Ludington fishing report

Sept 8 2011

I am done on the lake for the 2011 season. I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that fished with me this season and all the seasons past. Without your support I would not be able to do what I love to do for a living. This year will for sure be one for the record books with all the big fish we boated and the great fishing.

Thanks again !!!

Hope to see everyone next year.

If you are looking for some great fishing remember I operate Rivers Bend Guide Service on the rivers from now until May. www.riversbendguideservice.com Inland river guide trips for Salmon and Steelhead.

Aug 30 2011

The good fishing continues!! Prime time King salmon and fat and fiesty Coho salmon are staging offshore near Ludington. The fishing has been good from Little Point all the way to Big Sauble Point. Fish are being taken from shallow skinny water all the way out to 200 plus feet. The fish are averaging about 5 lbs. heavier than the last few years. There have been fish weighed up to 37 lbs. Many master angler catches this year.

Hot Set ups

Mag SS blue dolphins,Mag SS sponge bob

White,black rotators with meat rigs.

White flashers with green flies

Aug 24 2011

The fishing the last week or so has been pretty typical of mid- August. The fish are still running from big to very BIG !! Numbers wise...we have been pulling good catches from 7-11 fish per charter. Not huge numbers, but when you cant close the cooler with only 10-11 fish in it you know they are HUGE fish. We still have a few morning openings as well as afternoon trips also available.

Hot set ups

Flashers in white,black and green with meat rigs, Blue bubble spin doctors with blue bubble flies. White bechold fish catchers with howie green crinkle flies.

Mag SS glow back blue -green dolphins,Yeck Nuked blue dolphins.

Aug 14 2011

Prime time!! Big Kings!! and Fat and Sassy Cohos!! Call soon to get your King!!

Well....its almost mid August and the fishing has been good to great....to tough....but it has its rewards this year! There have been several master angler Kings this year in Ludington.The fish numbers may be down,but the size is up for sure.

Check out this story from www.mlive.com about the current state of the salmon fishery.http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/08/changes_in_lake_michigan_salmo.html

This past week the fishing has been good from shallow on out to 600 plus feet.There are fish moving into and through PM lake into the river as well.The weather and the waves have made fishing challenging this week for sure.

Hot set ups have been pretty similar,with meat rigs getting better each day.

Glow plugs on short coppers 50-100 foot,white and black rotators with mirage and pickled sunshine flies. Silver Streak hot lobster,glow mixed veggie,green chilly willy.

Meat rigs in black,whhite and glow, with and without teasers.

We still have a few AM trips available as well as Afternoon trips.

Aug 7 2011

The fishing up until Saturday was pretty decent....Saturday the fleet struggled. If you landed on the fish the morning bite was decent at best, most struggled to hook up with 5-7 fish. The fish are pretty scattered with fish from 30' all the way out to 400 plus ! Most of the fish are still coming on spoons, a few on flies ,plugs have been ok in the early am.

Due to a smoked starter on my boat I wont be back on the water until Tuesday afternoon.

Hot setups...

Pretty much the same as it has been. Throw out a few plugs in the am for sure.

July 31 2011

Its time to get your fish on !!!! Call soon...Prime time is here

The fishing in Ludington is finally moving into summer mode. With the Bank fishing well, as well as deeper waters offshore, there is plenty of room to move around and avoid the pack. The last few charters have given a good mixed bag of fish...Kings,Cohos,Lake Trout and Steelhead. The fish have been in the top 50' for the most part.

Hot spoons..

Silver streak green chilly willys,hot lobsters,lemon ice, Yeck fire balls,jerid single dingle,NK holo blue dolphin

Black flashers with glow tape and glow teasers glow meat head are starting to fire on low divers.

July 24 2011

The bite continues to improve !! ....call soon!

The fishing is looking more and more stable everyday. Catches have been good to great from Little Point to Big Point and beyond. Low light levels have been the key for catching the King, with trout more active mid morning thru evening. First light action has been great as well as the sundown bite. Late morning thru early evening the bite has been much slower. The water is setting up and we are starting to see a little consistency as far as depths the fish are coming from.

Hot set ups...

