Ludington Fishing Report: Six for Seven, Taking Applications and Working on My Prayers
Whelp, got knocked down another notch in the BKB yesterday. Just B Cuz weighed a 20.30-pound king. Don't know the boat. Apparently they just signed up. How lucky that just a few days after waiting out the mandatory 24-hour kill period, they bring home a hammer!
I'm just bitter…Truth is, they're probably just that good and that confident. Like I've been saying, it's only going to make me work harder moving forward. Although maybe I don't need harder. Maybe I need smarter? I honestly don't know anymore…Slump!
I've got today's troll and July 3rd remaining for BKB Session 1. It'll be a quick troll today because it's Sunday and I actually have non-fishing responsibilities waiting for me at home.
Simple plan of attack: Go straight out. Throttle back to 2.2 MPH in 65 FOW. Catch the 22-pound king. Think that'll hold, Logan? Then keep trucking west until we hit the 11-pound steelhead. Easy!
Oh wait…A call from Joe had me stopping in 48 FOW to start! I can’t even stick to the simple plan, second guessing, bad sign.
Our crew this morning consisted of me, Charlie Daniels, Cousin Pat and finance dude Dale. Note: Cousin Pat and Dale are the 39th and 40th different people I've fished with in 2026.
We had all kinds of good marks right away in 48 to 60 FOW. Hogs. Hammers. Bait everywhere. Perfect…good thing we only brought one bag of ice because we were obviously going to need all that fish box space for giant salmon.
Nope! Full spread set and absolutely nothing…this has officially become the new norm and I need to figure out how to change it. Maybe start by trolling over fish that actually enjoy eating metal and plastic? Duh!
We eventually turned around and tried hitting them from the other direction…Then turned around again, cause the bite was, ahh, so good? Then eventually ended up in 130 FOW.
We finished with two steelhead, one lake trout and three mini kings. We also lost the hog on a really good wire bite. Final tally was six fish on seven bites.
Somehow, while falling asleep last night and praying for an 11-pound steelhead, the message got scrambled. Instead of an 11-pound steelhead, I received approximately 11 pounds of fish total with two steelhead mixed in. Entirely my fault. Bonafide rookie move. I will be praying in much greater detail moving forward.
Hot Bites (my list keeps getting shorter!):
Yeck Standard Chubster on 3 colors of lead core – 2 bites
Michigan Stinger Magnum Modified Carmel Dolphin on 5 colors of lead core – 2 bites
Bechold 11" Kevin's Girlfriend paddle paired with a Rapture Sweet Pea fly on the chute rigger 50 down – 1 bite
Warrior Standard Fludder Yellow Thing on a slider 50 down – 1 bite
Mr. Chrome 8" Green Hulk flasher paired with a Rapture Sweet Pea fly on a high diver 125 back – 1 bite
What I Learned Today:
Cousin Pat claimed he could see traffic lights in Wisconsin from Ludington. For real. Steve Austin stuff right there. I called BS internally, but then watched him spot tribal net markers from miles away. It's legit.
Dale is a reeling machine. Didn't lose a fish and had them to the back of the boat in no time. Perfect. More time to eat BoatMeal™ for me and Charlie Daniels.
Back to Cousin Pat. I learned way more about his post-gallbladder-removal family #2 issues than I ever wanted to know. Apparently he even has a song he plays for his wife regarding the issue. Yes, he played it for us. I respectfully asked him to stop after about six seconds. I really could have done without that entire five-minute conversation. You probably could've done without this bullet too. Good with the bad, people.
If my trim tabs ever fail, I'm hiring Cousin Pat and Charlie Daniels. Those boys have a special way of shifting around the boat and leveling out a 12,000-pound Tiara running 27 MPH. Nice work boys.
I was talking to Logan and he expressed concern about my tournament team for the Ludington Legends, Women's and Amateur tournaments in a couple weeks. He's right…I've got a packed crew for the Women's tournament on Friday, but I need people for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Applications are now being accepted…requirements include:
Mojo, and lots of it.
Good personality.
Must know which way to hold the reel (Sorry Big Fish Brad and Cousin Pat.) Now I’m confused, wouldn’t I want someone with “Big Fish” in their name regardless of how they get the fish to the boat?
That's a wrap for the weekend…Back to my other life. You know...work work, UWGB Health & Wellness, Planet Fitness...Wait…I've got a dentist appointment this week…and exterminator appointments for mice and ants. Wait…why am I even thinking about this stuff? I'm still in Ludington.
New rule: No thinking about work, school or home responsibilities until I'm at least 30 miles south of Ludington.
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400 W. Filer St., C1, Ludington, MI 49431 | Phone: 248-534-9202 | PullHardFishing@outlook.com
