Things started out a little "off" yesterday. My partner who hasn't been 1 minute late in the last 15 year was a no show at the ramp. As I was getting ready to motor off, he called and said he had been sick all night but was on the road and would be at the ramp around 8. I headed out with out him and planned to pick him up when he arrived.
The ride out was tenuous. Lots of floating debris kept my speed down to about 15 mph then as I approached my area, it was SOCKED IN with fog. I mean 30 foot visibility...just enough to see my planer boards. Trying to maintain a straight line in the fog is VERY tough - fortunately my GPS kept me honest. I put out 2 lead core setups and began dragging. I caught an 18" and a 20-21 inch salmon within the first half an hour. but had to pull up and get back to the ramp to get my partner. We got back out and boated another healthy 17 inch salmon a nice 3 pound smallie and a 20 inch laker before he ran out of time around 10.
I dropped him back at the ramp and went back out solo. Around noon I picked up a nice 24 inch laker which was around 5 pounds and that was it. The salmon shut down around 9AM for me.
Sun was bright (nice sunburn) and the weather really warmed nicely. Surface temps went from 46 at 5:30 to 54 as I was wrapping up at 4PM. Busy but not crowded out there. I never saw F&G or Marine Patrol on the water.
Great day to be out...catching a few fish added to the enjoyment.
No small fish today and no hook wounded salmon were observed. Both the salmon and lakers were VERY healthy and coughing up smelt. The new HDS was marking fish everywhere in the water column.
Heavy fog can definitely add a little tension. Once we got into some heavy fog in Lake Michigan off the port of Sheboygan (WI) and started catching some nice Kings, but the freightors in the distance with their fog horns going every few minutes had me a little uneasy.