Reg size silver streak green chilly willys, Mag Silver Streak SOG,Hot Lobster, Glow Mixed veggies, Kevorkian. Stinger Lemon Ice,Green Slushie and Pearl Wonderbread, Yeck reg Blue Dolphins ....several Moonshine lures have also been good!

Green with glow tape spinnys with pickled sunshine flies have been good early.

July 22 2011

The fishing continues to improve ! Now is the time to book your summer charter!!

The numbers of large KING salmon continues to rise, with daily reports of fish in the mid 20's... The fishing should continue to improve the next few weeks. Open days are thinning out , if you are looking to book a charter dont wait to long..best thing to do is to book your day as far in advance as possible to ensure you get the day thas for you. The S and W winds are starting to set up the water and pull more fish into the area.

The bite on my boat has still been mostly on spoons..hot baits have been Silver streak green chilly willy's,hot lobsters,blue dolphins. Yeck fireballs,red lasers and glow frogs have been good on cores. NK nbk has been good for a fish or two as well.

July 18 2011

The peak is here ! Time to book a day or two if you have not already!

Finally !!!

It looks as if we have finally turned the corner! THe fishing over the weekend began gaining momentum and the better fishing continued this morning. Look for the next 6-8 weeks to be some of the best fishing of the season.

It is time to re spool with new lines if you have not already! The fish are running very large this year and man do they get mad when the hook drives home! These fish remind me of the fish from the mid 90's...big, stumpy and really hard fighters.

It has been mostly a spoon bit for me as of late...

Silver streak tangerines, Yeck fire ball, red lasers, Stinger double orange crush,Carmel dolphins and NK NBK's

Tons of fish and bait north of Ludington this AM!

July 9 2011

WE HAVE OPENINGS<CALL SOON

Man....is it July yet ??

Well it is July..but the lake is still in June mode...THe fishing the last few trips has been nothing to write home about...The fishery seems to be stuck in June mode..scattered fish top to bottom...it has been really hard to get a pattern established. We have been pulling 4-7 fish per trip...and working really hard for those fish. Everyone is struggling....EVERYONE.. If you call another charter for a trip and get the fishing is HOT report...beware!

Things will get better and it can happen anyday. The higher than normal amounts of dead and dying alewifes is not helping...this is setting up the all you can eat buffet for the fish without them having to hunt and chase their meals down. This is making the bite that much harder to get.

Hot set ups..

lead cores 2-10 colors with spoons,mixed veggies,silver streak super screw balls,lemon ice

300-400 coppers with spoons, flashers and cut bait rigs, black flashers with pickled sunshine flies.

Divers and riggers with similar set ups.

July 4 2011

WE HAVE BOTH AM AND PM OPENINGS

The fishing in Ludington has remained steady for the last week or so, Not red hot...but not dead either. Several days of south winds have warmed the water up and set up the thermocline, although it is deep...close to 95' down before you find cool water. The best rigs have been meat rigs on deep riggers,divers and 300-400' copper lines. Flashers with pickled sunshine flies have also been steady.

Some of the best fishing of the summer will be in the next few weeks...this is when we typically see the biggest and the baddest  Kings of the season.

June 27 2011

WE HAVE OPENINGS THIS WEEKEND

The fishing has been hit and miss for the last week or so, I have not fished the lake due to a few prior events that were on the calendar. But I have been keeping a close eye on the fishing through my contacts. The fishing picked up North of Ludington mid week last week and then fell off over the weekend. This is pretty typical of our June fishery... Our July fishing begins this weekend....things should start to improve as the water is finally setting up a thermocline and the baitfish are finished up spawning for the most part, these alewifes will push offshore and help hold the fish in the Ludington basin.

Hot setups, have been spoons, mod mag blue dolphins, lemon ice, yeck pole cats on coppers and cores...covering water has been key..

Flashers and flies are starting to pick up off low wire divers and deep long coppers. Green,White and Black flashers with green,mirage or blue flies.

Meatrigs are also starting to fire with better results. Fish are coming from warmer waters as well as deep in cold waters.

Cover water and dont be afraid to troll west! the offshore water is typically more stable than the near shore water around the structure of the bank.

