Click here for my first Salmon I caught on Oct. 1, 1968

Archived Daily Log 
(from the last 9 seasons)

5/5/08  It's a great pleasure to announce the 2008 Brew City Salmon Tournament being held August 9, 2008 at McKinley Marina.  August 10th is a weather backup date.  To the uninformed, Brew City is Milwaukee, WI.  There's already 47 boats entered in this contest according to Todd Pollesch who can be reached at 414 899-5959.  Entry fee is $125.   
       From the limited reports I have to work with, by the sound of things, more tonnage per boat was landed in Lk. Huron this past weekend.  Sure the Huron fishermen caught plenty of Lake Trout as usual, but there were some Kings and a fair amount of Coho.  According to the details, the fish were pretty much unmolested, cuz fishing pressure was extremely light. 5/3/08 Lk. Huron King  5/3/08 Harbor Beach catch
      Work progresses on the continuing saga of SR 1979 with page 5 in the series carried over from 2007.  Older boats provide tremendou$ value, if you're willing to do some upgrades.  This season will cover fine tuning the fish-ability, without letting costs get out of hand.  Changed the lower end lube, made 2 new 5' rigger arms, installed a storage box, added soundproofing and only spent about $200 thus far. SR 1979 page 5

5/4/08  King season will be upon us soon and today's update will go a long ways in extending the serviceability and life of your rods.  Most of the strain on the rod is put on the reel seat.  Just tightening down the seat down is not enough.  If you reels came equipped with reel clamps, use them.  Reel Clamps in Use
       This holding clamp will form a strong saddle and lock the reel in place.  Side torque from arm reeling by inexperienced anglers who reel in sharp squares, instead of circles will loosen the reel seats.  While this isn't the total answer, it helps.
       Here's another worthy tip that will save you tons of grief.  Use a Q-Tip cotton swab to check your line guides.  If you have a broken, or cracked line guide, the loose cotton fibers will generally get stuck in the problem area.  Checking Line Guides
       Granted, both of today's tips will probably benefit the less experienced angler, but we have fishermen of all skill levels who visit this website.  None will be overlooked!

5/3/08  Made a set of solid, one piece 5' out-downs, or long arms for my Big John downriggers from stainless steel.  The stock, supposedly 4' booms, only hang 3'6" away from the side my boat.  I do not like any sectioned, screw tighten, or pieced together rigger arms.  All manufacturers are doing this to cut down on shipping charges in dealing with big box outlets, like Cabelas, or Bass Pro. Custom made BJ 5' rigger arms
        Don't take this as a smear on BJ riggers, as they're made in Traverse City, MI, not China.  The new custom booms will add close to 3 feet of spacing to the rigger spread.  
        Been neglecting our WI brothers on the other side of the pond.  Milwaukee's Brew City Tournament dates and more info will be announced in the 5/4/08 update.
        Good luck to all the fishing teams in Harbor Beach, MI's Can Can MDA Tournament today.  Should have a full report on the outcome sometime early next week.

5/2/08  Ludington's Capn Kirk and message board member drew first blood on a verified King in double digits at 7pm last evening.  I said verified, cuz this is not a rumor, but a trusted source who does not BS.  This fish was caught around the harbor.
       Want to know when the fishing is at it's early season best in Manistee by gauging results from a surface temp chart?  Just fix your eyes on at the archived satellite temp reading from 6/2/04.  Right along Manistee's shelf, aka drop-off, ...you'll see warm 50 degrees on the inside, and colder, low 40 degree water to the deep side.  The closer the thermobars are together the better the catching!  This sets up an awesome fish holding temperature break right on the current fed transition from shallow to deep water.
       You can access these free satellite maps on my Great Lakes Info Page, along with links to weather, ect.  That page was built when I was still chartering to serve my needs.  Surface temp charts are a valuable free tool, more so, if you don't fish everyday.  To view the archived temp chart in today's chat, click here.

5/1/08  Let's take a look at diver reels, so necessary to our Great Lakes Fishery!  Winding in a magnum diver and what's behind can weigh a pound, or more.  Then factor in the water drag on the lure/attractor you're towing.  Fleet standard on reels is around the size of the Diawa 47LCs.  The small framed Diawa SG 47 LC features 5 to 1 retrieve and does not provide enough umph, as far as I'm concerned. Click reel size comparisons
       Larger framed reels with bigger gear boxes will provide more power and an easier handle to crank.  Especially, when you start winding in 200' of line and what's behind it.  The discontinued Penn 895LC is power steering, compared to any LC 47 sized reels.  
       Next step would be the new Okuma Catalina 45D LC with 4 ball bearings and an oversized reel handle.  We used these reels last August when I had the enlightening opportunity to beat up on the fish with Leland, MI's world famous, Capt. Jim Munoz.  
      While Okuma shot itself in the foot with a lot of bad, poorly constructed reels when they first came out, their Catalina series shares no such problems.  At least according to skipper Munoz.  Our shrunken, dwarfish Lk. MI Kings of lately will not tax a smaller reel like they once did, but winding in a magnum diver with a flasher/fly/meat rig will!

4/30/08  Let's close out April 2008 with a midweek fishing report.  Lake Erie from Turtle Island to Fermi is producing Walleyes.  Action is said to be steady, not fast and the 'eyes are all fair sized.  We know Saginaw Bay, MI has decent action from the featured Getaway tourney photos from a few days ago.  Getaway's Walleyes
       Michigan City, IN and St. Joe, MI are both looking at big money tournaments in the near future.  So, reports are a lot harder to come by.  Did hear from reliable sources Kings in Michigan City were starting to show and tight to the bottom.  There's a rumored King from St. Joe in the 17 pound class caught in the color plume from the St. Joe River. After this coming weekend, we should start hearing more about King action on Lk. MI.  
      Good luck to all our members fishing the upcoming Can Can Tournament in Harbor Beach, MI.  The Can Can is a 80% payout with 20% going to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  I'm listed as a sponsor of this event by donating to the good cause of MDA.

