Sunday Funday: Blessed Boats, & The G.O.A.T (?)

This morning was shaping up to be prime trolling weather out of Ludington — sunshine, calm water, and just enough donut glaze on the fingers to get the hooks sticky.

Yesterday we participated in Ludington’s Blessing of the Boats, which technically doesn’t involve blessing the actual boat — instead, the priest blesses something from your boat in a bit of Lake Michigan holy water, and then poof — the whole boat is blessed by spiritual proximity.

We went with:

• A red Yeti coozie that Nick swears keeps drinks cold and hooks hot.

• A Taylor Swift-style bracelet from Delaney that says PH4L. (Fishing Homies 4 Life? Pretty Hot 4 Ludington?)

I woke up at 4am, skipped the run (because Sunday is the Lord’s day and also the “Jeff sleeps in” day – at least this Sunday), and peeked around the condo corner to see... The Dons were up! Not just up, but thriving. Coffee made. Wesco donuts stacked. Muffins (no banana — I checked). Honestly, elite hospitality from our favorite father/son duo.

We got to the boat in time to leave the dock at 5am on the dot. Nick was already there, but no Alison —there was a bonfire the night before and possibly a few too many “bonfire beverages.” Nick looked like a human hangover but rallied like a champ.

Now, the eternal Ludington question: North, South, or Straight Out?

We tried north yesterday — meh. So, based on a “friend of a friend’s” report (aka extremely sketchy intel), we set the autopilot to 275° and blasted out 5 miles, setting lines in 100 FOW. We trolled. And trolled. And trolled some more. Nada. Not a mark, not a bump. It was basically an aquatic desert out there.

By 7:30am, we were floating over 305 FOW, and it was decision time. Do we pull lines and race north back to yesterday’s semi-productive spot. Time was ticking — Sunday troll ends at 9:30am, so people can go back to their other lives (a shame, honestly). We’re gonna pull line and move – majority rules!

Don Sr. is pulling in a 200 copper line and surprise! A mini salmon had hit the Hiller spoon. Not gonna lie, we cheered like we just won the Offshore Classic (not that we would know what that cheer is like!). Combine that king with a gorgeous sunrise and things were looking up

Back at the northern spot, we reset the Super Spread™ — 15 rods, 17 lures, all business. Marked a few fish, but bites were scarce. At 9 a.m., with the clock ticking, we turned south for home...

Bam! The 5-color fires — the brand new Yeck “G.O.A.T.” spoon doing work. First time in the water, and it hooked a chunky lake trout. I love the colors — basically a Fireball with black dot attitude — but I’m still scratching my head about the name. Like, who names a brand new spoon “Greatest Of All Time”? What if it flops? What if it’s just... mildly above average?

Regardless, it earned its keep today for now

Hot Lures (emphasis on “hot” being relative):

• Hangry Brand Buzzard Licker on 200 copper: 1 bite

• Yeck G.O.A.T. on 5-color: 1 bite

What I Learned Today:

• The Dons are fully capable of a bounce-back performance, complete with donuts, coffee, and good boat banter.

• Fishing strategy should not be based on a friend of a friend who “might’ve heard something at the bar.”

• The boat blessing worked. 100%. Without that divine coozie and bracelet combo, we were definitely getting skunked. Thank you, Lake Michigan Holy Water and Jesus.

Now I’m off — laundry and shower are done (I smelled vaguely of lake trout!), and I’m headed to Grand Rapids for a perfect Sunday afternoon. See you next weekend, Ludington.