Ludington Fishing Report – Gus Day 2: Fireballs, Tramp Stamps & Breakdancing

8/3/20253 min read

Day 1 ended strong… not with fishing, but with efficiency. While I was over here tapping out yesterday’s blog with my laptop, the Gus Clan turned the condo kitchen into a full-on fish-packing assembly line. Vacuum sealer humming, salmon flying like Pike Place, dudes moving like a Ford factory line. (They did a repeat today – just now!)

Dinner was at that one spot next to The Mitten — I don’t know what it’s called now, but you have the Sportsman, then The Mitten, now something else – they all serve from the same menu – can’t we just keep this simple and make it the same place? Solid eats though. Then we hit the boat for lineup selection and sent the young bucks on an ice run (20-lb bags, not fun for old dudes to carry). Loaded up the NA beers and marched over to the Rhythm & Dunes concert.

Let’s just say... the band? A generous C-. But toss in a couple thousand drunk Ludingtonians along with the Gustafson crew, and behold an A+ concert experience. Left at halftime, and called it a night.

Now, to the fishin’: 4:00 AM alarm. No morning run. Eggs in the belly. Gus Clan ready to roll early. We pushed off at 5:00 AM sharp — no dilly-dallying. Gunner did lock up with a dozen fresh Wesco donuts – thanks man! Headed south toward Bass Lake. Stopped 4 miles short and started setting lines in 65 FOW, aiming to hit deeper water gradually.

Now, with Nick playing hooky (maybe golfing? maybe becoming a life coach?), rookie Curtis was pulled off the bench. Though, apparently I don't have the authority to call anyone off the bench. Eric does. (Noted.) Curtis got a few rods out… then Gunner tag-teamed in like we were mid-1980s breakdance battle. Spinning, bobbing, passing rods (they even laid out the cardboard!) We set 15 rods… and got zero bites. Like, crickets. Until we hit 90 FOW and finally — BAM — 5 color goes off. Guess what it was? Yep. Copper Fireball (gag reflux)!

Now, tradition is tradition — Copper Fireball fish = shot of Fireball + Kessler’s (smooth as silk). It’s not even light outside yet and we’re cheersing! We’d land 3 more on a standard Fireball rig… and just like that, we’re out of both bottles. This boat has needs, people.

The Final Score: 5 Kings, 1 Coho, 1 Steelhead…so 7 fish on 9 bites.

Today’s Hot Bites:

Mr. Chrome Fin Frog, 32 down on rigger
Copper Fireball, 5 color — 1 bite & honorary 6am toast
DW Blue Slice meat rig, chute rigger 44 down
Yeck Fireball, 5 color — 3 bites, RIP bottle
Mr. Chrome Radioactive, 3 color
Red Tail Meat, 111 back on high diver
Charlie Special w/ Money Shot fly, 85 back low diver

Stuff I Learned Today:

Nick got tipped yesterday. Like actual money. Possibly for first-mating… possibly for something we don’t want to know about. Either way, he peaced out this morning for golf. Perhaps a career pivot.
Sirous XM The Blend kinda worked today…Eric’s new jam is Anne Murry’s version of Danny’s song! Toe tapper…fo sho!
Concert People Watching = 😊. Tramp stamps everywhere. Curtis swears they’re making a comeback. I’ll take his word for it, but… seriously?
Charloviox ≠ close. Dan moved there. We thought it was just “kinda north” of Ludington. Nope — it’s basically Canada. Closer for me to drive to Howell.
Eric doesn’t mess around with tradition. When that 6am Fireball hit, he was hollering “Where’s the shots?!” before we even had the fish unhooked. Dude, we need to get the moneymaker back out, then the shots!
Ranking crews is political. When asked who my favorite group to fish with is, I said, “You guys,” because obviously. But let’s be real, of course I rank every group in my head. Gus Clan is definitely on the upper tier… you know who you are.

Back to Reality…Sadly, I must now leave the magical salmon-soaked world of Ludington and re-enter the “real world” for a few days. But don’t worry — I’ll be back next weekend. Got Uncle David and cousins Davey & Nate (yes, those cousins, with the no-show rep) on the docket. Fingers crossed they behave with Dad around.

Also – rumor has it Andy, Justy & fam are camping nearby. I’m thinking sourdough and kombucha for a seat on the boat is a totally fair trade.