By Capt. Jim Hirt

From time to time we all can use a little help. These changes in thinking or additions to your fishing arsenal will improve your success. The speed of your bait whether it is a spoon, jig, or crankbait is important. The right lure at the wrong speed will be less productive.

The correct speed is dictated by many variables.

Always consider the mood of fish and the environment they are in. This will help you find the best speed. Mood is defined by weather and the time of year. High and low barometric pressure are a part of the weather question. They both have a significant impact on the mood of all fish. Activity level in fish will change with the movement or lack of barometer movement. You must know what the weather has been preceding your fishing trip. This information will set the stage giving you the information you can use to your advantage. A clear blue high sky after a low pressure front is every anglers nightmare. Fish get spooky, neutral or negative in these conditions.

A slow spot on the spot presentation is key.

Inactivity is normal, pick your favorite locations on any body of water and look for your target species in the next break to deeper water. Work smaller spoons, lures or baits in a slow presentation. If motor trolling is your method of fishing, use small spoons. Present them at slow speeds and fish them near the bottom. On the other hand steady barometric pressure for an extended period of time with overcast sky conditions is time to grab your pole and to head for the water. Don’t miss these ideal days. The fish will be up on the shallow flats, near shore and active. Pound these fish with big baits and fast erratic actions.

Work hard, work fast and cover a lot of water.

This sets up a great opportunity for trolling big water. The correct lure color for overcast will put more fish in the boat. Silver or gold has long been the standard until resent years. Cutting edge anglers are now going to glow in the dark lures. The visibility of glow spoons far exceeds the old standards. Badger Tackle has a great line up of glow spoons.

For the anglers that run a boat speed from 2.0 to 3.5 MPH, I would recommend the Vulcan magnum. This is a tough heavy weight spoon with a slim profile that fits well with most freshwater and saltwater forage base sizes. The other one I like is the Reaper. Run the regular size on clear calm days and magnum at first light, overcast or whenever you are down deep or in a low light presentation. The Reaper is a wide spoon with a crippled baitfish action for trolling at speeds of 1.0 to 2.5. The Striper and Salmon fishermen say it is a perfect match to the Shad and Alewife forage. Both are exclusively sold at http://www.badgertackle.com/. You won’t be disappointed.

Time of year is also to be considered.

Time of year is also to be considered when trying to catch moody fish. As the seasons change so do the temperatures of the water. Fish are cold blooded and their metabolism changes as their body temp changes. Most anglers know there are cold and warm water species of fish. Which means all fish, if given a choice, will find their preferred temperature range. In fact, too high or too low beyond their limits will cause stress and eventual death. In large fresh water lakes, the time of day isn’t nearly as critical as locating the depth of the preferred temperature level for the fish species you’re seeking.

Lakes layer into three separate layers of water in the spring and stay that way until cold weather. The middle layer, where there is a larger concentration of dissolved oxygen, baitfish and therefore predator fish, is called the thermocline. It can usually be found any where from ten feet to the bottom. This is a temperature layer as well as an oxygen-saturated layer and fish will relate to it as both a comfort zone and one where their body metabolism functions the most efficiently. These fish will be suspended and feeding on alewives, smelt or other forage fish.

The peak feeding and optimum temperatures

The peak feeding and optimum temperature for Coho and Chinook is 52° with an active range from 44° to 58°. For lake trout, the peak feeding and optimum temperature is 51° with activity from 43° to 53°. Fish will rarely venture out of these zones, once stratification has taken place, except to catch a meal and then will quickly return to it. One thing to remember when fishing the thermocline is that its depth can change from day to day because of wind and wave action. It may be several feet deeper or shallower from one day to the next so you’ll have to relocate it each time you go out.

Having said all that, when fishing in water temperatures near the bottom of your target species preferred temp, adjust to small spoons in a slow presentation. At their optimum temp go aggressive with large baits in quick presentations. Most anglers under estimate the speed of their quarry.

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 visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

By Capt. Jim Hirt

In this article we will complete the series on catching trophy fish. I would like to explore location, presentation and lure selection for Lake Trout. Fishermen everywhere covet them for their table excellence giving them a nickname of poor man’s Lobster. Lake Trout baked or poached and served with melted butter is a feast fit for a king.

This slow growing member of the Char family can attain a life of over twenty years and have been known to grow to more than 50 inches and reach over 100 pounds. Lake Trout are mature enough to reproduce when they are six or seven years old. Some Lake Trout respond to a homing instinct. They return to the same spawning grounds year after year, while others do not. This trout lives in deep cold lakes. Their preferred water temperature is about 50 degrees. In the summer they stay deep and can usually be caught by deep trolling. But as the water cools with the fall season and into spring, artificial lures and flies may take lake trout fished shallower, near shore.

