Ludington Starter Curse & Salmon Cure

9/20/20253 min read

September 16, 2023 – my 2015 Ram starter craps out in the condo garage, forcing me problem solve “how do you tow a truck that’s boxed in by concrete?” Fast forward two years: September 19, 2025 – kinda-new 2023 Ram, same damn problem. Starter’s toast. At this point, I think Ludington is trying to tell me something. But hey, if you’ve got to be stranded, Ludington’s the place. I don’t need a truck—I’ve got a boat parked 100 feet away, and that boat is my magic carpet to Lake Michigan hogs.

Before I get to the fishing meat and potatoes (or meat and meat?), I’ve got to pause. This week hit hard: Matt Helz – buddy since junior high, worked side-by-side with him for 33 years, a friend, a huge part of APR’s success, and just one of those guys you thought would always be there. Mike Steffes – the man behind Warrior Lures, a fishing buddy by proxy, just a solid guy. Both gone too soon. RIP, fellas.

I actually went to bed feeling like this was going to be “the” morning. Fish still biting down south. Weather looked okay (two straight mornings with good forecasts!). Crew lined up nicely. Mojo seemed aligned.

The Crew: Me (obviously, someone’s gotta push the autopilot button). Salmon surgeon Jenn, Petunia Josh (PJ) – good energy, questionable beverage choices. Kate – PJ’s better half.

The plan was simple: meet at 5:30am, run south, fill 20 fish slots by 9am. Easy, right?

Wake up at 4am, shower, step outside… wind howling like a mofo. East wind, which is supposed to be “fishy,” no wavey...but it was strong enough to make me rethink the morning. Issued a one-hour delay because I don’t like taking a bumpy roller coaster ride in the dark.

We shoved off at 6:35am, set three rigger lines in the channel, hoping for that elusive harbor salmon (still on my bucket list). Nada. Out to the big lake, added 8 more rods… also nada. Pulled and ran north. Finally set up in 120 FOW just north of the blinky nets. We ended up finding a decent bunch of fish in a 2 mile stretch straight out from big point in 130-160 FOW.

Prime morning bite? Missed it while dinking around out front. Still, we managed: 4 kings, 1 coho, 1 steelhead - On 10 bites total.

Of course, the four we lost were absolute hogs (isn’t that always the gig?).

Hot Bites

Silver Streak glow back standard size Michael Jackson (slider at 84 down): 2 bites
Blue Slice meat, 150 back on low diver: 2 bites
Moonshine half moon mini green/blue flounder, 90 down: 2 bites
Moonshine JJ Mac standard, 75 down
Yeck Fireball, 5 color (Josh forgot to do the shot for like 3 hours, thus the 1 bite)
Charlie Special + Money Shot fly, 130 back on low diver
Red Tail meat rig, 200 back on high diver

What I Learned

The kings were full of tiny alewife snacks. Translation: tomorrow = run smaller spoons.
Pro tip from the Surgeon’s world: doctors wear different hats than nurses, and it actually matters.
PJ loves the foam rod butt grip for reasons unknown—looks goofy, but hey, maybe it’s effective?
Breaking news: Sirius XM 13 has been hijacked by Taylor Swift for 30 days. Album drops October 3rd. Delaney already pre-ordered. More importantly: we didn’t hook up steady until Taylor Swift radio went on. Coincidence? Doubt it.
PJ and Kate got engaged at the Big Point lighthouse. Romantic as hell. Didn’t even know!
Banquet at Stix = table of legends: Jenn, Adam, Logan, Todd, Abe, and the Godfather himself, George Freeman. Still dizzy.
Gabe and Courtney did a great job with the Ultimate Salmon Derby organization—felt like a second job for them. They made my summer (and everyone else’s) a little better. I’m in again next year.
Give a surgeon a fillet knife and she’ll remove salmon bones like she’s prepping for a transplant.

Tomorrow’s crew: Me, Jenn, PJ, Charlie Daniels (long time, no see), and… drum roll… THE Logan. Add in XM 13 (yes, Taylor freakin’ Swift), Rancho toothpicks, Wesco donuts, and Logan’s pre-loaded mojo, and it might just be the perfect storm. Stay tuned.