FISH REPORTS 2006

Link to FISH REPORT 2005, FISH REPORTS 2004, FISH REPORTS 2003, FISH REPORTS 2002

September 2 What a difference a day makes, the seas were calm as the Jenisons, Ruth and Ed, and their daughter Martha and son in law Larry boarded the Kala Moiakka for a day out on the water. We headed out to the same reef we fished the day before and the fish were still there. It was a lot easier to fish when you could actually stand up in the boat and we proceeded to catch a limit of 12 trout and one splake for a bonus fish. Then we headed into the shallows and tried for salmon on the way in. One salmon hit and gave us a good fish but in the end it was salmon 1, Larry zero as the fish threw the hook. What a nice day to end our charter season. Thanks to all the people who suported our fishing boat this season. See you next year.

September 1 Hard to believe it is September but it is. The trees are already starting to turn red and the nights are dropping into the 50's. Linda and Jerry Truit, their sons Jeramy and Jordan, and friend Tim wanted to catch some fish. Out we went and the seas were still rolling. Out we went to the outer reefs to test our sea leggs. Things went well and trout started hitting as soon as we got our lines out. It was not the easiest fishing as we were rocking and rolling and the fish would hit and get off as they were comming up. It all added to the fun and action. We caught 9 trout and had a nice cooler full of fish by the time we got back to shore.

August 26 It was kids fishing weekend sponsored by the Lac La Belle Lodge. We loaded up Hanah, Aarinm Ryan, Adam, Dustin, and Lucas. The swells were comming into the channel as we hit the irons. Out came the oatmeal cookies and everyone, including Marge, had a couple. They are the greatest seasick remedy ever invented. It worked and we were able to fish a couple of hours in 3 to 4 foot swells. The crew did great and we ended up with 3 salmon and one trout in 70 to 80 feet of water. The fish were down 35 to 45 feet and hitting chartreuse. We were back by noon for the afternoon festivities. Aaron's salmon was the largest fish for the tournament.

August 22 Lake was dead calm when we loaded up the boat with a bunch of locals to see if the trout were still out there. The crew consisted of Wendel, Emil, Ed, Zac, and his grandpa Bob. We set up in 100 feet and trolled off the first hump without a hit or seeing a trout. When we hit 150 feet the suspended trout started to show up at 130 feet. We picked up one before we got to some outer rock piles and there they were. After a number of doubles and tripples we ended up with our limit of 18 trout. We picked lines and went if for salmon. After six hits, a number of runs, and zero salmon in the box we headed in. What a good fall day on the lake.

August 13 The lake is still rolling as we had 3 foot rollers after we cleared the pier. Mike Jakel, Vicky, and their sons David and Chris wanted to catch some salmon so we set up in the salmon hole. We had one hit there so we kept trolling out to deeper water. We hit a trout reef and it was empty. Out into deeper water and finally we caught a suspended trout. We marked a lot and they would follow, hit, and not stick. Finally they started to bite and we ended up with 7 trout for the day. Fish came from 70 feet to 120 feet with most being down 85 to 95. It sure would be nice if somebody would turn off the wind machine. Tomorrow's prediction is for 10 to 20 from the NW. Picture 1.

August 12 Tim Turcot, Mike, Wade, and Tim took the short drive up from Houghton. We went out to look at the fire and it was mostly out. We tried the area that was so hot last week and it had turned cold. We picked up a couple of trout but the school was gone. We changed areas and found some suspended trout in 150 feet of water. It looks like the trout are scattered and suspended down 70 to 120 feet in 140 to 180 feet of water. We ended up with 7 trout and 1 salmon so it was not a bad day on the water. Picture 1.

August 9 Another friend and his son wanted to fish. Bill Hesterberg and his son Brian come over from their family place in Traverse. This was the second fishing trip with me for Brian as I had Bill and Sharon out on Lake Michigan when Sharon was 4 months pregnant with Brian. We hit the salmon hole and caught 7 coho and 1 pink before moving to the trout hole and we caught 1 trout before we were blown off. Doesn't the wind ever stop blowing in August?

August 8 Emil, Paul, and Dad wanted to catch some fish so we headed out early. We had to wait for Paul as usual. He hasn't changed his ways in 40 years as he was always late for everything back in high school. Well boat was loaded, rods baited, and motors warmed before Paul showed up. It was a good day on the water with the catch being 5 coho, 1 pink salmon, and 8 trout.

