Ludington Report – “Banana Juju, Cinnamon Rolls & Fireball Regret”

5/25/20253 min read

Fished out of Ludington this fine Memorial Day Sunday with Tim, Nick, Charlie, and Kaedin. Woke up at 3:30am after a night of intense league-less bowling at Stix—with my first-ever bowling ball—and somehow felt great. So great, in fact, that I went for another pre-fishing run. That’s two mornings in a row. Am I turning into one of those people? The kind that runs before fishing? Probably.

Anyway, I finished the run sweaty and triumphant—at the boat, just in time to flip on the lights. Good thing too, because my dock breaker had tripped and I got to enjoy a nice little 4:15am mystery troubleshooting session. Shoutout to my inner electrician.

Everyone showed up right on time, and morale was high—we were feelin’ a 25-fish limit with some hot intel from local Ludington legends. Spirits were soaring… until Tim pointed to the bag of cinnamon roll accessories and said the words no fisherman ever wants to hear:
“Dude… what’s that?”

Charlie, bless his soul, had lovingly prepped cinnamon rolls at 2:30am (yes, 2:30am), complete with plates and a scooper. But buried among the gear... was a banana.
A BANANA. ON A BOAT.
We immediately launched that cursed fruit into orbit. But the damage? Who knows. Is bad banana juju timed? Is it like a two-hour penalty box? Only Poseidon knows.

The boat ride out? Top 10 all time. Flat water, sunrise creeping over Ludington, and just enough other boats nearby to feel like we were all about to hit the jackpot. We set a course of 240 and dropped lines in 190 FOW, fully expecting chaos. Like, 15 rods in and constant hits kind of chaos.

Reality: 15 rods (plus 3 sliders, so 18 lures total), and nothing for a solid 30 minutes. First bite was a medium king—just enough to keep us from completely spiraling. Meanwhile, Todd from Jackpot (who I fished with yesterday) texts me at 6:47am saying he’s already 5 for 10. I could literally see his boat. Dude, WTF!

We stayed put, trolled every direction imaginable, swapped lures like maniacs, and eventually chipped away. Bite seemed best going east/west or west/east—Lake Michigan, powered by indecisiveness. By 10:00am, we were 5 for 6. By noon? We were 13 for 14. Either my early lineup was trash, or banana curses expire around hour 2.

Also, I’d like to formally acknowledge the power of XM Radio: when we switched from Classic Rewind to The Blend, the fish got significantly more romantic. Apparently, they’re not AC/DC fans. They want that smooth adult contemporary vibe while biting.

Hit List (pictured from top to bottom):

Soda Spin Doctor w/ Limey ITO fly
Green/yellow spotted Silver Streak on 200 copper (2 hits)
Mr. Chrome Radioactive on 300 copper (2 hits)
SS Bloody Nose 100 down on a rigger
Moonshine RV Bloody Nose on 10 color
Moonshine black/white (don’t know name) on 10 color
Moonshine Burnt Toast on 7 color
Gold Yeck Fireball on 5 color
Yeck Chubster on 3 color (2 hits, go Chubster!)
ITO Meat Rig 150 down on the chute rigger (2 hits - Lakers)

Charlie’s cinnamon rolls? Elite. Totally redeemed himself from the banana incident.
Nick? Turns out he’s an unironically intense Bone Thugs-N-Harmony superfan—dropped more facts than a VH1 doc.
Kaedin? Sometimes reels fish like a seasoned pro, other times gives up at second 45. Still refuses to hit the Griddy for us.
And the Fireball+Kessler shot combo rule lives on—drinkers must mix that horror show of a shot when a fish hits on copper fireball. I don’t drink, so I get the unique pleasure of watching people regret their life choices in real time.

All in all, a nearly perfect day on the water. Good fish, great laughs, cinnamon rolls, musical fish, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.