Cinco de Mayo... A day late

In lieu of Cinco de Mayo yesterday, we decided to make some salmon tacos from the fresh coho caught over the weekend (Thanks Eric).

Simple process really, cut skinless salmon into strips, then lightly sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin if you choose. Pan sear both sides in some olive oil. 

Lauren made a jicama cucumber slaw which formed a bed of flavor on which to lay the salmon. The jicama and cucumber were cut julienne, and tossed with fresh lime juice, salt & pepper to taste and of course fresh chopped cilantro.  The tacos were  finished with a spoonful of avocado crema, whipped together from avocado, sour cream, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. The photo shows flour tortillas, I prefer corn, or for all you gluten hating hipsters out there, use a lettuce wrap. Enjoy and felize Cinco de Mayo putos!

Lake Michigan report

I received a text from Eric Friday evening instructing me to meet at the launch at 5:15AM...we ride at dawn. Actually, an hour before dawn, but you get the point. Excited to fish open water after a long cold winter, I did just as I was told. The target on this morning would be coho, who's early presence in the area had been rumored of. These fish winter in the Southern most reaches of Lake Michigan, beginning their migration North in the spring. They are very aggressive fish and arguably the best tasting fish in the lake. With coho being this far North so early, they would be sure to make for specimens of perfect eating size.

The three of us, (Eric the Doc and myself) motored into the dark and began setting lines. All 8 lines were in the water 15 minutes prior to first light. Not bad considering I mostly pointed the flashlight while the Doctor set his rigs and Eric piloted the boat.

 The sun began to burn above the horizon. For a few moments, it's as if  there is a fire burning on the surface of the water.

My first open water fish of the season, is this healthy little brown trout.

 Coho salmon, perfect eater size

To add to the fun you get a shot at big browns like these. They are fun to catch and release. Not to mention in this fishery you have a real chance at a world record. Two current world records for brown trout are out of Lake Michigan. Nice fish Eric. 

Back to the docks before noon, we reminisce of our recent experience as we tally up the fish. 7 coho made it to the cooler along with some of the quality browns. We had a first time quad, with a fifth fish banging one of the dipsy lines. The three of us struggled to battle our fish, while netting the 4th. Of the 4 fish that were hooked Eric and the Doc landed 3 while mine broke me off. We never got to set the hook on the 5th. Needless to say, this was an excellent day on the water. Tonight on the menu: Glazed coho salmon with roasted vegetables. The smoker should be expecting visit soon.

It's Friday

Bruce Kirkby - Award-Winning Explorer - The Questions We Ask

Another blow to our Great Lakes, more specifically Lake Michigan

An unknown amount of oil spilled into Lake Michigan from an Indiana BP refinery today. It was not immediately clear how much oil was spilled into the lake or how long the discharge continued. The Chicago tribune full report here. 

Poppin' holes

New from Finback Films; "Ed"

ED from Finback Films on Vimeo.

Ear Candy

Be my Valentine

Crappy Crappie report

Just like the title says, crappie fishing was well... crappy yesterday. Fish would SLOWLY approach bait, then quickly dart back down and away. Without a camera down there, my assumption is that these fish were spitting the bait faster and lighter than I could feel, thus their alarmed reaction. I did manage to catch a few, literally.

The highlight of the evening was the fellow in the winterized Supercub, skis and all, buzzing the shacks. The cherry on top was the sunset.

Lakemaid Beer Drone Delivery

FINALLY! Took long enough... sheesh. 

Ice Report: 1-26-2014

I managed to sneak out Sunday afternoon before the dreaded "Polar Vortex" struck again. Temps were dropping as I fished. Weather reports showed high teens but winds were gusting up into the 20's. I was fishing a lake in Waukesha County based on a tip from a friend. As it turns out, it was a good tip. Being an exploratory trip I packed light, no tip ups. I didn't have my shelter either, so it was a hood up, hunched over a hole kind of day.

I found bluegill. The smaller gills were about 25 yards closer to shore in 6fow. These fish were fairly aggressive. The larger specimens were in 7-8fow and were very negative. I did manage to get a few of the bigger gills to come in for a look and managed to hook a handful or two. Once a fish came to look at the bait, the technique was a dead slow, and I mean dead slow lift. If they had a chance to study a stationary presentation, they would swim away. If I moved quickly, they would just follow, but not bite. Using some ice that built up on my line as a reference, I would lift the bait as slow as I could until the slightest resistance was felt, then set the hook as usual. Sometimes, this technique did not result in a bite, so, using the same technique, I lowered the bait slowly to the bottom, beginning my ascent all over.