August 7 Day two of the big blow. We cancelled the morning charter and decided to go out in the afternoon in hopes of the wind laying down. Afternoon charters are not my favorite and it proved itself again. Tod Ekonen, Bob, Brad, Dan Garry and Jerry made up the crew. We had to fish the the bay for a while looking for salmon before we could get out for the trout. We ended up with 5 trout and 2 salmon.

August 6 The big blow was on. We had to fish the bay with a strong South West blowing. Lines were set down 30 to 55 feet in 60 to 80 feet of water. Dipseys were finally set at 100 feet before they started to get hits. We ended with 1 king, 1 coho, and 1 trout before we were blown off the water.

August 5, Day two of the family vacation. We loaded the boat up with Kris, Kam, Bob B, Grandpa Bob, and Denny. The fish were not as active as the night before but there was good action. Kris was busy loosing salmon all day. Don't let a football player on the rod when a delicate touch is required. Not sure of the numbers till I talk to Denny but I think we got 8 trout and 2 salmon.

August 4, Some of the family arrived early so naturally we went fishing. We had Kris, Bob, and Ed with us. The fire was still buring at Keystone so we went out there to look at it. Flames were right up to the shore and there was lots of smoke. We took a few pictures and then went out and set lines in 70 feet. The fish were hitting before we got all the lines in the water. The trout were down 65 to 70 feet and the salmon were hitting 10 to 20 feet down. The dipseys were set to 25 wnd 30 feet and were visible in the clear water. We ended up with 10 trout and 1 salmon.

August 2 More calm seas as we headed out with Brent Welch, Ryan, Ryan, Dustin, and Jacob. He headed out to the 90 foot reef that had produced the salmon and trout. They were still there as it didn't take long for the deep line to produce a trout. Then the salmon started to hit the 20 foot down downrigger and the 10 foot slider. It is kind of exciting when a salmon hits 10 feet from the boat and explodes out of the water. We kept hitting trout and salmon and ended up with 10 trout and 4 salmon. Black and white at 10 to 20 feet worked for the salmon and trout were at 85 down. Brent and family are going to have some excellent eating tonight as they plan to put the trout and salmon on the grill.

July 28 Calm seas, just like I like it. Wayne Harala and his two daughters, Kindy and Trishia, and son in law Jeramy were on their first charter so we had to show them a good time. We hit fish just after setting up and a couple of nice trout came on board. Then we went over a 90 foot reef and we hooked a triple. While were trying to boat those fish another line hit and things got hectic. Our hot spot kept producing both salmon and trout and we ended up with a nice catch of 14 trout and 5 salmon.

July 26 I don't like afternoon charters but I agreed to take Mark and Donna Brown out to try for the late bite. It was a little rough so we hit the inside reefs. The fish were gone from the locations that they were at four days ago. A couple of thunderstorms and some onshore winds changed everything. We fished hard for five hours and only managed to get a couple of hits. They said that they enjoyed the boat ride and the scenery even if they didn't catch any fish. This was my first "skunk" as a charter captain and I hope it is my last.

July 22 I took my cousin Barbara and 10 year old Hannah out for an evening fish. We headed out till we hit 100 feet of water and then set lines. We fished for just over 2 hours and managed to catch 5 trout, missed about 10, and hung the bottom twice. It was a beautiful calm evening and our 5 "eaters" are going to taste very good on the grill.

July 21 Fred, Mike and Sam from Iron Mountain returned to fish with Ed, Emil, and Bruce. We set out to beat last years record of 27 tour and salmon. It was not to be this year as we only ended up with 24 trout and salmon for the day. Fishing was a little slow in the morning till we figured out where the trout had moved to. It seems like they had moved up into the 80 foot area and we would hit them when we would slide up the drop off into the shallows. They were hugging the drop off making fishing a little difficult. The salmon hit on top of the drop in about 60 feet of water. The fish seem to be switching to spoons pulled at a little faster speed. We were trolling mostly at about 2.4 MPH. The largest fish was a 15 1/2 pounder that was caught by ED. It was a beautiful red finn and will make excellent smoked fish. Picture 1

July 17 Steve and Sandy, our friends from Alaska, come up for a couple of days of touring the copper country. Of course we had to go fishing. It was calm when we were on the way out and there were some salmon or steelhead surfacing on a bug slick on the way out. We picked up a swell from the SW when we cleared South Point and set up lines at 100 feet. A fish hit right off the bat and we got one on board. Then it started to gust at 20 plus from the West and we lost one and caught one before the seas were at 4 foot or more and we had to pick up and head in. We spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing in Lac La Belle so the day was not wasted. Our catch was 2 trout for the day.

