Captain Geoff's Blog
Fishing Report - July 29th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 29th.
So have you made the run out to Midwest Shooters supply yet to see their great tackle selection. If not, you should make the trip soon. The season is past the half way point and Midwest wants to be your supplier. Stop in and talk to Jim or Darren about the great deals they have this week on Lake Michigan tackle. They are preparing for their Fall Fest event on Friday and Saturday August 20th and 21st. Meet manufacturer reps, and enjoy auctions, food and entertainment.
Stable weather this week has helped the bite pick up a little, but fish still seem to be scattered a bit. Warm water on the surface has driven most fish deep, but reports of fish up high early and late mean keeping some shallower running baits out there. Some guys are running straight out to 150 plus to chase deep kings and finding a few coho for their efforts. But, the rainbows are still a mystery. Generally, the 100 to 180 range has been productive, but there are still fish being caught in 75 to 90 feet of water. The harbor seems to be holding a lot of fish, but reports from fisherman and the graph show smaller fish with a few surprise big kings mixed in.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Tis the season for plugs and more fisherman seem to be working them with some success running them deep on riggers or SWR rigs. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 70’s to 150 feet back. The dipsey bite is good early and late with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies.
This Friday begins the annual Lion’s Festival and Fishing Derby. The event starts tomorrow beginning at 7:00 pm and runs through Sunday afternoon at 5:00 pm. Music, food and fishing make for one of the summer’s great festivals in Port. Visit portlions.org for more information
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - July 25th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 25th.
Midwest Shooters wants to announce their big mid-season Lake Michigan tackle sale. This is a great time to re-stock the tackle box with some great deals. They still have 20% off of all rods, but you can also now get 10% off of all reels. They still have a lot of Coyote Flashers in the bin for $5.99, but now you can also get 25% off on Hot Spots and Spin Doctors. If that does not get you out there, how about 10% off of all other Lake Michigan tackle. That includes planer boards, spoons, plugs, flies, dodgers, snubbers, and other terminal tackle. Don’t miss out, this is the last sale on Lake Michigan tackle until the fall closeouts.
Call off the bounty on the head’s of all weathermen. You shouldn’t shoot the messenger. Praying and begging for stable weather is permissible and advisable. I don’t know if fish pray, but I think they would even take a hook in the mouth before another few days like the past few. Warm front, cold front, warm front, cold front, rain, rain, lightning, rain, sun, winds from all directions and crazy circling currents. Frankly, it is a wonder we have found any biting fish this weekend.
Most still seem to be going south or working straight out. I know a few were going to work north today, but I have no news yet. Some have been working the beach and staying in there, while others have been working the mud lines scattered about from the creek water pouring out to the marina. 25 to 125 feet are holding fish, but they are clearly very scattered.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Downriggers seem to be best more so in low light but do take hits throughout the day 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down later in the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 70’s to 120 feet back. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies. Yep, same baits, different day.
Today is the club’s picnic. This event, like most, will be held at the Kiwanis Pavilion next to the Fish Cleaning Station on Lake Street.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - July 22nd
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 20th.
Midwest Shooters wants to announce their big mid-season Lake Michigan tackle sale. This is a great time to re-stock the tackle box with some great deals. They still have 20% off of all rods, but you can also now get 10% off of all reels. They still have a lot of Coyote Flashers in the bin for $5.99, but now you can also get 25% off on Hot Spots and Spin Doctors. If that does not get you out there, how about 10% off of all other Lake Michigan tackle. That includes planer boards, spoons, plugs, flies, dodgers, snubbers, and other terminal tackle. Don’t miss out, this is the last sale on Lake Michigan tackle until the fall closeouts.
I guess it is time for the dog days of summer. The good news is, this year’s dog days are a lot like last year’s good days. Let’s face it, we were spoiled with the great fishing we have had to this point this summer. Having things slow down again will just help us appreciate when they turn back on.
The south has been hit pretty hard from the shallows out to 100 feet. With the catches getting smaller, it might be time to find the fish to the north. A few charters had that in mind yesterday, but with slow fishing everywhere, no one could say if it was worth the trip that direction.