June 12 2011

The good fishing continues! Although they arent coming quite as easy, if you stay with a group of fish the numers are still there. The key has been to stay with them once you find them. Circling the group and trolling through from different angles has worked well. Still catching mostly KINGs but a few Lake Trout are showing up.

Why wait now is a great time to hit the water. Less boat traffic equals more bites!

Hot baits....

Mostly a spoon bite. Silver streak Sponge Bob in reg and mag is still very hot, as well as Silver streak mag Papa Smurf. Yeck Starburst, and Pole cats in both reg and mag. Moonshine mongolian beef and green flounder pounder. Stinger Red October on a 5 color has been good to.

White and black flashers with pickled sunshine flies are taking a few on dipsy divers.

June 6 2011

The fishing the last few days has been nothing short of outststanding!! Morning and afternoon trips have produced limit or near limit catches of King Salmon  up to 18 lbs. These fish are so hungry and aggressive the bites have been great with fish hooking up very well! With cold water top to bottom the fish have been coming off short 5 color lead cores all the way down to the bottom. If you are looking for the best fighting fish of the year now is the time! These fish are MEAN!!!!

Top baits have been

white flashers with pickled sunshine or mirage flies

Silver Streak sponge bob spoon in both reg and magnum

Yeck starburst was smokin on 5-7 colors

We have openings ....call soon

May 30 2011

Sorry for the lapse in reports, I have been having a few problems with the fishing reports section on the web site.

The fishing has still been in a spring like mode. Cooler water temps and changing wind direction is causing the pods of fish to move around a bit. The keys have been to cover water till you find a group of fish, then just stick to the area and cover t from multiple angles. The good news is that the fish are healthy and very hard fighters. Several kings in the 15-17 lb range have almost spooled us as of late.

Hot set ups:

2-7 colors of lead pulling orange spoons... Stinger DOC, Yeck red lasers, Yeck Fire balls, Silver streak orange Chilly Willy, Pats bait, Stinger steelie stompers.

Slide divers out 40-90 feet with similar spoons

Riggers with mag spoons in dolphin,mongolian beef and carmel dolphin spoons.

The fishing is great ! call or email for a day on the water!

May 12,2011

The Hattrick is in the water and ready to go!

The fishing has been kinda spotty. Great one day and slow the next. The good news is that there are still several options. Kings deep, Browns shallow,mixed with a few Lake trout. The fish look very healthy and big for this time of year.

Now is the time to call and set up a day or two with us. Prime dates, especially weekends always book up fast. Come make your memories on the "HATTRICK"

April 24 2011

Well I finally had a break in my calendar to enjoy some spring brown trout on Lake Michigan. I fished on my mates boat out of Muskegon and we hammered the browns, taking a 3 man limit in the middle of the day trolling stick baits and spoons on planer boards and slide divers. The hot baits were Rapalas and Jr. thundersticks. The water was a little colored and the lures with brighter colors seemed to be the best. The fish were pretty nice with the largest topping 10 lbs.

The Hattrick will be launched next weekend and I am looking forward to some Ludington brown trout fishing in the days to come. May offers some great fishing for hungry browns,kings and lake trout, please give us a call to set up a day or two. Summer trips are also booking up, dont wait!

Feb 21 2011

Well, spring is only a few weeks away, and my thoughts are turning towards the big blue waters of Ludington,Mi. It won't be long till the brown trout start hunting the shorelines and the Kings start coming near shore as waters warm and baitfish gather in the shallow waters...everything looking to feed.

I will be spending the next 2 months operating my river guide service in pursuit of the great Michigan Steelhead. This is a very busy time for me as usual and this year looks to be even busier than last year. I still have a few days available if you have an "itch" to get on the water and put a bend in a rod.

www.riversbendguideservice.com for more info

I will keep you posted on the fishing this summer like years past, the "hattrick" goes in the water Late April. Now is a good time to call or email to set up your summer fishing.

Sept 8 2010

The season has ended for me on the Hattrick for 2010. It was another great summer with wonderful clients and some really good catches.....and honestly a few that were not so good. But Hey.....thats fishing!

We ended up with 8 nice fish today and lost a few as well....mostly a spoon bite on 1/2 and full cores,throw in a few diver bites and rigger bites and it was a great end of season charter on the Hattrick.

