Michigan Kings

gottafish · 07-06-2003, 12:07 AM

I talked with my son who is out in Michigan with grampa and grandma today and they went out on lake Michigan off of ludington and caught.... 14 kings....12 browns... and two lakers..... Why do we all want to go to Alaska?????

fish4life · 07-06-2003, 05:42 AM

cuz its alot better fishing up there how many days did it take to catch 14 kings? but away 14 kings thats not a bad catch how big were the kings?

Grant Scheele · 07-06-2003, 05:47 AM

I dare them to eat all of those fish. Sounds like loads of fun but I am pretty sure they recommend that you don't eat so much fish from that lake. Grant

David Johnson · 07-06-2003, 08:42 AM

They warn kids and pregnant women not to eat them.

Also, the chinook they have are Tules.

And in Alaska it's not uncommon to catch 14 kings per person, or even 20.

[ 07-06-2003, 09:44 AM: Message edited by: David Johnson ]

Big TULE · 07-06-2003, 05:20 PM

The kings, and steelhead that they have back there are from one, Skamania hatchery...

Big TULE · 07-06-2003, 05:22 PM

Oh and Dave, not all the fish back there are tule's. I was stationes at the naval training center on the lake and we had a nice little creek that they return through. and i have seen my share of Tule's and the ones i cought we definatly not Tule's

07-06-2003, 05:43 PM

You would also have to paint the grey meat with orange, pink or red paint before you ate it. :blush:

greenbuttskunk · 07-06-2003, 08:29 PM

It's not alaska, but the great lakes do have awesome fishing. I spent alot of years fishing lake ontario and it's tributaries in upstate NY. Lots of big salmon and steelhead on flies, and some of the biggest browns you'd ever see. I've got some good memories from back there. The down side is the crowds, and fishing for steelies in -10 degree weather with snow coming down sideways! :depressed: We're lucky here though, the scenery here cannot be beat. It's also cool to catch a wild fish now and then.

Thumper · 07-07-2003, 04:40 AM

I dunno GBS, the Salmon River in NY is mighty pretty in the fall. I love fishing there.

AtWorkALot · 07-07-2003, 06:19 AM

I've always wondered about the Great Lakes salmon fishery. I always got a good laugh out of the guys posing with a "world record" boot they just drug out of the water. :blush:

DJFISHS2XS · 07-07-2003, 06:20 AM

You guys are so misinformed I grew up in northern michigan, "Yep I a UPPER" The kings are not all tules, In 1962 Michigan traded a large number of lake trout (what you here in washington call Mackanaw's) from the Mackanaw hatchery on the very norther tip of the sorthern part of the state for the kings,silvers and humpys that they catch up there today.) SO they are the same fish that we catch here. They are fine to eat the lakes are huge, and once you get north enough from the big citys you can drink the lake water, the bigest king I seen growing up was 74 pounds, The limit used to be 5 kings/silvers and 10 humpys a day. I have caught lots of limits, I think the limits of today are 2 kings/silvers and 5 humpys. Most fish are caught in the lake the people up there realy dont do much river fishing except maybe the ausable and a few lower michigan rivers....DJ

boo · 07-07-2003, 06:24 AM

Gotta agree with GBS and Thumper...I lived in upstate NY for 2 yrs and got into some great fishing for steelhead and salmon in the tributaries of Lake Ontario. I never ate the fish, mind you, due to the warnings by the Fish and Wildlife Dept about the accumulation of heavy metals or what-have-you in their bodies, but the fishing part was fantastic at times. Heard the fish were all from Pacific NW stock and they've sure done well. One negative sight was in downtown Rochester, at a waterfalls the hatchery fish could get down as smolt but not back up as adults. In that particular spot it was legal to snag the fish and the cretonism displayed was mind boggling.

[ 07-07-2003, 07:26 AM: Message edited by: boo ]

greenbuttskunk · 07-07-2003, 07:21 AM

Thumper, ever fish the oswego river in Oswego, NY? Like off the "wall"
Quite a sight! Not what I'd call a nature experience. Lots of fish though.

Denali · 07-07-2003, 07:37 AM

I lived in Wisconsin for 5 years and fished Lake Michigan every summer. It is an awesome fishery. You can fish three poles per person. We fished 9 lines all the time and sometimes as many as 12. Thirty fish days were common. The mixed bag was also incredible, Browns, Coho, Kings, Lakers, and Steelhead. Largest Steelhead we caught was a 21 lb beauty which took 40 minutes to boat. The kings do not get as big as out here but 20-30lb fish are common. I do not think they taste as good as the main forage base is the Alewife. Don't knock it till you try it.

DJFISHS2XS · 07-08-2003, 05:49 AM

I agree with den, they dont taste as good as washington kings, the other reason salmon fishing in michigan is good is the tribes dont target the salmon, most of the time they set there nets for lake trout or whitefish....DJ

6wapiti6 · 07-08-2003, 10:27 AM

I fished Lake Ontario and the salmon river in Pulaski almost every other weekend about ten years ago. GBS was dead on about the browns,in march and april you could catch 50 -75 a day! anywhere from 6 - 20 lbs! I thought that was paradice until I moved out here 7 years ago. I'd take the Wilson or Trask anyday!