4/29/08  Today, congratulations are in order to message board members Getaway (6th) and mwittbrodt (9th) for top 10 finishes in last weekend's Freeland Walleye Tournament held Saginaw Bay.  There were 126 boats entered in this event, along with several top "pro" Walleye anglers who did not produce what our members did.  
      Both of our knowledgeable members did best by slow trolling (almost a crawl) with bottom bouncers towing night crawler harnesses in the vicinity of Charity Island.  
          Click for  Team Getaway        Click for their tournament catch
      Another set of congratulations goes to our friends in Sweden, Ove J. and Team Extreme for winning the prestigious Swedish Masters Trolling Series.  Don't have the whole story yet, but I know they use a lot of my flashers. Click for Team Extreme  
      Fishing in Sweden mirrors what's done here in the USA.  Fishing is an universal language that crosses all international borders and spans oceans via the internet!

4/28/08  Too windy for any reports from Manistee, or most Michigan ports this past Saturday.  I did see the Lake Huron fishermen had decent weather and good catches from Port Sanilac, MI up towards White Rock.  More results today, or tomorrow.
     Started on Page 5 of the ongoing saga of the 1979 22 foot Sea Ray purchased last May.  Boats are a continuous work in progress.  Especially, the first couple years you own one.  Several small upgrades are in store and these will be shared in a photo diary.
     I'll bet the talk around the water cooler in the DNR offices is how bad Dexter handled himself in the Grand Rapids Press interview.  His imperceptive explanation of why there's not a level playing field in daily catch limits from Lake Michigan was off the mark.  IN, IL and WI all offer a 5 Salmon of the same specie daily limit, w/no complicated formulas!  

4/27/08  I was sickened by the opinionated rational in yesterday's update.  Generally, in the government employment system you keep getting promoted until you reach a level of incompetence.  Jim Dexter has proven this point and I'm willing to bet, he regrets saying something so blatantly ignorant!  Our DNR has pulled some less enlightened stuff lately, but Dexter's shell-game explanation on shortchanging Michigan anglers takes the cake.  
      I have a copy of a letter fishing pioneer Dick Swan mailed to MDNR's Fishery Chief, Kelly Smith and other political leaders in the State of Michigan.  Dick is calling for Smith to resign, but I'm not taking sides in this blood feud.  The DNR has been offered equal space and courtesy, if they wish to reply to Dick's letter. Click for Swan letter

4/26/08  Friday, April 25, 2008, The Grand Rapids Press in an article by Howard Meyerson speaking about increasing the MI limit. Basically moving to a 5 King limit to match the other states bordering Lake. Michigan.  Here's an excerpt: 
     "Jim Dexter has a unique perspective on the topic, born of years working closely with Great Lakes anglers and charter captains. He knows anglers love to catch their "limit." When the limit is three they more often go home satisfied. 
      When it is five, that isn't always so. Those focused on "limit" catches can go home unfulfilled with four. Legal limits, he said, have a way of establishing angler expectations. 
     "We know a lot of anglers can't get three fish," Dexter said. "There are going to be a lot more that can't get five."  Click for rest of this article
      Please note the words love, satisfied and unfulfilled, which have nothing to do with the reel facts, or the expense involved in going fishing.  All in all, this is a feeble attempt to explain why it's OK, not to give the same daily bag limits the other states do.
      I guess our brother anglers in IN, IL and WI don't have as delicate feelings, as we Michiganders do.  Is our MDNR is concerned about possibly pushing us into a state of depression, cuz we didn't limit out?  With hokey, crock of BS fairy tales like this, Dexter's next interview might be as a guest on the on the Dr. Phil, or Jerry Springer TV Shows!

4/25/08  Kicker motors are a worthy subject for today's update.  With gas prices reaching higher and higher everyday, kicker motors will save fuel.  I know for a fact the small block GM V8 on my boat will burn at, or over 2 gallons an hour at trolling speeds.  
       My 15 hp. 4 stroke Johnson outboard uses a 1/2 gallon, or slightly less per hour trolling.  Based on a 4 hour morning ...at trolling speed the kicker uses 2 gallons, where as the GM V8 would burn at least 8 gallons.  That's a cost savings of 6 gallons, about $24.00 per morning, or an evening fish.  Go twice a day and you're looking at 50 bucks.  Based my Jethro fuel prices ciphering of the tragic 4 buck a gallon crime.
       There's another issue just as important as the fuel savings.  That's less wear and tear on your main source of propulsion whether it's a I/O, outboard, or straight inboard.  I've yet to hear anyone have good luck trolling with a large outboard.  Especially, if you're trolling with a large 2 stroke outboard the fumes stink like hell on a downwind troll.
       After seeing last weekend's fish pix from Lake Huron, readying my boat has taken on a whole new meaning.  Today's featured photo is my kicker motor in a garbage can filled with water.  This was to make sure the motor started in my driveway before going on a trip to the pond  Both of my motors are just fine after their winter's nap.  Check out as much stuff, as possible at home before your first trip. Click for kicker motor

4/24/08  There's a lot more to Great Lakes fishing than meets the eye.  Owning a boat is a prerequisite. That goes without saying, but owning your our ride means maintenance chores that should not be neglected!  Click for draining the lube
       A simple pre-season task is to make sure the lower end gear lube is changed.  This ensures the lower unit lube is clean no matter what kind of propulsion system you have.  Overlooking this can cost you big bucks, if the lube comes out looking milky, or there's metal shavings contained within the lube. Click installing new lower end lube
       The lower end, or right angle drive gets destroyed when fishing line gets wrapped around your prop, then the line gets behind the prop where you can't see it.  This wears away the seal, allowing water to get in.  After that? ...it gets real expensive!
      Cost to do this yourself?  Around 20 bucks, if you needed to purchase the pump shown in one of today's featured photos like I did.  Consult your owners manual, but in my case the lower unit holds about a 1 1/2 quarts of lube.  There's a air hole at the top, keep pumping until you see the lube at the top hole and re-insert the fill plugs.
      Let's keep in mind, it's a lot cheaper to replace a worn seal, or buying some gear lubricant ...compared to having a marine mechanic completely rebuild your lower end!

