Summer Lake Michigan Plans Anyone??

Bman speaking the truth.

I got a meme once that had a guy holding a lighter and a burning a $100 bill that said once you can do this your ready to start salmon fishing. That’s the truth. It’s like nothing else but good lord it’s an expensive hobby. Not like you can go tangle with those things with your walleye gear. Pretty much have to dive in and go for it.

I’ll be out of algoma around the 4th. Last year I switched from mono to wire dipseys, I went from 1 bite a trip to 6. 300 copper were getting hits too so I set up a pair of 400 coppers to test out my crews forearm endurance. My rigger game has been trash. I pulled one and replace it with a pump handle rig and did better. Maybe a 50 copper or lead would help. If you want to relax and take it easy, don’t go salmon fishing. Want to save on salmon prices at the grocery store? DON’T GO SALMON FISHING!

Dave, I highly suggest going with 5-colors on the riggers for LM.

I experimented with shorter cores, they caught noticably more fish than braid rods, but the 5’s catch even more yet. Longer yet works too, but you’re flirting with disaster in a turn or current.

Some days they’re the best rods in the boat, if not they still earn a silver or bronze instead of a LM participation trophy like they used too.

I’ve also toyed with 100-150′ copper SWR’s, they kick ass like the 5’s, but when it’s hot and heavy a rookie re-deploying copper can put that rod out of commission in a split second. Heck, even someone that knows what they’re doing can do the same while trying to go too fast.

That, and if you turn too tight with the long leads you can tangle depending on separation…LC is cheaper and faster to fix.

If you are trying something shorter like a 2-3 LC or 50-100′ copper, I’d let more backing out and get the lure 150′-200′ away from the boat. Letting more out will also gain you depth even though the backer obviously isn’t weighted. That added distance and depth is crucial to catching the ball/boat-shy kings on LM.

What’s crazy is how Lake Superior fish routinely crush 10′-15′ rigger leads, but a guy could troll Lake Michigan for a week without a bite on one.

Side note on 400′ coppers: Like most guys I label my reels.

My 2-colors say “2 COLOR”
3-colors say “3 COLOR”
5’s say “5 COLOR”
10’s say “10 COLOR”
100’s say 100′
150’s say 150′
200’s say 200′
300’s say 300′

My one and only 400′ is an absolute fish catching machine, but has a different name all together…

It’s a love-hate relationship when the board starts peeling back with an angry fish lol

I’ve been contemplating building another one, but I think I’ll add another 300′ to the arsenal and clip on a snapweight when the Punisher is rocking. It’s worked well for me, but I had to sacrifice one of the 300’s to do it.

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I actually went away from clip on boards for a mast system. It worked great last year. I think I lost 2 fish all weekend that way. I can’t count how many I have had dunk the board a hundred yards out only to come off.

Totally understand the love hate with angry fish on boards

We will be out of Kewaunee sometime between Father’s Day and July 4. Like many, our rigger bite has completely died to the point we don’t even run them. We tried the 2 colors SWR and didn’t have a ton of luck but did get bit once or twice…we are gonna try the 5 color SWR this year and pray we don’t get a tangle! Thanks for the tip!

Alot of repeats here, but a 2-3 color SWR is tough to beat and fun to fight fish on! Michigan stinger spoon Jaegerbomb is a favorite spoon of ours.

Any of you run the weighted steel instead of copper?

It’s so much more forgiving that even if it produces a few less bites, it is worth it to me. Copper is just such a pain to deal with – and with just one small hiccup, you are out another $100 bill and a bunch of time/stress. I converted one of my 300 coppers to a 300 steel, and will probably end up replacing the other one as well

Timmy wrote:

Any of you run the weighted steel instead of copper?

It’s so much more forgiving that even if it produces a few less bites, it is worth it to me. Copper is just such a pain to deal with – and with just one small hiccup, you are out another $100 bill and a bunch of time/stress. I converted one of my 300 coppers to a 300 steel, and will probably end up replacing the other one as well

I got pulled into the Torpedo weighted steel buzz when it first came out. Some guys absolutely love it, but it’s just not for me.

No doubt it handles easier than copper, but that’s really the only benefit I found.

The downsides:

It has big connections (at least the way I did it with an elevator twist and the recommended thicker adhesive shrink tube), which caused more issues getting through level winds.

The line itself is THICK and takes up more space on the reel (less backing = smaller thinner spool after deployment = slower starting retrieve rate).

I tested sink rates of all sorts of line types and lengths before Lake Superior ate my Fish-Hawk TD.

As you mentioned, the sink rate of weighted steel is more similar to leadcore than it is copper, where as copper sinks about 30% faster than leadcore (less copper to achieve similar depths, or same amount of line to achieve greater depths-however you want to look at it).

There’s a bunch of dive charts out there comparing all three lines, and all I will say is some of them are beyond comical from what I’ve seen in my own TD tests and experience from snagging bottom in various depths.

That said, I’d much rather run leadcore over weighted steel for depths from 10-50′. And I’d much rather run copper to reach depths ranging from 35′-100′ (note there is some overlap, but some days one outproduces the other).

