Salmon Time
I’m looking forward to one thing in late August. Kings on jigging spoons and bass tackle! Even more so this year because I had MEGA Live on the boat. When Humminbird first released it I was excited to use it bass fishing but even more so for jigging kings. It has been incredibly eye opening to see what really goes on down there and it is definitely helping me to better understand how to use MEGA Live.
I was a little late to the party this year since the big stack tournament and immediate aftermath took some of my time. However, we never got any big winds to mix things up after the flip and cool water stayed close enough to the pierheads. I had a couple days of night work scheduled which meant it was time to try. I had kicked around the idea of driving to PM Lake because I knew there were fish in. But a kiddo with an ear infection and just the general drive to PM kept me away.
I figured a quick trip to Muskegon with a salmon/bass combo trip was in order. I was actually excited to really figure out some new bass spots I had discovered during big stack practice. So, if salmon were disappointing it was no big deal. I got there late which wasn’t a huge deal because no one else was out. I pulled in without graphing any salmon but there were very few drum/cats/suckers in the water column so it was obvious some fish had been through. I dropped the trolling motor, jigged 3 times, and hooked up with a fish. At first, I was convinced it must be something silly like a drum but it became apparent pretty quickly it was a king salmon. I hadn’t really had time to prepare myself for that and almost botched the net job. 5 minutes into salmon season and already with a fish was a good start!
The rest of the day was just kind of steady. Nothing crazy but I had enough fish around to make it interesting and ended up 3-6. I might be a little tired after night work but if all was well with June I would be back at it in the morning. Late again but back at it in the morning. This time I had the Dragon with me and it didn’t take long to hook up. In typical dragon fashion he harpooned the fish with the net and we started off 0-1. We had trouble keeping them buttoned that day but by the end of it we were 11-20 something. I really got dialed into the MEGA Live that day and learned a few things with other techniques. I never got one to fully commit but I think I’m close to figuring something different out. The fish’s mood really changes based on the time of day and it is interesting how you can go through some flurries. I really thought we were going to double up more than once but we never made it happen. We did have one on with one fish in the net but that is as close as we got.
P-Line Laser minnows were the deal for us. 2 ouncers in Glow Green Tiger, Glow Pink Tiger, and Sardine all caught fish. It can change throughout the day so it is best to have a variety and also to change out the stock hooks unless you like heartbreak. Right now every port on the lake has fish in it and it is time to get out there. It looks like we have a little left of this window with cool water in close but all that is going to change quick.
Bad timing to have a D&R this weekend but practice is going to at least partially get put on the back burner for some jigging Friday. No worries about just going fishing on that place especially with my river rat partner. He will deny he’s a river rat but don’t let that fool you! After that most of September is off time and hopefully there will be some kings left to run.