4/23/08  Today's topic focuses on Lake Huron's spring Salmon opportunities.  Last weekend saw catches that included Kings to plus 13 pounds, chunky Coho to 4 pounds and catch numbers that ranged from 10 to 20 fish a boat. Click for proof
      This is good news and a way to circumvent the all-too-high gas prices by staying closer to home for many.  Most of the population in Michigan lives on the east side of the state.  Especially, the south eastern corner down by the Metro Detroit area.
       Our resident spring specialist on Lake Huron, Jason F, skipper of the much respected "Rawhide" fishing team identified the stomach contents in yesterday's photo as being Emerald Shiners.  I bow to his expertise for several reasons, including back-2-back wins in the long established Blue Water Classic Tournament!  Click 13# Lk. Huron King

4/22/08  The details from last weekend continue to spell good fishing on the Great Lakes of Erie, Huron and Michigan.  It seems like all the weekend warriors who wetted a line caught and some caught very big numbers.  Click for a gut check
     Inside tip from Michigan City, IN.  Good catches of Kings tight to the bottom in 30 feet of water.  This is the first good action on Kings heard.  So, far this season.
     Restocked the popular Meat Rig Storage Cases at the webstore.  These have been almost impossible to keep in stock, cuz of their obvious value! Click for meat rig case

4/21/08  Good fortune smiled on those who fished the Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan this past weekend.  Heard of some 20 fish catches from Lake Huron at Port Sanilac!  Mostly Coho, some Lakers, and a few Kings from the "sunrise side."
      Lake Michigan's big deal was St. Joe, with big numbers of spring Coho, a few Browns and an occasional King.  Michigan based fishermen who fished Holland and Grand Haven did fair.  Even Manistee's April Brown Tout fishery took a slight turn for the better.
      All success was reported in waters 30 feet, or shallower.  Surface running lures off planer boards (regular, or inline) produced most of the fish.  Recent warm weather will push the fish deeper eventually.  So, enjoy the surface catching stuff while you can!
      Today's feature photo of the day shows a handsome young man showing off his angling prowess with a conquering grin we can all appreciate. Click for this photo

4/20/08  Reports from Lake Huron's Port Sanilac, MI continue to be encouraging. Limits of 3 Coho per MI license, with some Lake Trout thrown in.  Lake Huron's Kings have been tougher to locate.  Look for more information on this tomorrow, as more of our message board members report in with the full scoop.

4/19/08  Good reports from the southern ends of Lk. Huron and Lk. Michigan abound as the 08 season gains steam.  It's darn good to see freshly caught fish grace this website.
      Today's featured photo is from Ed C. who fishes Seneca Lake in NY.  Had had a great first outing with 5 interested customers and 3 Lake Trout that stayed stuck.  Seneca Lake's Lake Trout are part of native/resident strain used to restock the Great Lakes and have been widely distributed throughout the waters of Lake Huron.  
      Ed's weapons of choice were mostly BTIs w/flies, but they did take one fish on a spoon.  His best fly from what I could discern with the Kobalt Killer.  Which Ed nick named the "boy blue."  That rig provided 3 of his strikes! Click for a great photo!
     First time off the dock for me this year will be to get a movie of how devastating the fly gets whipped by the 10" BTIs.  Unlike the old technology slanted vertical flashers, the BTIs providing a distinct enticing whip, or snap to the action of the fly/squid.  My 10 inchers do it with 25% less water drag too, when compared to the 8" finned jobbies!

4/18/08  Good news for you today on two fronts!!.  MC Sports in Traverse City, MI will be stocking the 10" BTI flashers very soon.  I appreciate this major company finding work arounds, as my products do not have bar codes.  Public demand was the reason.  I've never paid sales calls to any tackle store, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future.
      Good news from Manistee, MI too!  There will be less nets in Manistee during 2008 according to yesterday's meeting attended by all agencies concerned.  Tribal fisher Don Stone said there will be only 2 boats operating out of Manistee in 2008 and most of their efforts will be centered on both sides of Big Point Sable. 
      The net floating on the surface in the 13s off the Port of Manistee has been pulled.  One of the Manistee's commercial fishing boats sunk tied to the dock on 4/16/08 due to the high winds that help set the forest on fire by my place yesterday.  Coast Guard has given this a clean bill of health, cuz nothing has been spilled into the environment.

4/17/08  Want to put things in perspective in a hurry?  Have the woods catch on fire a 1/4 mile from your house!  Yesterday's high 50 to 60 mph winds  knocked down a tree.  Tree falls against the power lines and starts a fire in the dry undergrowth.  Then the 50-60 mph gusts whip this into a major ground fire that burned many acres of woods.  
       Fire for the most part was confined to the ground and did not travel thru the tops of trees.  Initial reports looks like this fire went about a mile before several fire departments brought this blazing ground fire under control.  Click for burned woods
       The direction of the southwest winds was in my favor and pushed this blaze away from my place.  Now what to you grab, or try to remove from the house when imminent danger causes you to evacuate?  My list was the pets, vehicles and computers with files that could never be replaced.  After experiencing this, periodic backup files will be placed in my bank's safety deposit box from now on.  Offsite backup is a must!

