By Wisconsin fishing charter Capt. Jim Hirt
Don’t know which way to go for spring salmon fishing. Allow me to break it down and offer some suggestions for wherever you fish. Let’s discuss presentation lures and location to jump start your spring. Should you have a question please e-mail me from my Website contact us page http://www.bluemaxcharters.com I will be pleased to answer. My charter season will be under way soon and it may take a while to get back to you. Read all my articles and see video fish reports at http://www.jimhirt.com
Top producing presentations
Here are some ways to present lures in spring. This time of year look for most of your fish in the top 50 feet. Keep your eye on your locator and also work deeper marks when you see them. My experience this time of year is the deeper fish are less active and tend not to bite. Most often you will not mark well above 30 feet because those fish are outside the cone of your locator’s transducer. However that’s where most of the fish are.
Leadcore on boards first choice
The primary presentations I use at this time of year are Church Tackle Walleye boards, Slide Divers and leadcore. If your budget allows, I would recommend trying a leadcore line set up. This presentation will work when all others are dead and this is the best bet for spring
Basics
The basics of leadcore are simple. The most expensive part is the reel. It must have enough line capacity to handle the twenty seven pound leadcore line plus Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and Power Pro 50 pound backer line for a total of anywhere from 300 yards on a half core to 600 yards double core. I run my half cores or five colors on a reel that holds 300 yards of 20 pound test. This is the smallest reel a half core ( five colors ) will fit on. Line counter reels are not necessary. Leadcore sinks at a rate of 4-5 feet per color. A half core will run about 24 feet deep.
Loading the reel
When loading this reel, start with 200 yards of Power Pro 50 pound then strip the lead out of the end of the leadcore and tie a Willis Knot to the leadcore. Finish with another Willis Knot and 30 feet of a 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon to a ball bearing cross lock snap. You will need a medium heavy action 8-foot rod to work with lead. You may run this with a Church Tackle Walleye planer board if you are going to use multiple set ups.
Presentation Tips
Snap on your favorite lure and let out all of the line to the Power Pro backer. Then install your board so it does not release. I usually run them 150 feet off each side of the boat. Very wide turns and low boat traffic are a must to avoid tangles and getting run over. I set my drags light. When the reel starts to scream, adjust the drag as necessary. Reel in the line until you can reach the board and hand release it. Now the line is clear to bring in the fish. I don’t fish lead early in the morning. I use it when the early bite is over. Some of my biggest fish are caught on this presentation.
Lures for leadcore
I keep talking about Vulcan spoons and more anglers are finding out that this spoon will out produce most spoons in their tackle box. Reasonably priced and nearly indestructible they just keep on producing. The regular size is a good bet for spring. Vulcan spoons are sold by http://www.badgertackle.com Three Must Read Salmon Tips number two will continue with more lure choices in the next post. Good Luck let’s go fishing! Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2011 James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
In the last article, we started with the importance of location, tackle, temperature and good record keeping. I also covered some of my key ways to find fish in early spring on Lake Michigan and the hot set ups to keep the rods dancing.
Let us now go into more detail on location of temperature breaks and how to work them. The first and perhaps most important is how to find these sometimes subtle temperature changes. Your primary tool, and one you cannot do with out, is a surface temp gauge. I use the one built into my fish locator. It also has a graph to show the temp history over the last hour. This may not be necessary but it can help when mapping temp over a given area. The big pond is very cold in May also some years even into June. Your ability to monitor temp and stay in as close to the target species preferred temp will make or break your day on the lake. Let us assume most of the lake is in the forty-degree range and your target species is Coho, browns or Chinooks. All of these fish are looking for two things, temperature as close to their preferred range and food. I will go into food and or forage in another article for now let’s focus on temperature.
Out of Milwaukee we are fortunate to have several rivers flowing into a large harbor. The rivers warm earlier than the lake and the mouth of a river is a place to start with a temp check. In addition, you should be checking each of the three gaps in the break wall that creates the harbor. A south wind will push the warm water out the north gap. This will turn the fish on in this area while the south gap is too cold for productive fishing. The way I start any day is to work the warmest water or water nearest to preferred temp I can find. After working this water, I move to cooler water. Sharp temp breaks are usually better at holding fish then gradual changes. Always consider the wind direction, not only when you are fishing but what it has been doing over the last several days. A light east wind on our western shore moves warmer surface water on shore and contributes to a rise in temp and a good bite close to the shoreline. All harbors with rivers have some current flow and the wind determines the direction that warmer water will flow when leaving the harbor. Fish that warmer water and into the cooler lake water keeping an eye on your temp gauge. When you get action note your location by land sightings and temp. Stay with that temperature to find active fish. If you have worked the harbor and gaps with no or slow action, look for temp breaks on the lake created by shifts in wind direction.