Training a newbie to deploy copper is easy IF THEY LISTEN!!!

I teach new guys to have the clicker on, set the drag loose, and to hand feed the leader and first 50′ of copper into the water. From there it just needs a light thumb in free-spool mode.

The brand and weight of copper makes a big difference too. Some stuff like AFW 45# is a complete nightmare, it’s super springy compared to the equivalent Blood Run.

I also run almost all 32# copper just because it’s a lot harder to have an oopsie and eats up less spool capacity (let’s you have more backer/efficiency). The only exception is my 400′ and one of my 300’s.

I’ll never forget the day a buddy grabbed a copper rod to deploy. I asked him if he knew how to get it started. “Yeah, yeah, yeah” was his reply.

Not 10 seconds later I had my back turned and all I heard was F#$KING COC#S@#$ER !!!!!!

It took some time to take the nest apart, but at least it was doable.

I can trust my 10 year olds with copper but not some adults LOL

Sounds like we need an IDO get together to discuss salmon fishing.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Sounds like we need an IDO get together to discuss salmon fishing.

How many nights we got??

There’s soooo much to cover…like letting a wire diver click out with the drag and not accidentally hitting free-spool in the process

(This happened two years ago in Kewaunee lol)

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As many as it takes to dial it all in.

Heres a high-teens fish that hit a 300 copper on a board….. burnt a bunch of line and crossed the centerline and promptly tangled in the 300 copper on another boatd on the other side of the boat. What a mess. There was no saving that tangle. I finished the trip with a 200 and 300 copper. Lol

Edit – pic wont load. Its a nice laker with a copper snarl. Ise your imagination. Lol

That’s always fun isn’t it??

Here’s a short video from last year, I was just getting ready to pull that rod (we were moving in shallow) and a king smoked it

It made a giant run, the video is of the tail end of it….and I must have looked thirsty.

Parched.

Here’s a heads-up on a pretty good deal for backer/braid rods.

3,000 yards of 50lb Spiderwire Stealth for $154 on Amazon

Retails for $250. It’s good stuff and beats the crap out of buying smaller spools.

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B-man with your 5 color SWR setup how much line after the 5 colors do you run before a snap swivel do you have? I am thinking about trying a couple rods for this year. I only got one bite on my riggers last year on Lake Michigan. It was my biggest fish though.

B-man wrote:

Here’s a heads-up on a pretty good deal for backer/braid rods.

3,000 yards of 50lb Spiderwire Stealth for $154 on Amazon

Retails for $250. It’s good stuff and beats the crap out of buying smaller spools.

Not a 100% sure what you’re asking, but here’s my standard setup on the majority of my weighted lines.

Starting from the lure:

Ball bearing cross-lock snap swivel (I love #2 Manloong brand, they’re bulletproof and very inexpensive) Light enough for early season crankbaits, yet beefy enough to pull 10″ paddles w/meat rigs without a single failure. They’re all I use and ALWAYS trust.

25′-30′ of 25# Seaguar STS (leader material) I re-tie new leader material when under 15′ from nicks/tangles.

Weighted line (could be 2-10 color LC with Willis knots to leader, or a 100′-400′ copper with shrink tube/Haywire and a 50# SPRO swivel to the leader)

20′ or so of 40# hi-vis Big Game mono (this is for attaching the inline boards, mono slips less than braid and stays on better in heavy seas without the need for double wraps). Tied to weighted line with Willis (LC) or Haywire/swivel for copper.

Then from the mono-board attachment line I tie an Alberto to my 50# braid backer (minimum of 200 yards, up to a hell of a lot more depending on reel capacity)

Finally a short piece of mono to braid on the arbor to prevent spool slip.

It only sounds really complicated because it is

The weakest point of all of my salmon set-ups is the 25# leader (which is completely intentional, but more than adequate if you routinely check for nicks/damage). 25# is heavy enough for running flasher/flies off the cross-lock but supple enough for running spoons as well. (But I still run 40#-50# for the fly leader to flasher to get the “whip” and for abrasion resistance)

I’d much rather lose just a lure and some leader in a bad snag versus the whole kitten kaboodle.

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FinnyDinDin wrote:

I always enjoy the pics of your boys.

I don’t like how the fish taste out of Michigan so I don’t head over there anymore. I’ll be out on superior in mn/wi a ton in the spring as usual. I think there will be some toads caught this spring based on what we’ve been pulling through the ice this winter. I’d like to try isle royale in may and see if I can find some coasters casting. We will be heading to the sixth Great Lake in June as well. Pretty pumped to get back there.

We were one all in staying the month of July out of Gills Rock. Agree with you, the only times we liked Lake Mich salmon grilled soon after caught or smoked. Lake trout on Superior tough to beat. We have many fond memories fishing on Lake Mich, it is exhausting but fun. The girls shopped we fished.

Thank you, my question pertained to the length of the Seaguar STS.

Probably hit Superior hard starting in April then head out to Kewauknee in July/August, so if you see 2 or 3 goofballs in a 1750 Creastliner Fishhawk Black and Tan at the Salmon Harbor docks stop and say hi.