Finding a trophy may be a difficult task, although I feel following a few rules will augment your odds for success. I have found that in twenty years of fishing, my biggest have come on spoons. I believe the reason for this is spoons will maintain an attractive appearance at very slow speeds. When you think Lakers think slow. This very cold water species has the slowest metabolism of all the game fish. If you have not caught a Laker, you are trolling too fast. The bigger the Lake Trout the colder the water they prefer and the slower they move.

A quality, large spoon that trolls well at speeds below one mile per hour is required. Keeping in mind that you will be working in deep water below 100 feet. The color choices should be in the bottom half spectrum of the rainbow. There is not much light down there and green, blue, indigo violet colors will sustain some color at these depths. A silver plated spoon will reflect light better in low light and used in combination with the colors is a good choice. You might try the new Reaper glow in the dark spoons. They were very productive for me this last season.

The lack of light has brought me to my favorite presentation. In some cases bouncing the bottom is the only way to provoke a strike. A one pound lead ball sinker will allow the contact needed. Use a wire line rod with 30-pound wire terminated with a plastic keel and lead ball. The keel provides a three way connection for wire, ball and monofilament. At the end of a two-foot mono leader, run an 8-inch silver or glow in the dark dodger and a 4 foot lead to the spoon. Troll with the bottom contour letting out enough wire to allow the ball to bounce on the bottom. A word of caution, some bottoms have lots of hang ups and it takes a constant vigilance on your part to avoid hanging up and still keep constant bottom contact.

As you read earlier, when the water cools in fall they return to the same spawning grounds year after year. The eggs are deposited over a boulder-strewn or rubble bottom structure, in depths from 40 feet to about one foot. This affords the angler another opportunity to get into some serious laker action. Work this shallow water with the same wire line rod. Go with 8 ounces of weight, no flasher and standard Reaper Big Joe red/green or Reaper Peacock blue/green spoons. Motor troll the shallows while hand holding the rod bouncing the bottom as you go.

Let’s wrap this up with my favorite Lake Trout lures. Dodgers and magnum spoons are my first choice with dodger Spin n Glows a close second. The two most productive Lake Trout spoons for me in recent years are the glow in the dark Reaper Green Fox Glow and Fish n Chip Silver; both sold by http://www.badgertackle.com. The standard Reaper in the silver combinations are best for shallow water.

This completes the trophy variables series. I hope you enjoyed it and it leads to your fish of a lifetime. I will give an overview of different types of lures in the next article with a focus on spoons.

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 visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2007, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

In this article we will continue with successful methods of catching trophy fish. I would like to explore location, presentation and lure selection for Rainbows. The excitement of Rainbow Trout fishing is on the top of my list. When you hook up with a fish that goes air-borne, it is an experience you will never forget. This trophy fish is not as commonly caught on Lake Michigan as the other species primarily due to their summer location. Where there are exceptions, most of the time deep water is the best location to find them. Look for them in 150 feet of water and deeper. This fish likes deep water but don’t look for them on the bottom. Fishing the surface down to forty feet should be your target.

The primary forage for Rainbows, up to six pounds, is aquatic and terrestrial insects, crayfish and other crustaceans. Rainbows also eat fish, as well as plankton, snails, leeches and fish eggs. They take a variety of anglers’ flies, lures and baits. The presentation of choice for fish under six pounds is flashers and flies. Big bows are more likely to forage on baitfish and spoons would be the way to go for trophies.

The water temperatures in June make it the best month for all size Rainbows. Rainbow Trout are a cold water fish that cannot survive when the water temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended period of time. Their optimum water temperature is about 55 degrees. Although they do best when the water is less than 70 degrees, they can withstand temperatures into the 70s if there is plenty of oxygen.

In June the surface water near shore warms first. This warming trend extends to the deeper surface water as the season continues. A temperature break where the warm near shore surface water meets the colder off shore can be dynamite in holding trophies.

In forage-rich Lake Michigan, they grow 30-32 inches long and may reach 16 pounds by the time they are five years old. On charter we have boated Rainbows to 21 pounds.

Please allow me to give you an overview of the optimum conditions for predictable success. This is a fish with banker’s hours. I never work them before 10 in the morning and by 4 in the afternoon they are off the best bite of the day. They like the bright light and your lures should be for the brightest conditions.

If you recall from one of my earlier articles on lure color as it relates to light, you should use lures that are at the top end of the rainbow that are red, orange, yellow and green. Combinations of these colors on a silver spoon will get the action started. Two of my favorites are made by http://www.badgertackle.com the Vulcan Dolphin Green and Silver and the Reaper Big Joe Silver. These lures are sold only at badgertackle.com

A stealthy approach is necessary for the biggest fish. Several that can be used are trolling downriggers with leads to 100 feet or more and leadcore is another good choice. Three to five colors of lead will put your lures where they belong. Get away from the boat in water undisturbed.