Another option is to check tight along the shoreline in protected bays. At times I will run my lures in the shallow warmer water on side planners keeping the boat out in the deeper cooler water. Also check out any warm water discharged from power plants. We have this opportunity south of Milwaukee by twelve miles at Oak Creek. I will go into details of spring lure selection and presentation in the next article good luck 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© 2011, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Keys For More Action
The start of the 2011 Lake Michigan Season will be here before you know it and now is the time to think about early location and tackle. In this article, I would like to share with you some of my keys to finding fish and the hottest set ups for very early presentation. I have been a charter captain for over twenty years and these techniques have produced year after year. I am confident that you will achieve success applying these classic tips.
Tools You Will Need
I start my season in early April and the most important factor at this time is temperature. I recommend a must item for you is a temp gauge for the surface and a notebook. Your gauge can be a simple hand held thermometer or a unit built into your fish locator. The notebook is all about what’s working and what’s not. I find if I can avoid duplicating non-productive techniques, I will improve my catches and enjoyment. Keeping record of your bad and good days is key to moving to the top of the list as an above average in your sport. I write down the date, time of day, conditions, cloudy, clear, calm, rough, port or lake G.P.S. numbers if you have them. Record this on every fish or at least at the end of the day. On a hot bite, I usually get caught up on my notes as soon as I can to avoid lost detail.
Temperature Temperature Temperature
Spring action can be hot. Think about it, the temperature of the water is in the 40 degree range, and with a few exceptions, the fish we will find the most active are on the top five to ten feet.
Resources
Well lets get started. It’s always a good idea to check local phone hot lines for up to date information on what’s biting. I also check at local tackle stores and Internet reports. You may also call me at 414-828-1094 and check http://www.jimhirt.com for my fish reports. If these resources were not available, I would then start with temperature. This holds true if you are in a boat or on shore. Find the warmest temp you can. Sometimes I am fishing a temp break of only a degree or two. Don’t rush this process. Haste to get your lines in non-productive water is just a waste of time. You will find these temp breaks at mouths of rivers, power plants and protected bays.
Wind Direction
The wind direction will be a major player in warm water location. The surface warms first and wind will move this water around. On Wisconsin’s shore, a light east wind does wonders to improving spring action. The reason I used most of this article on temp is it helps eliminate a lot of slow fishing time. Temperature is almost more important than the type of lure you use.
Set Ups
Motor trolling is the method I use for most of my fishing, and I will explain one of my basic spring setups. If possible I would max out the number of rods, because more is better this time of year. I fish all my lines on planer boards. Find one you like and run all the same type. For lures I like spoons crank baits, and jointed minnow type lures. These will cover most fish. The water is too cold for flasher flies and they will be used when the water warms to over fifty degrees.
Speed & Color
When fishing early in the season, fish metabolism or body temp is very low so a slow presentation is required. I run my boat speed between 1.5 and 2.0 miles per hour. The color of the lure is dictated by the amount of light and water color. On most days, in clear water I use white and black or silver lures. Hotter colors work best in cloudy water. You can’t go wrong with chartreuse in both conditions. The glow in the dark Vulcan or Reaper spoons sold at http://www.badgertackle.com in regular size are an excellent option. The old rule of thumb applies; bright lures bright days, dark lures dark days. I cannot cover all the bases in this limited space so I will go into more detail in future posts. Good luck Captain Jim. 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© 2011, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Milwaukee Fishing Lake Michigan Salmon Report 10/11/10
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Fish are moving deeper. Sunday afternoon we had a great trip with action on Chinook, Coho, Rainbow and Lake Trout. There are some big Rainbows out there and lead core with spoons is the way to catch them. A temperature break was in 150 to 175 feet of water. The best action for Chinooks and Lake Trout was 130 to 160 down. Magnum spoons are the best option for all size fish. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
Patterns and programs 150 to 175 feet
The temperature break to 52 degrees is at least 70 feet down. The deepest we have caught fish is 160 feet down with the majority of our fish coming 95 to 160 feet down. The way to get that deep with downriggers is to add 15% to the length of the cable you let out. That is to fish 100 down run 115 feet of cable, 150 feet down run 173 feet of cable and so on. The variables are type of lure, boat speed and current. At times we have had fish with 190 feet of cable out. Ten feet or less off the bottom has been best. Head out 80 degrees from the north gap and set up in 140 feet of water. Check the down temperature and key on 50 degrees. Use Fish Fry Magnum Glow Spoons at first light working lines from 100 and down.
