Lake Huron Has Fish

I am not ready to give up on Lake Huron Salmon fishing yet. All the dire predictions about the Salmon leaving Huron for Lake Michigan could be partially true, but there are still fish on the sunrise side of the state.

Sunrise Sunday morning my wife and I headed out from Harbor Beach after sleeping in the truck to catch first light. Before I could get the second line in the water, the downrigger pole tripped.

A small King grabbed a Chickenwing Spin Doctor trailed behind a Chickenwing Flasher. After a short but spirited run, we had our first fish in the boat.

I wish I could say it was the first of many, but unfortunately it was the only fish we caught. According to radio traffic some anglers were catching fish while others were coming up empty.

The thing that distinguishes the east side of the state from Lake Michigan besides the amount of boats is the civility. On Lake Michigan, the radio traffic is crude and sometimes downright hostile. Yesterday on Huron, radio traffic was helpful and always cheerful.

Last week at Ludington the air waves were full of swearing and off-color jokes. One boater lost his lead core to another boater and threatened the offender with bodily harm. Requests for fishing reports and advice were usually met with silence or ridicule.

I am not a prude, but how can you justify crude language in what is supposed to be a family sport? Why shouldn't anglers be helpful to one another? The resource is meant to be shared and the sport should be a fraternity.

Fishing is a sport of enjoyment, relaxation, not just catching fish. Frankly, Lake Huron provides that enjoyment better than Lake Michigan.