4/16/08  I received trap net info from Tribal Law Enforcement Officer, Dave Deforest.
The situation in Manistee right now does not need to be sensationalized, but there are serious hazards to navigation ...temporally!  It seems some LRB trap nets were left unattended for a undetermined extended duration of time.  Right now, some of the nets are not marked according to hoyle, or missing marking buoys.
       This is a direct result of the Manistee tribal netter's 1000% total lack of any sort common sense.  While they call themselves the Stones, they don't have a box to keep their rocks in!  While it's impossible not to hold the parent organization, Little River Tribe responsible.  Let's keep in mind, this is the action of a very few unscrupulous individuals with little regard for the public's safety!  Several agencies are working to fix what's wrong and you can take that to the bank! Click updated status and locations
       Compound this with the sunken net boat in Ludington and you'll see it's a nightmare for the tribal council, plus the tribe members who've had enough of these antics.
       Let's go with a computer tip, cuz without your puter viewing anything on the internet just is not gonna happen.  Desktop computers move tremendous volumes of air thru the case.  About once a year, remove a side-plate and blow out with air.  Either from a compressor, or canned air purchased from a office supply store.  Removing the dust, dirt, and crud inside will extend the life of your box. Click example photo

4/15/08  Today is a procrastinator's worst nightmare, tax day!  Gonna make preparations to haul my boat out storage sometime later today, if all goes.  Predicted temps (later this week) to plus 60 degrees is giving me a case of reel-bad fishing fever.
       Situation is Manistee is gray, and I will not paint it black, cause I live here and we got tons of bad press in 2007.  There's some info at the Manistee Charter Boat website.  Click here for the link  Manistee Charter's website is laid out adequately, but light print over a dark background is hard to read.  Especially, if you're eyes are no longer perfect, cuz 60 years of wear and tear on your vision.
       Many of our message board members are ganging up on Lake Huron's Port Sanilac this weekend.  Decent catches of Coho and a few Kings has perked their interest and it's a lot closer to home for those living on the east side of Michigan.

4/14/08  Let's look at how stuff holds up over the long haul.  Today's featured photo shows some older sized "0" dodgers from the 1980s and 1990s.  It shows over time, the painted surfaces gets chipped, fades, cracks, or falls off.  Click for this photo
       Jerry Bechhold's Fish Catchers. or Hootchies brought us our modern era plastic flashers.  The slanted vertical finned flasher gained a toehold in 2000 and ruled the roost by 2001.  All be it may, he had no painted selections, cuz the color is molded in, or in the Witchcraft lure tape.  Molded in color does not fade, crack or chip.
       Underneath the dodgers in the displayed photo is one on my 2004 12 inch flashers.   Being close to 4 years old and lots of use, this flasher shows no signs of wear.  Other than some light tarnish on the reinforcing rivets, this flasher still retains it's new look.
      i2k attractors will outlast their counter parts of yesteryear by many decades.  In keeping with that thought, there's a 25 to 30% off special on flasher storage boxes this week.  If you're wanting to store, organize and keep your tackle new for almost forever, please consider this offer. Click for special pricing  Click to view storage box

4/13/08  In Manistee, MI we're around 4 weeks away from any vestiges of a reliable fishery for Kings.  By Memorial Day there should be good opportunities.  Might be sooner, if we get a warm May with lots of south wind, but don't count on it.
      No matter how I try to shake the issues associated with the commercial fishing, it keeps rearing it's ugly head.  Yes, recently there have been incidents with hazards to navigation, but look for this mess to be straightened up.  Well before we have numbers of fishermen venturing out of Port of Manistee with improving weather..
      Let's put our trust in a 30 year cop (former detective) Dave Deforest before he went to work as tribal law enforcement.  Dave's no BS and a straight arrow not to be detoured, or intimidated by anyone.  Look for breaking news in the future.

4/12/08  The trap net that was washed up around the piers/shore of Whitehall, MI has been removed.  This is good news for all of us.  It shows the MDNR, USCG, NRC and the Little River Tribal Law Enforcement is serious about making our waters safe.  The status of nets in Manistee remains uncertain, but rest assured the our waters will be safe by Memorial Day 2008. Look for more news on this as info becomes available to me.

4/11/08  Weather looks a longs ways from tolerable until next Tuesday.  So, there won't be much in the line of reports from the Manistee area.  Last I heard Brown Trout were scarce.  Even though the DNR has been planting them, we're getting a poor return on the cost to raise Browns for the central Lake Michigan.
       Reel season will kick off in a couple of weeks.  Be sure to photograph your fish when they're first caught.  The backdrop of the boat and water adds to the image.  There's two ways to take photos: one is provide a record of a dead fish.  The other is to tell a complete story with the trappings of the actual event.  I prefer the second!
      Using fill flash even in fairly well lit light will remove shadows and add dimension to the foreground of the image.  Flash does another thing, it speeds up the shutter if you're using auto setting most of the time like I do.  Click for fill flash photo
      Thusly, eliminating a possible blurred image and enhancing the picture.

4/10/08  According to our message board members, there's some good reports coming from southern Lake Huron (Lexington, MI) of good catches of Coho.  This is great news for those who live live in southeastern, Michigan when we throw in the high cost of fuel.
      Lexington is about a one hour drive from the metro Detroit area.  Keeping in mind, during April of 2007, Lake Huron showed better catches of Kings than Lake Michigan did.  So, let's not right-off the sunrise side, nor forget Lake Huron.  Back in the later 1970s and during the 1980s, I preferred Lake Huron, because of the excellent King fishing.
     Just like last season, the fish are in shallow close to shore.  The depth of 12 to 20 feet was mentioned.  Bomber Long As and small spoons on long leads running close to the surface was said to be turning the trick.
     The recent exposé about the tribal commercial fishing in Manistee showed it's never been about fishing rights, sport vs. commercial fishing, or a racial issue.  It's been about how much money the some of the netters could pilfer from the coffers of their tribe.  During 2007 there was an amount of $97,000 given to a tribal fisherman.  Now he's claiming a hardship clause, asking for more money to stay in business.  This does not count the many thousands spent on him before and the extra monies cleaning up the abandoned nets he left in Ludington, MI in 2005.