The basics of leadcore are simple. The most expensive part is the reel. It must have enough line capacity to handle the leadcore line plus mono and Dacron for a total of anywhere from 300 to 600 yards. I run my three to ten colors on an Okuma Convector CV45D. This is the smallest reel a full core will fit on. Leadcore sinks at a rate of 4-5 feet per color. A half core will run about 24 feet deep.

When loading this reel, start with 100 yards of a braided Dacron then strip the lead out of the end of the leadcore and tie a Blood Knot to the leadcore. Finish with a Willis Knot and 60 feet of a 20-pound monofilament to a ball bearing cross lock snap.

You will need a heavy action 8-foot rod to work with lead. The most effective way to present this is with a Yellow Bird Big Bird planer board if you are going to use multiple set ups. Snap on your favorite lure and let out all of the line to the Dacron. 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 will continue with trophy variables for Lake Trout in the next article.

Good Luck

Let’s go fishing! 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© 2007, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

Officials are poisoning waterways in order to kill massive numbers of Asian carp, an invasive species that threatens the multi-billion dollar Great Lakes fishing industry. The poisoning also collaterally kills thousands of other fish species. Critics want to know if this is the right thing to be doing?

Tom Remington

By Captain Jim Hirt

Let’s continue with ways to land more of the fish you have on the line. We covered quality hooks and correct setting of the drags on your reels. They probably rank as the top two in importance, although there are many other ways to get the fish to stick.

To me there is nothing more vital to my success on the lake and satisfaction of my customers than a high ratio fish on to fish in. I am sure there are some that will disagree with a procedure I use to allow a greater numbers at the end of the day.

I pull my lines and stop the boat on all of the fish over ten pounds or at least that’s my goal. Occasionally, in the heat of the battle, a larger fish will end up close to the boat before we can clear lines. Then I will take the boat down as slow as we can to avoid getting the fish around my other lines. The longer you drag the fish around the more time they have to get off.

Over the years I have found that the harder you pull on the fish the harder they fight and more likely they will come off. This also allows me to run smaller terminal tackle and lighter lines both of which improve presentation. I know pulling lines is a lot of work but I would rather do that than disappoint a customer and friend.

I have the pleasure of a new group of fishermen twice a day with a wide variety of experience. Most of who have never caught a fish before. My youngest this year was three and oldest was eighty-seven. We managed to boat over 80% of the fish we had on.

There will be more on this subject in the next article. Good Luck!!

Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414… or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com

Copyright© 2009, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved

*Update* – March 13, 2008 8:21 a.m.

It seems that since I was sent the photos, these weren’t taken on Lake Huron. Snopes has more on the real story behind this and a lot more photographs too. Check it out here.

I received these photos and a brief explanation yesterday from a reader in Michigan. I found the photos to be remarkable and thought I would take a few minutes to share with you.

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Gee, this global warming thing is really something……

Michigan has had the coldest winter in decades. Water expands to freeze, and at MacinawCity the water in Lake Huron below the surface ice was supercooled. It expanded to break through the surface ice and froze into this incredible wave.

Tom Remington

By Capt. Jim Hirt

I would like to describe a scenario most of you have probably run into at one time or another. Clear Blue Bird sky, calm water, nothing biting – zip, zero, nada, nothing!! Perhaps there was an early first light bite and you missed it. Maybe you have friends on board and they can only fish from noon to four in the afternoon. Not the best hours of the day. Well what do you do?

Charter Captains deal with this on many days each season. Let’s start with how we got here. Attitude of fish is set up by many factors – some being weather, barometer, light, water temperature and phase of the moon. The list goes on forever. You get the picture.

Unfortunately most of the best times to fish are not an option to a good share of the fishing community. Don’t despair. All is not lost.

This is not an answer that will create a flurry of action so wild that you can’t keep up with the tackle. It will however put a few fish in the cooler and avoid the dreaded SKUNK! Most of the factors mentioned put the fish in a neutral or negative state. These types of fish will not take an aggressive presentation. Put away the plugs, flasher flies and magnum spoons. Go stealth, Go long, Go light, and Go small.

This all means to present small spoons at great distances on light line in waters undisturbed. This is not a new concept. Far too many fishermen use a heavy mono line on tough fishing days and it becomes ineffective. Heavy 20-30 pound line must be used on rotators, flashers and dodgers. Don’t go with light line on these or you will loose them.

