On Saturday afternoon I took out a sailor who just completed his training at Great Lakes and his family who came up to partake in his graduation, Good Luck and Thanks
I fished in 42* 27` N circling the few marks I found in the middle of the day staying between 70` and 95`.We went 5 / 7 with a Steelie and 4 coho. Just as I was about to put the birds away (with the warmer surface temps and the cooler water 50` down) I took 2 fish on the only two I had out. A blue Liz brought in the 7 Lb. steelie, and a blue/green/gold 2" slider 5/8 oz. 50` back enticed a chunky coho to bite. Two coho hit a banana rig (Yellow Dodger/ green flie) 50` down on a `rigger and one hitting a smoke Lil` boy blue down 55` rounded off our catch. A hit came on the lead with the Fishlander Gump Striper spoon only to escape after a 5 minute battle, a hit and run popped a `rigger with a Gold star Purple People Eater down 70` to round out the action.
On Sunday morning I set up at 42* 27` in 35` trying to avoid the armada of boats that were in the deeper water and took coho as the third rod went down. The water was warm and so was the coho that hit a banana rig down 25`. Then it was slow pickings we had a `rigger with a Stinger Kevorkian down 50` pop as I reached the 70` mark. The next fish hit on a board ( still running 2) with the blue/ green / gold slider only to escape after a brief tug of war. Then a fish hit a white dodger/flie down 45` while still in the 70` range. We then took a hard hit on the lead still pulling the Gump Striper only to let the line go limp after another 5 minute bout. The lead took another hit and this time a 5# King stayed on the line and found it`s way to the cooler. We had a decent fight with still another board bite, and this time a 6 lb. steelie ended up on some ones grill. The boat traffic was worse than rush hour on the Dan Ryan
, I was basically forced to go all the way out to 110` from 80` before I was able to turn to the south. Boater etiquette still needs some work, I had plenty of boats passing right in front of me as well as cutting it a little closer than I`d like to my lead
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For the afternoon trip the winds were blowing from the South shifting to the East at around 15-20 mph. This along with a 1 mph current from North to South added up to a boat that was hard to control and fish effectively. I started at 27`N in 70` and was hailed by another charter captain fishing on the line who found action in the 90`-95` range. I hit that range and headed North. I was almost in neutral with the wind still blowing from the South and the underwater currents at my bow I too had action as I reached 28` N. The first hit came on a Banana rig down 50` which accounted for a coho. then a few minutes later as a patron stated they didn`t see the `rigger pop and didn`t know what to look for witnessed another `rigger go that was pulling a white on white down 55`. This one didn`t come in as easily and after running across my lines from side to side and breaking 3 lines, a 9lb. King that thought it was twice that size wound up in the net. Then as I was retrieving my gear ( I love those Scotty releases) from the broken lines on my `riggers, a board went (still running 2) I grabbed it since I was right next to it and I handed it off watching the spool grow thinner as the fish ran for a it`s life. After 5 minutes of not gaining any line I turned the boat (not to mention we were just about in Wisconsin waters) to the East and finally saw a 7# Steelie that hit the same blue / green / gold slider was hooked in the back, and as soon as it was in the net the hook came loose. This was a 20 minute battle that on won`t soon forget. The waves were getting a little uncomfortable and with a long ride back to Peoria we called it early. Not to mention someone was out at a bachelor party the night before and looked a little green from the "Get-Go".
The bite still seems best early morning and then again early evening, the Kings are around but are most plentiful during the low light conditions when the bait seems to come to life in the 40`-50` range.
"Wet Nets"
"Captain Jim"
North Point 7/2-7/3
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