4/9/08   Yesterday's update about the whistle-blower website concerning the inner workings of the tribal netters was pulled off the internet by the early afternoon.  Never the less there was hundreds of our viewers got to see the truth.  
        I did save the documents from their internal investigation of fraudulent activities that put forth a pretty impressive case against many of the netters.
       There's a hardcore faction within the Little River Tribe of Native Americans that call themselves the Indian Mafia.  The LRB Indian Mafia use blatant tactics of intimidation to run rough-shod.  Therefore, controlling the more moderate & honest tribal members. 
       If the Little River Indians were under more control of our federal government, they'd be under a full investigation under the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations), cuz of organized crime.  This is not our battle to fight and we're better off letting the LRB to settle their own internal conflicts. 
       The trap nets left in since last summer?  We do not have the full story on this yet.  This I do know about nets: over time nets get covered in slime and start growing zebra mussels.  Commercial fishing nets need to be pulled and cleaned for effectiveness. I'll have more on this important story soon.
        Congratulations to our message board members who pulled two top 10 finishes in last weekend's Brown Blast Tournament held in St. Joe, MI.  FBD, Reel Turner, Ufgator and Gene all did a fine job.  In tipping my hat to this fine group, it's my supreme pleasure to know all of you and it's a blessing to have as members of this website!

4/8/08  Today's update is extremely important, but first I have to issue a strong warning to all Lake Michigan fishermen.  Within 3 to 5 weeks there will be boats venturing out of Ludington to Frankfort (if not sooner).  Beware, as the nets tribal fishermen set last summer were not pulled and winter storms have possibly moved them.  I hate the word "possibly," but there's net markers washed up on shore.  
      Recently, the US Coast Guard vessel berthed in Manistee, MI got tangled in an unmarked net, some where's south of the Port of Manistee.  They had to pull their large boat to removed parts of the net from it's running gear.  
      So, take it from me, the mess from last year looks like it's only gotten worse!  Right now, nobody knows where the 21 trap nets might have drifted off to!
       To discover the inner workings of tribal matters, I discovered a website detailing how the 2000 Consent Decree monies given by the State of Michigan has been raped by the tribal netters.  What you'll see is the inside truth of how this has been accomplished.
       Here's a quote and the word Ogema means chief of the tribe: 
"The $800,000+ wasted in "equipment" dwarfs the individual grants. Tribal Council has asked the Ogema and the Department of Public Safety, headed by Joseph LaPorte, to please inventory all of this equipment, because it technically belongs to the Tribe. But, for some unknown reason, the Ogema has refused. Joe LaPorte cited jurisdiction as a problem. Please. The Tribe has no problems with jurisdiction when it comes to screwing over some tribal members, but suddenly their jurisdiction is limited when it comes to going after the Stones. (Because Beth Acre was convicted.) 
       We do know that the money the Tribe spent was very real, and the program is very much dead. You can also see here that Israel is suspected of returning equipment that belongs to the Tribe and getting paid. That is exactly what Kim's sister was busted for. How come Israel isn't in court, Larry? Almost all of the money that was given to the Tribe is now gone, and what little the Tribe does have left will more likely than not have to be spent cleaning up the environmental nightmare the Stones have left for us in Ludington. This program has been completely decimated and raped like the Small Business Grants through the Commerce Commission. Thank you guys...... Please tell your Ogema that you are tired of these guys."
       The above shows the disgust within the LRB tribe and a total embarrassment to the entire Little River Tribe of Native Americans. $2,139,166.51 has been divested among the tribal fishers.  There was a suspicious repeated amount for many boats all selling at $50,000.00 a piece? 

4/7/08  Here's what I know about the past weekend's results: Brown Trout fishing in Manistee, MI is stupendous, but the catching is almost zilch!  Along the beach south was a 2 1/2 hour boat ride towards Guerney Creek according the Capt. Tom Rasmussen.  Pier fishermen putting their time in are taking a few, with heavy emphasis on few off Manistee's north wall.  Temp on the beach is 37 to 38 degrees.
      St. Joe should be renamed to Cohoville, cuz it's limit city for all who've been fishing this port.  Message board member georgeb reported they're taking a few Coho out of Port Sheldon, MI.  Ramp at Port Sheldon is in they've gained a good foot of water since last January.  Look for more reports tomorrow if all goes well.

4/6/08  Need proof it's spring in Manistee County?  Well, so do I!  After a long arduous snowy winter, it hard to believe the seasons are changing.  Yesterday, it was close to 60 degrees and more of the same is on order for today.  Took a conglomeration of 3 photos merged into one image as proof it's spring.  Should have some fresh fishing info by tomorrow, along with new photos on Monday. Click for proof of spring

4/5/08  Had our warmest day in Manistee County in a long time.  Temp approached 50 degrees yesterday and the warming trend is predicted to continue this week!
      Today is catch up day on orders.  Gonna try to get SR1979 rolling out of storage in the next day, or two.  Big lake fishing season is here!  

4/4/08  Good luck to our members fishing the Brown Blast tournament in St. Joe tomorrow.  We have at least 3 members that will be there.  As far, as I know ...this is the first tourney of 2008.  Let's hope the lake behaves itself and it's a success for all.
      There's a mini sale going on at the webstore.  I have stock issues to straighten out at a greatly reduced prices.  The deal on the Silver Bullet BTIs complete with matching 2 Fly Meat Rigs at low ball.  Found a box of King Kryptonite and Clear Red 2 Fly Meat Rigs when we were cleaning the shop.  This deal comes with number one selling BTIs in Black Mamba Glo and X-Glow King Kryptonite. Click for Super Spring BTI Specials

4/3/08  The Anacortes Salmon Derby held last weekend in the State of Washington on the west coast.  This is truly a remarkable event where a lot of good is done.  The Pacific Ocean Salmon fishermen are looking to their future by giving away college scholarships to students going into fishery academics.  They're raising to their own potential allies in the DNR.  This is a prime example of the "greater good for all" thinking.
       This Salmon derby is supported by the local community, with free dockage and excellent payouts for the big fish.  You can see the $10,000.00 first prize big fish award paycheck is no chump change  My hat's off to a fine group with attained goals that surpass all of our Great Lakes tourneys! Click for winning 24.22# King 10k payout  
       Can you imagine the dedication and loyalty being established with the future leaders in their DNR?  Granted this is a long term project, but the rewards down the road will be worth it!  We need bright young committed people to solve the problems of tomorrow.

