Brown Trout Results from

Capt. John's Log

This page contains the exact results from every charter with no embellishment.  This is a "tell it like it is" standard of honesty that Capt. John King is known for.  Proof can be found in the archived links to photos that accompany every charter.  While other charter operations might give you a bunch of "pie in the sky" unfounded promises. Here, you can see and read the precise verification of the whole story when it comes to fishing with King's Charter Service, we serve only the reel facts!

2002 Results

5/4/02  Went Brown Trout catching yesterday evening.  From about 6pm to 8pm we had at least 15 strikes and boated 7 chunky Browns from 2 to 5 pounds.  The bite is getting picky and the secret is to be there when the Brown Trout are hungry!  Once they take the feed bucket off, the action is totally non-existent.
    Boat maintenance was accomplished and the auto pilot is now purring like contented kitten.  The wash-down pump is almost back on line too.  Re-lined several rods with new 20 lb. test Ande, so when the spring Kings show up, I'll be more than ready.  A special thanks goes to Anita & Len Mitchell for putting up with me and helping with the auto pilot shake down cruise.  By the way, this highly experienced couple never lost a hooked up fish...remarkable!  Click here to peak into our box

5/3/02  Surprisingly enough the Brown Trout fishery in Manistee is still going.  The bite is early and by mid-day the action shuts down.  The weekday morning crowd has been intense, especially around the harbor.  Good reports from both north and south of the harbor are coming in.       Click here for: Port Reports
   The reel big news is the amount of cormorants that have laid siege to Manistee.  Huge flocks of these migratory deep-diving (to a 100 feet) fish predators are working the harbor and shoreline chowing on alewives and planted Salmonoids.

5/2/02  Spent over 9 hours on working on the website readying the Port Reports
page for 2002 season.  Capt. Al Kendall has come aboard as our Port Austin port reporter and we're all lucky to have the excellent caliber of reporters like the Capt. Janice Deaton (Harbor Beach) and Julie Diani covering northern Lake Huron.  
   Sometimes this web fixation I'm into is a pain in the butt.  However, striving to be the best comes with a thing called, the price of dedication.  Still much to do with straightening the run-on jumble of text on Capt. John's Log and that is waiting for me today.  This whole website deal reminds my of the charter business, you don't make much money, but it's fun to do.  I'll be in Manistee later today and will pick up on some fresh fishing info if it's there, to be gotten. 

5/1/02  I'll be reformatting the Port Reports Page today, removing the material from 2001.  Good News!  Capt. Janice Deaton from Harbor Beach and northern Lake Huron Creel Census DNR employee, Julie Diani will be once again aboard for the 2002 season.  So, I've got my work cut out for me today.  Working on the Cherokee later in the afternoon is on the agenda too! 

4/30/02  Took a few days off to rejuvenate the spirit.  I was on almost a dead git since the 3rd week of February.  The Browns in Manistee are still hitting, which is remarkable for this late in April.  Boat maintenance will take center stage this week, seeing the auto pilot and wash down pump are non-functioning units at this time.
    I need port reporters from Lakes: Huron, Erie and Michigan.  Being a port reporter helps put everyone on the fast track as to what's happening, so please contribute it.  I now have a few days off from chartering and will have time to start up the 
Port Reports Page for 2002  I can format your own fishing web page with photos too, so you can go one step further than your fishing buddies!

4/26/02   Hockey's All-Star Great, Al Iafrate and George were the anglers on today's do.  Light west winds were forecast, but as we broke the pier heads at 8:10am the seas were running at 3 to 4 foot, with a 5 footer every now and then.  I had moved Al's trip at least 3 times due to nasty weather, so I was forced to tough this one out.  During the course of our morning we hit 11 fish, boated 6 Browns and 2 Cohos.  It was a struggle in the rough seas, but Al and George rose to the occasion and did a fine job on every fish.  So, in spite a late start and poor conditions we did OK!    Click here Al and George's dockside catch photo

4/25/02  A windy and lousy forecast caused postponement of today's Lake Michigan gig.  West wind 15 to 25 knots, becoming partly cloudy.  Waves 4 to 7 feet is predicted for today and there is a small craft advisory in effect also.

4/24/02   Two reel fishermen named, David and Doug showed up for today's Brown Trout voyage on Lake Michigan.  Strong winds from the southeast, changing to south meant we missed more than we caught.  In about a 3 hour troll, we had over 20 strikes and boated a 3 person limit of 9 Browns.  Both anglers helped keep lines in the water, due to the fast action. Click here for David & Doug's catch 
    The heart breaker was that missed 3 extremely large fish, loosing one right behind the back of the boat.  To sum up our success, David and Doug were reel assets to have aboard.  Thanks to Capt. Len for the quality help on the trip, he stayed on the go throughout the entire charter and everyone did a great job! 

4/23/02  Al Smarta and Ben Nietubitz were my expert fishing partners for today's Lake Michigan adventure in seek of Brown Trout.  We boated a 4 person limit in about 3 hours of trying.  Catch this, we had 12 strikes and boated 12 Browns to the plus 8 pound class.  12 for 12 is a phenomenal average due to proper hooks, technique and proficiency with a fishing rod.  The average speaks for the quality of fishermen aboard today, and yes, I landed fish after the "experts" boxed their limits.      Click here for Al & Ben's catch photo    Click here to peak inside our fish box  
Capt. Len Mitchell was my guest 1st mate and preformed all duties beyond compare, but don't tell him I said so, he might want a pay raise!  

