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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Hello to all, I'm new on the board and it looks like a great site. I look forward to sharing info with everyone. Frank |
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Location: Woodstock, IL | Welcome to the board Captain! As I did, I think you'll find it very informative and entertaining. |
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Posts: 544
Location: Alsip, Il | One of these days, I got to try your great Lake. I have a buddy who says if you aren't catching 5 to 7 fish a day you are doing something wrong. |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Alan 5-7 is about average and on a good day you can expect 10-15 |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Hey capt, Can we talk? I put in a 9 hr day yesterday for one 42 incher.
Lake St Clair sure is a beautiful, bountiful place isn't it?
If I lived any closer I would probably get a divorce (just kidding) |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | Welcome to the site. I take it we can ask you alot of questions about casting small dark water flowages?;-) |
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Posts: 3926
| Ah, cool, another Michigander. Welcome. My Dad and I need to find a St. Clair chater before season is over, I'll check out your site for sure. (I'm in the UP, he's near you in Plymouth.) |
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | Welcome Aboard Cptn Frank, Do you have a web site?
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Yes, it is www.southchannelcharters.com You can link in my profile. Frank. And LOBI I got your e-mail I will answer it shortly. |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Lobi, tell me a little more about your set-up and I'll see if I can help you catch a few more fish. What assortment of baits do you use? what colors and when? How fast do you troll? And how much line and weight? Where have you spent most of your time fishing? |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Hi Capt, We have been using Terminators, believers, and Cranes for most of our luck. Down Rods and wash rods have gotten most of the fish with only one on the boards. It has been frustrating working hard for one or two fish per trip when I see posts of 5-10 fish days. I'm sure we should be using the boards more and on many trips have not used them at all. Are you running multiple rods per board? I have been running sliders on the boat rods but not on the boards. Are you running sliders on the boards as well? The last 2 fish both came off out rods with 8 oz and 30 back. The wash fish have been mostly no weight or a little. My last two trips have been to Belle River area but it is a pain to go thru customs/license etc. The reports of high numbers of fish along the south shore keep bringing me back but we havn't found them. Are there any high numbers of fish areas in the michigan side? I have put 11 in the boat in 8 trips with only 2 being under 42 inches but have not gotten the 50 that keeps me awake at night. I need a 50+ so bad it is driving me crazy.
Help..
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Lobi, the first advice I will give you is be patient and keep good records. There are some really good log books available or you can make your own. as far as baits go I've never used a cranes but terminators and belivers are good baits. You may also want to try wileys and lokes. It can get pretty expensive if you try to have every color of every bait(boy do I know!!) so to try and sum up colors stick to the basics, frog, perch, bass, and walleye; in both white and yellow belly. The rods I run depend on how many people I have and which side of the border I am on, I always try to run boat rods as well as board rods. The board rods produce more fish(they should they cover more water) but I get some of my biggest fish on boat rods. Don't get caught up in trying to run to many rods, it will only get you in trouble and you won't be running quality rods(clear of weeds). My last trip I only had 2 guys, we ran 3 rods with sliders(2 board, 1 wash) we fished for 4hrs. and went 6/7 with the biggest 48". Don't get frustrated this is a tough time of year for big fish, hang on the fall is comming. As far as where to fish; As a general rule there are fewer fish in the center of the lake (weather buoy) but they are bigger than what you will get on the south shore right now which is where you will get high numbers of fish with less of a chance for a 50+. hopethis helps Frank. |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Welcome Capt. Frank, I see you are a fellow Firefighter/Paramedic, glad to have you aboard. |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Muskie Medic, Which Dept. do you work for? I'm at Harrison twp. Fire Dept. I Have been there for 15 yrs. |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I work full-time as a paramedic in the emergency department at St. Michael's Hospital here in Stevens Point and am a Lieutenant on Whiting Fire and Rescue. One of my best friends who is our Captain and a Sgt. on the sheriff's department is from St. Clair Shores, Michigan. |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | MM, St Clair Shores makes up our southern border, tell him I said hello. |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Hi again Capt, Well I did it again..Trolled Saturday from 3pm until after dark for two dinks! Marked TONS of fish all sizes, I mean 10-20 on the screen at a time. The big marks on the screen..are they muskies? Or big walleye,carp,etc? Should the action be there whith a screen full of fish? I gave 'em planer boards, out rods from a 9 footer, wash rods, sliders, everything. Was running 5 rods and 6 kures..got squat. I guess that is Musky fishing huh? The barometer was even pretty low with storms threatening. There was a bass tourney on sat until 2pm. Could that have effected the muskies? Also there was quite a good rainstorm on friday, that couldn't have helped. |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Lobi, next time you are out try to run this setup: 2 wash rods, one 4oz.at 40feet, the other 6oz. at 25feet; 2 down rods as far forward as you can run them (at least mid-ship) one 12oz. 8 feet, the other 16oz. 12 feet; 2 board rods (forget the sliders for now) one 25 feet no weight, the other 40feet 4oz. Keep your speed between 4.2-5.1 mph. (start at the low end and work your way up). let me know if this helps. Frank |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Lobi, do you have a GPS unit? If so when you do get a fish on mark it as soon as possible and go right back over it. take at least 4 or 5 passes. If you don't get more move on and start over,if you get another mark it and stay near that area until the action slows. |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Yep, and I mark the spot immediatly. I have gone back over the spot once or twice but not enough I guess. Do they loosely school around structure or baitfish? Where are the big girls? I need a 50 so bad I can't stand it. Are you catching fish when you are marking tons of bait fish or not necessarily. We have been marking unbelievable numbers of fish on the screen, even seeing some huge fish on the display. I imagine most of what we are marking is perch because of the numbers. You can bet I'm running a lot of perch looking lures. Do you ever run any wild stuff like florescent orange, chartruse, or the white w/red head stuff? Or mostly stick to natural looking baits. We went out for a couple of hours sat afternoon for 3 dinks. I wonder if the bass tourney that morning (until 2) shut them down at all.