4/2/08  Added another inch of the white stuff this morning to my snowometer.  Which now stands at 140 inches, dating back to Nov. 2007.
     Then to make even less sense of what's happening in Manistee, I seen my first robin in the later afternoon.  A sure sign spring 2008 is on the way!
      All of the photos are less then a week old.  It's nice to have fresh fish gracing the home page of this website.  Thanks to our viewers for making this possible.
      We all should be downright envious of the Anacortes Salmon Derby held in the State of Washington on the west coast.  More on this tomorrow, Click for more info

4/1/08  April Fools Day, watch out for harmless and unbelievable stories I always get sucked in by.  Pre-updated the website yesterday afternoon, cuz we're getting smacked with 2 to 3 inch total rainfall gulley washer.  My satellite internet does not work in heavy rain.  In the mean time, check out our excellent photo of the day.  The Steelhead from the Kewuanee River in WI is truly a well composed photo! Click for this photo
    Tomorrow's update will focus on the recent Anacortes Salmon Derby.

3/31/08  As March 2008 closes out, the new 2008 big lake season is starting to roll.  What was a distant dream last January is turning into a reality now.  Southern Lake Michigan is coming alive with limits of early season Coho.  Granted spring Cohos are small, but what they lack in size is made up by their sheer willingness to attack with non stop action.  Lots of reports on Coho from 1 and 2 pounds, with an occasional 3 pounder is the deal for now.  We still might be 3 to 4 weeks out from dealing with Mr. King Salmon.
      Look for some early season reports from Lake Huron soon.  Spring 2008 was decent for the eastsiders with respectable catches inshore shallow water Steelhead & Kings.
      While I have a lot on my plate this week, the 1979 Sea Ray I purchased last May will probably come out of storage this week.   While Manistee's once great April Brown season has fell in hard times, there's still a chance to catch a fish or two.

3/30/08  Encouraging reports from esteemed message board members Capn Kirk and FBD, aka Kevin E makes a good subject for today's update.  According to Ludington, MI's very own and my UPS driver, Capn Kirk was able to get into few fish yesterday (Browns and released Lake Trout), while fishing close to the beach. Click for Kirk's Brown
      St. Joe was lousy with Coho, along with a few Browns according to FBD.  It took Kevin and his partner about 10 minutes to boat two Michigan Coho limits (6 Cohos). Then, they searched for Browns and by the sound of things, took 3 Browns too!
       I have the highest respect for both of these fishermen.  Weather does not detour their fishing.  No matter if it warm, cold, or in between.  

3/29/08  Improving weather next week show weather more in what they try to feed us as normal.  Normal based on averages is a myth.  
      Much like fish cannot see red after 50' down.  If the fish can't see red after 50', why is the Clear Red meat rig ranked in the top three in sales?  Why is the King Krimson (red/black/glow flasher pattern) a top five best seller in the flasher line?  
      Here's the reason why: myths once perpetrated on the public gain a foothold and are impossible to dispel.  The truth is: no human knows what a fish can, or cannot see.  
I would never be so foolish to tell you what fish vision is capable of.  I've seen way too many things associated with fishing that defy any sort of logic!

3/28/08  Indiana message board member, "mixednuts" drew first blood while fishing two days ago on the 26th.  They had a respectable catch and boated Brown Trout, Coho and Lake Trout.  Indiana's section of Lake Michigan warms up first and has a season that starts a good 2 weeks to a month before the ports laying further up the coast of Lk. MI.  Many thanks for his timely photo showing winter is almost gone!  Click for IN Brown

3/27/08  How to make bullet proof line-stays for meat rigs:
1. Buy a cheap ($10) wire clipper-stripper, multi uses for stripping boat wire too.
2. Insulation from 18 gauge wire should fit inside a rigger crimp from tackle stores.
3. Insert a piece of wire insulation inside the rigger crimp
4. 11" spacing between all flies (2 or 3 fly rigs), drop the head back to 14 to 16 inches.
5. Use a stiff leader material, not cheapie mono line.
6. Moisten knots before cinching them.  You'll avoid the curled line in front of knots.
7. Take your time, preparation and planning is part of the fun of fishing.
8. Do not wrap meat rigs around flashers for storage.
9. Blouse out the flies to look like spiders before sending them down.
Click these links for a photo how-to: line-stays for meat rigs   How not to store rigs 
Wire strippers/18 gauge wire    Making line-stays    Finished line-stays
       Even if you do not use my products, ...no problem!  If I can save you one lost fish with my knowledge?  Then, let's mark this mission accomplished. 

3/26/08  Today, I'll start a two part series on care of your meat rigs and an inside company trade secret most other tackle manufacturers probably wouldn't share.  Please keep in mind, I'm not an "other" manufacturer and this tip is better off being part of the public domain for the benefit of all. Click for incorrect meat rig storage
      First off, please do not wrap meat rigs around flashers when you done.  Funny things happen to wet monofilament, like kinks you're never fully rid of.  Getting technical, thoroughly saturated wet mono line can swell 3 to 5%.  Then, when the line dries, loops and kinks can form.  This is bad news for those in a hurry at the end of a fishing session and wrap their meat rigs around flashers.  The line dries, shrinks 3 to 5% tightening the loops around the flasher (if it's winded tightly).  Then this stresses the line-stays.  Which in most cases are just bare metal crimps against mono.  The sharp inside lip of the crimp, or sleeve is where problems start.  Part II tomorrow.......
My Manistee snowometer has moved to 139" (plus 4" yesterday) since last November!