4/22/02  The "Jim & Don Show" was on today.  Jim wanted to fish the river for Steelhead even after I informed him, it might be a tough go.  High water was a problem, with plenty of debris that kept fouling our lures.  However, the biggest problem from what I saw today was, the spring run of Steelhead is over.  While there'll be some available at Tippy Dam until the end of the month, take it from me the "parties over."  Last week's warm spell cause a premature end to good fishing.  Click here for winter-spring 2002 Steelhead synopsis
   Now, for the lowdown on how we did.  During the 9 hours we spent on the BMR, we missed two half hearted tugs, and boated a spawning hen in the 6 lb. class.  Don's fast reaction time, coupled with his great rod expertise made sure we didn't get skunked.  The river was completely deserted from the swarms of a few weeks ago, and both Don and Jim were very congenial and a pleasure to fish with.    
Click here for Don's fish   

4/21/02  I'll be readying the riverboat on the for tomorrow's BMR adventure with Jim H.  A day off from the lake is maybe what I need, because I haven't been able to put together a reel good day on the Brown Trout thing yet.  Murphy's law has been in effect all during March and April thus far, I'm hoping for an improvement.
   The way things stand I've lost a minimum of 5 charters due to either super high water on the BMR, or miserable conditions on Lake Michigan.  It's often been said, "into each life, a little rain must fall," but why does it have to be a gully washer? 

4/20/02  Had to scrub this morning's mission with the Greg Barry group, because the launching platform called, Lake Michigan was heaving at 2 to 4 footers breaking right on shore.  It was decided by Greg and his group to fish another day rather than toughing it out in marginal conditions.  So far this Brown Trout season, we've yet to have a favorable wind from any westerly direction.  The best thing about today's north blow is that it might cool the inshore water down and move the alewives back into the deeper water.  The wretched wind and weather is ruining the results on our April Brown Trout fishery.  It's disheartening to say the least!

4/19/02  Cancelled today's deal, because the lake forecast is lousy and with the recent rain that's not gonna improve the Steelheading BMR.  I've been running way too much since the mid-February Steelheaders Show and I'm gonna slow myself down to a tolerable level this season.  I want to enjoy the fishing too!
   As of midnight 40 mph winds are pounding Manistee County, plus thunderstorms all night made the cancellation a wise call.  It's good to be right once in a while.

4/18/02pm  I fished Lake Michigan today with Henry and AJ (8 years old).  During the course of a storm-shortened trip, we hit 4 Browns and 3 smaller ones made it to the cooler.  Which was just perfect for AJ, because he landed 2 of them.  Strong off-shore winds from the east changed to the west just as a severe thunderstorm hit shore.  We seen 2 waterspouts and safety of the harbor was sought ASAP, as winds increased to at least 30 knots.  We were dockside around 10am, because of threatening skies all morning long and never ventured more than a mile, or two from the shelter of the harbor.  Click here for AJ & Henry
    The rapid warming of the inshore waters to almost 50 degrees has loaded Manistee's Harbor with huge schools of soon to spawn alewives.  This unseasonable warm spell is hurting our Brown Trout fishery in a big way, because hit's hard to get a fish to hit a trolled lure when it's belly is stuffed full of bait fish.   

4/18/02am  I'll be fishing Lake Michigan with Henry K. after Brown Trout.  I'm more than looking forward to my guests, but today marks the first time this season I'll be reunited with long time friend and favorite deckhand, Mark Pefley.  Mark has worked with me for about 10 years, so we should be able to put a reel program together.  Tune in later this evening for the "behind the scenes" straight skinny. 

4/16/02  Lake Michigan Brown Trout are being caught out of Manistee and the fishing for them is good, but not "red hot."  If you plan on heading south out of Manistee the Browns down toward Big Point Sable are hitting the red-gold, and brighter shades of the S-11 Rapalas.  To the north of Manistee the fish have a definite preference for the S-11's in darker patterns like the vampire, silver shiner, and black-silver original.  From what I've seen both directions are producing about the same, but most charter vessels are choosing north for the time being.  

4/15/02  Phil, Keith, George and Ed comprised my outstanding group of anglers for today's episode.  During the course of our half day outing we boxed 6 Browns and only missed a couple of strikes....remarkable!  Flat calm bluebird conditions prevailed throughout the morning, making fishing tough side.  Never the less, we still ended up more than happy, because Phil put a masterful whipping on a massive 15.4 pound trophy Brown Trout.  All men performed the line setting duties admirably and handled every thing in a very skilled manner.  Plus, I get to have fun with them all over again this August 19th.   Click here for Phil's whopper 15.4 lb. Brown Trout
I'd like to thank Phil, Keith, George and Ed for allowing me to cut their scheduled full day charter to a half day, due to a death in my immediate family.  Funerals and the grieving process is a long way from anything to do with reel happiness.

4/14/02  Curt, Randy and Reg were my esteemed angling guests for today's outing on Lake Michigan.  During the course of our half day trip, we boxed 6 Brown Trout, including one behemoth 10 to 12 pounder.  While the action didn't compare to yesterday's fast pace, we still ended up kinda respectable.  It was an enjoyable day for me, because the hordes of boats that plagued the entire shoreline yesterday thinned out considerably.   The sum it all up, it was a good time with a terrific and sensible fishing team. Click here for dockside photo

4/13/02  George, Don, Mark (B-1), and Chuck (B-2)  were the anglers for today's Lake Michigan Brown Trout fishing extravaganza.  Even though the curse of the "13th" smacked us pretty hard, a great time was had by all.  Getting back to the curse part, the Brown Trout today were vile, contemptuous creatures that were named "Houdini."  Our action was superb, but boxing the wily Browns was a horse of different color.  We ended up with 7 fish, had at least 14 hooked up and missed too many strikes to keep track of.  Hilarity filled the air, as Mr. B. Trout kicked our butt, by escaping.  Hey, the fish are supposed to win once in a while!
                                Click here for the George Cashmore group 

4/12/02  Gene and Tom came back today for a second helping after yesterday's success on Lake Michigan.  In spite of my warnings about the high water on the BMR, they wanted to fish for Steelhead.  Well, the outcome as I expected wasn't so hot, because we caught 1 fairly decent Steelhead and had a micro Trout interested.  I explained in great detail that our chances were sparse before heading down river in the morning, but it fell on deaf ears. Click here for Gene's fish
    Why? Because, you got to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them.  Meaning, my style of fishing the BMR doesn't lend itself to extremely high water and heavy current flow.  High water expands the Steelhead's play ground and the entire river becomes attractive to them, just not the holes, or runs!  

