Reel Addiction Charters

     We couldn't make it out of port last night or this morning due to high winds out of the south.  Four to six foot waves are just too big to fish effectively in, especially when every fish counts.
     Fishing has been horrible recently.  We are working hard, trying different spots, depths and baits but nothing seems to matter.  There don't seem to be many fish around.  One explanation may be the fact that there are 1000's of dead alewives dying on the surface.  The salmon that are around have it pretty easy finding food.  We may also be seeing the results of the 25% cut in stocking for the last 3 years.  More bait and less fish means tougher fishing.

      Yesterday and this morning have been the worst runs of the year so far.  The fish are just not out there.  Yesterday evening, beat up by 4-5 foot waves the Hagen family landed 2 for 2.  This morning, calm and foggy, the Grose family landed just 1 fish all morning.  It was the only bite we had!   We covered miles of water but there weren't any fish to be found.  Hoping for a turnaround soon!

     On Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings my family fished aboard the Reel Addiction.  Lots of bonding time...  The fish bit well Friday but slowed with each passing day.  They landed 10  kings Friday, went 6 for 9 on Saturday and only 2 for 5 this morning.  Of the 18 fish they are bringing home most were 3 and 4 year olds between 12 and 20 pounds.
     Saturday evening the Berwig family from Rhinelander landed 4 for 5 kings.  The evening started really slowly but at 8pm the fish turned on and all were landed in the next 45 minutes.  Three of the fish were 15lbs or better.  The clear sky, full moon, and abundant baitfish populations have made the last 2 days more difficult fishing.

     After setting lines at 4:30am this morning it didnt' take long for the fish to bite.  By 5:45am my wife's uncle George and uncle David had seven 12-20lb kings in the boat.  By 6am things slowed down and the pair was able to catch their breath.  They handled the rods well only losing 1 fish all morning.  What a couple of pros!  We ended our 3-hour morning run with 1 more fish for a total of 8 on the morning.  
     Water temps are still high off of Rowleys Bay.  All fish came from water 120 feet or better. Just keep waiting for the west wind...

     The last 2 days have been quite windy in Northern Door County.  Yesterday morning a father and son from MN landed 6 of 9 kings in the rough water.  Most of the fish came on deep spoons as the NE winds pushed warm water deeper off of Rowleys Bay.  Check out their pic below.
     In the evening and this morning friends and family members fished.  They landed 5 of the the 10 fish they had on.  Balancing and battling the fish was an issue, especially this morning with waves approaching 4 feet.  We are in desperate need of a west wind to push some of the warmer water back out into the lake.

     The last two days have been interesting to say the least.  The Saturday evening and Sunday morning trips were canceled because the clients thought they were scheduled to come next weekend.  Minor mix up!
     The Kivela family fished Sunday evening and landed 6 fish, 5 of them being 15lbs or better.  They were scheduled for this morning also but a line of severe thunderstorms kept us off the water until 7am.  We made it out for 3 hours but the front had shut the fish down and we only managed one 12lb king.
     This week my in-laws and parents are visiting.  I have a few evenings off to spend with family but they do want to go fishing so I will keep you posted.  Good luck on the water.

    A thermocline is beginning to set up off of Rowleys Bay and the fishing is improving little by little.  Last night the Wulz family from Madison fished aboard the Reel Addiction.  The evening started slow but picked up around 6pm.  By the end of the evening there were 7 nice fish in the boat including a fat 21lber! 
     This morning the Young family from my hometown of Rhinelander landed 7 more big fish including a 20lber.  Despite the fact that they were Great Lake rookies they did a great job handling the rods.  At the end of our 4-hour trip only one fish got away! 
Check out both groups photos below.

     The Andrews family from MN fished aboard the Reel Addiction for the past 2 mornings.  Both were successful trips.  Yesterday they landed 5 for 8 kings including a fat 21lber that came on a fly.  The seas got a little bumpy toward the end of their trip but the 3 of them still had a great time. 
     Today Michigan was flat and the fish were active.  They landed 9 for 9, all kings being 12lbs or better.  The top two tipped the scales at just under and just over 20lbs.  Fish came on spoons and flies on riggers, dipsy rods and boards.

     Yesterday evening Jim Sherman of Minnesota landed the biggest fish this year to date.  It was a beautiful 21.5 lb king that came on a dipsy with a fly.  He and his son wrestled the fish to the boat in a 15 minute battle after it ran out over 400 feet of line.  It was one of 5 fish the family caught.  Here is is pic with the nice fish.
     Today was another story however.  After landing 1 of 2 fish in the first hour of fishing, we went 3.5 hours with only one other bite.  It was the worst day of fishing I have ever experienced on the Great Lakes.  I tried everything, but with few fish on the sonar, nothing seemed to worked.
     I have the night off for the 4th of July and another trip tomorrow evening.  I am hoping the fish become a bit more active in the next 24 hours.

     Six foot roller greeted a group of fishermen from southern Wisconsin this morning but so did the fish!  Water temps crashed off of Rowleys Bay and are now in the high 40's but fish were around and feeding.  The group landed 2 steelhead and 11 kings on a 4-hour charter with the biggest being a fat 19lber.  Fish bit on every rod this morning.  I am booked thought Tuesday so I hope the fish continue to cooperate!