Fishing Report Milwaukee and More Fish For Only $2

Fishing Report Milwaukee and More Fish For Only $20.
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Early May fishing has been great. We’re taking Chinooks 8-14 pounds, lots of Coho and some Brown Trout. The Brown’s have been running mostly between 4-7 with a few over 10 pounds. There has been a good morning and evening bite on the big Kings and Browns. Mid day is when we are catching most of our Coho and smaller Browns. On the early and sunset bite bigger spoons and plugs have produced fish. The Vulcan Silver Reaper #3 or #2, J-plugs #3 silver and some fish on glow spoons in the larger sizes. Downriggers 14 -24 down and Slide Divers at 10 to 20 feet have been best. My planer boards have been slow at first and last light. I don’t put them out until the mayhem of big kings slows down. This avoids the big kings ripping through the boards. About 8am we start to pound the coho. Their biting on Gobbly Wabbler Peanut flies in aqua or Kelly green 12-18 inches behind a 6 inch orange flasher or dodger. I present them on 50% of my rods with small spoons like the Vulcan #2 or Savant Jake 45 in silver or glow colors on the balance. Be sure to run planer boards like Yellow Birds because most of the Coho are in the top 10 feet. Anywhere you can find a temp break has been working. Try the harbor gaps along the shoreline to the north or south. I hear some of the boats have been out in deeper water but the water inside of 45 feet has worked for us. The boat speed of 2.2-2.5 G.P.S gave the best results. The contents of the fishes’ stomachs showed they were eating well, all different sizes of alewives were present.
Small changes in tackle and presentation will make a big difference in the number of fish in the cooler. It does not cost a lot of money to improve your technique. As a charter captain I am invited to fish with many other fishermen during the course of the season. I know everyone has a different way of doing things but I am always surprised to see how each of us approaches the fundamentals. I believe presentation is more important than any other factor when fishing any body of water. The best anglers catch more fish because they focus on getting as close to a natural presentation as possible. Every time you go fishing, whether it’s for salmon or any other specie, think about how your bait is working. One of the biggest mistakes I have seen is the lack of a Fluorocarbon leader from your main line to the bait. Salt-water anglers have been using leaders to enhance the action of the lure, reduce the visibility of the line and create a more stealthy natural presentation for a long time. Its time to get on the wagon. A spool of 18 lb. Seaguar Fluoro Premier fluorocarbon leader for $9 will put more fish in the boat! Most anglers do not consider the terminal tackle that important. The last ten feet of your line is critical to producing. What do you use to attach your lures? Snaps are rated by pounds of pressure they will with stand. Use the correct size for your target species. You wouldn’t use a deer rifle for rabbit hunting so, don’t use a 150 lb snap for 30-pound fish. Try the smaller snaps. I use a 30 lb Cross Lock Ball Bearing snap on all of my lines except for the diving planers and flashers or dodgers. They take a lot of abuse and for them I use a 75 lb snap. Premium Ball Bearing snaps cost more but they’re worth it. The smaller snaps won’t last as long so replace them frequently or fatigue will cause them to fail. One last word on this subject is that good drags on your reels are necessary. Set the drag correctly and keep your thumb off the spool. The rod should fight the fish not the reel. Have a great fishing season. Let’s go fishing!! Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2006, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.