Lake Huron (Cheboygan, Michigan)

[digitroll (ron)]

Our annual family vacation to Michigan to visit my wife's family has began. This will be my 5th reporting our fishing results on Lake Huron for Kings with the last 4 years on the old forum.

Hope to get out a few times at the least or maybe 4 or 5 times at the most this week as wind effects these decisions. Bought my season license for $41 yesterday. Weather is very nice from the upper 60's to the mid 70's this week forecast here in Cheboygan. Cheboygan is located about 35 minutes from the Mackinaw bridge which is 5 miles long (The Circ. highway is 4 miles) and connects the upper peninsula and divides Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It's 900 miles from Vermont by car and takes 15 hours with no stops mostly thru Canada. I have been going every year since 2000. This family trip began replacing my Oswego, Lake Ontario late August trip about 7 years ago after the kids were born. Not a bad thing. Family first.

Earth link view of our area (we are fishing west of the bridge near Bablo island and Mackinaw city):

http://goo.gl/maps/OCA1W

[digitroll (ron)]

Some fuel burn numbers and factoids:

The Niagara Bar is 450 miles one way and we get 12 mpg towing the Digitroll with my Honda Ridgeline for $150 to get there each way at $4 a gallon.

Cheboygan is twice as far at 900 miles and using the family Toyota Sienna Mini-van with the Eco feature to drop a cylinder or two for fuel economy we had 24 mpg. and the same $150 expense for fuel for the trip and again close to $4 a gallon for regular.

Web cam of the 5 mile long Mackinaw bridge looking West on the Lake Huron side and beginning of Lake Huron. Those towers are in 100 feet of water.

[digitroll (ron)]

My Brother-in-Laws boat (20 ft Starcraft with a 115 hp E-tec) for morning fishing:















My friends 24 ft 4 Winn's I will be fishing some of the evenings:

[Black Ghost (Ken)]

Have fun, catch lots of big fish, and keep the reports coming.

[mac]

Good luck with the Kings.

[Gecha (Gerry)]

Ron,
Wishing you and your family a wonderful vacation. Safe trip and nice weather.

May the fish gods be on your side and bring you plenty to hooked lips on your lures.

Gecha

[digitroll (ron)]

8/19 Sunday East end of Bablo Island out of port of Cheboygan:

After two hard N/W blow days 15-25 mph Friday and Saturday finally were able to get out this morning with 10 mph West winds and 1-2 foot seas. Sunrise at 6:50 am and we launched at 7:00 am. with 5 on board my brother in law's boat. He was married on Thursday and brought his father and mother and law, and wife aboard with us to try and land a salmon. With the lines set at 7:30 am. and a full crew we had 4 rigger rods and two dipsies running a Tamiron Optimizer program at 3.2 mph. Rich had been successful 4 days earlier in the same area we fished this morning with the power troll Optimizer program that worked well for us 3 years ago this time of year.

This morning was a different picture after the two day blow. I used my Fishhawk TD to get a temp. profile off the rigger and found it was 65 degrees at the surface and at the bottom in 70 feet of water. Marked some big fish up high from 15-25 feet over deeper water but one knockoff around 10:00 am was it. We quit after 3 hours as it seemed it just wasn't happening at 10:30 am. We were the only boat out fishing this am.

[digitroll (ron)]

Sunday evening update:

I will try again in the morning with my brother in law's boat with Bob my other brother in law, and Father-in-law. We will launch out of the port of Mackinaw City about 14 miles to the north near the Mack bridge. The plan is to fish a traditional spoon program that we run at the Bar along with the Honeybee #3's. Speed will be 2.4 to 2.7 mph. Window 9 am - 1 pm. Winds are expected to be 5-15 mph. out of the west.

