Fishing Milwaukee – May and June Presentation Tips #7
March 13, 2008
By Captain Jim Hirt
In previous articles we covered general overview and the specifics of temperature breaks and their location. Now let’s continue with spring presentation and location.
If your season starts early as we do at Blue Max Charters, you will be on Lake Michigan when the surface temperatures are below the preferred temp of your target species.
I will cover late May and early June in this article. This time period provides great action on Brown trout, Chinooks, Coho and Rainbows. Browns, at this time of the year, will come on similar presentations, lures and locations as I described in the last articles. Look for temp breaks with baitfish and the warmest water. Read more
Fishing Charters Milwaukee Presentation Tips #8
March 13, 2008
By Captain Jim Hirt
In previous articles we covered spring presentation and location. As we go into summer our presentation evolves to follow the temperature of the fish you are targeting. This time of year, you should look for most of your fish in the top 40 feet. Keep your eye on your locator and also work deeper marks when you see them.
My experience tells me that this time of year 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. Read more
Charter Fishing Milwaukee Hot Lures For Salmon
March 12, 2008
By Capt. Jim Hirt
In previous articles we covered where to start if you have not been out for awhile. In this article I would like to help you with what lures to buy at the tackle store for a typical July or August trip on Lake Michigan. This is a very difficult question. Where I cannot possibly go into all species and all situations, perhaps I can define what I believe will catch fish 90 percent of the time.
Please keep in mind that the best lure not properly presented will not catch fish. Milwaukee is known for excellent Chinook salmon fishing, so I will focus on salmon. Read more
Fish Report & Let’s Play Favorites
March 12, 2008
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Fishing report for Lake Michigan Milwaukee, Wisconsin. East wind and the normal warming of the water are setting up Lake Michigan into a summer pattern. The key any day on the water is temperature and baitfish. Find those two ingredients and you’re on fish.
There are coho salmon at all depths on flashers, dodgers, rotators and flies. Most of the attractors are working. Watch your speed, as they are very speed sensitive. I have been running them between 1.8 and 2.4. The surface temperature is up to 62 degrees and the rainbows are turning on. They are coming on half cores of lead with Vulcan #2 Green Dolphin spoons. Read more
Salmon Fishing Lure Speed By Species
March 12, 2008
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Captain Jim Hirt operates his fishing business out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin as Blue Max Charters.
In previous articles we covered my three most productive lures for July and August. I will give a quick recap for those who missed the last issue. My first choice is an 8-inch Luhr Jensen flasher green with silver and glow tape with a green fly. The length of the leader from the flasher to the fly should be, give or take, 25 inches. I measure from the end of the hook to the back of the flasher. This measurement may change day to day. The length of the leader will affect the speed of the fly movement. The bigger Chinooks may require a longer leader. Read more
Fall Chinook Salmon Habits
March 12, 2008
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Captain Jim Hirt operates his fishing business out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin as Blue Max Charters.
In previous article we covered lure presentation on clear days. Now let us switch gears and discuss location and presentation for Salmon in the last several months of their life.
I will just group them together and call them spawners. For the fisherman in our area this includes Coho and Chinook.
On or about the third week in July to the end of our season and beyond, these fish are looking for a place to drop their eggs. The active feeding time of their life is coming to an end. The good news is they will still hit lures on what I call a reflex reaction. Read more
Lake Michigan Fishing Charter Milwaukee Leadcore Presentation – Tip#9
March 12, 2008
By Captain Jim Hirt
In previous articles we covered some ways to present lures in early summer. This time of year you should 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 these times of year are 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.
The primary presentations I use at this time of year are planer boards, dipsy 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. Read more
Did The Androscoggin River Dry Up? Or Is It Just Not Good Enough?
March 12, 2008
On Saturday of last week the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife issued a press release announcing plans to team up with the Maine Office of Tourism to promote fishing. The press release says that with the brand new fishing section of the Maine Office of Tourism website, visitors to that site will be able to find places to fish all over the state. Read more
Maine Fishing Biologists’ Weekly Fishing Report – March 11, 2008
March 12, 2008
The Ever-Changing Lawbook
How do you best manage fish populations? That’s easy. Manage people!
This may seem to be odd logic but since the last Ice Age fish have been taking care of themselves quite nicely. Then humans came along. We fish, modify habitat, and perform a number of other activities that directly and indirectly impact fish populations. As my college fisheries professor Dr. Ringler used to say, “Fisheries management is 98 percent dealing with people and two percent dealing with fish.” Read more
Downriggers 101
March 11, 2008
By Capt. Jim Hirt
Captain Jim Hirt operates his fishing business out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin as Blue Max Charters.
Now is the time to think about changes to make you more productive next season. There are many ways to go on this subject.
Over the next several articles I will try to cover topics like rigging, tackle and presentation. My goal is to provide information, which should lead to more fish and less slow fishing. Let’s get started with rigging.
This is a very large topic that needs to be broken down into smaller subjects. Downriggers are a good place to start. This is one of the most basic of presentations and yet is very easy to get confused about.
The use of this tool is limited only by your imagination. For every method I write about here some of you know dozens of other ways to work a downrigger. The basic concept is a wire line with a weight on one end with a release to hold a lure at a given depth. The other end is a spool or wheel to hold the wire and facilitate the raising or lowering of the weight.
Downriggers are made in manual or electric. There are many brands out in the market place and I think they are all good. The high-speed electrics will give you an advantage when you are on a hot bite. For the average fisherman manuals will get the job done.
There are all kinds of additional features you can add to your downrigger. An important one is temperature at the ball to tell you when your lure is in the temp for your target. This can also be added to any downrigger later.
Cameras to watch lure action and the attitude of the fish. All the extras may or may not get you more fish depending on your ability to interpret the information provided.
Basic set up is to let out your lure behind the boat and attach it to the weight. The way you attach it has everything to do with how many fish you will put in the boat. I have tried most of the different styles of releases. I like the Blacks release with the clip to attach the weight as one unit. The Blacks releases are completely adjustable to set the hook when the fish bites and never tangle or wear the line.
Weight selection is also important. Things to consider are size, shape, construction and color. For my corner downriggers a flat weight with a large adjustable fin is the way to go. When the fin is correctly tuned it will spread your presentation and avoid tangles. For the two inside downriggers I prefer a weight that tracks well and looks like a fish. I use 10-12 pound weights when fishing deep and go to 8 pounds for shallow presentation.
The best source I have found for quality weights at a reasonable price is Off Shore Weights ask for Ralph 414-425-7663. I will finish on this subject in the next article.
Good Luck Captain Jim.
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.
After a little internet searching, reading, and checking up on this stuff I found it�s a pretty well established product in Canada and hails from Quebec where they have this funny habit of speaking a lot of French. Thus the name, Jig-A-Loo, and the company�s claim it derives from a saying they have up north, �I�ve got it!� 