Several stealth presentations come to mind. I could just skim over all of them but I would like to focus on just one with all the details necessary. An effective tool for the tough days is what I call the LTLR (light line rig). It is easy to rig, however, it does require specialized tackle.

I run a medium-sized Okuma Convector CV-20D line counter reel capable of holding 300 yards of 12-lb. line with a smooth drag and an Okuma CGL-C-762ML medium-light rod. I have found this combo to be superior for this application. A low visibility Seaguar Invizix, fluorocarbon, 12-lb line is the key to this presentation’s success.

Attach the spoon with a size #1 Sampo 30-lb. coastlock snap. With this type of day, four down riggers offer the stealth you are looking for. Too much tackle will spook the fish.

The light line requires a rubber band release. Don’t go with any of the regular releases or a big Chinook will break your line. Run 80-120 foot leads off the down riggers with at least 20 feet of separation between them.

It is a proven fact that small lures are the way to go on neutral or negative fish. For this reason I use a size #2 Vulcan spoon and match the color based on the amount of light. This 3-inch spoon closely resembles the profile of the smaller Lake Michigan baitfish and trolls well at all speeds.

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© 2006, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved

By Capt. Jim Hirt

Small changes in tackle and presentation will make a big difference in the number of fish in the cooler. It does not cost a lot of money to improve your technique. As a charter captain I am invited to fish with many other fishermen during the course of the season. I know everyone has a different way of doing things but I am always surprised to see how each of us approaches the fundamentals.

I believe presentation is more important than any other factor when fishing any body of water. The best anglers catch more fish because they focus on getting as close to a natural presentation as possible. Every time you go fishing, whether it’s for salmon or any other specie, think about how your bait is working.

One of the biggest mistakes I have seen is the lack of a Fluorocarbon leader from your main line to the bait. Salt-water anglers have been using leaders to enhance the action of the lure, reduce the visibility of the line and create a more stealthy natural presentation for a long time.

Its time to get on the wagon. A spool of 18 lb. Seaguar Fluoro Premier fluorocarbon leader for $9 will put more fish in the boat! Most anglers do not consider the terminal tackle that important. The last ten feet of your line is critical to producing.

What do you use to attach your lures? Snaps are rated by pounds of pressure they will with stand. Use the correct size for your target species. You wouldn’t use a deer rifle for rabbit hunting so, don’t use a 150 lb snap for 30-pound fish. Try the smaller snaps. I use a 30 lb Cross Lock Ball Bearing snap on all of my lines except for the diving planers and flashers or dodgers. They take a lot of abuse and for them I use a 75 lb snap. Premium Ball Bearing snaps cost more but they’re worth it. The smaller snaps won’t last as long so replace them frequently or fatigue will cause them to fail.

One last word on this subject is that good drags on your reels are necessary. Set the drag correctly and keep your thumb off the spool. The rod should fight the fish not the reel.

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© 2007, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

Posted by Tom Remington

Recently I was contacted by Matt Whetstone of Cadillac News out of Michigan. He wanted to feature an article about the debate in that state over a proposal to raise license fees for hunting and fishing. Under one proposal, the cost to a hunter wishing to purchase a big game hunting license and one antlerless deer permit would cost $105.00.

What Mr. Whetstone was looking for was someone to present to Michigan readers the positive aspects of raising the license fees and someone else to present the downside. I took the downside approach as I believed that kind of an increase to hunt a deer is ridiculous.

The upside to fee increases was presented by Bob Garner of the Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Today, that article is featured on the home page of the Cadillac News. If interested in what I had to say and what Mr. Garner had to say, please visit the site and read the entire article.

Here’s a snippet from my portion.

Sport license buyers are no different than most consumers in that they are willing to pay the price for perceived value. When that perceived value remains unchanged and the cost increases too much too quickly, bad things happen.

And from Mr. Garner.

If you have the point of view that hunting and fishing licenses are just a tax on the sports we all love, it is likely you wouldn’t support even a dime increase in the license fees. But that’s not what they are. Licenses to hunt and fish came about because conservationists who enjoyed the outdoors and wanted to see the next generation enjoy it campaigned to have licenses and to have those fees put into a dedicated fund.

Tom Remington

Reports say that the wild lake trout continues to make a strong comeback in the Great Lakes even though a recent count showed numbers down slightly. The Ironwood Daily Globe has the story.

Tom Remington

The Sierra Club and a hunting and fishing preserve in Marquette County have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking that the coaster brook trout be put on the endangered species list.

The coaster brook trout migrates into the Great Lakes from tributaries and spends the majority of its life there. The endangered species status would give the trout protection in an effort to keep the fish from becoming extinct.

This link will give you more information about the coaster brookie.

Tom Remington