# ludinton outings, with lots of pics



## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Ok where do i start???? I went up the first outing and the weather didn't cooperate. I roomed with deerhunter08 and stelmon and had a good time. I think we made a little mess with all the eggs, sorry chef. Heres a pic of the only fish i took all weekend a nice chunky 15 inch brown!!










I continued to fish on and off all week but never touched a steel. Took some nice cats of sagatuk pier but still not what i was looking for. Between the 2 outings i spent a decent amount of time in the bar here are a few pics. 









this is the crew from the first outing. 
capt dave, kingfisher, craig m, knockoff, and chromium discuss fishing techniques.










don and johnny need i say more??????  










solasylum checking out the women!!!











moderators stick to themselves!!! weirdos!!











marc our trusty waitress!!!! those women had pretty short haircuts i wonder if you were barking up the wrong tree!!!









steve and shoeman hope to grow up someday and be just like polarbear!!










and finally amos tying some of those patented spawn bags!!!

thats it for this post ill take care of the second weekend of fishing in my next post!!


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

ok second weekend got off to a rough start. roads were pretty icey and it was raining hard. I decided to sleep in saturday and debated on whether or not to go fishing. i talked to chris in the lobby and he gave me a pretty good tip. So i figured what the heck and headed out. It was cold but i had a good time, and about five drifts after getting there i hook into a nice fresh hen!!!



















Thanks a lot for the tip chris, got back to the bar that night and shared some stories and it was decided that we were going to hit the pm sunday bright and early. Sunday i floated with No Threat and Riverboy in THE SHORT BUS!!!!!!! Well with No Threat at the oars it was a smooth ride, thanks to both chromium for leaving his boat up there for others to experience. And thanks to No threat for doing all the hard work. Here is a pic of Riverboy and No Threat!!













I took 2 males that day and had a blast. The company was great and the fishing was good. Here are a few pics of the fish i took!!



















These steelhead i took were my 2nd 3rd and 4th ever!!! And the hen was my first in two years so i was almost jumping up and down.

I think i owe some other thanks too, plugger for showing me some good techniques, chef for fishing holes, no threat for rowing, chromium for the boat, steve for this great site, and anyone in the past who has taught me anything thank you. This weekend was great and getting into steel was awesome!!!


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## Kevin (Oct 4, 2000)

Nice fish!


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## Craig M (May 17, 2000)

Great job Johnny!!!


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## maxemus (Jan 13, 2002)

Awsome quest32!! Sounds like The Masters taught you well!!


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

Looks like it is all down hill for you John. Nice fish

Looks like you get your eggs back. 

I am going out in a little bit. Hope I get as lucky as you


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## chromium (Oct 10, 2001)

Good job John! I'm glad you guys all had fun.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Good job John.
The camera makes you look younger, or it could've been the lighting at Sammies.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

The kid got the job done!


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## Kevin (Oct 4, 2000)

By the way, did anyone find a camo Michigan-Sportsman.com hat with "Amos" on the back?
Misplaced it up north somewhere


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

Nice job John!

If only you were as skillfull with Hooter's Girls! 

I might be up your way in a few weeks. I've heard rumors about that little stream................I'll shoot you a PM when I go.


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## quix20 (Jan 14, 2001)

nice job john, you gotta show me how to do that someday!! 

sorry i missed all the fun guys. after looking at my schedule for the next couple of months (and the weather for the weekend) i thought it would be more health conscience for me to stay home with the wife and kids. she hasnt complained yet about the time i plan on fishing or have been fishing so far, so i didnt want to push it too much


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

John nice pictures and it was fun fishin with you sunday! The weather left alot to be desired but we proved you can catch fish in bad weather and crowds. You are well on your way to being an acomplished steel fisherman.


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## gunrod (Jan 16, 2001)

Good job John. I knew we had too many good fishermen in the area to be skunked for too long. I wish I could have held out but looking at the weather today I'm glad I left when I did. 4 days of work and I'm heading back under better weather conditions hopefully.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Nice. I wish I could have attended.


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## knockoff64 (Oct 14, 2001)

Very cool Johnny!

Never turn down the opportunity to fish, you can't catch 'em sitting at the keyboard!

It's great how members help each other with tips, insight, and even some of their favorite spots. This site is great!


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## STEINFISHSKI (Jan 30, 2001)

Nice John. Those steel didn't have any fresh salmon spawn in their bellies did they? Anyway good report and som great pictures.


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## No Threat (Nov 28, 2001)

Sunday I got to take my first trip in a drift Boat, and my first trip had me holding the oars. Thanks to chromium for letting us use his boat, it really made for a great day on the river. Thanks to quest and Riverboy for being patient the first 10 minutes in the boat . Thanks to Ralph and Marc for the great dinner on Sunday night and to Kirk for letting me crash at you cabin and enjoy the show . And thanks to Chef for help with the boat. Great to see some familiar faces and meet some new friends. 

Hope to see you all again real soon.

Jeff

Oh yeah, Thanks again quest for landing my fish with your hands, that was a pretty good "belly grab".


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

here are some of the pics riverboy took, the first is no threats nice hen. what a fish, nice and chrome!! as he was fighting it we came to the realization that we had no net in the boat.  so with the peanut gallery in the background (elk call and solasylum) telling me to put gloves on as i would be able to grip the fish better. 










this is a pic of me grabbing the fish, no threat and riverboy were on the other side balancing the boat as i was leaned so far over. i put gloves on and gave the fish a big bearhug and dragged it in the boat... quite fun actually.










and this one was right after i got it in the boat, it was damn funny and i was pretty wet but it was well worth it.