[digitroll (ron)]

8/20 Monday:

Late start today (18 mile trailer tow to Mack city) as we hit the water at 9:30 am with a foot and half chop and light winds from the west. Temp. profile with the TD Fishhawk showed a nice break at 60 feet in 85 feet of water near the edge of the shipping channel. Set the first rigger with one of my new Dreamweaver slim series in the 42nd spoon pattern. As i finished the second rigger the first fires at 60 feet. No one home. By the time I set up the 4th rigger looking west the waves were all white and coming at us. Soon we were in 3-5 footers with 20 mph West winds. Game over. 82 year old father in law was ready to leave.

Taking the kids swimming this afternoon and they have a dual B-day party tonight with all the in-laws.

Hope to get out tomorrow night on Chet and Bill's 24 ft 4 Winn's if the unpredictable winds let us launch.

We are heading up to Sault st. Marie (where lake Superior dumps into Huron) about an hour and a half north with the kids to go thru the locks (tour boat) during the day tomorrow.

R

[digitroll (ron)]

Tuesday evening 8/21 Bill and Chet's 4 Winn's 24 ft. boat:

Launched at 6:30 pm at Mackinaw city with Bill and Chet for the first time this trip. Fished with them twice last year out here. We had 1-1.5 foot seas and made the trip across the straights near the bridge over to Mackinaw Island a 7 mile run and set up at 7:00 pm. with an 8 rod program. 2 leadcores on Church inline boards, 2 dipsies, and 4 riggers. Temp was very cold over there at 60 feet we read 40 degrees on the Moor sub troll. Bill and Chet have only been out salmon fishing 4 times this season and 2 of those trips they were skunked. They have been fishing inland lakes for walleyes this season. With all the wind from the past two weeks the reports have been sketchy they told me. After an hour the first leadcore went with 9 colors of lead I landed a small skipper king. 30 minutes later the other 8 color lead the Church board was buried as the fish took out 300 feet of line on the counter. Game on! After 30 minutes and circling the fish a few times we put the net under a 20 lb. 8 oz. King that was very Ontario like. This may not sound like a big fish by Ontario standards, but it was the biggest to come aboard there boat in years. A 20 lb KIng over here is like a 32 lb King on Lake Ontario. I weighed the fish on my IGFA certified Boga scale I brought with me. The big fish hit one of my all time favorite Bar lures a magnum Silver Streak "spook ladder back black" lure. I only own two. I gave the one that caught the fish to Bill and Chet. We trolled for another hour and pulled them at 9:30 pm.

Hope to get out one last time with these guys tomorrow night. Heading to the zoo with the kids in the Upper Peninsula tomorrow. Today we did a 2 hour tour boat ride up at Sault St. Marie Locks. That was a blast.

[digitroll (ron)]

8/22 Wednesday.

Wind howling today from the South West. Hope it will die down for tonight for another 2.5 hour window with Chet and Bill. Taking the kids to the zoo today in the Upper Peninsula for a day trip.


6 hours total with the lines down the last 3 days. 2 Kings landed with 4 total bites. Tomorrow is a pack day.

[drachma]

Nice fish Ron and great reports. Enjoy the extended family time away.

Michael

[digitroll (ron)]

Nice fish Ron and great reports. Enjoy the extended family time away.

Michael

Thanks Mike! On our way back from the zoo with the kids this afternoon I bumped into Capt. Dennis of EUP charters of St. Ignas filling up his gas tanks in his truck for his boat I casually asked him how the fishing has been? He said up and down and lots of wind this past season. He didn't get any salmon on his charter yesterday he told me with one very nice steelhead about 12 lbs down 75 feet and some lakers. His biggest salmon this season was 17 lbs 10 oz. he mentioned. The biggest fish for the Cheboygan one day tournament 3 weeks ago was 15 lbs. Feeling pretty good about the lunker we caught last night for 6 hours of fishing this past week.

[Shaye D Winds]

Ron,

That is a great fish!!! Just having learned about the fishery from you a little i understand how that fish compares. Good job. Leave it to you to pull out a lunker.

Don

[Sleepswithdafishes]

Congrats on the King Ron!!!! Per usual nice reports Thanks!! One question though when do you sleep??? Sounds like your days are full!!!! Have a safe trip home!! Sleeps