Surface temps have been increasing quickly for the past few days, but there remains cold water below 30 – 40 feet. Having a good thermo cline should help as soon as things settle out. A few cloudy days would not hurt the fishing so if we can dodge the storms the rest of this week, we may see things pick up.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Downriggers seem to be best more so in low light but do take hits throughout the day 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down later in the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 70’s to 120 feet back. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies. Yep, same baits, different day.
Sunday July 25th is the club’s picnic. This event, like most, will be held at the Kiwanis Pavilion next to the Fish Cleaning Station on Lake Street.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - July 20th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 20th.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
I’m glad to be back in good old Port Washington and back out on the big pond. I can say that despite the cold welcome the fishing offered yesterday. We managed to box double-digits, but most reported only a few fish in their coolers. The morning bite was very short, and possibly very early. The rest of the day was a grind of one or two fish every hour.
There were lots of fish in the shallows yesterday, both in the harbor and just outside. Several charters could be spotted working the shoreline, but were tight lipped about their success. We had most of our success in 70 to 80 feet of water.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Downriggers seem to be best more so in low light but do take hits throughout the day 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down later in the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 90’s to 120 feet back. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies. I could not get a bite on a spoon yesterday, but only tried a few. No reports of a hot spoon to try.
Sunday July 25th is the club’s picnic. This event, like most, will be held at the Kiwanis Pavilion next to the Fish Cleaning Station on Lake Street.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - July 13th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 13th.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
Cold water is still the driving force on our fishing this week. Fish can be found very shallow and shore anglers have been doing very well. Most boats are still working the 50 to 100 range and there are fish spread all over that area.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Downriggers seem to be best more so in low light but do take hits throughout the day 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down later in the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 90’s to 120 feet back. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies. Moonshine Magnum Blue Flounder has been an excellent spoon taking 10 bites and 7 fish for me yesterday early in the afternoon. I ran it early with not much doing, but once the sun got higher it was a killer at 61 feet on a rigger.
I will be out of town beginning today through Sunday July 18th. If anyone is interested in covering the fish report for that period, please contact me. Otherwise, be advised that there will be no fish report in my absence.
Sunday July 25th is the club’s picnic. This event, like most, will be held at the Kiwanis Pavilion next to the Fish Cleaning Station on Lake Street.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing
Fishing Report - July 10th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 10th.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
My apologies to the loyal callers of the fish report. A very good week for the business has left me short on opportunities to update the fish report. Not much has changed, but there are a few updates to make.
The cold water hit the surface despite light winds and high sun. Upper forties could be found Thursday and Friday on the surface. This spread the fish out from the top to bottom of the water column, but there were plenty to go around. The past few days the fish have moved shallower with the best depths being 60 to 80, but fish could be found out into the 120’s early. Oddly enough, as the day went on the fish seemed to bite better shallow than deep. Most are splitting time between north and south with no clear favorite. The abundant bites have everyone looking like heroes.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Downriggers seem to be best more so in low light but do take hits throughout the day 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down later in the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 90’s to 120 feet back. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies. Moonshine Magnum Blue Flounder has been an excellent spoon taking 10 bites and 7 fish for me yesterday early in the afternoon. I ran it early with not much doing, but once the sun got higher it was a killer at 61 feet on a rigger.
I will be out of town beginning Tuesday July 13th through Sunday July 18th. If anyone is interested in covering the fish report for that period, please contact me. Otherwise, be advised that there will be no fish report in my absence.
Sunday July 11th is the club’s Fish in versus the Port of Sheboygan. Port Washington is the visiting team this year, so report to Sheboygan if you are interested in participating. Take em down team PW.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - July 7th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 7th.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
The cold water made its way to the surface and near shore early this week. I received word that we had a brilliant scum line with a 10 degree temperature break from one side to the other. It was ideally located around 80 to 90 feet of water and those who found it quickly filled their cooler. As of yesterday, the cold water remained which is holding the fish close to shore.
