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2005
Fishing Reports |
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NEXT TRIP: Rhino is done for the year, but possibly
some more reports from "The Fishing Poles" |
9/15-
9/18 |
Fished Thrusday (6 for 1, very rough and windy in 190 FOW) and Friday
PM (7 for 4 in 55 to 70 FOW) and Saturday (6 for 3, calm and slow)
and Sunday AM (10 for 8, off Saugatuck on friends boat). Most fish
came on spoons depper in the water column with several in shallower
water on J-plugs. Glowing spoons working best with fish being on the
mid to smaller side of the scale. Mature fish moving up the rivers.
Start early or stay late depending on AM or PM fishing. Captain Jim
- The Fihsing Poles |
| 9-18 |
Took a very quick trip sunday morning from 7-9 AM. No luck from
30 - 100 feet of water. The channel was crowded with boats and we
saw one boat take in nice black 10 lb salmon at the Mac end of the
Channel. Not much on the fish finder. |
| 9-11 |
Fished Saugatuk on friends boat Sunday AM from dark 'til 10 and
ended up going three for three. Two smaller salmon and a jumbo perch...
All came on spoons off downriggers in 60 to 70 FOW. Started at the
pierheads and worked all the way to 85 FOW. Water very warm and little
action noted on other boats. Radio chatter was minimal with no good
news from others. Hoping for cooler weather to pick things up before
the end of the season. Capt. Jim. |
| 9-7 |
Went out Wednesday for a couple of hours before dark. Very slow
fishing with storms visible to the north. Ended up 3 for 2 with both
coming on lead with bloody nose and downrigger with white spoon. Fished
45 to 65 FOW and surface temperature was above 70. Hope for cooler
water and better fishing in week to come. Captain Jim - The Fishing
Poles |
9-4
9-3 |
Went 5 for 3 on Saturday and 5 for 4 on Sunday. Fishind dawn until
9AM and water was rough both days with east winds on Sunday and south
winds on Monday. Surface temperatures still in high 60's and based
on body temperature of the fish caught, the fish were holding in the
warm water. Stayed in 50 to 65 FOW and put riggers down near bottom.
Best luck was with Mag spoons with allot of white on the pattern.
No luck on flies or Jplugs on Sunday and did not set any on Monday.
Lead core was working well both days and dispsey's weren't. Capt.
Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 8-31 |
The trip was pretty good, but it was hard to get a feel for where
the fish were. Not much was being marked, and between 7 and 9PM we
went 2 of 5, one on lead core and the other on a pink and blue spoon
down 30 feet. These were in 50-55 feet of water. We also tried shallower,
in to 35 feet, and did get a hit or two in the shallower water. |
| 8-26 |
Fished Friday evening. Seas near calm and air temperature was warm.
Went 10 for 6 and took four home. All fish came in 40 to 60 FOW on
lead, downriggers a dipseys. All on green, white and blue spoons except
one that hit a white fly w a white fishcatcher 125' behind the boat.
Capt. Jim - The fishing poles. |
| 8-24 |
After good evening on Tuesday, thought we'd run out and see if we
could pick up some more fish. Didn't get out until almost eight and
took the junior team with me (my nine year old son and his friend).
North wind was brisker than expected but water was fishable. Fished
the same spoon selection as Tuesday off riggers but did not set any
lead or dipseys because of limited crew experience and water conditions.
Bait and fish were still there on the sonar but no takers. Did not
hear of anyone else doing much better. We'll give it another try Friday.
Captian Jim - The Fishing Poles |
| 8-23 |
Fished 7:00 til dark and ended up going 7 for 6. Fish on the medium
to smaller side for this time of the year (no monsters). Lake very
calm and surface water temperature down to @68 degrees from low 70's
last week. Fished 50 to 65 FOW with all fish comming on downriggers
45 to 55 feet down. The usual array of blue/green/chrome spoons were
working best with all fish comming directly off the balls. Not much
going on with the lead core or dipseys. Captain James - The Fishing
Poles |
| 8-6 |
The boat is still waiting for parts, but it didn't take much
convincing to get have. Jiim to take Kori, Doug, and I out fishing
in the morning. We marked a ton of fish in 40 feet of water fished
there through sunrise, but couldn't get anything to go. We had similar
troubles fishing out to 115 feet deep. We ended the moring (6:00-9:30)
going 1 for 5. The one that didn't get away was 5 lb Sheephead.
I haven't caught a sheephead for 20 yrs and it brought some humor
to the otherwise dissappointing morning.
Word from Jim was that he went back out at night and caught one
"small" 8 lb king and 4 really nice size Kings in 85 feet
of water. |
7/29-
7/31 |
Tried to fish Friday PM but big waves brought us back to docks early.
