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SMonday  March 18, 2024

Photo of the Day
(Click for full size)

3/12/24 Brown Trout.
Ludington, MI
Photo by Kirk C,


February Lake Trout
2/26/24 Ludington, MI


Mint Chrome Steelhead
2/22/24 Ludington


Manistee's 1st St. Launch
2/22/24 2 docks are in
Photo by Wayne J.



April 8, 2024
Full Solar Eclipse



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Salmon Busters™ Great Lakes Info Tips and Trix Capt. John's Log

Welcome New and Returning Visitors
   
"You've just discovered the most extensive information available to the Great Lakes Angler and Charter Fisherman I've been able to put together so far. Please keep in mind, there's well over 150 different pages. Full of my original content containing a complete encyclopedia fishing tips, past results, photos, 60 You Tube videos, tricks & how to's.  Only here, are the constantly evolving techniques to consistently catch more & larger fish are revealed in an easy to read and understand format" ...Capt. John King 

Today's Update and, ...or Fishing Report?

3/18/24  This is 3rd hand info from a trusted source.  Lk. MI action out of my home port of Manistee, MI has been hit and miss.  A couple of fish a trip.  Being Brown Trout and Lake Trout.  So, no big numbers yet.  Wind has been an issue with fast moving cold/warm fronts every few days.  Best area was said to be S of the pier heads.
                Probably a good month away from a more stable fishery with higher numbers.  On second thought, a couple of fish a trip is a good deal for the first half March.  Just a few years ago the harbor would have been iced in.

3/17/24  Happy St. Patrick's Day and the luck of the Irish be with you.  You can make your own luck by staying the course.  Not by getting pulled off a program known to work for you.  If you're not taking bites?  Don't blame yourself for no fish around your boat.  Swapped out tried and true for a shot in the dark, probably is not going to increase your odds.

3/16/24  Best fishing going in Manistee, MI is for Yellow Perch in Manistee Lake.  Minnows and wigglers and you're all set to take some mighty fine eating.  Just about any anchored buoy in the freighter channel will produce.  Dedicated Perch anglers use automatic scalers to preserve the skin.  Those really good at it, butterfly the fillets  This has to be a labor of love to keep the bones out.  Perch and Walleye are tied in book for the best eating fish out of freshwater.

3/15/24  Steelhead fishing in the Big Manistee River is a no go.  Fish are scarce as hen's teeth according to a reputable guide I spoke with yesterday.  Can see the reasoning behind the MDNR's decision to cut the limit to 1 fish a day.
                Bass and Walleye has seasonal limits in many lakes and rivers to protect them during the spawn.  No such luck with Steelhead, unless they're in a designated Trout stream.  Then, there's methods used to catch Steelhead when light line is used.  Essentially, tiring the fish to the point of exhaustion when they cannot be revived for release.  Seen this when the fly fishing began to take over the Big Manistee when I quit guiding in 2003. 
               While the fish may swim away, 3 miles downriver seen perfectly healthy fish belly up.  Not all Steelies survive the spawning process.  There is built in mortality.  Those fish are easily identified with fungus on them.

 

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Black's & Bands
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 Press Releases
History in the Making

"Simply has a edge through knowledge and ability of having broken the lock jaw barrier with his own bag of tricks on a regular basis....
& good sense of humor."

Guy Ellis-The Outdoor Guy "Manistee News Advocate" 
Feb. 2000

  
"King of the Charter Boat Skippers"

Tom Huggler 
"Fish Michigan" 
March 1999
  
"The action on Lake Michigan continued at a frantic pace... the crew went on to land 7 Kings (Chinooks), 1 Coho and 9 Lake Trout on the half day Charter." (17 fish)
   
Dave Richey 
"Sunday Detroit News" 
August 1984


28 lb. King  Pacific Ocean
3/13/21 Soldotna, Alaska



3/13/20 Soldotna, AK
12" White Lightening Flasher
26 lb. King Salmon!


Sunrise over Manistee, MI
Low light? ...better photos!

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XG-Frog 12" Combo
9/19/21 Burns Ditch, IN


UP's Fairport, MI
29lb. King last July

 


27.93 lb. Atlantic Salmon
114' down, Salmon Buster 4.0
Baltic Sea, Russian Federation