Reel Addiction Charters

     Yesterday evening a 3-hour trip went pretty well for the Hoefts.  They had 6 fish on and got 5 to the boat.  The biggest being 19.5lbs.  The 6th fish, another nice one, got off just inches from the net.  I hate it when they do that!  This morning was a different story.  After getting out there and setting lines, the wind kicked up and didn't slow down.  After about an hour and a half we pulled lines and headed for harbor as waves were starting to break over the back of the boat and the group was starting to feel sick. 
     The wind is still howling at 20kts in Northern Door County and isn't suppose to let up until tomorrow night.  In fac,t it is suppose to continue to build to up to 30kts!  I don't know if we will be getting out tomorrow or not but I will update you if we do.

     Yesterday the NE wind once again pushed a lot of warm water onto our shores.  The fish moved out and fishing again became a challenge.  During the morning run a group from Spencer, WI went 6 for 9 kings.  The morning was made with the last fish we landed being a 24lb giant.
     The afternoon was more of a challenge as the wind kicked up 3 to 4 foot waves while we were out there.  The group from Illinois had a great time bouncing around but few fish were biting.  They brough home only 2 on 5 releases.  One of the fish was a fat 22lb king.  Too bad a few more didn't make it to the net. 
     I had the morning off today but I am heading out tonight for a 3 hour trip.  We had a SSW wind most of the day so I hope some of the warmer water moved back out.  

     A group from Willmar, Minnesota fished last night and this morning aboard the Reel Addiction.  Last night fishing was slow but they managed 4 nice kings.  All fish came after 7:30pm.  This morning we fished for an hour without a bite.  Then at about 6:15am the fish started.  In the next 3 hours they landed 9 kings and a large steelhead.  Fish were caught on both flies and spoons this morning.  Dipsy rods were hot and leadcore added a couple to the box also.  Good luck on the water.  

     A strong NE wind pushed a lot of warm water into our area on Wednesday night making fishing on Thursday difficult.  Water temp were 70 degrees at 70 feet off of Rowleys Bay.  We fished deep in the morning but landed only 3 fish on 7 releases. 
     In the evening the Koestring family landed 2 nice kings on 4 releases.  The weather was great and despite the slow fishing, a fun time was had by all onboard.  Several "I spy" and other word and song games were played...definitely entertaining!  Thanks for the great trip Koestrings!

     Our friends from Alaska spent Monday and Tuesday with us in Door County.  We got them out on the lake for about an hour and a half Monday evening.  It was just enough time to catch 6 kings.  We released 2 and brought home 4 including an 18 and 20 pound fish.  Although the fish don't get to 100lbs in the Great Lakes, they still enjoyed catching their first Michigan salmon.
     This morning a group from Illinois landed 10 for 12 kings and released 1 shaker.  They battled some rough water but did a great jobs on the rods.  Most were nice size fish with the 2 biggest beign 19 and 23 pounds..  Check out all of the smiling faces below.

     Last night and this morning, the Deneen family from Goodhue, MN handled the rods aboard the Reel Addiction.  We got a late start due to storms yesterday evening, not putting lines in the water until 6:30pm, but we still managed 5 nice fish by 8:30pm.  This morning they landed 9 kings.  They released a shaker and saved another for grandma who likes little ones.  The other 7 fish were all 10 to 21 pounds.  Spoons and flies caught equal numbers of fish in the last 24 hours.  Nice morning catch guys!

     Last night the Boyer family from Kansas battled some big waves to fish for the first time on the Great Lakes.  In their 3 hour trip they landed 5 kings.  Three of them were better then 17lbs.
     This morning Jeff and Cindy Calentine from Iowa, had there hands full as a school of salmon finally showed up.  In their 4 hour trip they had 13 fish on and got 11 to the net.  The biggest was just over 20lbs.  This morning was a pleasant change from the past 2 weeks.  I hope the fishing continues to improve.

     Fishing continues to be slow off of Northern Door County.  We are coming in with catches of 3-6 fish on most outings.  The good news is that fish are pretty good size.  There have been many caught between 15 and 20 pounds. 
    This morning Don Hoeft of Eagan MN landed the biggest fish we caught in almost 2 years!  It tipped the scales at 25.25lbs.  It was 38 inches long and had a girth of just over 24 inches.  The fish is currently on its way back to MN and has a date with the taxidermist.  Congrats Don!

     Fishing continues to be horrible in Northern Door County.  Many private boaters are coming in with 0 to 2 fish.  We are struggling also.  Our best catch in the last 3 days has been 5 fish.  This morning we landed 3 in almost 5 hours on the water.  This time of year we should be having double digit catches. 
     There are still 1000's of dead and dying alewives on the surface and I think that may be contributing to our struggles.  There is a lot of easy food for the few salmon that are around.  We will just keep trying and hope something changes sooner than later.

     Last night and this morning we fished south from Cana Island light to Death's Door in the north.  Both trips produced 5 fish but of those 10 fish only 4 were good size.  The sonar is silent and there seems to be a lot of empty water out there.  Word from the southern ports of Baileys Harbor, Algoma, Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay is the same.  No one can figure out where the fish are.  This should be the best time of the year but most are struggling to catch 4-6 fish.  When will it change?