July 15 You can't catch yesterday's fish. We hit the same fishing hole that was so hot 3 days ago. The fish were not there. There was a strong current running and the thunderstorms seem to have moved the fish. We had to fish hard to catch 9 trout. They were caught at 45 feet, 60 feet, and down near the bottom. There was no pattern to the fish. Hope the weather stabilizes so the fish come back in. Our crew was Bob Bicigo, Tom Strohl, Emil and Zac. We had fun even if we got blown off the water and the fish were scattered. Picture 1

July 12 Here come da local guys for another charter. They did not bring any bananna bread this year so the fish hit all morning. The crew was Dave, Gordir, Jerry, Pete and Devry. They wanted some larger fish so we did a longer run out to the reefs that are farther off shore. The reefs top off at 90 feet and the trout were near the top of the reefs today. The deepest we fished was 130 feet. Cut bait is still producing well with green/silver spoons starting to come on. We caught our limit of 15 and quit when the cooler cover would not close. Six of the trout were in the 8 to 10 pound range with the largest just over 11 pounds. All the trout were lean Mackinaws so there will be some fish on the grill in Sedar Bay tonight. Picture 1

July 11 A slight roll was comming in from the SW as we cleared the breakwall with Jim Kropp, Sally and James. We headed out to a 100 foot reef to catch some eater trout. We found them on the first pass and we started to have hits on all our deeper lines. We filled filled up by 10:30 and started to fill the captains and deck hands limit. Then we did catch and release on a few more and ended up catching 21 fish for the morning. It was a busy day and everyone had lots of fun. Picture 1

July 7 Here come the class of 63 (my class so you can figure out my age from that) to catch some trout and harass the captain. Our crew was Sac da Poet, Duck, Pella, and Down rigger Joe. They wanted "eater" trout so we went to the shallower reef for some. We put 14 trout in the box so the captain has some fresh fish for supper. Most trout were hitting spoons trolled at 85, 95, and 110 feet. Didn't seem to seem what color as long as it was flashy and trolled at the right speed. The stomacs are empty so they are not feeding well and are a little hard to catch right now. Hope they put on the feed bag soon. (Sac, need some pictures to post.)

July 6 (afternoon) We went exploring for new areas with Ed, Bruce, and Mark, aboard. We trolled shallow, deep, mid range and only managed to get two small trout. They are not in the same areas that they used last year. Then we pulled lines and went to a off shore shallow reef that is mostly 100 foot deep with 180 foot around it. There were the trout stacked up on top. We caugh 9 fish and quit because Bruce had to come in for sauna. That made a total of 24 fish for today on the Kala Moiakka, Not a bad day on the lake.

July 6 The gang that stays at the Woodburies summer place returned this year for another trip to catch some trout. We headed out to some off shore areas to look for some larger trout. Austin, Leroy, Jeff, John, Pete, and Dustin made up the crew. The fishing was kind of slow till 10:00 with only a few trout in the box. Then they turned on and we filled the cooler with 14 trout and 1 salmon. We quit with a triple of 2 eight pounders and one 9 pounder. It was exciting and lots of fun when the fish hit fast and furious. (If you have pictures, please send some to post on the site.)

July 5 Brent Welch and crew, Brandon, Jacob and Ryan came back again this year. We hit the off-shore reef for some larger trout. We ended up with 10 beauties. (Brent send me some pictures to post on the site.) Picture 1

July 3 Al Williams got a surprise present of a charter from Mary Kay and over he came. It was a nice calm day as we left the channel with Al, Jeff, Tom and Duane aboard. We fished a 120 foot reef and caught trout from 110 feet to 130 feet. Most trout were near the top of the reef and some were taken on the 85 foot rigger. Spoons are starting to catch more than the cut bait as the fish are getting into their summer patters. We caught our limit of 12 trout and had a very good time on the water. Picture 1

July 1 Bob McNeil, Dorthy, Dan, Scott, Carol, and Nona came over from Houghton. The reports were for severe thunderstorms in Minnesota and high winds forcast for us. We headed out with an eye to the sky to watch for any approaching thunder storms. Wave heights were about 2 feet with a one foot chop on top. Boat control was not real good but we did manage to make a few trips across the reef and found suspended trout from 80 foot to 110 feet. Cut bait caught most of our 10 trout. We would have had more but Dan kept water releasing them right near the boat. The predicted wind came up as we were crossing Lac La Belle. I turned out to be a good day on the lake. Picture 1

June 28 We fished with the locals, Ed, Wendel, Zack Wescot and his grandpa Bob. The seas were calm and we headed out for deep water. It has been warm for a few days and we could see some fish on surface as well as lots of suspended fish. We caught fish from surface to 115 feet down. A coho came off the surface and another at 45 feet. These were the first cohos for the season.