Since the derby people seem to be splitting time north and south, but many must be resting up as the parking lot was not very full this week up until last night. I was not around long enough to catch an reports on the evening bite. But the general story is, good fishing continues.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. Downriggers have become hot of late, 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down being hot for most of the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back 90’s to 160 feet back. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies.
I will be out of town beginning Tuesday July 13th through Sunday July 18th. If anyone is interested in covering the fish report for that period, please contact me. Otherwise, be advised that there will be no fish report in my absence.
Sunday July 11th is the club’s Fish in versus the Port of Sheboygan. Port Washington is the visiting team this year, so report to Sheboygan if you are interested in participating. Take em down team PW.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - Ju;ly 3rd
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 3rd.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
The derby is off to a great start with lots of big fish being registered. Some full coolers came in for the shootout today so the competition level is high. Fish have been very cooperative for the most part, but there seem to be a few holes in the water as a few people reported struggles getting fish to bite or keeping them hooked. Today’s report is mostly a copy of yesterday’s with a few notable changes reported.
Most reports continue to come from the north though more have been fishing south as the north gets crowded. Most continue to work the 70 to 130 range with success, but a few have wandered in to the 50 foot range and out to the 170 to 200 foot range with good reports as well. Several fisherman were working the shoreline this morning, but I did not find anyone who was in there for any information. Look for a good thermocline from 20 to 60 feet below the surface and some funky currents with all the winds changes the past couple weeks.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. More rainbows have been showing up lately, so fishing orange, pink, or purple spoons on yellow birds is a good option. Downriggers have become hot of late, 30 feet down early with 40 to 60 feet down being hot for most of the day. Weapons are still producing with 8 to 12 oz weights run back in the 90’s early, then 120 to 200 feet back later in the day. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies.
This week’s captain’s tip is a safety tip. With the derby coming this weekend, it will bring a lot of boats into close contact and inevitable conflicts of course. I had fished from an 18 foot aluminum boat for many years and now from a 33 foot charter boat with several in between. I know both positions well. The impression of many small private fisherman is charters can be bullying. While there are occasions of that, often the charter is faced with two big challenges to maneuverability. One, they are running a lot of lines and cannot make big course changes without fouling lines. Two, they are under great pressure to catch fish.
You will find most charter captains are willing to bend their course to allow space for a private boater, but they will be looking to the other boat to split the difference. Most importantly, know the rules of the road. They can be found easily online or at the bookstore. Charter captain’s are required to know them and when they have the right of way, they are required to hold course and speed to allow the give way vessel to make a course change without creating a worse situation. If you don’t know the rules, you are already at fault.
Fishing Report - July 2nd
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for July 2nd.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
Great fishing continues with only a recent lull yesterday afternoon. Hopefully things will pick right back up for this weekend’s derby.
Most reports continue to come from the north. The gap looks like a Nascar race as everyone keeps turning left out of the gap. It is hard to argue with the catches coming from that direction. Most continue to work the 70 to 130 range with success, but a few have wandered in to the 50 foot range and out to the 170 to 200 foot range with good reports as well. Look for a good thermocline from 40 to 60 feet below the surface and some funky currents with all the winds changes the past couple weeks.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. More rainbows have been showing up lately, so fishing orange, pink, or purple spoons on yellow birds is a good option, particularly with sunny days ahead. Weapons have been the strongest presentation with 8 to 12 oz weights run back in the 90’s early, then 120 to 200 feet back later in the day. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies.
This week’s captain’s tip is a safety tip. With the derby coming this weekend, it will bring a lot of boats into close contact and inevitable conflicts of course. I had fished from an 18 foot aluminum boat for many years and now from a 33 foot charter boat with several in between. I know both positions well. The impression of many small private fisherman is charters can be bullying. While there are occasions of that, often the charter is faced with two big challenges to maneuverability. One, they are running a lot of lines and cannot make big course changes without fouling lines. Two, they are under great pressure to catch fish.
