Waukegan - July Recap - Kings are near

As August approaches, I reflect back on the first four months of 2011 season that have been anything but ordinary. Storms accompanied with wind and lightening and still an occasional day of hard north wind that are usually more characteristic of spring or fall, have all presented themselves on a regular basis.

As we entered July, Coho remained in schools near shore and we continued to catch them in good numbers up until the 12th. Everything changed when we received a hard north wind on the 13th and the schools broke up and scattered. We were then presented with very June-like conditions of now widely dispersed Coho and few Kings so we switched gears to Trout; both Rainbows (Steelhead) and Lake Trout. While running traditional rigs deep for Lakers, we also caught Steelhead up on leadcores on boards and were returning to port with mixed catches of both kinds of trout as well as a few King Salmon as well.

We fished this way for about a week until a much larger pack of Steelhead began taking the area over. As we begin to exit the month, we continue to catch strong numbers of the same Steelhead - lots of big, thick brutes - and are just now also tying into a fair quantity of Kings as well. Kings of all sizes; from scrappy 6-8lber's and healthy 3-year olds, to large 4-year olds that are moving into the area to begin their spawn preparation.

Last year, everything was early and we saw large hauls of Kings throughout most of June, July and the early part of August. This year, it looks like the Kings will be late so we are looking forward to a potentially very strong August and September for Kings.


Was it a Record?
Last Sunday on July 24th we caught a 3-4lb fish that looked odd to me the second we had it on deck. While it didn't look that much like a Coho, it looked most like a Coho than any other kind of fish so that was the determination I made. When we got back to port and it was this fish's turn to get filleted, I examined him again and saw markings on the tail that looked much more like a King but it possessed no other King-like characteristics. It was shortly after that I thought it may have been a Pink Salmon. Pink Salmon were introduced into Lake Superior in the 1950's and they were able to establish a small breeding population in the rivers and streams that connect to it. Over the years, an occasional Pink Salmon was caught in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron as these fish strayed over long distances. I'm not certain I have ever seen one in the 11 years I have fished these waters but I think there is a good chance this fish was indeed a Pink Salmon.

Several days later out of curiosity, I looked up what the Illinois State Record is for a Pink Salmon. I discovered it now stands at 3lbs 4oz and was caught in 1992. A chill came over me as I re-read that and the reality set in that if indeed that was a Pink Salmon, which I think it was, I just might have filleted the new Illinois State Record Pink Salmon as his size was at least that weight.

While I most likely would not have earned a lifetime of riches, accolades, and sponsorships by catching the new State Record Pink at 3-4lbs, the honor - had it really been a Pink and officially beyond that weight - would have been a nice achievement especially for a very rare fish such as that.

Anyhow, fish on we will and always have that tale to tell. In the meantime, on the subject of records, I believe that our state records for our three Trout species remain very much in reach in the future. I am not saying this will happen tomorrow, this year or next, but I think the potential is there for these standing records to be taken over in coming years.

All three of our Trout species' records weigh in at the 30lb's + range and were caught in the mid to late 1990's. Also, the Illinois' record Coho stands at 20lbs 9oz and was taken in 1972 and is not out of the realm of possibilities to fall as well. (To see the exact weights of Illinois State Record fish, click on the types of fish near the top of each page on the website). My reasons for saying this is because I believe our forage of alewife populations seem to have made a strong comeback in recent years and especially this year. Furthermore, the bottom dwelling Round Goby which has proliferated in near shore waters, has also turned into an plentiful food source that the Coho and Brown Trout are feeding on heavily at times. In fact, World Record Brown Trout have been caught each of the last two years in Lake Michigan; first in Michigan and then just north of the border in Wisconsin last season. I'm certain I won't be mistaking a 30lb fish for another species if one should come aboard!

Attached is a video I took last Sunday around the 12 minute mark of a battle we were engaged in with the first fish of the afternoon. What a fight this was with some solid runs off the drag as the fished protested from a distance of about 150 feet away on a leadcore. The angler employed all the right skills but unfortunately the fish came unglued about 5 minutes after we stopped shooting, still at some distance away. To lose that fish, of obviously large but unknown size and species, always burns in a fisherman's core. But at this moment it swims freely again, brandishing a large tail that violently disturbed the otherwise calm water's surface that day; the only glimpse we saw of this brute.

On a final note, check out Page 47 of the current issue of Great Lakes Angler Magazine (online issue attached: http://www.glangler.com/online-magazine). Each issue runs a 'Hot Bites' segment and Waukegan and Capt Rick/Windycitsalmon.com are featured in the current issue for Lake Michigan.

Thanks for reading,
Capt Rick
Windycitysalmon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsksUKHjVnE