Reel Addiction Charters

     Well, as many of you know the weather this weekend was not the greatest.  Cold east wind and lots rain dampened not only our clothes and boats but also the apatite of the fish.  Walleyes were hard to come by.  Northerns were a little more active but on the small size.  Luckily the perch and crappie gave my group enough action to keep us interested.  It was a fun weekend none the less.
     The word from the big water is that kings are starting to show up as far north as Algoma and Kewaunee.  With the warm spring, June is shaping up to be a pretty good month for salmon.  Kathy and I will be back over to Door County over Memorial Day weekend to get the Reel Addiction in the water for the season.  I am counting down the days!  

     This past weekend was spent with my father and brother chasing brown trout in the Baileys Harbor Brown Trout Tournament.  Friday morning greeted us with 2 inches of snow, rain, and 30+ mph winds out of the north...It wasn't fun but we fished a couple hours in the morning in Rowleys Bay and my brother landed a fat brown that was 5.5 lbs.  It was the only fish we would catch all weekend and we were lucky to get that one.
     Saturday and Sunday were post cold front, bluebird sky days with east winds.  Every brown that was near the shore headed for deeper water and refused to bite.  Only 77 fish were caught in the 3 day tournament this year.  My brother's took 50th.
     Despite the horrible fishing it was nice to be back on the water.  The boat ran well with only a few minor issues that needed to be fixed.  It is ready for the salmon season which is a little more than a month away.  I am getting excited!   

      This past week Kathy and I made it to Door County to get the boat out of storage.  I managed to get it all waxed and ready for some brown trout fishing.  Unfortunately our trip was cut short by our Brittany, Belle, who had been battling cancer.  She lost her battle and we had to cut our trip short after one day to return to Rhinelander for a final vet visit.  Some of you may remember her patiently waiting with my wife in the harbor when we would return from charters.  She will be missed.  
      In a couple weeks the Baileys Harbor Brown Trout Tournament will be going on.  We are planning on fishing it this year.  I will let you know how things go.  With the early, warm spring, it may be hard to find browns in shallow water yet.  Whether we catch fish or not, it will be nice to be on the water again. 

     Kathy and I visited Door County this past weekend to open up for the season.  It was a busy weekend of spring cleaning and 65 degree weather.  The boat is still in storage for another 2 weeks.  It will be out and ready for the first outing of the year the first week in April. 
     The problem is if this weather keeps up brown trout fishing season may be almost over by April.  Almost all ice on the bay is gone and with 60 degree temperatures for the next 10 days, the water is going to warm fast.  As much as I hate to say it, we need a cool down and fast!  If we don't get one, the salmon season may play out much different than last year.  The fish will be moving up the lake early resulting in a really good June and July.  By the time August gets here the water may be too warm and the fish will go deep in search of cold water.  I guess we will have to wait and see...

     As February draws to a close, I am starting to get the itch for open water fishing once again.  Kathy and I have had a fairly successful and fun ice fishing season but as I begin to do my spoon inventory and tie my flies I secretly hope the ice melt sooner than later. 
     In a little over a month we will be getting the Reel Addiction out of storage and head back up to Door County for spring cleaning and preparations for the 2012 fishing season.  This year the Baileys Harbor Brown Trout Tournament will be April 20-22.  After missing it last year we are hoping to enter it again and put a few fat browns on the leader board.
     Unfortunately my teaching career keeps me from chartering for spring browns but if you are interested in catching King salmon June-August, click on the Reservations link above and set up a trip.  Browns are fun to catch but they are not nearly as exciting as a 25lb king on the end of the line!

-Capt. Tim

     From Kathy and me, Happy New Year!  May 2012 bring health, happiness and a cooler full of fish to everyone out there.  A special thank you to all of my clients that sent a card or gift to us this holiday season.  It is very much appreciated and very nice to know that your experience with us gave you photos, stories and memories you enjoy sharing with all of your family and friends.
     The weather in Northern Wisconsin has been very mild so far this winter.  Ice fishing has been pretty good with some walleyes and a lot of panfish being caught.  Snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing is just starting to get going due to the lack of snow but with the 4 or so inches we got last night more people will be out today before or after the Packer game.  Go Pack Go!
     For all of those Minnesota and Chicago fans that won't have much to do after this weekend, now is an excellent time to get your 2012 calendars out and plan a trip to come visit us.  Summer in Door County is a perfect time to catch a few fish, take pictures and make memories that you can use in your Christmas cards next year.

Hope to see you on the water.

Capt. Tim
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     Due to multiple requests to secure bookings for the 2012 season, I opened my calendar for the season.  The season this year will tentatively start on June 13th and run through the third week in August.
     If you are trying to think of a Christmas gift for a certain special person why not give him or her a Door County charter.  Great memories, photos, and a few big salmon in the freezer will make almost anyone happy! 

      Kathy and I had a great Thanksgiving hosting family and friends for a few days.  A 30lb bird, good food, family and friends are what that holidays are all about!  I hope all of you out there had a festive Thanksgiving full of turkey, friends and family.
     Deer hunting is about to wrap up for me this year.  I shot a nice 8 pointer with my bow so my gun hunt this year was a trophy hunt.  I saw plenty of deer but none big enough to hang on the wall so they are all growing up for another year.  I hope to get out one last time tomorrow when the rain is suppose to turn to snow in the Northwoods.
     My mind now turns to first ice walleyes but with the current weather it looks like it may be a week or more off.  So I am currently sitting in our basement in front of a nice warm fire, watching the Badgers and putting new line on the tip ups.
     For those of you starting to think about salmon fishing, I will be opening the 2012 calendar in January for reservations.  Get your summer calendars out, get a group together and plan a date to visit us in beautiful Door County to tangle with big kings! 

     We are well into fall in Northern Wisconsin.  The deer are moving, there are a few birds in the woods for the dog to chase and muskies are biting.  I really love this time of year!  There is so much to do but so few weekends to do it.  I really do wish it lasted longer. 
     I did take a little time last weekend to compile all of the numbers from the 2011 season.  They are included in the fall newsletter posted to on this site.  As many of you experienced, the fish numbers were down but size was up.  We land a lot of 20lb+ kings this year.  For the complete season recap check out the fall newsletter.  Enjoy the fall season!

     The last weekend of the season saw mixed results.  On Friday evening a group from MN was chased off the lake by a large thunderstorm at 5pm.  The next morning, after the cold front the fishing was tough.  The same group boated 5 of 7 fish in 5 hours on the water.  Saturday evening was much the same.  We landed 4 fish in 4 hours of fishing.  Finally on Sunday morning in just 3 hours we landed 7 for 8 fish including 2 big four year olds.  It was a great trip to end a spotty season on the lake. 
     If any of you are curious about the season as a whole, I will have the season statistics in my fall newsletter that will be out at the end of September.  Thank you to everyone who made this season a success.  I hope to see you again next year.  Time to go back to teaching...