Keep putting 'em on the line Capt!
-lobi |
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Posts: 5874
| Capt. Frank,
I think it is way cool that you are posting some very detailed info and help here!
I fished St. Claire once, 3 years ago. Had a blast trolling out from Mitchells Bay in early July. We caught some very fat fish that day, the largest at 47" and approching 30 lbs. I would guess. Kind of a strange way to fish, but we were trolling 12-14 FOW, and every once in a while, we'd mark a weed, and the guide would say get ready. Sure enough, about half the time, we'd get a rip! I will have to get back out there again some day! |
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Posts: 736
Location: Hartford, WI | Hey MuskieMedic, Maybe we can do that Firefighter outing on Franks Pond in 2004? You up for it?????
Jim |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Hey Shep..
You don't happen to have the GPS coordinants in your musky log for that WEED do you?
I've seen it the same way. Trying to keep the lures free of weeds can be downright exasperating sometimes. So you troll some clean water thinking at least the lures will be presentable for a few minutes anyway. Then you troll over a big glop of floaters and start whining as you clean the lures one at a time then a reel starts screeming and the fun begins 
lobi
Edited by lobi 8/5/2003 2:12 PM
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Shep, that is the nice thing about our lake THERE ARE NO SECRETS and there are plenty of fish to go around. When it comes to techniques to fish for them here I enjoy sharing what I have learned and maybe it will get other guys to post some of there succesful techniques so I can learn more too. Cause the one thing about muskies YOU WILL NEVER LEARN ENOUGH!!! I would get more satisfaction out of someone like Lobi using one of my tips and catching his 50 incher than catching it myself (and he will!). To me that is what makes it a great sport. |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Lobi, there is a huge school of walleyes over there right now. As for colors the only flourescent colors I run are a bob izumi color wiley (flourescent green sides w/silver scale black top and chartruce belly) and firetiger. I only run these in dirty water. I never run red and white (too many pike on it). Stick to frog, perch, walleye, and bass. HAVE PATIENCE YOU WILL STICK A BIG ONE!!! Frank |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Originally written by Jim K on 2003-08-05 1:39 PM
Hey MuskieMedic, Maybe we can do that Firefighter outing on Franks Pond in 2004? You up for it?????
Jim
Jim k, sounds good grab the boys and lets fish!! |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Hi Capt Frank,
Running more weight and following other instructions as perscribed. Still catching a fish here and there but no spectacular action. I have to think part of it is my lack of good timing, in wrong area, etc. Seems like I'm doing evrything right.
Are you marking fish when you catch them(big hooks I mean)? Seems like I'm seeing a fair number of big fish on the screen, are they likly to be Musky? Most of the big marks are 10-16 foot down in 18-20 fow.
This weekend I got my littlest fish of the year on my biggest lure, a 28 incher on a 10 inch crackle frog believer. It was the first time running a 10 inch straight believer for me, what an awesome looking lure, I'd eat it! Is it too early to be running the big stuff? Would you still run weight on somthing that dives as welll as a believer on the deep setting? The rocketman says run straights in the fall. Is this because the jointed have an appearance of moving faster and a straight looks a little slower? |
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Posts: 87
Location: michigan | Lobi, still to early to run the big stuff, the big hooks are more than likely muskie we are marking quite a few. If you are marking them and not catching them you can do one of three things. 1)change baits. 2)change presentation (rod location, weight, line length, and speed. 3) move to another spot. If those fish don't want to eat don't waste your time there find fish that are feeding. you can always go back and try the other ones later. Frank |
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