A huge thanks to all that fished with me this summer ! Without your support I would not be able to do what I love !

See you next spring!

Until then ....remember I offer guided river trips for Salmon and Steelhead through the spring. www.riversbendguideservice.com

Fishing is all we do....

Sept 2 2010

I have only about a week or so left on the Hattrick before I switch gears and spend the rest of my fall guiding inland for salmon and steelhead. My last charter is Sept 11.

The fishing on the lake was good this week for those able to fish, high winds kept many boats moored up. Big Big winds this weekend should hopefully push fish nearshore and get the peirheads and harbors fired up . Look for an exciting finish to this summers fishing in the coming weeks as 95 percent of the fall run is still sitting in the lake!

Big Plugs, flashers and flies and meat rigs should help fill your cooler!

If you are looking for a fishing trip on either the lake or river in the coming weeks please give us a call!

Aug 22 2010

Prime time for BIG KINGS !

Well, as expected, the high winds and big waves have shuffled the water and got the fish on the bite! Things returned to normal with good catches the last several charters. The fish have been big and fiesty ! King's to 18 lbs, coho's to 10 lbs and some nice steelies!!

The fishing should hold for the next several weeks as the big fish are starting to hone in on their home rivers to begin the fall spawning migration. Still no big numbers of fish near shore or at the pier heads, but plenty of fish offshore in deeper waters both north and south of Ludington.

Plugs,plugs and more plugs as of late....glow and green ladderback! Moonshine spoons, Mag silver Streak glow mixed veggies ,green dolphin,hot lobster have been good! Mostly white slick tape and pickled sunshine flies,black paddles have also had their times.

We still have open dates.....please call or email for more info!!

Aug 16 2010

Weekday and weekend openings still available!!

The wind is blowing here in Ludington !! Winds to over 30 knots have been pushing water around the last 24 hours, this should help get the fishing to back where we all want it. There are lots of frustrated captains here, that are more than ready to start slamming the fish again. The fish are here...warm summer temps have kept the fish in the lake and out of the river.

Look for the fishing to turn on big time the next few days as the winds die down and things settle.

The fishing late last week and thru Saturday AM was yeilding 5-7 fish per charter with a mix of year class Kings,Coho's,Steelhead and Lake trout. Not huge numbers,but what can you do.....cant make them bite!

Hot baits-

Mag silver streak glow mixed veggies,hot lobster,kevorkian,Yeck Fireball's and starbursts took several steelhead. Big flashers in whites and blacks with green and mirage flies.

Aug 13 2010

The fishing the last few days has not been what it was....very frustrating,marking tons upon tons of fish,but the bite has been sporadic to say the least....The first light bite has been much slower,thus making it even harder to get the fish to go after sun up. Hopefully it will get back to what it was very soon.

The same baits are still producing,just not the action that they were. The fish just need to go on the feed a bit more and the coolers will be filling up once again.

Aug 10 2010

PRIME TIME !!

Not much has changed the last week or so.....the fishing continues to be great! The morning bite has been the best most days,but sunset has been getting its fair share of action. Look for great fishing from here on out as big kings stage nearshore waiting for the right conditions to start making their runs up the river.

Hot baits havent changed much...mag silver streak chilly willys in white,gree,blue. Yeck modified blue dolphins. Yeck frogs. Plugs in glows,blues,greens and pearls. Big flashers in white,green with pickled sunshine flies.

YES ! we have openings for this month! Please call or email if you would like to spend some time on the water with us.

Aug 1 2010

Prime time is here !

The fishing in Ludington has been great the last week or so. Good catches of mostly Kings,with a few steelhead,lake trout and cohos mixed in. Although the action has been a bit scattered ,setting down on the fish has helped a bunch....if you dont set down on the keep searching as they have been in groups,usually surrounding bait clouds.

Hot baits this week...mag silver streak chilly willys in white,gree,blue. Yeck modified blue dolphins. Yeck frogs. Plugs in glows,blues,greens and pearls. Big flashers in white,green with pickled sunshine flies.

YES ! we have openings for this month! Please call or email if you would like to spend some time on the water with us.