelhead and a lake trout. That's 19 fish on 25 bites. No hammer.But I'll take 19 fish and another genuine ShitShow™ any morning.
Hot Bites:
Spoon | Silver Streak Standard Imitation Chubster | Lead Core 3 Colors | 3 bites
Meat Rig | Dreamweaver Spin Doctor 8 Inch Reese Rylie Red Pepper Glow | Low Diver 165 back | 3 bites
Flasher/Fly | Prototype 8 Inch Chrome / Howie Green Crinkle | High Diver 130 back | 2 bites
Flasher/Fly | Prototype 8 Inch White / Dreamweaver Little Boy Blue | Low Diver 100 back | 2 bites
Plug | Dreamweaver 4 Inch Glow Wonderbread | Lead Core 5 Colors | 2 bites
Plug | Dreamweaver 4 Inch Red Head Black Dot | Out Down 48 down | 2 bites
Spoon | Yeck Standard Goldilocks | Lead Core 7 Colors | 2 bites
Plug | Moonshine 5 Inch Raspberry Carbon | Lead Core 7 Colors | 1 bite
Plug | Moonshine 5 Inch Happy Meal | Copper 200 Feet | 1 bite
Plug | Silver Horde 5 Inch Ace Hi Fruit Loop | Out Down 64 down | 1 bite
Flasher/Fly | Bechold 11 Inch Kevin's Girlfriend / Rapture Sweet Pea | Chute Rigger 75 down | 1 bite
Plug | Dreamweaver 4 Inch Lucky Charms | Lead Core 7 Colors | 1 bite
Plug | Dreamweaver 4 Inch Soda | Copper 200 Feet | 1 bite
Plug | Silver Horde 5 Inch White Lightning | Copper | 1 bite
Meat Rig | Dreamweaver Spin Doctor 8 Inch / Dreamweaver Glow No See'um | Copper 300 Feet | 1 bite
Spoon | Yeck Standard Johnson Freakin' Blue Veggie | Slider 58 down | 1 bite
What I Learned Today:
Charlie Daniels may have slept in, but he definitely takes home today's hustle award. Eight minutes from dead asleep to standing at the boat ready to fish is impressive.
I don't like starting with all plugs. Really, I don't like starting with all of anything. Logan loves the program, and clearly his fishing numbers speak for themselves, but good thing I snuck some spoons into the spread today. More bites than Logan produced more fish than Logan. Just saying.
Although I may have outproduced Logan today, it's pretty hard to argue with the bigger sample size. Through 14 trips this year, we're averaging 5.59 bites per hour and 4.06 fish per hour WITH Logan. Without Logan? 3.78 bites per hour and 2.62 fish per hour. That's not a little difference…That's a freaking difference. Yep, he's that good, people!
I also feel like Surgeon Jenn and I, along with whoever else happens to be fishing with us, have gotten into a really good rhythm on the boat. We don't have to talk much about what needs to happen next. Someone grabs a rod, somebody clears something, somebody grabs a net, Surgeon Jenn fixes whatever we're screwing up and somehow fish end up on the deck. It's fun when everything starts working like that.
So tomorrow is supposed to be rough. Of course, that's exactly what they said about this morning. Strong south winds are supposedly coming, and right now the crew is me, Surgeon Jenn and Logan. We need a fourth! I've got a few feelers out, but if you're around Ludington and want to play salmon fisherman tomorrow morning, hit me up. Never hurts to ask, right?
Assuming Mother Nature lets us go, the current plan is to buzz south a few miles, turn around and troll north with the waves. And Logan has another plan. Plugs! Lots of plugs! All plugs! Actually, an entire fleet of plugs! Two colors. Three colors. Slide divers. Riggers. Plugs everywhere!
In the meantime, we've got knots to tie and spoons to polish. Maybe we'll pick some blueberries. Maybe we'll buy more fishing tackle we absolutely don't need. Or maybe we'll do absolutely nothing and watch it rain. After this week, that doesn't sound half bad.
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