4/11/02  Tom Davenport and Gene were the fishermen for today's maiden voyage on Lake Michigan in quest of Brown Trout.  Both men were more than handy to have aboard, and I consider them Great Lakes prodigies by the way they handled 9 rods with no problems.  I believe it was a baptizism by fire, because my autopilot went down and the rigging duties fell to them. Click here for Tom & Gene's catch
   OK, now for the report, for a strong offshore breeze (which usually shuts the fish down) we had 11 hits from about 8:30am to 2:00pm (including 3 doubles), boated a 2 person limit of Browns (6 Browns), landed a Steelhead, tossed back a robust Laker and lost a "Moby" Lake Trout.  So, for my first cold turkey attempt at fishing Lake Michigan this season, I was glad I remembered how and the fish cooperated.

4/10/02  Joy, Joy.....Joy!  The lake boat is in the water at my slip (A-32) in Solberg's Marina here in Manistee.  4 to 6 foot seas prevented me from fishing with Ben and Al yesterday, because it was reel nasty at the boat launch.  The howling winds cut right thru you, making it foolishness to consider Lake Michigan.  The river came way-up with high water (3000 cubic feet per second), or I'd have taken them on the BMR.  Plans for tomorrow have been cancelled, because Al I. wanted to fish the river and I'm not sure of how we'd do fishing the high water conditions.  Also, my marina is now home to one of the illegal Indian commercial tugs, at least for the time being.  I say illegal, because I can't even BUY the same rights that were ceded to them by Treaty.  Double standard for the super citizens.........eh?
  I'll be at the marina tomorrow and I'll photograph the fish tug for you!

2001 Results

4/30/01  I cancelled the Curt Meekhoff trip today, because of the lousy fishing in Manistee.  This charter thing only works for me if we can do some catching, not just fishing!  Hopefully, Curt will rebook for the outstanding spring fishery in Saugatuck.  My concern for a successful fishing trip outweighs the financial gain on my part.

4/29/01  I met with Gary Doublestein and his friends, Irv, Dick and Mike at 6:45am.  After I informed them of the poor fishing, we decided to try it for a while so Irv could pick up a few pointers on Lake Michigan Brown Trout techniques.  We had 2 half hearted tugs from what we though might be fish, and no further action.  So, Gary is going to rebook for Saugatuck in a week or two.  The party's over for Brown Trout on the shoreline off Manistee for this season, or at least for now.

4/28/01 Matt Eurich and his fishing buddies; Jim, Mike and Bill spent a pretty uneventful day in search of Brown Trout on Lake Michigan.  We hit 3 fish while setting up and things started off just fine, then heavy shoreline pressure and east winds took it's toll.  The fish were just not in the mood to cooperate!  We covered over 20 miles of shoreline and even tried sewn minnows with cowbells to no avail.  Overall we had 5, maybe 6 hits and boated 3 Browns to about 6 pounds.
    This was a wonderful group of highly experienced anglers who deserved better than what I was able to show them.  When we got back to the dock at 4:00pm, we found out most boats got skunked or had catches even skimpier than our 3 fish.
Click here for the meager catch photo and 4 outstanding fishermen to deal with!
Don't believe the smiles in the photo, that's the men putting on their game face.

4/27/01 I was supposed to be fishing with Walt Cockfield this afternoon, but traffic delayed him and it was decided to find him another boat for tomorrow.  The starting time would have been 6:00pm, much too late to get in much fishing before dark.

4/24/01  I'll be spending most of the day pulling maintenance and adding new equipment to the Cherokee.  The 4 rod holders per downrigger is an amazing option, and only Fishlander offers it!  The more I use my new riggers, the more I like them.
               Click here to see the rigger with 4 rod holders per unit

4/22/01 I had the wonderful opportunity to fish with 3 generations of the Gosk Family, Jason, Randy, Ron and dad Richard.  What a time we had!  Fun was the theme for the day as humor and laughter kept us busy when the fish didn't.  
    We had our hands full with a triple header, boating all 3 and ended up with 6 beautiful Brown Trout to about 14 pounds, maybe more.  Cooperation and team work showed through out the charter.  The fishermen today never lost a hooked up fish, due to their patience and competence with a fishing rod.  
   So far this season, it's been a quality fishery and not numbers of 2 to 3 pound Browns like last year.  We didn't have a fish today below 8 pounds.......incredible!!!!!
      Click here for catch photo        Click here for Richard's trophy Brown Trout

4/21/01 I fished with Gary Bishop, Matt, Barry and Rich Pines today, the predicted stout winds from the southwest caused us to quit early.  We had 8 hits and boated 4 Brown trout to 9 pounds.  It's better to err on the side of safety, than tough it out.

4/19/01pm   I fished the afternoon charter with Joe Peraino, Al and son Max Iafrate.  Al Iafrate is a 5 time NHL All Star, playing for Toronto and Washington.  Al holds the record for the world's fastest slap shot clocked at 105 mph.  I thoroughly more than enjoyed the company of this afternoons guests.
   During the course of the afternoon event we had about 10 strikes and boated 4 Browns to maybe 12 pounds and the first King Salmon of the year.  Steady is the word that best describes both the morning and afternoon action.  
    Hot lures included: Vampire, Perch, Red and Gold, and Black and Silver S-11 Rapalas on 125 to a 150 foot leads. Click here for their catch photo.