3/25/08  It's a mess in Ludington.  Rack up another black eye for the commercial netters licensed by the Little River Band of Native Americans!  One of their net boats sunk in Ludington's harbor recently.  Spilling untold gallons of fuel & oil in PM Lake. The Coast Guard has booms up to contain the spill.  The tribe/commercial netters are 100% responsible for this spill and will cost them many thousands of dollars before it's over.
      This clearly demonstrates LRB lack of experience.  In my opinion, lack of good sense.  Why did the boat sunk?  Easy answer: the boat had water leaking in it!
     This could have happened many ways.  Like, the boat was froze in and the hull cracked, or damage was done breaking ice.  I do not know the exact reason.  I do know it makes the LRB netters look as dim-witted as ever and shines a poor light on their parent company, the Little River Tribal Casino.  When will this comedy of errors end?

3/24/08  Our spring sale continues to be a huge success.  Patience please, I will not have additional help until 4/8/08 when John J returns from wintering south.  My fulltime employee is off for the next couple of weeks too.  So, for now, I'm a one man army doing all orders and production.  Look to have most of the backlog cleared up tomorrow.
      To those purchasing the Climax Fluorocarbon Leader Material, use a palomer knot.  The Climax Fluoro is a stiffer material made to take abuse.  Stiffer needs a easy to tie knot that's strong, which a palomer is. Pull testing palomer knot 
      Palomer knots are recommended for the super braid lines too.  So, if you don't know this knot yet?  Now's the time to learn.  Click for instructions on how to tie
      Here's some tips not in the instructions: moisten line, use needle nose pliers to cinch up the tag-end good and tight, have nail, or a screw to do a hard pull test.  Tying 50 pound test line is a lot harder than the lighter pound tests versions.  Knot failure is not an option, cuz it costs money & more importantly fish that should have been boxed!

3/23/08   Special spring sale continues at my webstore: www.michiganangler.com 
We have the best 4 BTIs for flies, combo deals for flashers/flies and the new X-Glow BTI Fly.  Stock allotted for this sale is about 1/2 gone and when current supplies run out, our special spring kickoff sale will be over.  Thanks to all who've purchased so far!
         Enjoy the Easter Holiday and let's hope spring-like weather comes soon!

3/22/08   Did a test with 100% un-retouched photos showing the differences in our X-Glow Bullets heads vs. China specials.  This test was demonstrated with the highly popular "Riverside," against our X-Glow BTI Fly.  The series of 3 photos speak volumes on glow properties of our superior line, the X-Glow bullet heads, flies, meat heads & flashers.
       Granted our products might cost a buck, or two more, but the best always does.  I'm proud to point out differences between our stuff and products made overseas.     
       The photos were taken in 3 steps: Click photo I charging then moving on to:
  Click II photo 30 sec. after lights out   Click photo III 20 min. of darkness 
       Is this amount a glow a small thing?  Yes, but ask yourself this question: how many small things go into a large box of fish, or how many small things turn a tough day into a good one?  Installed some spring specials at the webstore, more on that tomorrow.

3/21/08   Today is as good a day, as any to introduce the new X-Glow BTI Fly.  Also, known as the "Riverside Fly" in Manistee, MI.  Ken Warren (KRW) the man who originated the flies in the tube deal has tied me up a limited amount on my X-Glow bullet heads for superior performance.  Click for new 2008 X-Glow BTI Fly
       This in demand pattern was nearly impossible to find in Ludington/Manistee last August.  The BTI Fly with the new X-Glow head is a step up and deadly change for the better.  Constant improvement has been going on with our trolling flies.  We've increased the diameter of the storage tube from 1.25" to 1.50" to make the storage tube even more versatile for a multitude of other uses, if you chose not to keep the flies in them.
       Tomorrow, I post a photo of the glow properties with our new X-Glow BTI Fly vs. the regular BTI Fly bullet head after 15 minutes.  This difference is amazing!
               Easter Holidays are upon us.  Have a great weekend! 

3/20/08  First supposed day of spring in 2008 in Manistee County, MI, but spring is dressed up in a disguise, looking a lot more like mean old man winter.
       Let's discuss yesterday's photo of the day, where five limits of Salmon are hanging on a brag board.  I did not post this photo to proclaim I'm a Joe Hero and turn fish.  Hey, lot of charter skippers can do the same job.  What's the job?  Using dodgers as a deadly tool.  The 8/25/1993 catch came on Fire Dot Dodgers and Richey's Green Glow Squids.
       Fishing dodgers is an art form onto itself where there's a .2 of mph window for maximum effectiveness.  Then, there's a science in lead length from the cannonball to adjust for the .2 speed window.  42" to 60" comes to mind, depending on the seas.
       Are my flashers, flies, or meat program better then dodger/flies/squids?  I'll let history answer that question.  This I can say, " the stuff we make has no learning curve, works out of the box and most importantly my products are NOT speed sensitive like other forms of attractor fishing."  ...Such as dodger-squid, or dodger-fly combinations.

3/19/08  It's no big secret the MDNR has all but shut down our Coho program, with only a token plant for the Platte River, north of Frankfort, MI.  The State of MI said cost vs. return was the reason, like MI Coho were being caught in early spring off IN & IL.
       Attaching cost to a Great Lakes Fishery said to be a 4 to 5.5 billion dollar industry, depending on which website your read?  Click for Aug. 25, 1993 Coho catch
      Today's featured photo is from August 25, 1993 when the DNR had planted 200,000 Coho in Manistee County, long since discontinued.  It shows my 5 charter guests with a 25 fish limit of Coho & Kings during 1/2 day pm charter.   It would seem to me, our DNR got it's money's worth from a small and much appreciated Manistee plant.  
       Is the DNR being penny-wise and pound foolish?  Truthfully, I can not answer that, but a multi-species is beneficial the overall health/safety of our fishery.  Having all of our eggs in one basket, relying on just Kings is beyond ignorant.  Here's what I know, our once great MI April Brown Trout is a thing of the past.  Steelhead harvest is maybe 30% of what it was in 1996 & the pursuit for a viable multi-species fishery has fell by the wayside.  More on this tomorrow, the Vernal Equinox ....or the first day of Spring 2008.