A little something for your ears today

New single from Scott H. Biram

Monday...

Ice Report Jan 11 2014

We fished a popular Dodge County lake Saturday. It was crowded to say the least. Weather was mild compared to the recent cold snap but the winds made it feel a lot colder. I would guess there was 13-15" of ice.

3 out of 5 in our group managed to limit out on crappie in about an hour. All 5 of us eventually got our limits. We capped the morning with a quick lunch of brats on the grill and a beer or two. We were on our way home by 1pm.

Spoons or jigs tipped with spikes worked. Crappie minnows also produced. My biggest crappies of the day came on a dead stick rigged with a crappie minnow on a plain gold hook but jigs and spoons called in the fish for fast paced action.

Up Nort', Vilas County, First Ice report of Jan 2-5 2014

Thinking it would be best to kick 2014 off properly and against the better judgement of my peers, I made the trek up to Vilas County for a New Years fishing trip. With a new moon on Jan 1st and a warm up day Saturday, I ignored the sub zero temperatures and the approach of "hercules", packed up the rig and headed North.

Ice was 20+ inches everywhere I went, making for safe and confident vehicle travel. Daytime temps were in the single digits, climbing into the high teens on Saturday. Nighttime lows were well below zero. 

 My home on the ice. From sun up till sun down

 We got first tracks

 Beware of dogs, fish at own risk

 Big buck

Fishing was not fast and furious, but I did manage a good haul for my first outing of the New Year. Not to mention, the solitude found up there can't be beat and was a welcomed  change of pace following the holiday season.

No fish came on tip ups. For me, that is a rare occurrence up there. The cold weather didn't help. I was less than ambitious about re-setting and re-locating non productive sets. I did manage some crappie, and found a very productive bluegill spot home to some very sizable specimens.

Shakey Graves...Word of Mouth

Check this guy out. Out of Austin Texas, talented one man band. Anyone that lives in the south, if you get a chance to go see this man, do it. 

Ice Report Dec 29th

Today I fished a lake in Waukesha County for the first time. Conditions were less than ideal. A strong cold front is moving in. Temps were in the low 20's and continue to drop. With yesterdays warm up, there was a layer of slush and water under the snow. The ice beneath ranged from 6-9 inches. 

Fishing was slow to say the least. Not a single flag all day. I had a few lookers on the flasher, but most fish were tight lipped. The gill above tipped the scale at just over 8.25".

Ice Report 12-21-2013

Hit the ice early with Mom yesterday. A midst the frozen fog we ventured onto a lake in Dane county. Temps were in the low 20's, winds were from the NE, the barometer was dropping and Ice was 8". 

Gills were slow but steady all day long. Moving the bait would bring in schools of fish but figuring out when they actually would strike the bait was a challenge. Some fish struck on the drop, others on the lift. Some liked a pause, and others wanted the bait to be dead still. The whole day was a game of cat and mouse. Hole hopping was necessary, finding the schools, getting them interested, and figuring out how they liked to eat was the drill. Electronics helped with the curve. We did manage to catch a one man limit keeping a bakers dozen for Mom and Dad. All the fish were quality gills. 

For once, we didn't really have to weed out any small fish. All the fish kept were over 7" and under 10". Mom did manage to catch one toad of a gill yesterday. Probably the biggest bluegill I have seen since I lived in upstate NY. He is still swimming. Hopefully he will live to spawn again and spread his humongo genes on to the next generation of gills. I don't think most anglers would let a fish like that swim. Now, I don't want to get on my soapbox, but I love fishing for bluegills and would like to see some reform in the Wisconsin panfishing regulations. Finding lakes like this in lower Wisconsin isn't easy. Sadly, it is only a matter of time before the population of good size gills is depleted and the anglers move on to fish out the next spot. It seems like it is a story all too common with panfishing this area. However, I do not blame anglers for acting within their rights. Until there is a change in regulations (hah) I cannot be angry with other anglers for legally harvesting their limits. 

Having said that, I can't tell you how many anglers I have spoken to and witnessed taking more than their limit. Adding them to the freezer at home, which is also legally questionable. It is frustrating to say the least. Everyone has to share these wonderful resources. We all get so much joy out of being there. If we make a collective effort to improve and maintain the resource, it will always be there for our enjoyment.