4/19/01am  This morning, I fished Ron and Bob Schlosser and Eric.  We hit about 9 quality fish and they boated 5 Browns on the am trip.  Click here for catch photo

4/14/01  Today, I fished with two excellent big water anglers, Doug Herig and his long time fishing partner, Pat.  After an awfully slow start, we got into some "Reel Brown Trout Fishing."  Doug who had dreamed of catching trophy class Brown Trout, had his wishes fulfilled when he landed a Master Angler 17 pound fish after a fierce and lengthy, hard won fight.  The 17 pounder was a beer barrel, football shaped bruiser, a prime example of what Manistee has to offer.
 Click here for Doug's 17 pound trophy    Click here for their dockside catch photo.
    These guy's knew how to fish!  They proved that, when they boated every fish and never missed a strike......incredible to say the least!  The full day trip flew by, with almost nonstop limit catch action and continuous laughter.  This was a good time with a couple of terrific fishermen to spend time with.  The death toll was 9 Browns, with several in the 7 to 12 pound class.  Hey, even I caught some fish.

4/13/01  The couple of Lynn Sager and Terri Pollack were my fishing guests today.  The morning started out with 3 footers in an uncomfortable beam sea troll.  Then around 9:30am the Brown Trout "went on the bite."  In short order we had 10 strikes and landed 7 Browns and missed a King that was in the 16 to 20 pound class right behind the stern of my boat.       Click here to see their limit of Brown Trout.
   Both Terri and Lynn did a magnificent job on the rods, landing hard fighting aggressive fish that for the most part wouldn't stay in the water.  While Browns aren't known as leapers, but today's fish thought they were rockets.  A great trip and it's was a heartbreaker to have the hooks pull free on that monster King Salmon.      

4/12/01  I had to cancel Ron Scholosser, because of gale force winds, Ron has rescheduled for 4/19/01.

4/11/01  Today's most excellent guests were Dave Cunningham, Chris and Dave Esterline from last February.  We were plagued by some of the worst conditions known to man, with horizontal rain and high off shore winds to 25 knots.  The dreadful weather was more than offset by the friendly camaraderie of the 3 incredible fishermen mentioned above.     Click here for Dave Esterline's trophy
    "Wind from the east, catching is the least," that was what we were up against and we still managed a decent box of fish.  Today's anglers never, and I repeat never, missed a hit or lost a fish.  A remarkable testament the these fishermen's top-notch angling abilities.  Oh yeah, we ended up boating 6 Browns to at least 12 pounds and small Steelhead on a wet dreary day that didn't seem so bad after all.    
      In the charter business it's easy to look good when cooperation and a team effort come into focus.  It's was a great time for all aboard including myself!  A big "thank you" goes out to Dave, Chris and Dave for the great steak dinner at Rico's.  It was a superb way to top off an amazing day on Lake Michigan trolling for Brown Trout.     Click here for their catch photo   

4/10/01  I fished Lake Michigan today with Wendell Wilk and Kim Vance for Brown Trout.  We sacrificed quantity for quality. boating 2 Brown Trout in the 12 to 14 lb. class and Wendell boated a 12 lb. Steelhead hen in full spawning colors.  East wind that switched to northeast didn't exactly set the fish on fire and luck was on our side boating 3 large fish under the worst possible wind direction. 
     It was fitting that Wendell landed a "reel nice" Steelhead, because he originally wanted to hit the river, but when I explained how slow the Big Manistee was he opted for Lake Michigan.  I'd like to personally that both fishermen for their patience and skill on the rods by never losing a hooked up fish.  As slow as it was, today wasn't a day to miss fish.  Click here for Wendell's Steelhead      Click here for Kim's trophy Brown

4/8/01 Fished with Eric, Derrick, Dave, Tom and Kevin Bowerman today.  Because of rough seas left over from yesterday we started at 11am.  The Brown Trout fishing on Lake Michigan has really picked up from the south blow we just had.  We had at least 25 hits, but the Browns weren't staying stuck and we lost a bunch of fish.  The death toll was 7 Brown Trout and a Laker we released.  
The action was excellent because of the 49 degree water onshore.
   Click here for catch photo                   Click here for Derrick's 10 pound Brown  

4/7/01  While I had enough sense not to try fishing today, a boat sank off Manistee with 3 very brave lads aboard.  All were rescued by the Coast Guard.

4/7/01 Met Ian and Todd Sloan at the boat this morning at 7:30am and was much to windy to even consider fishing the big lake.  I'd like to thank Todd for being willing to rebook for a later date.  I received a well needed improved fishing report on the Browns in Lake Michigan.  The fish had moved onshore yesterday afternoon and the boats that fished in the pm all did decent for the most part....finally!!!!!!!!!!!

4/6/01  I was on Lake Michigan today with the Heath, Josh and Ron Blewett in search of Brown Trout.  Fishing was simply great and the catching was totally non-existent along the Manistee's shoreline.  The Blewett's took pity on me and let me quit early as we decided to postpone their date to more favorable conditions, because of lack of cooperation from Mr. Brown Troutis.  They're just not here yet.  
     I don't mind doing battle with fish, but they're supposed to let you win once in a while, so far this season times have been tough for both river Steelhead and shoreline Brown Trout.  Hopefully, today with the high wind things will improve.

4/5/01  Had the father-son team of Travis, and dad, Tim Anthony as guests today on the Manistee River.  We hit 3 Steelhead and were fortunate to boat 2 fish.  The Anthony's are from Fairbanks, Alaska and are reel fishermen, believe me.  Travis unassisted hooked and landed a dandy full colored buck in the 10 to 12 pound class.  In the last hole of the day I pulled a rabbit out of the hat and Tim caught a bright wild, thrashing chrome hen in snag infested waters, I'd rather be lucky than good! Click here for the father-son photo

4/4/01 Dave and Kyle Bradley along with Russ Boomsma were my guests today.  We had 6 strikes and boated 4 Brown Trout on Lake Michigan in bluebird conditions.  So, the lake was nice, the weather and the company was great.  The fishing improved slightly, but the catching was on the slow side.  Look for improvement as the winds switch to the south tomorrow.  Inshore water temp is now 42 degrees. 
Look for awesome results by this weekend as spring gets into full swing.