3/18/08  Got a special treat for you today.  Julie S, aka fishsqueezer on our message board has written an informative article on fishing northern Lake Huron.  While the more populous ports like Ludington, Manistee, Frankfort, etcetera always get more attention, there is other ports with dedicated, dyed in the wool big water fisherpeople, like Julie.
      Julie works for the MDNR as a fish clerk, or fish census taker that meets you at the dock, then gather valuable data for the DNR.  Julie, along with her husband have a boat and fish Lake Huron as much as practicality allows. Click for Julie's article
       If you're a Lake Michigan fisherman, never think for an instant Lake Huron had to take a backseat to any Great Lake.  That is, before the bait fish crash in about 03.  I ran spring charters out of Port Austin, Grindstone City & Harbor Beach (1983-1995) that produced boxes, all anglers would drool over nowadays. Click for 1990 charter catch

3/17/08  Let's take a trip back in time and see when Kings were truly King, not the paltry pretenders to the throne we have nowadays.  Today's featured photo is a scan of an old Polaroid taken in 1976.  It shows a what a King Salmon should look like!
       This fish looks like it came from the Kenai River in Alaska.  It did not!  It was caught in Betsie Bay (Frankfort, MI), as this fish was homing in on the Betsie River. 
       I set this photo up with the fish partially laying on the cleaning table at M22 and the Platte River, then talked my lovely wife into heading up it's giant head.
       Will we see fish like this again in our Great Lakes?  I highly doubt, cuz most of the i2k Kings never reach 4 years, with most spawning at 3. Really large Kings live 5, or even 6 years before entering the rivers to procreate, then perish. Click for 1976 King 

3/16/08  Here's reel-story on the super hog Stanndard Rock U.P. Lake Trout: 
"The fish was 35 lbs. It was a good fight, as these natives are a lot different than the stocked Lakers.  We usually fish them with jigs and light tackle, using a white twister tail 6 inch and a small piece of sucker when they move up on the reef in early May.  
Catch quite a few in the 20s and when they suspend, we go to your stuff, its great.  
Gives us a good way to target them!" Thanks,  Mike S.
       Here's a question for you: how many Michigan based tackle manufacturers caught a Michigan fish weighing over 35 pounds last season?  I'm willing to bet, darn few, if any!
       Lakers have been wrongfully maligned by many and left out of tournaments, until recently.  If the Indian's gill nets hadn't wiped out the Lk. MI Lake Trout fishery back in later 1970s, we'd have tackle busters in the 50 pound plus range swimming around in Lake Michigan today.  Lake Trout are our only native big game fish, discounting Sturgeon.

3/15/08  Today's featured photo of the day is a giant pig Lake Trout caught off Stanndard Rock.  Standard Rock is located 40 some miles north of the UP's Marquette, MI area.  It's a dangerous Lk. Superior rock reef rising up from 560' of water in a big hurry.  This rock outcropping has claimed many ships and lives dating way back to the 1800s.  Before they finished constructing a lighthouse in the mid-1880s, many crews referred to this shoal as the "Sailors Graveyard."  Click for Stanndard Rock Giant Lake Trout
      Accepted methods to fish this place are lead-head jigs (up to 3 oz) tipped with a big chunks of cut bait.  Although, many opt for trolling tactics, as did Mike S when he caught the whopper Trout with a Pearl Squirrel BTI 10" flasher.  
       I've had a trip to Stanndard Rock on my list of "must do's" for a long time.  This is the best Lake Trout fishing in probably the world, with fish over 30 lbs. if you get lucky.  Lk. Superior's Stanndard Rock Lake Trout population are said to naturally reproduce.

3/14/08  Let's wrap the week up with a weather report from Manistee County, MI.  I have several friends that winter in a warmer climate and they should know we've had around 5 days in a row where the high temps was over freezing.  Snow is starting to melt, but there's still a good foot of the white stuff in the woods.
     This March, unlike last year has been cold, up to last weekend below zero or single digits for night time lows.  The way it's looking we're slowing warming and with the official start of spring only 6 days away, spring looks to be on schedule.
     Hopefully, April 2008 will be an improvement of 2007, where April was a worst month then March.  In a week or two, my lake boat will be waking up from it's long winter's nap.  So, the 2008 season is slowly creeping up on all of us.

3/13/08  Direct quote from the 2008/2009 MI Fishing Guide, page 6 - paragraph 2:
"When fishing, you must carry your license and the identification used to purchase that license and exhibit both upon demand of a Michigan Conservation Officer, a Tribal Conservation Officer or any law enforcement officer."
       SENATE BILL 406, AS INTRODUCED Quote: "Over the past 20 years, the number of licensed anglers in our state has dropped 21.7 percent. The number of hunters has dropped 14.3 percent in the same period. There are many reasons people stop participating in hunting and fishing, and the DNR is launching new efforts to retain current hunters and anglers and recruit new ones."
      After the first two disheartening paragraphs in today's update, thought it would be wise to shift gears back to catching.  Today's featured photo is from the waters of Arcadia to Frankfort.  Click for a possible preview of 2008

3/12/08  I don't have the whole story yet, bear with me until I ferret this out for myself.  According to a message board member, the 2008 Michigan fishing license says you can be stopped by tribal DNR personal.  If this is so, we've been sold out again, as our former rights are being flushed down the toilet.
      If this is the case, tribal law from a tribes that do not abide by the fishing rules of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has no right to stop me for any reason.
      I dislike using hearsay for an update and will dig deeper when I purchase my 2008 MI all-species fishing license.  The business about being stopped by tribal DNR did come from a reliable source.  If this is true? ...look for more on this subject soon!

For complete results of all fishing trips, fishing reports & general info
and a peek into my archived log for the past seasons, 
click the below link:

Past Results