Tyee II

So if I use a F/F on bottom I'm better off with a fixed one. And if I use a free slider put spoons on Main line and slider

You can use a free slider over a F/F, I do it often. The flasher will roll around you slider line for sure though, when retrieved. Typically I just unclip the flasher and untangle and it is a PITA, but if I'm catching fish I don't even think about it.

I have some video from my rigger cam last summer where I was running a free slider above my dodger/spin n glo that was bouncing bottom in 100fow. A fish came in to take a look at the D/F and then looked up at something. It then swam up and pursued something for several minutes, going in and out of the cameras view. I'm 99% sure he was in pursuit of my slider spoon, which had to have been running 15-20 feet above my D/F for me to still see the fish with the camera, so way more than 50% down.

Also, Lake Michigan is so clear now that you can actually see your slider spoon some times, and from whay I've seen I think most of the time the 50% rule is correct, unless you are fishing deep and have more swayback.

If you are using a slider spoon above a flasher/fly you may want to fix your slider using one of the methods mentioned above. Fix it high enough above your flasher that they won't come together when bringing your line up to change lures or inspect them.

The other thing I would suggest is to replace your treble with a single hook on your slider spoon. You won't lose nearly as many fish due to the slack in your line that a slider creates.

I am looking for some Jimmy Spoons in green and gold in particular. I will also buy any others you may have and don't use anymore. Jimmy spoons are similar to a Northport Nailer blank, but a little deeper cup, and they have rattles on the hook side of the blank (2 holes with tiny split rings and blades). The ones I had were I think 3 inches, and I'm not sure if they made a bigger size or not.

If you have any you would like to sell, let me know and thanks for looking!

Howard Tanner is a hero of mine. Always wanted to meet him-- please shake his hand for me if you get the chance. Not many gutty decisions being made like that anymore. So many positive changes have occurred to the Great Lakes because of his decision. I grew up next to a worthless sea of dead alewives.

Time to relax the over zealous phosphorus control, pretty blue water is sterile. As for wild Chinook, they are the cream of the crop but so much of Great Lakes trib habitat is unsuitable. Time to create safe zones for the greatest fish that swims to spawn without harassment.

Howard Tanner is one of my heroes as well. Funny how some people see him as a Dr. Frankenlake though. The fact is, he saw a huge problem, created by humans, and visualized a solution. Then he had the balls to make it happen.

I posted this link on a popular website over here in Chicago, and surprisingly many people agree the Chinook needs to go away! Apparently these are people who have never experienced the thrill of hunting for the Mighty Tyee!

Although it really was a big problem at one time, I really miss driving over dead Alewives with my trailer. I hope they are wrong like they were when they said the lake levels would take 30 years to come back to normal, then it happened over one winter. I am hopeful the higher lake levels and the mild winter we had this year will bolster the Alewife population again. We may even see a resurgence in natural reproduction with the higher water. One can only hope...

It will be a sad day if the do end the Chinook program. I have caught Kings with Gobies in their bellies, but they were natural fish. Maybe the naturals will thrive more with less competition, but I hope it doesn't come to that. Kind of ironic they announced this on the day they were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the stocking program, with Howard Tanner present at the ceremony.

Last summer they did their trawl off Port Washington from 30-300+ fow and found 18 Alewives, but strong west winds the week prior had brought massive amounts of Alewives into the shallow water, and into the harbors where they don't conduct their surveys. I, and many other fishermen witnessed the huge schools of bait with our eyes up and down the western LM basin, and you would think they would appreciate that info...

Isn't some of their scientific data based on their observations? I don't see how fishermen's observations couldn't help them come to their scientific conclusions? Hopefully it works over here and trickles down...

Over here on Lake Michigan, they are trying out a new program to gather information about baitfish population from anglers. Hopefully it will help because I believe the methods used now are outdated with the changes occurring in the Great Lakes.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/wheres_the_bait_okeefe16

No probe?

That is very cool. I have often thought of doing the same thing for my extra swivel mount for when I'm only using 3 riggers (which is most of the time these days). Thanks for sharing your idea!

That is one sharp looking boat! Just curious, some newer Kingfishers I've seen had and 8'6" beam. Did they change the beam width since your model year? Good luck with your sale.

I don't think a shark weight will sit well in a bigjon weight cradle. They make a cradle specifically for the shark weights. The weights I bought from bikini bottom don't sit well in my berts cradles and I am planning on crafting something out of PVC somehow...

Just had a set of 14# gators show up on my doorstep today! These babies are sweet. I'm gonna paint one of my gopro housings to match. Thank you.

I fish Lake Michigan at night quite often. Some years it has been very productive in the dark, but last year it seemed to shut down about an hour after dark. If I do an afternoon trip I will fish until they stop hitting and there have been nights that I wasn't back to the ramp until 1am.

Moonshine spoons, Shoehorns, and white dodgers with glow flies have worked best for me, but I have caught fish on non-glow spoons as well. For non-glow, darker colors have worked best.

There really is something special about fighting big Kings in the dark, and over here, you will go crazy at the amount of hooks that will emerge from the bottom as soon as twilight is upon you. Just hang on and get ready for the fire drill!

I have been catching fish sporadically that look just like yours over here on Lake Michigan. Started for me in '98 when I caught a 14#er in May, and later that summer I, and others that I know caught several of these fish in the 17-20# range. I had caught a few throughout the years after, but last year they seemed to make a resurgence.

The bigger ones I have caught will have you thinking King Salmon immediately the way they strike, stay down, and make powerful runs. But when you get them boatside, they have the blue/green sheen of a Coho. Once they are in the boat, they all have marking that falls between King and Coho. Black mouth on the bottom, greyish white on top. Spots predominately on the top of the tail, yet some spots do appear on the bottom of the forked tail. 15 anal rays (Coho=13-15/King=15-19 anal rays). None that I have seen have a fin clip.

With the amount of natural reproduction going on over here, I am convinced that these fish are a cross between a King and a Coho, and I would bet that is what your fish is. So, my vote is for the legendary "Kingho", lol.

I'm starting to feel sorry for that sweet rigger, lol. Maybe she should be reunited with her sister if the deal falls through again?

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From what I understand there is no way to release them to check or change a bait. They only release when a fish hits. Some guys that have run them over here on Lake Michigan didn't care for them because they wander around your spread while trying to retrieve it. You may be better off with slide divers.

I make a similar candy, but make my own brine and it is more involved than yours. It's definitely worth the effort, that's for sure! Thanks for the recipe, I'll have to try that this summer. Gives me another reason to run to Cabelas, lol.

There is a set for sale further down the page. Might be sold, but the ad is still open.

Thanks for the Dodgers Rusty!

Angler's Avenue is who you want to look for.

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Looks like the dorsal fin is laying down, and it does look like a mud minnow.