June 26 The lake was dead calm when we went out with Loyd Rudolf, his dad, Kam and Josh. We started fishing in 110 feet and hit the first fish at 130 feet. Then we had a bunch of short hits and lost a few more fish before another one stuck as we hit a 140 foot reef. There were quite a few fish showing up on top of the reef but they were not hitting well so we moved to another place. This school of trout was hungrier and we started to get some doubles. Most fish were suspended at 120 feet in 130 to 150 feet of water. There were also some fish showing up on surface so we put some flat lines out. We did catch one trout on surface. We ended up with our limit of 12 trout plus one for the captain. Picture 1

June 23 The Hansons, Curt, Michelle, Scott, and Elizabeth hit a good day on the lake. It was calm and clear and the thunder showers that were predicted earlier in the week never showed up. They had never caught a lake trout before and had never limited out on anything. They caught their limit of 12 trout by 11:00 and we spent the rest of the time looking for steelhead or salmon. We didn't catch any steelhead or salmon but we did get a suspended trout that we released at the boat. The trout still seem to be close to bottom in 130 to 175 feet of water. Spoons and cut bait are still working when fished deep along the bottom. Picture 1, Elizabeth, Scott

June 17 The Iron River gang, Linda Schwartz, Erica, Troy, Larry, Tiny, and Dave made it over for a 7:00 departure. The sea was calm and it was even warm on the water. The Longest Day fishing tournament was going on so we had a bunch of boats out on our 140 foot hump. We tried a couple of passes through there and did pick up a couple of fish. It did not look very productive so we left the crowd and fished our own area. We caught fish in 110 to 150 feet of water. Most trout came of lines set to 90, 115 and 125 feet. The fish are starting to suspend and spoons outfished cut bait. Our catch was 15 nice lean red finn lake trout. It was fun day on the lake and they will have lots of good trout to grill. Picture 1

June 16 Another nice day on the lake. There was a gentel swell comming from the east as we cleared the breakwaters. Our guests today were Gloria Streeter, Becky, Marvin and Albert. We set up in 150 feet of water and tried a reef at 130 feet. We picked up two trout in the first hour and decided to get out of there and find some more productive water. After our move things picked up as we found the trout on either side of a 140 foot hump. Most trout came off the bottom near the 165 foot level. Cut bait is still the best producer. We ended up with 8 nice trout. Picture 1, Picture 2

June 12 It was a beautiful day out on the water. The biggest waves out there were made by the seagulls landing. The trout were hitting short and we lost quite a few that did not stick. Most of the trout were still deep after the recent cold snap and we had to run down about 165 feet for most hits. We did have three hits on the high riggers at 45 and 55 feet. We landed one of them and it was a nice lean 6 pound trout. One hit down 175 feet turned out to be a 8 pound king that Paula expertly landed although it almost did her in. She wanted smaller fish after that. Frank, Paula, Larry and Ron had a good time and our total catch was 8 trout and one salmon. Picture 1, Picture2

June 10 Emil and Bonnie came down to join Marge and I for an afternoons fishing. The trout were still in the 150 foot range and we had to work a little harder to catch them in the afternoon. By running cut bait near the bottom we caught 8 trout and one salmon came off the side rigger at 45 feet. The weather had warmed up from the previous day and we enjoyed the afternoon sun. Picture 1, Picture 2

June 9 Joe Barr, Rodger, Chuck, and Jerry Clark, Debbie, and Mike Shira managed to make it here by 6:30 for breakfast. After a hardy breakfast of eggs, bacon, and hash brown potatoes we headed out on the lake to do some fishing. It was cold and windy but the fishing was good. We caught 11 trout in the mornings outing. The crew went home with a cooler full of nice lean trout. Picture 1, Picture 2

June 3 Mike, Jason, Ron and Jim Thryselivs came for a morning fishing. We left the dock shortly after 7:00 and hit the middle of the bay in 120 feet of water. I put the first line down and had a hit while putting the second line down. We netted the first fish and I was resetting it when the second line tripped. We had three fish in the box before I could get three lines in the water. Then it was Jason's turn at the rods. We almost had to institute the three strikes and you are out rule before he finally landed a trout. It was not his day as they kept falling off on him all day. We caught our limit of 12 lake trout and then reset for surface to look for a steelhead. We found the bug slicks and it was full of seagulls so everything looked good but we never got a strike on surface. The trout are just not there yet. We had a good day on the lake and the boys are going to enjoy some of their lake trout for supper. Most fish came from 120 feet to 140 feet of water down near the bottom.

