Ludington Fishing Report: The Temple Tribe Strikes Back

7/13/20253 min read

Third straight Ludington troll in a row… second in a row with the Temple Tribe…and spirits were high, and Wesco donuts were halved with surgical precision. We ran the same squad from Saturday: Scott, Lil, Duncan, Meagan, and Grayson, and they showed up extra super ready.

The pre-fish festivities were elite. Riley made her grand entrance Friday night—naturally, her idea of entertainment? The Pere Marquette Winery - Duh. So we loaded up the Ram truck parade and headed south. Shout-out to Wes, the coolest winery owner in West Michigan, for setting us up with wine flights inside an actual horse stall bar. Riley played wine-sherpa for Scott, teaching him the finer points like holding the cold wines by the glass stem, start at the top of the flight and work your way down (I think that’s right) and of course Scott…sip it, it’s not a Jim Beam shot!

Next up: Peter Pan Land. It's become a thing. Great view, great people, and a slightly concerning moment when Meagan and Riley tried to forage magic mushrooms.

Then we attempted a Bud’s Taproom pool game but basically went in, peed, and left. So, Ludington Bay for pulled pork tacos. Perfect decision.

Wrapped it all with hot tub therapy and pool jumps. Me and Grayson agreed—this is how you recover after reeling in hogs all morning.

Everyone was up on time, coolers packed, coffee hot, Wesco donut boxes (there were 2 of them!), Sandwiches made…We were a well-oiled machine rolling off the dock at exactly 5:08am. And for once, there was no “Should we go north/south/straight outdebate. The crew was craving change, so we pointed her south.

Forecast said rough water. Water was gorgeous…got to love when the weather is off in the right direction! What started as 12-inch rollers quickly downgraded to baby ripples. We started just north of Bass Lake and went on a SW troll in 80 FOW.

Thanks to the fish gods for letting us set all 19 lines before striking. Always classy!

We worked out from 80 to 170 FOW and back, grinding out 9 bites—not a slaughter, but respectable. And the sunrise? Mars-colored magic—right as we were hooked up. Another perfect Ludington morning and all six of us were crying tears of joy!

Shout-out to Lil for going toe-to-toe with a tank on the Yeck Fireball 5 color. The fish went full on FU, sending that board to Pentwater. Lil stayed laser-focused for 30 minutes only for the fish to toss the hook in one final “screw you” flip of the middle fin. It happens to the best of us, Lil.

Between bites, we: Held bullshit Olympic sessions, Grayson and I forgot to do Spanish accents (again, damn it), Invented the "one-foot-boat-deck-balance challenge" (I won. Controversially.), Washed off reels like Chief Brody in Jaws using the washdown hose (Scott’s brilliance) - “Chief, get the scoop out of the bucket! Wet the reel!”

Fish Count: 3 king salmon on 9 total bites

Hot Bites:

Dreamweaver SS Mixed Veggies (free slider, 58 down) – 2 bites
Dreamweaver Mag Rhinestone Cowboy (55 down) – 2 bites
Moonshine Half Moon JJ Mac (10 color) – 1 bite
Dreamweaver Rasta Goose (200 copper) – 1 bite
Yeck Fireball (5 color) – 1 backbreaking, heartbreaking bite
Dreamweaver SS Caramel Dolphin (free slider, 52 down) – 1 bite
Mr. Chrome Fin’s Frog Magnum Glow (7 color) – 1 bite

What I Learned Today:

Grayson has invented a sneaky middle finger technique that’s equal parts confusing and hilarious.
Grayson also shares a spice tolerance with Andy’s Justy (Sourdough bread famous) – a single black pepper flake = DEFCON 1.
The Badger docking team deserves medals. I will never complain about docking my Tiara again.
For all of you serious fishing dudes, seriously, and you know who you are…running a small school of Yeah Mons and Rasta Geese with XM 19 Bob Marley on picked us up 2 bites. Not a feeding frenzy, but not bad either! Think about it for the Big Boy’s Tournament!
Other stations were Shaggy's Boombastic (don’t ask), No Shoes Radio, The Message (trying to get the Sunday vibe), Classic Vinyl, The Symphony, and Yacht Rock – no good pattern.
Plastic knife = game changer for donut sampling. You avoid committing to a full donut, taste multiple, and feel oddly refined while doing it.

I’ll be in Ludington all week. Fishing Thursday–Sunday. Helping Alison clean fish for the Lakeshore Food Club Tuesday & Wednesday. Tournament week is here. Tons of boats. Lots of tight-lipped captains. But not me. I’ll post everything—where we go, what we run, XM radio stations – all the stuff—because only three people read this, and maybe one of them likes to fish.