tenatureboy

2-3’ rollers from the west with a strong gusty SW wind was sporty and fishable in close! Ran west to in front of Hamlin beaches and cut out to 30-40 fow trolling east. Some nice marks but no takers. 1 knock off in 35fow off the pump house no one home. Angled in to 25 then 20 then 15 fow east of the creek. King #1 off the rigger 75’ back. Pulled lines to fight it. Boated it ran back west a 1/2 mile or so turned back east set up same again king #2 a little further east. Repeat #3. Back west then east again Boated a double on a small 6# king and a 4# brown. During which I Messed up my cannon rigger clutch and dragged my fish hawk probe and ball on the bottom. Hand lined it back into the boat to save my probe while my buddy held both rods with fish on them. Time to rebuild my rigger clutches if I can. Hands cut by the wire will heal also my pride is more in question! Run west repeat with only 2 rods in the water. Lose a jumping screamer and then within minutes of resetting get a 10# king that fought like a 20#!! kept 4 kings from 10-12+ lbs for filets All fish same spoon and all rigger hits 8-10 down over 15 fow east of Sandy in 48- 49 degree water crazy rough windy fun 2026 shake down cruise! Only screwed up my downrigger clutch and stepped on a rod bending an eyelet. Not too bad! Didn’t lose anything!!

Ok you’re pushing me to finish getting my boat ready tomorrow for next week probably skip wilson in 2 weeks and drag you out on the dingy for an adventure! 🤔

We started with lines in around 7am to 11am Fished 130-150 mostly in front of Hamlin beach. Enough hits and fish to not leave to head offshore. No big boys but my 86yr dad was happy boated 8+ missed at least that with knock offs and “hands free releases “ largest 8-10lb bow 6-8 lb bow 6lb king handfull of 2-3 lb fish and some skippy kings All spoons on Riggers, dipsey and 300 steel. Seasick waddler, carbon 14, gold back 42nd and black/white/silver moonshine (i have to look up). Same spoons took fish all morning just deeper as the sun got high and the lake flat! 50-60 down then 80-70 down later these guys pushed this barge right thru the 150fow fishing crowd! Saw it coming from the west for a long time! Hooked up right by it so all was good!

Yep! 😳

Hit the water at 430-5. Banged thru the NE 2’ rollers to 140 set up found 46 degrees down 60. headed out to 200 first. Zero takers. Headed back in hit a screamer on a 300 with a sea sick waddler in 150 fow. Buddy lost it!!! 🤦🏻 not really his fault just can’t keep them hooked this year! This fish is now a 30lber in our fish stories! Hit another soon after in 140 smaller fish but not tiny 65 over 140 on carbon raspberry ! Lost it! Fought back around thru the waves to the same area 2x and zero! Finally hit another screamer off the rigger in 120 straight off Sandy only to lose that again also! 🤦🏻💩🦨 Released a 4lb king on a dirty white boy off the rigger in 40 over 120fow off the pump house Texted wife to say we weren’t skunked! She said it didn’t count. Another knock off but no one there. Final fish of the day on a blue dolphin on a 200 steel in 110 fow. Best of the day! Send pic to fish to wife for evidence and was told I need to sell the boat as I can’t feed our family with it this year and I suck as a fisherman! all of this is true but the boat is not for sale. Yet!

Congratulations you caught what we lost!!🤣

Thanks for sharing! Those 50-60’ marks are killing my confidence but I am not alone! Misery loves company!!

Hope this makes someone feel better… or helps! set up 5pm in 110 fow. Worked marks for a while with flashers/spin dr and flies/meat (unmentioned buddy did well on flasher flies the evening before) but zero for us! Hung in the area all night went 2 for 5 on a 6lb king (6pm) and 5 lb laker (7pm) on riggers then only knock offs til sunset. All hits were in the 90-95 over 115ish fow on green and white spoons. Flashers and spin drs with fake meat were silent! Dipsy was silent and 300 steel was silent. some bait pods. Fair amount of marks in the 50-60 range but didn’t want to play (or I just suck) nice night though with good company!

Next time I will follow HB2 around We had a nice troll today out of sandy also started at 630am in 140ish after a few passes and no takers we headed north to 400 realizing we were dragging a laker on a 300 steel behind a board! 🤦🏻Played with marks out deep for a bit then headed back to 140-160. Finally a knock off down 90 over 150 at 1045am and then a 16lb king down 100 over 140 at 1110am Had to head in right after. They are there just getting them to play with us is humbling at times

6/7 AM 17lb king on blue dolphin? 60 over 190fow 4lb king same spoon on 200 steel over 220fow 1 knock off on same spoon 60 over 180fow again enough marks to be hopeful but slow for us. Tried all other colors but nothing would fire!

Thanks for letting the cat out of the bag that the salmon are showing in the west end!!

HB2 Agreed great year! In the 40+ years I have fished the lake since a kid I have never seen action like this June and July. I will say I was never that good as some out there but with a freezer full of fillets by early July and throwing 10lb fish back it was an incredible time!! Friends didn’t believe it under they experienced it! But the question I asked a buddy was the same… where are the little guys 1-6 lbs that we were throwing back the last 2-3 years to have this banner year?? Along with gator my boat will be in storage around mid September then a trip the the DSR before the western streams pick up! Only year 3 on the Tribs and it is my new addiction! Take a pic let it go and repeat!

Followed you guys out to the lake. We headed NW as you headed NE similar first bite with only a 300 and dipsey in the water the 300 goes with a 20lb king Not lights out hit numbers but we landed all we had on the hook when the rods got in our hands. Boated 10 only 2 no one home rips on steel and dipsy 8 kings 2 bows. Top kings were 22 and 20 several in the mid teens only 1 under 10lbs. Filleted 4 the rest were given the chance to fight another day Ended the morning with a double at 9am in 95 fow Green white spin dr with meat 2x on rigger green gator magnum 3x on 300 steel and dipsy dirty white boy 2x on rigger black with white glow ladder black 3x on dipsy, rigger and 300 steel

23-12 great day with my best friend! we may get knocked off the board in the weeks to come but we were on it! yes I had a scale and it was just over the 24 lb line on the boat!

Not weighed in yet but guess the weight!

Congrats we were out a little deeper in 140-160 fow fished 6-9am went 10 of 15. Mainly spoons last fish on meat at 9. Fish up to 16lbs. 300 steel with the spoon below was hot along with a black silver green 42 in the riggers down 80-50 Couldn’t break 20 but who cares!!!! 6 of 10 fish over 10lbs today! This is the best I have had in 40 plus years on the lake! yes I caught two 30lbers in the 80-90s as a kid but I will take this fishery now any day! I actually got to reel one in today but my daughter caught the biggest 2! happy 4th of July!