Thread: MICDC Weekend Challenge

Challenging ALL MICDC members to get out of the house, on the water, and wet a line this weekend. Long weekends suck with pleasure boaters but who cares.

Post photos of fish caught, family, funny dog photos on the boat, anything to prove you were on the water.

Winner gets a pat on the back and two attaboys! Kidding, we'll think of some cool stuff! Winner will be chosen by number of likes received on their photos. Funnier the better. In the event of a tie, my wife will choose the winner by photo that makes her laugh the most!

Let's have some fun and get on the water. That is what it is about.

In the event anyone is interested:

Lake Erie is on fire right now when it comes to perch. Take I 75 south to Dixie Highway. Get off exit and turn left. Jeff's bait shop is on the right hand side up about a mile. Stop in and grab your minnows. Usually go one scoop over the number of people in the boat (3 people, get 4 scoops). A couple hundred yards up the road is the access to Sterling State Park (on the right). Head to the boat launch.

Leave the harbour and head out the channel, when you get to the end of the channel you have two options... Run straight out to the Michigan/Ohio line (about 25 feet of water) OR, head South East to the channel markers for the River Raison (buoys 1 and 2 mark the entrance). Fishing has been good in front of the channel. As the morning progresses, move about 1 to 1.5 miles out (follow the shipping lane marker on your graph).

Buoy 1 and 2 is about 3.2 miles from the Sterling channel entrance, further out is 5.19 miles. If you run straight out to the Ohio line it is between 5 and 6 miles.

Just about any perch spreader will work. I prefer rigs made by "Ron Springs" out of Montague. You cannot find them on the east side of the state. 1 oz pyramid sinker is what I use on the bottom. Two rods till you get into them good, one is all you need after that.

The screen on my fish finder was solid from the bottom up 4 feet. Should have took a photo but I was busy catching fish.

Good trick to keep your fish nice and cold. I use an 80 quart cooler and freeze (4) 1/2 gallon milk jugs of water. I throw the fish in and add about 1 gallon of water. At the end of the day (after fishing is done) I add two to three gallons of water. The blocks of ice will keep the water cold as can be and the fish will be very cold when you get home (even after a couple hourse).

To keep minnows fresh we use a couple methods. I only keep a hand full of minnows in a 1 gallon pale in the boat. The rest of them I try and keep in a bucket that floats in the water. When it is really hot, we use a 5 gallon bucket with battery airator. We freeze 20oz soda bottles of water and add one at a time to your 5 gallon bucket. Keeps the water nice and cold and the minnows survive all day.

Tons of fun and tons of good eating. We scale all of our fish. I use a bucket scaler as well as an old fashioned hand scaler and an electric Bear paw scaler. I'll be back in a few days!