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SLIP’S 2018 LOGS, STATUS AND STRATEGIES

As I turn the last page of the “SLIP’S 2017 LOGS, STATUS AND STRATEGIES” log book on an astounding year of angling… I think back on the initial strategies and goals for the year. I wanted to tag at least (4) Trophy Master Angler Panfish and that would include one thru the ice which would be a PB using that method. I ended up with 2 trophy P.Seeds thru the ice with a PB at 9.8" as well as(13) total Master Anglers thru the rest of the open water season!

To accomplish this feat I would greatly scale down my presentations to micro lite equipment… rods, reels, lines and baits. Careful considerations of lines were incorporated into my methods which would not exceed 2# mono diameter…and super lines that would approach 8# test or above to handle the trophy quality of fishes sought.

I would also aim to make my time on the water more productive by timing the trips with solunar periods… majors and minors on New and Full Moons. I've discovered big fish follow the moon… period! 2017 proved that especially considering the hard water Ice Period. I was on the big fish spots on the peak periods and it paid off!... BIGly!!!

I think I coined a phrase “Fishing for the Numbers by the Numbers” by incorporating all methods and strategies to gain my odds on the water for numbers as well as numbers of trophies. By the end of the day and all the numbers were tallied for 2017 I broke many records for the Master Angler Program in at least 2 counties.

I’m hoping for an even better season for 2018 and success for the fishermen following BBG!

Ken

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on May 31, 2018 at 10:26am

20180529-~~<")))))><(---*Spawn Period*--98%/78°

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on May 31, 2018 at 10:27am

20180531-~~<")))))><(---*Spawn Period*--78%/78°

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on May 31, 2018 at 10:28am

...boat ride and fishing with the g'kids!

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on May 31, 2018 at 5:43pm

...it's been such a hectic combination end of the month full moon period that I have seriously lacked posting on my log... I am setting some time tonight to catch up.

what an exciting month... starting out slow and cold... and then heating up the last half of the month with near record temps. so with the exploding temperatures, the fishing has also... exploded exponentially tying my Master Angler output for the month and exceeding total production for 2017!

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on June 3, 2018 at 9:30am

...drove all the way to the lake and forgot my rod bundle!... only setup on the boat was the Spiderman rig! We all caught fish taking turns with it!

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on June 5, 2018 at 4:52am

20180601-~~<")))))><(---*Spawn Period*--67%/79°

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on June 5, 2018 at 5:24am

20180601-with strong north winds and cold front conditions I decided early to stay home and get some home-maintenance done.

Imagining the winds would subside later in the afternoon I busted butt to get the tasks done and sneak out on the lake for some Major.Period action.

At the launch I decided to head out into the white caps that were obvious on the main lake and head to some sheltered areas. These secondary areas were proven as less productive than the waypoints that were currently being pounded by the wind and waves.

After tagging a few eaters I set the hook into a solid fish. Eased carefully into the boat the fish appeared massive in profile and stretched the tape to just under the 10” mark… a fish of a life time to most. 10” is the trophy mark set by the DNR here in Michigan… a certificate fish… and this one came close. After a few quick snaps I released the fish back into the gene pool.

I checked the “Fishing Points App” and noticed the fish was tagged at near peak.

As I fished the solunar period downslide the fishing turned off altogether searching more calmer shorelines produced few bites… so I packed it in.

10” class… trip was worth the effort.

...

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on June 3, 2018 at 9:20am

20180603-~~<")))))><(---*Spawn Period*--44%/78°

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on June 3, 2018 at 9:22am

...back to back coldfronts with cooler temps... not typically a good time on the water...i need to find a pulse on the lake!

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Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on June 4, 2018 at 7:58pm

20180603-Found the fish despite the weather.

I waited out the lingering morning cold showers and headed out to one of my favorite lakes… I was at the launch in less than a half hour when a pop up shower delayed me for about 20 mins cutting into my Major.Period of fishing. Once the shower quit I was on my first waypoint quickly.

Once settled in tagging fish the wind kicked up to the point white caps were causing havoc with my methods and boat control. i fished thru another cold shower. Slip/floating was out of the question. Long-casting the UL jigs seemed to be the viable option only when casting with the wind. So positioning the boat multiple times to scour an area was also required.

I was amazed even with a slight bow in the line was able to pick up on the hit with the GLISS and Nanofil lines... just amazing.

Water temps were dropped to the mid 70’s and air temps in the low 60’s. the fish were on the spots hitting the bait in tune with the solunar Major.Period. at times it was fish on every cast taken. The fish were eater slot in quality for the majority with a handful of Michigan Lunker 9” class.

The majority of the fish were hens without eggs leading me to believe some spawning took place recently during the last full moon of May 29^th… with an avg of 4 or 5 days on the bed spawning for the month has finished up… I believe a larger major spawn will occur in the New Moon and Full Moon of June.

With fast and furious action of feeding fish during solunar periods I prefer the Long-Cast/UL Jigs to cover more water quicker than the live bait options. The time loading and reloading live bait cuts my production usually by half in the same period of time.

Short term forecast shows the cold front will linger for a few days further dropping water temps till next week. I still like being on the water to monitor productivity data even during the predictable poorer fishing periods.

after all the dust settled ;>) i was over 60 fish count for the day!... another multiple limit day!... of course all CPR'ed

… continued good fishing everyone!

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