4/3/01  I fished today Jason Crawford, Jeff, Jeremiah and Todd.  We 3 hits and boated a Brown Trout in short order.  Then east wind took it's toll and we didn't hit another fish as the seas built to around 4 foot, so we quit early to cut our loses.  These were nice folks to fished with and deserved better than what was available to us.

4/1/01  I had great group of fishermen today, who I named the "3 Amigos."  The infamous Amigos consisted of Jerry Devon, Ken Glen and Jeff Peck and were out to catch some fish and have a good time.  After almost getting skunked at 10:30am we hit our first Brown Trout on Lake Michigan.  Jeff showed extreme patience and talent in landing a trophy sized Brown Trout in the 10 to 12 pound range.  We hit another 5 fish and Jerry, Kenny and the head honcho amigo, Jeff boated 3 more Browns.  
    The weight of the catch didn't match the sheer enjoyment these "World Class Anglers" showed to me.  The banter and laughs continued throughout the 7 hours we spent on the pond.    Click here the see Jeff's Brown & the lure he caught it on 

3/31/01  I launched the 28 foot Cherokee on Lake Michigan today.  We trolled for better that 3 hours and landed a throw-back Lake Trout and a small Brown Trout.  Needless to say, I wasn't impressed by the quality of the experience. Slow Fishing!
    The fishing should be picking up soon with predicted warm weather.  At this time in Manistee the season is at least 2 weeks behind the last couple of years.
                 Click here to see the first Brown Trout of the 2001 season.

                                                 2000  Results

4/30/00 Joe, Lloyd, and Mark Lincoln along with Johansson from Germany tried the waters of Lake Michigan off Saugatuck.  They did what they came to do, catch a bunch of fish! 19 in total on a 7 hr. trip is not bad in anybodies book.  I'm calling the Coho's we boated "vicious villains" for the way a 3 lb. fish savagely attacks the bait and slashes and burns like Gen. Sherman's March to the Sea.  The only thing was we had to throw back 8 Lake Trout that were out of season and a way to small King that is now on his way growing up to a 30 pounder.  This was a wonderful way to spend the day, with good company and co-operative fish.  A special thanks goes out to Mark for helping out with setting the downriggers and keeping everything in ship shape.

4/29/00 Charter with Mark Dye, Terry Rhodes had to be cancelled due to seas running at 8' or better.  I found Terry and Mark a boat for the 30th with Capt. Rocky from Best Chance and they did great.

4/28/00 0n the Paul Fuhs, Steven, and the "2 Steves" Charter we had a grand time on the first Saugatuck Charter of the year!!  Calm seas and the fish were on the BITE, now that's a hard combination to equal.  I had 2 father-son teams as fisherman and everybody won today.  Young Steven aged all of 9 years did a fine job in landing several fish, including a 12 to 14 lb. King with assistance from his Dad, Paul.  The "other" younger Steve did just great also showing manners and wisdom beyond his 8 years.  Now, that's tribute to his Dad, Steve Senior.  The body count for today was 17 fish boated although we released 6 Lake Trout (out of season) and 1 small King.  Today's trip is what brings joy to me as a Charter Operator with fine Guests and an awesome outing.

4/24/00 Brad, John, Ross and Brad Riemer met me at 7:00am for some Brown Trout fishing on Lake Michigan.  At first it was pretty calm and the bite was slow, then as the wind came up so did the action on the Shoreline Browns.  The best spot was off Cooper Creek to Big Point Sable with plenty of eager to strike fish, today's body count was 17 Brown Trout and 1 Lake Trout that was released (18 Fish).  The Riemers as a group knew how the put'em in the boat!  They only missed a couple of hooked up fish and did super on the rods once the initial excitement of the first double header was over.  All in all it was a wonderful a Spring Season on Brown Trout and we ended it on a High Note by LIMITING OUT. 

4/23/00 Rick Sloan, Gary, Randy, Megan, and young Tim drove down from Mancelona.  This was the second time I tried to get Rick into some decent Brown Trout fishing.  Today was a bust with calm seas and no Browns willing to take our offerings.  After the best part of a 2 hr. troll in prime Brown Trout territory only 1 fish hit our baits and than the line broke.  Seeing the hand writing on the wall we decided to regroup for another day rather wasting time and charter money for lack luster results.  Bottom line: the fishing was God awful poor.  I don't know what I have to do to get Rick into some real fishing, but I promise you I will! 

4/22/00 "Big Jeff" Dixon, Carolyn Nylund and "Quick Rick" Pritchard got off the dock around 7:00am finally.  To stay clear of the CROWD I ran the boat 13 miles south toward Big Point Sable and in short order we were into the fish, while not fast and furious the action was steady.  Carolyn and "Big Jeff" did an excellent job both landed their limit of Browns plus 2 Coho's and a Laker.  "Quick Rick" boated 2 Browns, and a Lake Trout but his 3rd Brown is still swimming off Cooper Creek where misfortune caused 2 of "Quick Rick's" Browns to throw the hook.  Incidentally the "Quickster" is not noted for losing fish, he's boated several Kings with Kings Charter in excess of 25 lbs. and knows how to handle a fishing rod!  Carolyn for being a first timer did great, landing every fish she had hooked including a Lake Trout that she released.   All be it may, it was a wonderful day to spend on beautiful Lake Michigan's shoreline and we landed 12 fish, but we DIDN'T LIMIT OUT on brown trout.

4/21/00 the saga of the wind continues today.  First I had to cancel the Big Jeff and Quick Rick am Charter.  Then we couldn't get Greg Watson Group out in the afternoon.  However it looks like we'll be fishing tomorrow!

