Fishing Michigan

I like to give credit when it is due, so a big THANK YOU to Herkimer Radio.  They had a booth set up in the Expo Center, so I stopped and asked a question about my phone that I had purchased from them a month or so back.

Now, I can tell you what trolling speed works best for this lure for that fish, but to say the least I am a bit technically challenged when it comes to electronics.  Even my fish finders, I need to read the book for a night to figure out all the bells and whistles, and one of these days I will do just that for my new Lowrance

So there I was walking through, and I ask this question:  Is there a button on the outside of my phone that will shut if off while its in my pocket?  Both Kellie and Lisa, who were EXTREMELY helpful, gave me this silly look, and said no.  They asked me the usual questions and then started making calls.  Poor Kellie (and I hope I am spelling this right) was on the phone for what seemed like 20 minutes.

After a while, they come back to me and say your new phone is being shipped and you should have it in a few days.  All I have to do is take the battery out of mine, and ship my old phone back.  They say it should be in sometime this week.  Me thinking that’s perfect because I will be leaving town for my UP trip in a week or so.

All this took place last Thursday when I was scheduled to work in the paper’s booth with the rest of the bloggers that evening.  My new phone arrived the next day, on Friday via FedEx.  Thanks for the great service ladies, I appreciate it.

Yesterday I pretty much threw out the whole concept of the 45 degree angle when you troll with bottom bouncers.  Vertical is the way to go with that technique.  Scrap the whole idea when drifting, one rod, always in your hand, then bring back the 45′ concept.

This is fairly important this time of the year when the fish seem to be scattered and not schooled up over square miles.  When you find them, stay on them as long as you can.  Use the wind, or use your electric trolling motor to control the movement of the boat, but stay on top of the eyes you find.

Depending on the speed of which you are moving, the weight of the bouncers will help you stay in that optimal 45′ angle from your rod tip to where your line hits the water.  Under normal conditions these four weights will meet your needs; 3/4, 1, 1.5, and 2 oz bottom bouncers.  If the boat is moving so fast that you need a heavier BB, then you should be under power from your gas motors.

That’s the big water technique,  if on inland lakes where the conditions do not normally become so extreme add a 1/2 oz BB, and subtract the 2 oz bouncers from your arsenal.  You follow the same concepts, but it is an extremely rare moment when you need to go heavier than 1 and 1/2 oz.