You will find most charter captains are willing to bend their course to allow space for a private boater, but they will be looking to the other boat to split the difference. Most importantly, know the rules of the road. They can be found easily online or at the bookstore. Charter captain’s are required to know them and when they have the right of way, they are required to hold course and speed to allow the give way vessel to make a course change without creating a worse situation. If you don’t know the rules, you are already at fault.
Enter our club's Annual G.L.S.F.-Oz. Fishing Derby taking place on July 2nd, 3rd & 4th at Port Washington, WI. Advance sale tickets, at a reduced price, are available at the Port Washington Marina and the Bait Box. Regular price tickets available throughout the Derby. Also enter our club's 2nd Annual Port Washington Salmon Shootout taking place on the 3rd of July. This is a $100.00 per boat tournament open to boats of all sizes. For more info on either contest call Bob at (262) 644-8481.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.
Fishing Report - June 29th
On behalf of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff with your fishing report for June 29th.
We’ve told you about the great Lake Michigan tackle selection at Midwest Shooters, but now let’s talk great prices. Need more fishing rods. Midwest Shooters has 20% off all rods including Shimano, St Croix, G. Loomis, and Shakespeare. Some of these are rods you almost never see on sale. Looking for spoons…Midwest has hard to find Fish Lander spoons for $3.00 while supplies last. Get Coyote flashers for only $5.99 as well. I have shopped these sales bins and there are lots of great colors left, not leftovers. Check them out while supplies last.
The big question that no one wants to ask is…how long will it last? The fishing has been nothing short of excellent. Don’t worry, I am knocking on wood as I say this because I know we all hope it will last all season. King salmon remain aggressive and numerous with many charters running short trips as they fill their coolers with limit catches. Private boaters too are coming in wide-eyed from screaming drags with big four year olds. The only complication this week has been the weather. Mother nature has not been reading the forecasts of light and variable winds providing instead a steady dose of westerly and northeast blows. Confused seas building to 7 feet last evening chased many boaters off some incredible fishing. Again knocking on wood, the forecast looks good going forward so let’s hope the weather cooperates this week.
The bite has been north, anywhere from 2 to 10 miles running from 80 to 130 feet of water. A few have been fishing straight out of the gap once the crowd has moved north and found good fishing as well.
Bull frog, aqua, and LBB flies are still the best bets. More rainbows have been showing up lately, so fishing orange, pink, or purple spoons on yellow birds is a good option, particularly with sunny days ahead. Weapons have been the strongest presentation with 8 to 12 oz weights run back in the 90’s early, then 120 to 200 feet back later in the day. The dipsey bite is still on with halographic or blue bubble flashers chased by LBB flies.
This week’s captain’s tip is a safety tip. With the derby coming this weekend, it will bring a lot of boats into close contact and inevitable conflicts of course. I had fished from an 18 foot aluminum boat for many years and now from a 33 foot charter boat with several in between. I know both positions well. The impression of many small private fisherman is charters can be bullying. While there are occasions of that, often the charter is faced with two big challenges to maneuverability. One, they are running a lot of lines and cannot make big course changes without fouling lines. Two, they are under great pressure to catch fish.
You will find most charter captains are willing to bend their course to allow space for a private boater, but they will be looking to the other boat to split the difference. Most importantly, know the rules of the road. They can be found easily online or at the bookstore. Charter captain’s are required to know them and when they have the right of way, they are required to hold course and speed to allow the give way vessel to make a course change without creating a worse situation. If you don’t know the rules, you are already at fault.
Enter our club's Annual G.L.S.F.-Oz. Fishing Derby taking place on July 2nd, 3rd & 4th at Port Washington, WI. Advance sale tickets, at a reduced price, are available at the Port Washington Marina and the Bait Box. Regular price tickets available throughout the Derby. Also enter our club's 2nd Annual Port Washington Salmon Shootout taking place on the 3rd of July. This is a $100.00 per boat tournament open to boats of all sizes. For more info on either contest call Bob at (262) 644-8481.
On behalf of our new sponsor, Midwest Shooter Supply and the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Club, this is Captain Geoff wishing you all great fishing.