4/20/00am & pm Captains Policy: On the evening before I called up Scott Ledger (morning trip) and Rod Vernier (afternoon trip) and cancelled their outings due to predicted weather to ugly to fish in.  30 to 35 knot wind, cold, wet and rainy is not my idea of a good time!  Also, it saves these folks a long drive for nothing plus it's still early enough in the season to reschedule.  Kings Charter puts a good time ahead of financial gain when it comes to our Guests enjoying themselves!!

4/19/00am Clay "Butch" Polander and David Helka came back for their second serving of Kings Charter after a winter Steelhead Trip last January.  Let me tell you fishing was tough and a mean tough!  Flat calm water and a East Wind are not conditions to fish for Brown Trout in shallow water, but we pulled the Rabbit out of a Magic Hat and still LIMITED OUT these fine fishermen.  We caught only 3 Browns in the first 5 hrs. of the trip, then the fish made up their minds they were hungry and started to hit.  In the last hour of the trip we boated 3 more Browns when a 10 to 12 lb. King Salmon decided to mess with Dave.  This was a "Red Hot" King Salmon and ran 250 ft. of our 15 lb. test towards Wisconsin with Dave patiently gaining lost line and boating our FIRST DECENT KING of the year.  Clay is an excellent Taxidermist and a specialist in freeze drying techniques and can be reached at (313) 388-6266.

4/19/00pm The father-son team of Steve and Irv Bush were on the way out of the harbor at 3pm.  After the tough, tough morning I set no store in any fast fishing.  So Capt. Lee Bienz and I just put our heads together, bared downed and went fishing.  We just got lines set when the first fish we caught made it's last mistake with Irv boating a vividly marked 4 lb. Brown Trout.  We made another pass and Steve was into a decent fish in no time with action building to a double header on the largest Browns of the day.  Both father and son fighting fish at the same time was the high point of this Charter.  My assessment of this afternoons trip; "I rather be lucky than good",  fortune was on our side when Steve and Irv LIMITED OUT.

4/18/00am Kelly O'Brien and his bud of 12 years Pat Maynard were informed of the nonexistent Steelhead River Fishery and chose Lake Michigan Brown Trout instead.  Today was a tough day for Kings Charter, because the conditions (FLAT CALM) and enough boats to invade the Normandy Beaches!  But the LUCK OF THE IRISH smiled on us again with Kelly and Pat catching their limit of Browns.  All in all we had only 10 strikes on a 5 hr. south troll and boated 8 fish counting the Lake Trout we threw back.  The high point of the Charter is when Kelly broke out his "World Famous Pineapple Upside Down Cake" and believe me this stuff is um um good.  Kelly is a Pontiac Fire Fighter who has perfected many recipes with his years in the Firehouse plus he's a good guy to be around.  

4/18/00pm John and Glynnis Price were on a make up trip from last January when an extremely low barometer hindered our success.  At 2pm the Prices were on their way out into Lake Michigan in quest of Brown Trout.  The second line I set at the pier heads went off with a Brown Trout leaping all over the surface.  In short order John put the fish in the net when soon after another sprang to life with a Brownie on the other end of it, when Glynnis put the grab on it.  Glynnis has the touch when it comes using the rod to pump the fish to the boat and she's a better rod handler than most men I've seen.  We boated 6 Browns in about 2 hrs. before it started getting rough and LIMITED OUT!  

4/17/00 Ed and Keith Polek along with Phil and James Holst met us at the dock for some Brown Trout "CATCHING" at 7:15am.  Today was one of those trips that make my job a pleasure, good company and great LIMIT OUT fishing.  The Browns were on the bite as soon as we set lines with Phil landing a dandy 4 pounder before he had a chance to remember what color the boat was.  The entire group fought and landed 16 fish with everyone catching a respectable sized Brown Trout.  Keith was the luckiest boating a huge 13 pounder that took about 15 minutes to land.  This was a grand bunch of sportsman to share a day on Lake Michigan with.  Incidentally all of my guests knew how the treat a fishing rod because only a couple of Browns escaped.   When we cleaned the fish at my house there were 6 gallon freezer bags stuffed full, with great tasting fillets so the average size was up today.  With the good time we had I think just maybe, Kings Charter will be their future again.    

4/16/00 Capt. Kip Carey and Steve Odell were able to fill in for a last minute cancellation I had.  Capt. Kip is one of the best Drift Boat Guides in the State who generally fishes the Muskegon River was up to some Lake Michigan Brown action with his buddy Jeff.  We started setting lines about 7:30am and in a New York minute they were into to them "Hot and Heavy", unable at first to keep lines in the water!  3' to 4' following seas meant that we missed a bunch of fish in the beginning.  Jeff did a fine job in rod handling due to his excellent teacher; Capt. Kip.  Although we had heavy seas throughout the trip it was just plain enjoyable fun for everyone.   We had a least 16 hits and boated 10 Brown Trout in under 4 hrs.  If you're interested in fishing the Muskegon, let me highly recommend Capt. Kip Carey at (231) 937-7426 his pleasant personality is a joy to be around.

4/15/00 Brian McDonald booked a fishing trip for his Father.  They showed up with no Fishing Licenses and that delayed the start time by at least an hour.  Finally by 8:00am Capt. Lee Bienz and his right hand man Charlie Lott got these fishermen off the dock.  Lee and Charlie did a super great job in LIMITING OUT the McDonalds in less than ideal conditions with seas running to plus 4'.  Most of the fish they hit were just south of the Manistee Pier Heads.  The rough seas led to missing several hooked up Brown Trout.  If you have a trip booked with us don't wait for the last minute to get your Fishing License, it's just plain not good planning! 

