Ludington Fishing Report – The Mojo Surgically Awakens

7/28/20253 min read

After yesterday’s semi-depressing outing (3 fish, 6 bites, and a whole lotta bad juju), it was clear: this was a code red situation. And we all know—when the juju’s off, it’s time to go back to the basics. So I did what any sane captain would do and bought 15 pounds of blueberries from Couturier Blueberry Farms…Back at the condo, I hung Riley’s lake trout mount like a proud dad hanging his kid’s finger painting. Meanwhile, the Monsters of Yacht concert crowd was forming—a bunch of people who know think they know way too much about Christopher Cross and Steely Dan. I went for a 7-mile bike ride for the people-watching and potential mojo-absorption. It worked…of course!

Davey’s crew, shockingly, bailed on the smooth-sailing Yacht Rock night and instead did another lap of the 2025 Ludington Bar Tour. That’s fine—because in came Nick and Alison…Seats were perfect (thanks to me staking the turf Friday afternoon), and the setlist ever better: Africa, Baker Street, What a Fool Believes—you know, the classics.

Sunday redemption mode activated with the 4am alarm—no run today (because, umm… Sunday). Eggs? Check. Boat? Check. Crew? Absolutely electric.

We had: Nick (local hero, donut denier and lone muffin fan), Charlie Daniels (yes, with donuts), Jenn from Norton Shores (sounds upscale, right? Maybe a little Yacht Rocky?) and Brad, Ludington local dude and new to Pull Hard, Yacht Rock groupie turned deckhand.

5:10am, we shoved off on time. Already off to a better start than Saturday. Just as we cleared the marina, my phone rings—it’s Joe Marion, local salmon sensei and occasional reader of this blog. He says, “Go straight out.” Say no more, Joe.

The troll heard ‘round the Dumping Grounds started in 66 FOW southeast of the box-thingy on the GPS. Lowrance screen was lit up with fish...oh baby! Wait…half of our rods are set and no bites? I’m thinking, “Oh no, not another tease-fest like yesterday,” and finally the Starboard rigger fires. Jenn’s on it and just like that—her first salmon is in the boat!

Cue the bite-fest. 12 bites in the first hour—an absolute frenzy but not a disaster like Monday. No tangles…Just me and Nick doing synchronized rod reloads keeping those moneymakers in the water!

Trolled out to 175 FOW and kept the bites coming. Pulled lines a bit early because it’s Sunday and...well…we do have other shit to do besides catch fish. Final score: 12 fish on 19 bites—11 kings and 1 steelhead.

Hot Bites:

  • Rhinestone Cowboy 45 down: 4 bites

  • Fireball 5-color: 3 bites

  • Charlie Special w/ Money Shot fly, 120 back on low diver: 3 bites

  • ITO Meat on Chute rigger, 69 down: 3 bites

  • Red Tail Meat, 150 back high diver: 2 bites

  • Mr. Chrome Fin Frog, 10 color: 1 bite

  • Yeck Blue Dolphin, 200 copper: 1 bite

  • Mr. Chrome Bluefin Magnum Glow, 200 copper: 1 bite

  • Chubster, 7-color: 1 bite (welcome back buddy!)

What I Learned Today:

  • Only one XM station today – Yacht Rock of course! Ahh, pretty sure it worked!

  • Charlie sitting next to the “Charlie Special” = great mojo.
    Charlie touching rods with fish on them = instant fish escape. Stick to donuts, my man.

  • Brad and Jenn crushed it. Brad got a taste of heartbreak (15-minute battle lost at the boat), and Jenn reeled like a damn surgeon—steady hands, ice in her veins.

  • Brad’s vibe was questionable—lots of stories about stabbings and shootings. Not your typical fishy fare, but hey, we caught fish. Maybe it’s chaos-fueled mojo?

  • First Yeck Fireball bite hit at 5:50am. Moral of the story: it’s never too early for Fireball (the spoon… not the cinnamon whiskey, but let’s be honest, probably both).

  • Knife-sliced donuts on the boat = genius. Knife-sliced leftover donuts = not super giftable.

Now I’m back in Howell, finally ready for a week of boring routine and basic emails. Gotta rest up though—next weekend is the Gustafson Takeover. Last year was a fire drill. If the weather holds and the mojo doesn’t crash, it’s gonna be one for the books.