June 1 We went out in Bruces boat and we came in with 10 trout. One of the guys fishing with Bruce was an old neighbor who I haven't seen for 40 years. It was fun talking about old friends and neighbors. Too bad the fish kept getting in the way. Fresh fish again for supper.

May 31 Doug, Bruce, and Emil joined be to try another spot. It started out slow but then we got into some fish. We caught 12 trout mostly in 150 to 180 feet of water. The fish are sticking pretty close to bottom and cut bait seems to be the thing that works. Nice to start catching limits again. This should be a good season.

May 28, We tried bobbing again but only got one trout befor the wind started to blow. Then we switched to trolling and started searching a new area of the lake. We located the trout down 145 to 160 feet in 160 to 190 feet of water. There were quite a few trout showing up and we caught 7 before the wind forced us off the lake. It is looking like we have a lot of trout around and should have a good season. Spoons and cut bait seem to be producing about equally. Here are some pictures of our memorial day crew. Dave picture, Dave Bob picture, Emil Toivo picture

May 27. 2006 For some reason the crew was moving a little slow this morning. We left the channel in thick fog. Bobbing was the choice fishing methods. (Jigging for trout is called bobbing in Keweenaw Bay). 5 fish were caught on the bottom in 200 feet of water. One was a 12 1/2 pounder that was hauled up by Dave. A thunderstorm chased us off the lake so we quit early.

May 27, 2006 We hit the same area as yesterday and cuaght 9 trout. The size of the fish was smaller than yesterdays fish. How come things change over night???? They were all nice eaters and very red inside. We quit at noon to do some chores around the camp and then had steak and lake trout on the grill. With the baked potatoes and fresh salad we had quite a feast. The fish were hitting on green spoons and cut bait. 125 foot down seemed to be the best.

May 26, 2006 The season has started! We launched the Kala Moiakka before the Lac La Belle boat launch is shut down for repair. It should be out of commision from June 1 to June 10. When Mark Capra, Emil Dyni, and Dave Rittenhouse arrived we headed out to see if there were any fish that survived the winter. We caught 8 fish up to 12 pounds in 140 to 150 feet of water. Most fish were hitting down 120 or 135 foot lines. Nothing on the dipseys or high lines. The fish were all nice red finns and should make for an excellent fish fry.

April 13, 2006 Fished in the evening off of Escanaba with the 12 foot boat. I was trying for whitefish in our same area that we fished in March. I never had a bite so they must have moved from that area. Will try Marquette next week.

April 6, 2006 Joe Buys out of Marquette http://www.superiorfishing.net/index.htm was out on Lake Superior and caught 3 trout. Its starting, Captain Bob has fish fever and it is time to get the bottom wet on the small boat.

March 7, 2006 The coast guard went "trolling" with their hellicopter and caught 3. Three guys had to leave their 4 wheelers and ice shacks out there as the ice broke loose and was heading out to sea. The coast guard got them back safe. Stay off of bad ice!!

March 5, 2006 It was a beautiful spring day when Steve and I headed out. We had 5 whitefish by 2:00 but the ice was getting soft. One hit from the ice pick and you went down about 4 inches in the 8 inches of ice that was remaining. This will be our last trip out here this year. The ice is BAD and it is time to keep off. The shore crack is starting to open up.

February 27, 2006

We fished the same holes and the fish were bitting a little better. Ten fish were all we could pull from below the ice. Steve was having a bad day as he lost at least 10 fish that he had hooked. Time to change hooks as the fish are running form 16 to 22 inches this year. They seem to be hitting on minnows too. Last year it was salmon eggs but now with the larger fish minnows seem to be working well. Hook the minnows through the eyes or the tail and try to keep them alive. Rest them right on the bottom and be quick to react when they bite. Have a gaff handy when they come into your hole.

February 21,2006
Steve, Dave and I started fishing for whitefish off Escanaba. Ice has just formed and there was about 6 inches of black ice out there. A two foot high pressure crack ran across the area we wanted to fish so we had to pick our way across the crack to avoid the small broken pieces of ice that may tip when you step on them and give you a nice cold bath. We fished in about 75 feet of water and the fish were not hitting very well. We caught 4 fish between us.

On Tuesday the 21 we tried again and we caught 4 fish again.