4/14/00 A business commitment prevented Don Tinsley from fishing with me.  So he sent up John and Steve for some Lake Michigan Brown Trout action.  Well today the fishing started getting tough.  We trolled for about 5 hrs. for 11 hits and 8 Browns boated.  A strong gusty breeze from the South meant seas running at 1' to 3'.  On the first hooked up fish of the day, John landed a 10 to 11 lb. Brown even after he unscrewed the star drag and kept losing line to the fish.  Luck was on are side when he boated that big fish.  Steve did a fine job in landing his LIMIT of Browns.  While today action wasn't the best, John and Steve both LIMITED OUT! 

4/13/00 "Walleye Greg" Campau and Steve "Big" Johnson boarded my boat and headed for some fast Brown Trout fishing on Lake Michigan about 7am.  Greg first up, got hooked up a battling 10 lb. brute of a Brown in short order, and after 15 minute struggle, the fish was in the net.  "Walleye Greg" attacks Lake Erie for Walleye on a regular basis on the professional level and is a well known Marble Eye producer.  Now Steve "Big" Johnson is a Fly Fishing Guru who is handy on the West Coast (Idaho), fresh, and salt water techniques with a fly rod.  Steve has landed Atlantic Salmon in Quebec and Tarpon in Cancun, Mexico was onto this Brown fishing like an expert.  9 Browns in 2 hrs. LIMITING OUT, is a testament the both of these anglers skills! 

4/12/00am Charter was booked by Mr & Mrs. Mike Scott.  We started setting lines, when right off the get go, on the first rod out Mike got into a decent Brown Trout. We were trolling just off the Manistee Lighthouse.  As we headed South we found lots of clear water a slow fishing for about 1 mile, then the action really picked up when Mike and his wife "Limited Out" by 11:00am.  Mike is on the Board of Director on the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Steelheaders.  We boated 10 Browns on a pleasant morning trip with this great duo, FANTASTIC!

4/12/00pm The Chickys from Hell, (Cara & Brad) LIMIT OUT again with Kings Charter.  Although Cara is from Hell, Michigan this Lady is really an Angel that knows how to fish.  The Chickys' fished we us last August and boated plus 200 lbs. of Salmon (live weight) with Cara landing several Kings (Chinooks) over 20 lbs. LIMITING OUT on 8/25/99.  We did well on this afternoon trip as they boated 10 browns and 1 Coho with Lady Luck smiling on them again.  Brad did a great job on the fish also, and hasn't lost a hooked up fish with us yet, INCREDIBLE!

4/11/00 We got off the dock finally with Paul Austin and Gary Sr. and Gary Curzinski Jr. on Lake Michigan today.  We started setting lines about 8:00am on the Big Lake when the first strike of the day put Paul Austin into a dandy 10 to 11 lb. strong and determined Brown Trout.  After a long struggle and the fish diving under the boat, Paul was able to land the biggest fish of the trip.  Both Gary's were busy tending rods and netting fish until we "LIMITED OUT" at 11:15am.  My crew today knew how to fish, 12 on, 12 in the boat.  This group of excellent fishermen are Tippy Dam Steelhead Specialists and according to their report on the Big Manistee River they've spent 57 man hours in boating only 4 fish.  So they were a little disappointed in the river action until today's Brown Trout outing.        

4/10/00 Rick Sloan Brown Trout Charter was cancelled due to 30 knot winds out of the northwest.  Rick is a excellent pier fisherman and drove up from Benton Harbor, where in the past 2 days he's  only been able to get in 4 hrs. of fishing .  High winds and rough seas continue to be a problem up and down Lake Michigan.  The bright spot here is that Rick is willing to rebook for another day when conditions are on our side.

4/9/00 Cancelled the Curzenski Charter it was rough and snowing.  If it's not going to be fun why go?  The conditions offered to us today were awful, besides the Curzenski's are going to be in Manistee Area for the rest of the week and we'll wait for better weather!

4/8/00 Cancelled the Gary Bishop and Barry Pines Trip due to Gale Force wind from the North.

4/7/00am  The Adams Family consisting of Richard (Dad), Michael and Patrick booked a river trip, but with poor results on Steelhead lately they chose to fish the Brown Trout on Lake Michigan.  I missed this Charter due to a severe cold and Capt. Lee Bienz upheld the "LIMIT OUT" tradition of Kings Charter.  This group landed 12 Browns plus lost a dandy King (10 to 12 lb. Chinook) not far from the boat.  While building seas were cause concern, the Charter was concluded successfully.  The Browns taken today were on the smaller side, but that means great eating size.  In retrospect I wish I didn't have this darn cold so I could have gone fishing today, rather than sitting at this computer.  Besides that, the Adams' looked like they'd be a great group to fish with. t

4/7/00pm Dave Bradley and 2 of his Guests hit Lake Michigan for Brown Trout in the afternoon.  They landed 11 Browns and threw back a Lake Trout in about 2 hrs. of fishing.  Good thing too, because building seas from a stiff north blow would have cut the trip short if they hadn't LIMITED OUT!  Fishing continues to be incredible with limits on Browns the norm, however the high winds and snow we just got were not needed at all.  I sat this trip out with bad cold and Capt. Lee Bienz and Charlie Lott his 1st mate did a great and well appreciated job on this charter in marginal conditions.  Also, we'll be fishing with the Bradley's again in August.  

4/6/00 was cancelled due to gale force wind and high seas on the Derrick Gress Charter.

4/5/00 I fished with Roger Mellerowicz and the Infamous "MELLONHEAD" LIMIT OUT on Lake Michigan for Brown Trout.  Originally they had a River Steelhead Trip in mind, but poor results in the Big Manistee pointed us towards the Lake.  This TEAM knows how to Fish!  Mellon Man and Roger are  recognized experts on Salmon fishing out of Oscoda on Lake Huron, had 10 hits and put 9 fish in the boat, INCREDIBLE!  This Team has won numerous Tournaments in the past and it's easy to see why.  The nice thing about today was that we had good sized Football Browns that ranged in size from 3 to about 9 pounds and the fantastic company of Roger and Mellon.