You will find action on big Rainbows with 2, 4, 6 and 8 color Cortland lead core with Badger Tackle Vulcan and Reaper Magnum spoons. Downriggers 95 to 160 down are taking two and three year old Chinooks and Lake Trout. I use Church Walleye Planner Boards for all my lead cores.
Some of our best producing spoons have been Vulcan Magnum Silver, Reaper Magnum Peacock Silver, and Magnum Fish n Chip. For small spoons the Vulcan Dolphin Green Silver and combinations of silver spoons with green or blue accent colors. Run the boat speed at 1.6 to 2.1 MPH.
Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com They are having a buy four spoons and get one free at this time. 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Milwaukee Fishing Lake Michigan Salmon Report 10/6/10
By Capt. Jim Hirt
The high wind out of the north has not effected the fishing. The water temperature will be the key to finding fish on your next trip out. As of Monday morning the warm water is in and the fish were out. A temperature break was in 120 to 170 feet of water. The best action for Chinooks and Lake Trout was 110 to 140 down. Magnum spoons are the best option for all size fish. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
Patterns and programs 120 to 170 feet
The temperature break to 50 degrees is at least 100 feet down. The deepest we have caught fish is 145 feet down with the majority of our fish coming 95 to 130 feet down. This is my recommendation for location after the gale force wind. Head out 80 degrees from the north gap and set up in 100 feet of water. Check the down temperature and key on 50 degrees. Use Fish Fry Magnum Glow Spoons at first light working lines at all depths.
You will find great action on Rainbows with 2, 4, 8 and 10 color leadcore with Badger Tackle Vulcan and Reaper Magnum spoons. Downriggers 95 to 140 down are taking two and three year old Chinooks. I use Church Walleye Planner Boards for all my lead cores.
Some of our best producing spoons have been Vulcan Magnum Silver Lizard, Reaper Magnum Peacock Silver, and Magnum Fish n Chip. For small spoons the Vulcan Dolphin Green Silver and combinations of silver spoons with green or blue accent colors. Run the boat speed at 1.6 to 2.1 MPH.
Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Milwaukee Fishing Lake Michigan Salmon Report 10/4/10
By Capt. Jim Hirt
The high wind out of the north has not effected the fishing. The water temperature will be the key to finding fish on your next trip out. As of Monday morning the warm water is in and the fish were out. A temperature break was in 120 to 170 feet of water. The best action for Chinooks and Lake Trout was 110 to 140 down. Magnum spoons are the best option for all size fish. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
Patterns and programs 120 to 170 feet
The temperature break to 50 degrees is at least 100 feet down. The deepest we have caught fish is 145 feet down with the majority of our fish coming 95 to 130 feet down. This is my recommendation for location after the gale force wind. Head out 80 degrees from the north gap and set up in 100 feet of water. Check the down temperature and key on 50 degrees. Use Fish Fry Magnum Glow Spoons at first light working lines at all depths.
You will find great action on Rainbows with 2, 4, 8 and 10 color leadcore with Badger Tackle Vulcan and Reaper Magnum spoons. Downriggers 95 to 140 down are taking two and three year old Chinooks. I use Church Walleye Planner Boards for all my lead cores.
Some of our best producing spoons have been Vulcan Magnum Silver Lizard, Reaper Magnum Peacock Silver, and Magnum Fish n Chip. For small spoons the Vulcan Dolphin Green Silver and combinations of silver spoons with green or blue accent colors. Run the boat speed at 1.6 to 2.1 MPH.
Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Temperature is the answer to more fish. You will find action from 30 to 106 down when the temps are right. Look for 50 degrees and run tackle above and below the temp break. This is the place in the water column where you see a dramatic shift from the warmer surface water to the colder deeper water. This break moves with the wind and is different every day. You must present tackle for all species from the top ten feet of water to the bottom in all depths you fish. I would like to be more specific however it doesn’t work that way. Yesterday the best action was in 80 to 90 feet and you can bet that this will change tomorrow.
A nice mixed bag will be your reward. On the high lines (2,3, and 4 color lead core) the Vulcan regular size Dolphin Green Silver is picking up Rainbow Trout. Mid way down the water column in a temperature of 50 degrees use Magnum Reaper spoons in silver with green or blue green accent stripes. The Magnum Peacock and Fish n Chip have been my go to spoons on a SWR. The Magnum Peacock and Fish n Chip have been my go to spoon for my 5, 6, 8 and 10 color lead cores. Downriggers are also producing with the same spoons and some flasher flies. The best depths for downriggers have been 45, 60, 70 and 100 feet. The Chinooks are in depths of 30 to 140 feet of water. Lake Trout are always available near the bottom even on the slower days when you slow the boat down to 1.5 MPH measured at the ball with the Depth Raider. The Depth Raider is an essential part of your tools for trolling with the current we have on Lake Michigan. Speed up to 2.1 when working the Kings Let me tell you where and what to use. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
Travel northeast out of the North Gap about 4 miles at a 55 degrees compass for the cold water that holds the fish. Look for fish from 10 to 100 down on all presentations. Slide Divers with 90 feet of line out are also working with magnum Reaper Peacock or Fish n Chip spoons. Glow spoons have also been working all day long in the magnum size like the Reaper Fish Fry.
Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Milwaukee Fishing Salmon Reports August 23rd 2010
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Widely scattered is the best way to describe recent action for salmon and trout Milwaukee. You must present tackle for all species from the top ten feet of water to the bottom in all depths you fish. A nice mixed bag will be your reward. On the high lines (2,3, and 4 color lead core) the Vulcan regular size Dolphin Green Silver is picking up Rainbow Trout. Mid way down the water column in a temperature of 50 degrees use Magnum Reaper spoons in silver with green or blue green accent stripes. The Magnum Peacock and Fish n Chip have been my go to spoons on a SWR. As usual temperature is the key. The Magnum Peacock and Fish n Chip have been my go to spoon for my 5, 6, 8 and 10 color lead cores. Downriggers are also producing with the same spoons and some flasher flies. The best depths for downriggers have been 45, 60, 70 and 100 feet. The fish are in depths of 60 to 170 feet of water. Lake Trout are always available near the bottom even on the slower days when you slow the boat down to 1.5 MPH measured at the ball with the Depth Raider. The Depth Raider is an essential part of your tools for trolling with the current we have on Lake Michigan. Speed up to 2.1 when working the Kings Let me tell you where and what to use. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
Travel northeast out of the North Gap about 4 miles at a 45 degrees compass for the cold water that holds the fish. Look for fish from 10 to 100 down on all presentations. Slide Divers with 110 feet of line out are also working with magnum Reaper Peacock or Fish n Chip spoons. Glow spoons have also been working all day long in the magnum size like the Reaper Fish Fry.
Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Milwaukee Fishing Salmon Reports July 26th 2010
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Steady and productive is the best way to describe the Lake Michigan Milwaukee salmon fishing. Chinooks of all sizes with four year old Chinook averaging 15 pounds. Rainbows and Lake Trout are plentiful when fishing with all presentation. Shore anglers are having a rough go of it with cloudy water from recent rain run off. Some recent east wind has not changed the location or depth of fish. Very good action in working 40 to 80 feet of water in White Fish Bay three to seven miles north of Milwaukee’s north gap. Let me tell you where and what to use. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
With 59 degree surface temperature 2,3,4,5,6 and 8 color lead core are working. Travel northeast out of the North Gap about 3 miles at a 50 degrees compass for the cold water that holds the fish. Look for fish from 10 to 60 down on all presentations. Slide Divers with 70 feet of line out are a steady producer with magnum Reaper Peacock or Fish n Chip spoons. Glow spoons have also been working all day long in the magnum size like the Reaper Fish Fry. Downriggers from 40 to 65 down on long lead spoons are my go to rig with magnum silver or glow spoons. Customers are enjoying great action on Chinook salmon to 20 pounds. A combination of Salmon and Trout in all sizes are active. The boat speed of 2.1 gave the best results. Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Milwaukee Fishing Salmon Reports July 5th 2010
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Fishing Milwaukee is excellent with Big Kings Coho and Lake Trout filling the cooler. Southwest wind has pushed the warm water out. Very good action on all species working 40 to 70 feet of water in White Fish Bay three miles north of Milwaukee’s north gap. . Let me tell you where and what to use. To see my how to video fish report go to http://www.jimhirt.com
With 48 degree surface temperature 2,3,4,5,6 and 8 color lead core are working. Travel northeast out of the North Gap about 3 miles at a 50 degrees compass for the cold water that holds the fish. Look for fish from 10 to 40 down on all presentations. Slide Divers with 100 feet of line out are a steady producer with magnum Reaper Peacock or Fish n Chip spoons. Downriggers from 20 to 40 down on long lead spoons are my go to rig with magnum silver spoons. Customers are enjoying great action on Chinook salmon to 18 pounds. A combination of Salmon and Trout in all sizes are active. The boat speed of 2.0 gave the best results. Vulcans, Nestor Wobblers and Reapers are sold only on the web at http://www.badgertackle.com 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© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.
Spring Fishing | captjim | 
March 30, 2011 5:22 am | 
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