Fished Sat PM and Sunday AM. Put seven kings in the box each day with
many additional releases. Fished 80 to 110 FOW in PM and 45 to 65
FOW in AM. Fish came primarily on spoons off down riggers with green
and yellow and chrome combination. Riggers set low in the water both
days. Dipseys with flies were slow. Noted very strong currents Saturday
PM after the big seas on Friday and no bait inside the pierheads on
Sunday AM. Capt Jim. |
| 7-20 |
Wednesday night, Jim, Paul, and I headed out after the storm and
found the fish scattered everywhere but not biting. We marked a lot
of them from 30-100 feet of water but couldn't get anything to go
from 6:30-8:00. Finally, turning north in 115 feet we got a hit, a
tangle and another hit, then a double. After the craziness settled
down we were 3 of 4 with some good 7 lb. kings. We kept on the North
troll (nothing happened turning back south) and ended 3 for 10. Lemon
ice and green spin doctor and fly worked best. 175 back and 80 down
were the numbers. |
| 7-17 |
WOW, Great Morning! Captain Jim, myself, paul and shane teamed up
and were 6 for 10, all Kings, averaging 10 lbs. The chart plotter
looked like a ball of twine when we finished, sinse we did tight circles
in 35-50 feet of water just outside the pier heads. Mostly Green with
different colored spoons on sliders were getting the action. The last
10 lb king came on a white fly and dipsy. Paul put forth the most
effort as one big King took 45 minutes for him to bring in. We fished
from 5:30-8:30. |
| 7-16 |
Fishing Report:
Fished Saugatuck with a friend this morning. Out in the dark making
passes along the pier heads with no luck until we went out to past
40 FOW. Cold water that was in close last week has warmed up and fish
not as shallow. Went 1 for 3 with a nice king on a spindoctor/green
fly setup. Other hits came on lead core and downrigger with spoons.
Capt Jim. |
| 7-14 |
Went out for an early fish with an out of town friend and ended
the morning 4 for 7. All kings, between 7 and 16.5 lbs. Fish came
on flies and spoons behind lead core, downriggers and dipseys. Fished
in 55 to 90 FOW with greens & blues working best higher in the
water column. More boats than expected and many fishing very shallow.
Captain Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 7-12 |
A pretty good fishing trip this morning left us 4 for 6. A 5 pound
king and a 5 lb steelheand plus a small king and small laker. Green
and Black combinations were the hot spoons and we were fishing from
60 to a 100 feet of water and most fish were up around 30 feet. There
wasn't any action on the dipsy fly sets or leadcore. |
| 7-9 |
Kris and I had a beautiful sunset fishing trip. We think the fish
were either watching the sunset or a little spooked by the days events:
The Salmon Slam and Poker Run. Taking Captain Jims advice we fished
50-100 feet deep, but didn't get any luck. |
7-9
7-8 |
Out last night and this morning. Fished 65 to 110 FOW both days
and fishing was best in shallower water earlier and later in the day.
Trolled spoons concentrating on blue, green and yellow both days with
lead core being most productive both days Last night went 4 for 8
with two steelies & two Kings. Went 5 for 9 this morning with
two kings, two steelies and one nice Coho. Captain Jim - The Fishing
Poles. |
| 7-7 |
Out Thursday evening for a couple of hours. Strong wind blowing
out of the NNW and seas were rough enough to limit direction of trolling.
Went 1 for 2, a mid size king @ six pounds. King came on a blue dolphin
behind a dipsey 125 feet back in 65 FOW on a windward troll. Looking
forward to better catching this weekend. Captain Jim - The Fishing
Poles |
| 7-4 |
Went out on the big lake on the 4th for a bumpy ride. Brisk wind
out of the south, rain, waves in the 2-3 foot range and some impressive
thunder and lighting in the distance brought us back to the dock by
8:30 AM. Went 2 for 4 missing a screamer on lead core and jumping
seelie on dipsy up high. Ended with a nice king and big steelhead
in the box. All fish came in 65 to 90 FOW and on spoons less than
45 down. Captain Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 7-1 |
Out early and went 5 for 8, 4 kings and one steelhead. All came
on spoons on lead core and downriggers in 55 to 95 feet FOW, 35 to
55 down. Greens and blues worked best. Wind was out of the east and
the biting flies were no problem. Look to be back on the water on
the fourth. Captain Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 6-28 |
A quick morning trip was just what was needed to get over the poor
fishing luck lately. Paul and I went 2 for 3 from 6:30 to 8:30, 1
small king and one good Steelhead about 6 lbs. We missed a big screamer
that took out a bunch a line and got into the lead core. The action
came from 65 to 100 feet and 40 down. Blue Dolphin Magnum for the
king and Gold Magnum with Red Tail for the trout. |
| 6-27 |
Tried to fish for a while Monday evening with the family, but the
biting flies and the lack of biting fish, kept us off the water for
most of the night. We fished from 6:00 - 7:00, starting at 80 feet
and heading west out to 200. Nothing was happening at the rods or
on the fish finder. The flies were horrible! The only way to get sanctuary
from the flies (and heat) was going for a swim. The water was 70-72
degrees at the surface. |
6-26
6-25 |
Ended up on the water Saturday and Sunday AM. Total of 9 kept (4
for 14 on Sat, 5 for 7 on Sun), smallest was a 5 pound steelhead,