4/4/00 I called Dave Bradley and cancelled his Charter on Lake Michigan for Brown Trout.  Dave is a long time patron of Kings Charter and is was a good move to postpone this Trip.  According to the Great Lakes Weather Station from Straights of Mackinaw to Manistee, they're calling for plus 30 knot winds to Gale Force.  This link is available on the home page of MichiganSportsman.Com.  Waves in the 7' to 9' range are not conditions to fish in under any circumstances.  Besides, it saves Dave a long ride for no fishing. 

4/3/00 Mike Laskus and Jim Mockerman booked a Steelhead Trip in the Big Manistee.  After they saw the report on this page they wisely chose to fish for Browns on Lake Michigan.  Also accompanying Mike and Jim were their gracious wives Peggy and Sandy, the real authority on how to land Fish!  These women carefully coached their husbands on every fish, and with the gals help, the guys put every fish in the boat.   They caught  their "LIMIT OF BROWNS" by 11:00 am and we threw back 3 small Kings.  Also, Mike and Jim run a "Top Notch" booking service for Hunting Outfitters.  I'm considering the Labrador Hunt for Black Bear, Moose and Woodland Caribou in 2001.  The name of the booking agency they run is: "IN THE BUSH WITH MIKE AND JIM"  and believe me these guys know their stuff because they've been there to rate the quality of the Outfitter!  E-mail me for the details on how to contact Mike and Jim.

4/2/00 I had to honor to "Limit Out" 3 generations of the Laughery family on Brown Trout fishing.  We had a super charter event on Lake Michigan with 2 Bobs, Tom, Steve and Kevin.  Also, as usual, "The Fishing Gods" smiled upon this group again.  These folks always do well with Kings Charter, fishing with me about 4 times a year.  Incidentally, they limited on Adult Kings last August with me too!  Although we had to work for them, we boated 16 Brown Trout and 4 small Kings (20 fish!) on the full day Charter.  All in all we had at least 30 strikes.  I suggested a $5.00 bet for a  BIGGEST FISH TOURNAMENT for a competition between the Laughery Clan.  Well, until the very end of the charter Bob Senior held the lead until Bob Junior pulled a dirty trick on the very last fish of the day and beat out his Dad, taking an extra $20.00 home with him.  I'll be fishing with this wonderful group again in August.

4/1/00 I fished with Sonny Afelt and Les Jump on the Big Manistee River.  We did a lot of fishing and no catching.  I tried to talk these gentleman into a Brown Trip on Lake Michigan but they were as determined to hit the river for Steelhead.  Well we had 3 good hits, 2 briefly hooked up and no fish boated!  Today was the last Saturday I'll ever fish on that river with the inconsiderate weekend fisherman.  They'll set up just below you and cut you off from reaching the fish.  Incidentally, If you're hiring a guide unlike today's group listen to the Guides recommendation.  He's there to make sure you have a successful outing and above all catch fish!

3/31/00 Char and Andy Grendzi, long time friends and 6 year veterans of Kings Charter Wars, chose (wisely) to fish Lake Michigan for Browns and "LIMIT OUT" rather than struggle in the river.   Andy in past years has landed Steelhead in the 16 lb. range with me.  We had another awesome day boating a 4 man limit of Browns (12 fish).  While it was quite frosty in the morning the "ACTION" was "HOT".  Char did a great job in landing the biggest Brown of the day, A dandy 10 pounder that didn't want to give up.  We had 14 "ON" and missed some light hits but the Grendzis put a whipping on the Fish!  Also, Andy and Char manufacture the Deadly Dragon Lure Perch Rig.  They're Lake Erie Experts on Walleyes and especially the Great Tasting Perch. 

3/30/00 Don and his "Fishin' Son" Andy "LIMITED OUT" on Brown Trout On Lake Michigan.  They wisely chose to fish  the Big Lake rather than struggle in the river.  Well, they had a fishing trip they'll long remember!  We had 15 fish up to the back of the boat and 12 great tasting browns hit the box.  The action at first when it was cloudy was fantastic!!  Andy could hardly keep pace with all the hits (at least 20 ).  Fishing stayed steady thru-out Don's charter at least enough to keep Andy hopping.  We lost the biggest Brown of the day when an 8 pounder threw the hook.  While the fish averaged smaller than usual, the numbers made up for it.  For me it was great, because I didn't have to beat myself up on the river trying to create fish that just aren't there due to a warm February and March.

March the 29th a special "Thanks" goes out to Harry Diener from Royal Oak, MI for being willing to reschedule his trip.  After meeting with Harry and his group at 7:15 am it was wisely decided to postpone his Charter for another day.  In the last 4 out of 5 days it's just been to windy and rough to have an enjoyable time on Lake Michigan. It's highly unusual to have this much wind for this time of the year.  Let's wait for the 30th to see if we can get off the dock.  The good thing is that the combinations of Westerly winds we've been having is setting the Lake up for some fantastic Brown Trout opportunities when we get a break from the wind.  River Steelhead is still poor unless your willing to fish with the hoards at Tippy on the gravel for bedding Steelies on the redds.  The crowd is immense!

3/26/00 I just launched the Cherokee and it's berthed at Fisherman Center just behind the Captains Corner Restaurant.  While River Steelhead is slow, Lake Michigan Brown Trout are good to go.  At least now, if you have a Steelhead Trip booked we'll have the option to fish the  Shoreline for Browns.   March the 26th the Lake Michigan Boat (28' Cherokee) was launched because of slow Steelhead action on the Big Manistee River.  Because of the bad weather (rough water) and slow fishing I've cancelled the 26, 27 and 28th.  As soon as the wind lays down we'll be on the Big Lake for Browns.  Also, a fresh run of Steelhead is needed  the river.  River results on the 25th were poor with only 1 fish hooked up and enough boats to recreate the D-Day Invasion in WWII.