Well, we've gone from and extended period of extreme low temperatures to an extended period of extreme high temperatures. We've been well above average for a couple of weeks, now, and the fishing is heating up as well.

First up for the week was Jim Cowee, one heck of a nice guy that I fished with back on January 12th. This time he had his wife Carol along, and her friend Barbara. We had a beautiful day with a light east wind and the high to be in the mid-80's. We left Punta Rassa at ten o'clock and headed up the river to do the ladyfish thing. The girls caught on pretty quickly and caught lots of ladyfish, a jack crevalle, and a puffer.

With enough ladyfish in the well to make a late day run at the reds, we headed out to find shiners. After some throwing around the causeway, we headed up to the Mail Run Cut. Some chumming and about three throws of the net had us stocked up on shiners.

Jim and the girls wanted some fish to take home, which meant trout fishing, for sure. We took our shiners and hit some of my favorite trout holes with great success. Oh, everyone missed a lot of fish, but still managed to boat a couple of dozen or more nice trout. We kept six for dinner.

Late on the tide, we went to a flat and tried for redfish. The water was absolutely filthy with floating seaweed to the extent that we couldn't keep our baits clean long enough to get a bite, yet we managed four hits, but no reds in the boat. Never mind. Jim and the girls were a blast, and we had a lot of fun.

Tuesday was my first trip with Great Lakes charter captain Mark Koch, of Loose Canon Charters, in Huron, Ohio. We left the docks at eleven o'clock and headed up river to Cattledock Point for ladyfish. The ladyfish were there, and Mark and I caught plenty. We kept three for redfish bait later in the day.

We headed back out to the causeway and caught beautiful bait on the third span in three throws of the net. We headed up into the Sound for trout, first. Although our hook setting technique is exactly opposite than what Mark is usually teaching his customers, Mark caught on pretty quickly and put lots of big trout into the boat, along with one snook. He earned that snook, too, as the threads on the handle shaft of the Shimano Sustain stripped (not because of the fish) and he had to wind the fish in by turning the reel rotor by hand.

As the tide rose, we headed to the redfish flats to see if we could chum up a few. The water had cleared up nicely, and I had a feeling we'd have a descent bite. We put out four rigs with chunked ladyfish on them and waited. It didn't take took long before we got action. The Daiwa Emblem Z 2000 reels I use hold about 80 yards of 10 pound test. I routinely cast most of that line off the reel with a steak of ladyfish on the hook. It very effective because the bait is out there on the fish, and the fish don't know we're there, because we're so far away. But, that long cast creates problems for the untrained angler. It takes patience to get all the slack and line stretch out of the line before striking the fish. Most folks just have a hell of a time getting it down. Capt. Mark was no different. But, he did manage to boat one nice red of about 6 pounds of about 8 strikes. That fish was good for the Slam.

I can tell you after a day of fishing with Mark, that he must be a great guy to go on a charter with, and would recommend him highly. He's easy going, fun to be with, and loves kids. If you're going to be in his neck of the woods, you should book a walleye date with him.

Wednesday, I had another captain, an ocean master with a long history of going to sea and fishing, Bill Liggett, of Seattle, Washington. Bill is a long time visitor to Pine Island, and did some of his growing up there. But memories fade, and things change, and Bill was looking for a little help and tutoring on how to catch some keeping fish from his small skiff.

I picked Bill up at the Waterfront Restaurant at eleven o'clock, and we headed up the river for ladyfish. To my great surprise, we only caught one ladyfish on several drifts. They were there, but just not interested in eating, probably because the tide was coming to a standstill. We took our one big ladyfish and headed back to the causeway for bait. After some fruitless effort there, we headed back to the Mail Run Cut. Some chumming produced quick results, and in several throws we had plenty of bait.

Bill had complained that he had not caught a keeping trout from his skiff since he'd been here, so the first order of the day was to teach him how to pothole fish for trout in the winter. Bill was very pleased with the size and quantity of trout he caught, and caught a couple of nice jacks, as well.

Once the time was right, we headed to a nearby flat to try for redfish. As I poled the BarHopp'R onto the flat, I stopped at a pothole that is usually full of big trout and suggested Bill cast a bait into it. He did, and the shiner was immediately inhaled by a big winter trout. After landing the fish, he cast the same, half dead shiner back into the hole, and it was immediately eaten again by another big trout. After landing that fish, Bill tossed the now stone dead shiner back into the hole, and yes, it was again eaten by another nice trout. Hi biggest trout of the day was 4 pounds.

We could have sat there and caught trout for the rest of the tide from those potholes, but I wanted Bill to have a crack at a redfish. I poled on. Once on my spot, I cut ladyfish and chummed, then put out four rigs. Four ladyfish steaks in the water are as good as chumming, and are sure to get noticed if there's a redfish, or even a snook in the area. Pretty soon, we had our first action. By my count we had 10 good hits, 8 misses, one red to the boat, and another that cut the leader on something out there on the bottom. But, Bill also landed a beautiful 27 inch snook. I figured it was a serious contender for the fish of the week spot on this fishing report.

So, Bill also got his Slam, and said the trip was a great success. He said he'd learned a lot, caught his most and biggest trout ever, his first snook, and would have never figured out the ladyfish technique for redfish. He was happy, and so was I!

After a day off, I was back out on Friday with Dr. Jerry Matlen, and his good friend Paul, of Birmingham, Michigan. Jerry and I did a couple of days snook fishing a couple of years ago, but his big ones got away. I knew Jerry would want to concentrate on snook, and I also knew we had a lousy, slow moving tide that would not be good for the snook bite. But, when I met Jerry and Paul at seven o'clock Friday morning, I was encouraged by a south wind blowing. A front was approaching from the north, and expected late Saturday. Perhaps the south wind would make the fish eat.

We headed to the causeway looking for big snook baits, but even chumming, none were to be found. I threw the net more than I care to around the second and third spans and caught three shiners. I headed to Picnic Island and tried there with the same result. Nothing but pinfish. So, I headed once again to the Mail Run Cut, and sure enough, there was plenty of nice bait there. Now, don't you know that if I'd run all the way up there first, there would have been no bait!

That was our last struggle of the day. We headed up to an area called Flamingo, and anchored on a deep water spot, and from the time the first bait went out, we had plenty of snook action. They weren't big snook, but it was way more action than I had anticipated under the conditions, and we were happy for it. Jerry and Paul boated about 13 snook, and one big jack crevalle by my count.

Paul had to be back at the dock fairly early, and after spending more than two hours catching bait, we didn't get a full day of fishing time, but the time they had was good. Paul was a newcomer to fishing here, and of course, to snook fishing, and really had a blast, and I think Jerry was pleased with his snook.

So, it looks like things are busting loose. The front that is approaching is not a strong one, and won't drop our temperatures much. But, it might make for a couple of windy days.

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