had three kings 12 - 15 pounds. Remaining were nice three year fish
and an 8 lb steelhead. Out in the dark on both days and off the water
by 9:30 on Saturday and 8:30 on Sunday. Capt. Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 6-18 |
We fished the Holland Fish and Game Club tourny. Out of the pier
at 6:30 and back in at 1:00. We did so bad that we didn't show up
for the weigh-in afterwards. Only caught one (it did taste good for
dinner) and lost a couple of good fish. One possible steelhead hit
a spoon on the dipsy and screamed away, made several jumps, tossed
the hook aside, and then laughed at us. |
| 6-17 |
Fished Friday PM...Very windy & rough and cold (surface water
temperatures were in the 40's). Went 5 for 7 in 90 to 135 FOW. Fish
came on riggers and dipseys and all were on the smaller side (only
brought home two). Brighter colors were best set deeper and trolled
with and across the wind/wave direction. All hits/fish on spoons later
in the evening. Capt. Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 6-11 |
Fished Saturday AM from 5 to 9. Set lines in the dark and never
had a bite. Changed up lure selection many times, ran three dipseys
at all different depths, half and full cores and riggers from 35 to
80 feet down but nothing seemed to get them to bite. Fished 55 to
120 FOW. Marked numerous fish and schools of bait but never had any
action. Capt. Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 6-9 |
Very warm, calm & slow. Went 1 for 4 last night in 100 to 135
FOW. Three on riggers 45 to 65 feet down and one on full core. Brigther
colors were best as has been the case the majority of the time this
year. All hits/fish on spoons. Had two fly/spindoctor rigs on dipseys
200+ feet back which were quiet all evening. Very encouraged by the
number of fish and baitfish being marked all evening, just could not
get them to bite. Capt. Jim - The Fishing Poles. |
| 6-5 |
No Fish, No Hits, No Bumps, No Shakers, No Nothin. Fished from 7:30-11:00
between 50 and 18 feet. Reports on the radio out of Holland were very
slow. One report out of Port Sheldon was good in 170 feet of water.
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| 6-4 |
Fished 6:00 til dark. Slow fishing and ended the day 2 for 4 with
one King and one Steelhead. Started the day in 235 FOW and worked
back to 90 FOW by nightfall in easterly direction. All fish came on
downriggers 45 to 65 feet down. Nothing on dipseys or lead core. Both
fish came on black, purple and white Pro King. Marked fish sporadically
at all depths with long periods of no activity. Capt. Jim - The Fishing
Poles. |
| 5-30 |
BIG SKUNK... Fished from 5:30-9:00 and went 0 for 2. Both were lead
core at 200 feet of water. One broke the leader. We tried a bit of
everything between 100 and 220 feet of water. By the looks of the
boats around us, no one was catching fish, and most boats spent most
of the morning heading West looking for action. |
| 5-28 |
We fished from 5:30 to 8:30 and hit depths between 70 and 230 feet.
Not much happening. We ended 4 for 4, but they were all little baby
Kings. It was exciting to get the double header in 100 feet of water
that ended up with 3 fish on 2 poles. The slider and rigger both went
so I pulled in two at one time! We tried most colors at most depths.
The red/white/and blue spoon took two (appropriate for the holiday
weekend). |
| 5-21 and 5-22 |
(Report from Jim off The Fishing Poles) Fished Saturday AM &
PM and Sunday PM. A lot of dead time but still ended the weekend going
18 for 27 with fish being on the smaller side and several released
each trip to fight another day. Fish scattered in 85 to 135 FOW and
relied heavily on GPS once we found them. Fished spoons on all days
except on Sunday PM when we put a Blue/White fishcatcher with blue
fly 200’ back on dipsey dialed at 2.5 and caught two. Downriggers
set between 47 and 62 feet down with sliders. Fish higher in the water
very early and late in the day. Switched through the spectrum of colors
and light spoons with yellow/green seeming to work best. Capt. Jim
– The Fishing Poles |
| 5-22-05 |
Not much happening between 9 and 12 AM. We went 1 for 3 and just
nearly got the skunk out of the boat when Chad realed in the last
down rigger pole. It was on the slider on a red white and blue fishbone
style spoon. Another hit was on a blue fly off the dipsy, 215 back.
Better luck next time, I hope. |
| 5-18-05 |
I finally made it out fishing. What a great night!!! A flat lake,
warm night, and 9 for 12. All Kings, the biggest around 7 pounds.
3 were babies and released. Any spoon with yellow was working, particularly
Lemon Ice. Both Dipsies and riggers were going, 175-200 back and 45
to 65 down. Several hits on the slider. Most of the action was around
110 feet of water. The lead core didn't get any action even though
we varied the spoon a few times (Full lead too deep?). Good Luck! |
| 5-14-05 |
(Report from Jim off The Fishing Poles) Fished Saturday evening.
Out on the water by 6:00 PM and went 8 for 9 by the time we got blown/rained
off just shy of 8:00 PM. All Kings, kept six and released two smaller
fish to fight another day. Fished 80 to 120 FOW, 45 to 65 feet down.
All fish came on spoons off riggers and lead core. Never even put
a dipsey in the water. Based on fish marked, it appears the fish are
moving out to deeper water. Capt. Jim - The Fishing Poles
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