Salmon Wrap Up 2022
Well we made it most of the way through salmon season without a full on flip. However compared to the last 5-7 years it was the best we’ve seen in a long time. I’ve had a lot of success jigging in the past but I’ll have to say this year was one of my favorites for few reasons. As always with fishing I learned a few new things that will help me out in the future.
One big difference this year was just the sheer numbers of fish. The pattern the last few years has been if you aren’t there on the day they show up then just stay home. I really watch the weather and water temps because those days are still always the best days. However this year you could get them one day and there would still be catchable fish the next few days. This years run seemed like more fish than if you combined the last 5 or so years.
My timing was spot on this season. I jigged 6 times with 4 of the 6 days being great trips and the other 2 being unproductive. With less pressure in Muskegon, I don’t have to get there as early to get my preferred jigging zone. 3 times this year I caught one on my first drop, that has never happened before. I also experienced a day with a salmon mood I have never before seen. I almost didn’t even go but when I hooked 6 kings in the first 15 minutes, I was glad I did. I ended up hooking an estimated 50 salmon that day and lost count of how many I caught. It was absolutely crazy how aggressive they were. I’ve seen plenty of days with more salmon around but nothing like the willingness these fish had to club a spoon. I’ll be shocked if I ever get to experience something like that again and the best part was I was the only boat there for much of the day!
There were also a few days with tons and tons of fish but they were so negative. Humminbird Live really tells the whole story about what is going on down there. When they are stale they just swim around not caring at all. It is so frustrating but the thought of one snapping on it just makes me want to keep trying. Sometimes it’s just one fish that will make your day.
Once again 2 ounce P-Line Laser Minnows were our most productive spoons. There was also a flash of greatness with a 2 ounce Pucci Chovy jig in green/silver. Our typical best colors showed out again with Glow Green Tiger getting the most bites. We also caught fish on Glow Pink Tiger, Sardine, Rainbow trout, and Black Pearl. While these spoons are amazing I’ll warn you not to jig with the stock hooks unless you want to be heartbroken.
Lastly I’ll say that it is something everyone who likes to fish needs to experience. I always hear people say I really need to try that someday or it looks like a ton of fun. Well it really is and it is a good thing there isn’t a good opportunity for jigging kings all season or I’d probably never bass fish. I will say Muskegon is more of a wildcard than some of the ports. Ludington wins with consistency but with the numbers of fish it also brings the crowds. It also had kings in it since July where Muskegon it doesn’t seem like much happens until mid to late August if things are right.
I unfortunately have cut the jigging spoons off my rods and I’ve got to get back into bass mode. I’ve got 2 big tournaments left, the Big Stack on the Detroit River and the D&R Classic on Houghton Lake. I’m excited about both of them. Exploring the river is going to be a ton of fun and with my limited experience out there I will be keeping my goals simple. Just catch at least 20 pounds and let things fall where they may. I’d have to have a really good event to end up in the top 6 to qualify for the AOY tournament. I’m sitting in 9th right now and I don’t see anyone ahead of me slipping up at all. I won’t be feeling any pressure for this event.
I’m extra excited about Houghton especially if I can get up there and graph for a day. I think I can expand on what I learned on the previous trip there but it is going to take a bunch of time driving around. I’d really like to have multiple things going for that event and on a lake that large it would be hard to do that with just 1 day of practice and 2 species of bass. Hopefully I can make it up there before the off limits but it is a drive and things are busy. Not to mention I’d like it to be calm enough to make a day of graphing as enjoyable as it can be.