Ludington Fishing Report – Happy National Chocolate Day Logan!

9/13/20253 min read

What a ride leading to this weekend. My own crew bailed, Ludington regulars were all MIA, and for a minute it was looking like just me, Josh (yes, Petunia Josh), and maybe a desperate plea to random marina folks. Then Josh hits me with: “Hey, can you drop me at the marina at 8am to help with flowers?” Do the math dude: leave the dock at 5:30am, lines in at 6:30am, back at 8am. Forty-five minutes of fishing? Sorry Josh, I’ll send you a sympathy petunia!

Cue Todd swooping in like a salmon-catching superhero. Except plot twist: it wasn’t even on my boat. Nope—today we fished Todd’s new to him boat (but really Tonya’s boat, because let’s be honest, all boats are the wife’s). Crew roll call: Todd (Duh!), Tonya (boat owner), Andy (fish whisperer), Val (Andy’s wife), THE Logan (salmon lucky charm), and me (ahh, the donut guy – dunno emoji).

We rolled out at 5:35am (my bad, I was 5 minutes late!) and headed south between Pentwater and the dunes. Todd pointed me toward the chute like, “Here you go, Jeff, you got the cute.” Nope. I know better. I can hear Salmon Surgeon Jenn, “see one, do one, teach one…” Too many cooks in the kitchen, and this cook prefers to watch before touching the stove knobs.

Then—magic. Rods snapping and hog kings flying everywhere. Everyone working like a salmon SWAT team. Todd’s program flat out kills fish. By the time the carnage ended: 1 laker, 1 steelhead, 1 coho, and SEVENTEEN kings. Twenty fish on 29 bites. That’s not fishing—that’s downright murder!

Hot Bites

White slick 12" paddle / Pickle Sunshine fly, 95 down (3 bites)
Black slick 12" paddle / Pickle Sunshine fly, 95 down (3 bites)
Blue Bubble flip fin, Blue Bubble fly, high diver 225 back (2 bites)
Moonshine Bloody Mahi mag, free slider, 77 down (4 bites)
Do Dee K Moonshine, 250 (2 bites)
SS Wonder Bread, 75 down (2 bites)
4" Moldy Wonder Bread plug, 8 color lead (2 bites)
Bloody Beaver, 350 copper (3 bites)
Mr. Chrome Custom, 200 copper (2 bites)
Pro Troll Pickle Sunshine, 160 back low diver
Chrome/Green Dot/Blue Bubble meat, 200 back low diver (2 bites)
Grey Ghost plug, 10 color + 2 oz drop (2 bites)
Chrome/Black Dot A-Bomb meat rig, 140 down on chute

What I Learned Today

My Hot Bite log is flawless. Logan could probably recite all 29 setups next June while blindfolded. Dude’s like the Rainman of salmon fishing.
Chute rigger got 7 bites. Down deep, 60’ behind the ball. Tomorrow, that’s first in the water.
Tight drags = more fish. I’ve been running mine like buttered toast. Todd runs his like a vice. Works.
Andy’s the guy you want when you try “experimental” shit that immediately tangles three rods. Cool under pressure, can catch fish and quick to un-wad line!
Tonya brought homemade chocolate bars. And it just happened to be National Chocolate Day. My two Wesco donuts suddenly looked like gas-station regret.
Music matters. Zeppelin, Who, Stones, AC/DC = bites. Eminem = blah. Coincidence? Nope.
Todd’s swivels are one size smaller than mine. Existential crisis pending.
Dreamweaver Ninja Boards? Touched them today and, with all due respect Dreamweaver…Nope. My wallet thanks me.
Best laugh: deep “guy talk” at Sportsman about lure theory and electrical fish voodoo, while Val and Tonya just nodded like, “At least it’s not heroin.”
Josh pulled all the Ludington Petunias out! Yeah! Boo! I don’t know?
Logan’s the MVP. Fourteen boats this year, sharp as hell, catches fish until he’s literally bored. Who gets bored catching fish?! I need this guy locked in for one trip in 2025 and all of July in 2026.

So yeah—Todd, thanks for having me today! Learned a ton and enjoyed every moment. Tomorrow’s program is already brewing, and the weather looks perfect. Homework? Yeah…about that…