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The 2009 fishing season has drawn to a close for Salmonhead. After a short trip on the 25th, we pulled the boa and got her winterized. Fishing was still good taking 11 for 12. 7 steelhead, 3 kings and a laker. We tossed back the laker and one small king. Water was still in the 54 range and spoons up high did most of the work. Flies deep on the rigger took 2 kings. The fish were definately in pockets. We would take 2-3 fish in short order then troll for some time without a bite, but wave conditions dictated a north troll to stay comfortable. Now is the time to chase deer and elk and fill the freezer with red meat. Currently booking for the 2010 season. It's never too late to pick a date. |
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Made it out finally with all the poor weather we have been having. We had to contend with a pretty strong east wind so the further out we went the rougher it got. We sat in 135 fow and trolled out to 300 and back in to 70, then north a couple miles while working out to 100, then turning west to 165 and then south until it was time to pull them. We finished 9 for 10 with 5 kings and 4 steelhead. Fish were caught anywhere from a 4 color leadcore down to 130 on the rigger. Mix of Horseflies and Northport Nailer spoons. Fish were up to about 10#. With a full day to fish and some decent weather, it could be a slaughter yet. water temps were still 57-58 out there, so lots of good fishing to come. |
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Kind of a weird weekend of fishing. Saturday I mated for Code Blue as the Muskegon Charter Boat association donated fishing trips to the Sportsmans Wheelchair group and my boat is a little small for two wheelchairs and support staff. We had a 5 hour trip and managed 4 fish. All boats involved had slow days, but each angler got to reel in a couple fish. Saturday evening found me in the channel with one buddy with no action at all. Didn't even see a fish hooked. We never left the pier heads. Sunday we fished the second annual Pointe Marine tournament which is weigh your best 4, follow DNR rules for everything else. Since the night before yelded no fish we decided to go offshore and get our 4 then run to the piers and look to upgrade. Well, that was a good theory, but didn't work out so well. It took us a while to get our 4, but one was a dink, so we stayed for 5. Then we went in to upgrade, but the one fish we caught at the piers was only 5-6#, so not an upgrade. The winners found fish just outside the mud in the clear water and also in Muskegon Lake near the clipper. The fish don't seem to be hanging anywhere in between. A good time was had by all at the tournament. Sunday evening found me on a charter and the customers wanted to go for numbers. We ran out looking for the steelhead that have been biting, but had a slow night finishing 4 for 5. All nice fish in the 6-9# range, but a little light on numbers. Sounded like a little better action south of where I fished. |
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Fishing continues to be very good out of Muskegon. Fishing Saturday morning we finished 8 for 13 with lots of steelhead. Saturday evening I had an hour and half to kill so two of us played harbor patrol and pulled two good kings and a sheepie out of the channle at sunset. Sunday was double trips finsihing 16 for 18 in the morning and 15 for 20 in the evening. Steelhead continue to dominate the box. Lots of steelhead type colors up high like 2,3,5,7 colors of leadcore and high divers back 40-110 with spoons. #1 spoon hands down has been Northport Nailer Sunfire #69 taking over half the bites in the last three trips. Another strong showing goes to Mashed Bannana #11 and Bloody Nose Dalmation. Fish canbe caught anywhere from the channel out to 220+ fow, but we have been concentrating on water in the 125-180 range. If you can find a temp slick, there should be steelhead on it. The water is still turbid from last week's high winds and where the slicks set up, fishing has been good. Get out there while the action is HOT! |
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Made to order today. Headed out with family today. Tried the shallow stuff early sitting in 60 and working to 100 and only taking 2 small kings. After a mile or so, we pointed it west and found a good temp break and tried that with minimal luck. After picking away for a couple hours we pointed it west and picked some more. We finished up 16 for 20 with 10 steelhead, 4 kings, 1 coho and 1 laker. The best bait by far was Northport Nailer #69, Sunfire on either a 2 or 3 color, going off 10 times. We took two on 63 tiger perch, 2 on 41 orange ice, 1 on 22 monkey puke, one on 89 lemondrop glow, one on a fly, one on 39 bumblebee. Not a cloud in sight or a ripple on the water. My aunt from Florida had the time of her fishing life. I have evening openings all weekend. |
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With the wrap up of August, fishing remains solid, Reports filtering in show some fish in the channel, but they come and go and the bite is not reliable from day to day at this point. We tried one pass with no luck and pulled up and ran north to the same spot as last weekend. Fish are still hanging by the nets and we finished 11 for 12 with a nice mixed bag. We caught fish from 190 - 135 fow. On the deeper end, younger salmon and some nice steelhead prefered Northport Nailers near the surface. On the shallower end, some Nailers and Horseflies took the fish but they were the mature fish getting ready for the run with hooked jaws and darker fall colors. The best spoon was Bloody Nose Dalmation on the high diver 80 back went 4 times, Little Boy Blue fly went 48 down on the rigger, SeaMist went 120 on the rigger, SeaWeed went 160 back on the wire, Sunfire went twice on the 3 color, Mashed Bannnana went on the 5 color, Orange Ice went on the 7 color, Monkey Puke went on the 9 color. Fishing is very good and we have a calm forcast for the week, about the first time all season. Get out there. The run is on and fish are biting. |
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Fishing remains good and is getting better. Thursday we tried for big mature fish in shallower water and captured a couple then headed to deeper water and finished 9 for 12. Lots of good coho in the 6-10# class mixed in the bag. Magnum flashers in the 10-12" range were the ticket with Horse Flies like Sea Weed, Sea Mist and Little Boy Blue, blue glow and Mirage. Friday was more of the same, but we skipped the inside fishing and went straight for the deeper water fish. Finishing 12 for 17 with two throw back lakers we brought 10 to the table. Again several very nice coho and kings mixed with several nice lake trout. Magnum flashers with lots of shiny stuff on them with the same flies were great again, but we took a few on Northport Nailer spoons as well. One each came on Salmonhead, Bloody Nose, Green Ice, and Orange Ice. |
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After the winds finally abated enough to get out, we got some lines set yesterday. Fish were scattered around a bit, but we found some in the 180 range again. The winds socked in more warm water, shoving the thermal break down to about 100' instead of 70 from last week. We picked away finishing 7 for8 plus a beautiful Disney mylar fish balloon on the 9 color. A true trophy. The balloon took a Nailer. But for the fish, 4 rips on Seamist Horsefly, one on Seaweed, one on Blue ice (44), One on Dark Monkey puke (22) one on Roughy (65). Fish were deep, over 100 down with the two exceptions. Had three kings, one coho, one laker and two steelies for a nice mixed bag. |
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Fishing Reports 
