Tag Archives: seasonal

October Steelhead on Lake Michigan

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

Just because you can’t go doesn’t mean that I’m not going to go. This scenario happened several days ago when one of my Sport Fish Michigan Captains, Andy Odette and I went out for a few hours of fun fishing after a 3 boat trip cancelled.

With extremely rough seas predicted for the actual scheduled day, I tried to see if the party of 17 was able to switch days to a day earlier in order to take advantage of the calm Indian Summer afternoon that we were experiencing here in northern Michigan. Here for a corporate retreat, the party of 17 initially seemed interested in switching afternoons to take advantage of the calm weather, but ultimately were unable to do so.

Disappointed in not being able to showcase the awesome late October bite that the Frankfort area provides to our 17 person party, Captain Andy and I decided to not waste the afternoon by not heading out for a couple of hours just for fun. Joined by another one of the Captains that would have been a part of the 3-boat trip, we headed out onto the near-pancake flat waters of Lake Michigan.

Using a variety of presentations, trying to take advantage of the upper water-column feeding that steelhead are notorious for, we put out multiple options in the top 15 feet. Steelhead are partial to orange, and our spreads included a lot of oranges, oranges and blacks, oranges and chrome and oranges and greens. Although we missed our first steelhead bite on a planer board, we knew we were onto something, having only had a line in the water for 10 minutes or so.

Despite the variety of presentations that we were using, only 2 seemed to be getting the bulk of the attention. Sure, we got a nice steelhead on a downrigger, set 12 feet down, and got a couple of bites on a few other spoons, but interestingly, it was 2 of the more unexpected presentations that seemed to catch the most fish. One was a plain chrome spoon that had all of the paint knocked off, and the other was a tiny little casting spoon in a perch pattern. The go-to spoons yielded nothing. All this goes to show is how effective trolling a large variety spread can be when trying to refine a pattern, and also how unpredictable fish can be. What we thought would work didn’t. What we as anglers were indifferent about, turned out to be the key, with the fish responding very well.

In all, we landed our limit of steelhead in short order, and adjusted our presentations to target 3-year-old king salmon, which we were seeing on our electronics. It was a true pleasure to be able to get out for a couple of hours to just “fun fish”. It was a shame that our 3 boat trip had to cancel, and couldn’t take advantage of the wonderfully pleasant conditions, but such is the case. Just because they couldn’t go didn’t mean that we couldn’t! A couple of productive hours out on the water catching fall steelhead certainly beats sitting at the dock dreaming!

Gallatin River Lodge

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

If you ever happen to find yourself in the Bozeman, Montana, area and in need of a place to stay, I would highly recommend the Gallatin River Lodge. A wonderful western-style lodge, the Gallatin River Lodge is everything I could ever want in a lodge or hotel. Nestled in the Gallatin Valley, snow-topped mountains cap stunning scenery surrounding this small lodge in Big Sky country. Continue reading →

Blade Baitin’ Bass

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

For my early spring smallmouth fishing, there are a large variety of lures that can be effective. One such lure is the blade bait. Sure, jerkbaits are another staple, but often they require a pause in the retrieve of 6 or 7 seconds or more. And in ultra cold water, a jerkbait may not be the most effective way to target fish.

For my money, when the water is 50 degrees or less, I’m throwing a blade bait. They cast a proverbial country mile, even in strong spring winds; they sink quickly, allowing me to cover a lot of water; and best of all—they flat out catch fish! And not just smallmouth will chew on this piece of metal. I’ve caught just about everything that swims up here in northern Michigan with a blade bait. And even though I may be targeting smallmouth bass, the reality of knowing that I might very well catch something else only leads to the excitement.

A new bass season

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

A new bass season brings with it new promise. After a long winter in the north country, where only dreams of casting to smallmouth on the northern waters of Michigan will suffice, it’s good to be back on the water. Gone are the days where we struggled. Forgotten are the days when we got poured on. Instead, upon us are promises of great fishing, and getting to greet old customers, and meet new customers. Here are the days I live for. Continue reading →

Gear Check and Maintenance

Posted on by Captain Ben Wolfe

During the shorter days of winter, when I look longingly out on the lake, wishing for the spring bass opener, I think of the things that I can do to get ready for the next season from the warmth of my workshop.

It’s during this time that I take the time to visually inspect every crankbait, jerkbait, spinnerbait and swimbait. I look at the hooks on each lure, inspecting them for sharpness, rust or bends in the hooks that can weaken them. I replace the hooks that need it, and neatly organize the lures back into their respective boxes that I’ve carefully labeled. Nothing can be more frustrating than digging through lure boxes or swapping hooks when I’m on the water with customers, trying to either locate a certain lure or having to replace hooks that I was too lazy to take care of when I had the time. Not only is it a waste of time, but also for me it’s unprofessional. So I make sure that I do the necessary maintenance during the off-season.

I also make sure that I look at the split rings on each crankbait, jerkbait and swimbait. These may not seem like a big deal, since they don’t get some of the perceived abuse that hooks do, but given that this is a crucial connection between the line on my reel and the bait itself, it’s worthy of a few seconds of attention. Catch enough fish on a bait, and there’s sure to be some weakening or bending of the split rings. With a good pair of split ring pliers, changing these out is a cinch, and will keep you casting and not cussing.