Ludington Fishing Report – Wendy 3:14 and Chubster Strikes Again

6/1/20253 min read

So here’s the deal for this first day of June: no amount of prep, gear organization, or strategic lure placement could have possibly matched the fishing mojo bomb that dropped on us this morning.

Let’s rewind. The plan was simple-ish: head out with Nick & Alison, Alison’s friend’s ex-husband’s brother (try to say that without your brain melting), Glenn—the cherry-farming Army vet from Hart (total legend)—and the wildcard duo of Tim & Chad, who were in “maybe” status after yesterday’s Ludington shenanigans.

Mojo Prep Highlights:

Built a starting lineup of Yeck Chubsters like we were drafting a fantasy team.
Hit up Hamlin Grocery’s claw machine and won a few more ducks for the condo mascot duck army. Chad was way too excited about this…lots of high-fives though!
Crushed dinner at El Rancho (tacos = pre-fish fuel).
Played an hour of dive-bar pool at Bud’s Tap Room. Chad made shots, invented rules, invented more rules…
I capped the night off with a solo sunset bike ride to meditate and vibe check the lake.

Everything felt perfect.

I took a break from running this morning (don’t judge me, I have pie-related priorities now). At 4:55 a.m., I walk out the condo door—and there’s Tim & Chad, passed out like frat bros. Zero alarms. Zero movement. Possibly still dreaming about ducks?

Luckily, Nick and Alison were already on the boat with the lights on and dew wiped. MVP-level crew energy. Sadly, Alison’s-friend’s-ex-husband’s-brother was a no-show—under the weather or possibly with Tim and Chad in dreamland. TBD.

But then—Glenn shows up. And not empty-handed. No, Glenn shows up with a homemade cherry pie. From his own farm. Made by his wife Wendy. Complete with a carved fish design in the crust and a bag of plates, forks, and a pie scooper. It was like being handed a golden ticket to the Wonka factory...but sweeter!

We took off and headed 11 miles southwest to a spot I call the Deep Crown—an underwater ledge where the lake floor drops from 275 FOW to over 400 like a fishy elevator shaft.

No XM radio, just the peaceful hum of the Tiara. We didn’t even get all the lines in before boom! A dipsy rod goes off, and Glenn reels in a beautiful king salmon. Clearly the fish could smell the pie.

By 8 a.m., it was officially pie time. But Lake Michigan, being the showoff it is, gave us another bite just before the clock struck 8am. Timing, I tell you. But we did eventually get into that pie…and OH MY GOSH WENDY! SOOO GOOD! SOOO GOOD! (In case you didn’t know, it’s very rare to have two “so goods” in a row in all caps – very rare!)

Shoutout to Wendy: you’re a wizard.

Pie Piece Count:

Glenn: 1 piece (respectfully restrained—he’s the pie bringer, after all)
Alison: 1 piece + 1 Fireball shot (courtesy of Yeck’s tackle box bar)
Nick: 2 pieces + 1 Fireball shot (solid performance)
Me: 2 pieces and deep restraint not to lick the pan

We ran 12 lines with 14 baits over a 2-mile troll along the deep drop-off. Final tally: 6 king salmon, 2 steelhead, 1 fish lost, for a tasty 8-for-9. Best bite was when 2 two freighters passed close enough to touch and we were thinking of the pie. Pulled lines at 9:30am to start the 3-hour drive back to Howell and, unfortunately, real life.

Hot Bites:

Yeck Chubster on 3-color: 3 bites (this thing might be legally married to me now - oh, and already had to replace the hook!)
Yeck Blue Dolphin on 10-color: 2 bites
Mr. Chrome Radioactive on 200 copper: 2 bites
John King blue bubble BTI meat rig on low diver 125 back: 1 bite
Yeck Fireball on 5-color: 1 spicy surprise – about damn time Fireball!

Things I Learned Today:

Chad loves claw machine ducks like a toddler at a carnival – he kept one for his golf bag. Maybe it’s the two-handed bowling? Dunno.
Glenn brought more than pie. The man brought good vibes, good karma, and also volunteered to help out at the Ludington tournament’s Lakeshore Food Bank thingy in July. What a rock-solid guy!
There must be some of that wacky Canadian fire stuff happening – that sunrise was cool, but pretty funky!
Cherry pie on the boat = instant fish magnet. What if we had two pies? What if we brought Wendy? Would the fish just jump in?

Time to hit the road, but feeling grateful, full of pie, and honestly pretty sure we just discovered the secret to fishing success: Ducks, Pie, Chubsters... and don’t bring too many beers or you’ll sleep through your alarm.