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

John the way yourstarting to catch fish your going to be needing a net! and often.


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## unregistered55 (Mar 12, 2000)

Johnny Quest you are "THE MAN!" Great Job! Nice Steel! I could tell your expertise when we floated last sunday...why did ya hold out on me then? LOL! Them fish come on Spawn or Plugs?

Nice pics! I looked pretty "Happy" in that pic...Beer is good for you!" Hey you forgot that e-mail ya promised me [email protected]


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## deerhunter08 (Nov 19, 2002)

its funny how you guys caught all these fish the time i dont come up. damn john u didnt show me these hidden talents. we didnt catch nothing. lol. no really im glad you guys did so well just sorry i couldnt of been there. glad everyone had a good time and was safe. hope to fish with you guys soon. see ya


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## riverboy (Mar 20, 2002)

well what another strange trip it has been! 

It all started friday night, the white nuckle drive over to ludington was slow going. I stopped in Baldwin at BBT and picked up a new parking pass for the year, good to see ya again Bob. When I arrived Ludington I didnt even bother to check in yet I headed right for the bar. After calming my nerves I finally got settle in and headed back to the bar. I had a few to many friday night so saturday morning I didnt get the early start that I had planed but I still made it to the Claybanks in the bug water and was fishing by 9 am. I fished down from the claybanks all the way to the rapids and didnt see another soul, I think the foul weather keep everyone home or the poor fishing. I didnt even manage to catch a trout, which is a rare accourance on the Bug water for me. I fished Taylor road in the afternoon with the same succsess I had in the morning, So I called it a day. Headed back down to the bar in the evening for a few beers and alot more of the guys had showed up. Plans were made for No Threat, Quest and I to float in Chromium's boat, in the Shoeman convoy, with kingfisher and riverman and then in the other boat I think was Elk Call and Soulaslyum, What can I say about that, well Shoeman and Kingfisher you guys kill me! I wish we would have hit a couple more sandbars though. We ended up floating to Scottsville and those guys motored back up to Custer. What a beautiful float it was. For No Threats first time on the oars, he did a wonderful job!!! Are you sure it was you first time rowing? Thanks alot Chromium for the usage of your boat. Quest you the man when it comes to landing a fish without a net in a drift boat! Once again the fish didnt cooperate for me but I still had a great time.

It was great to meet alot of new faces and to see alot of olds one again! STEINFISHSKI you are the Kareoke King!!!! Im still laughing just thinking about it!! Did you ever get a tip Kingfisher from the ladies you waited on? hehe!! Well I will be looking forward to the next outing for sure!!!!!

Hey Quest thanks for posting the pics, I got them uploaded last night but didnt have time to post anything untill this morning!

Heres a pic for you Chromium! Hey wheres the crew? hehe!!!


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

What a weekend and where do I start?

Although a smaller crowd, no shortage of fun. Good to see you guys/gals. I finally had the honor to meet Stein's and Jeff's wife along with the woman that made many sacrifices for us. Yes, Steve brought his wife. 

After a few, we headed to Kirk's place in "the woods". What a setting. Comfortable and what a view. He blind-folded us on the way in and I can see why. GPS jamming devices lined the path along the way.  

As for the fishing, we can't complain. Plugger showed us how it's done. By the time we arrived, he already filled one ticket. While showing us the mechanics of a centrepin, he hooked several more. Way to go Mike!
We launched the "ship of fools" and I will use that term loosely. It didn't take long and we hit fish. Too many laughs and somehow there's a gap in my recollection. I do remember wiping out an entire bank of sucker-fishermen...LOL
Sunday night was "feast night". Ribs, morels, back straps, crab cakes, spuds and suds were on the menu. Eating like kings. 

Monday a few of us hooked up for some shore-fishing. My third cast produced a hook up and after a few short runs the skunk was out again. After about an hour of hooking fish, we were joined by Polarbear. He and Riverman showed us the finer points of bobber fishing. "Just drift under this tree. They're stacked in there"..

My buddy Elk Call was having a hard time with overhead trees, snags and other logistical nightmares. Darrin tried to help him out, but it didn't work. I decided to take him and EC for a short boat ride and pull plugs to get him into a fish. I didn't take long. We made a few drifts and continued to hook up until we lost all the hot plugs.
We did some math and Monday produced something like 8 for 17.

The ride home was uneventful until we hit Midland. Ice and more ice kept Kingfisher on his toes. (I was napping) I75 was shut down at Square Lake and we had to Woodward for the final leg. 

A Quick Thanks to Kirk, Darrin, Chris and Marc. You guys are the best!

I only took a few pics and will post them later.


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

This was my first outing and it sure was nice meeting everyone. It was great to finally put some faces to the screen names. I arrived on Weds and had a couple days of fishing in before the spring storm arrived. It was slow, but did manage a few fish. Ralf, a big thanks again for the boat ride. On the drive home I relized I had landed fish on spawn, spinners, flies, and plugs, a first for me in one trip. Your oars and plugs made the plug fish happen. You and Kingfisher were a hoot as well as everyone else. plugger, great meeting you and I will be in touch. Hopefully a picture turned out of one you missed! Riverman


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Kirk's 14+ took the honors as the trip's largest fish. Quite the task, considering the surroundings and limited access to "clean water".










Elk Call finally lands this beauty










Here's the end result from Monday's success. Everyone took a few for the pan.











Cute story, that will be re-lived at many outings.


I was rigging my 6wt. and John (Elk Call) grabs my net and stalks fish along shore. He steps down to the water and with one swoop nets a few fish. Come to find out, he scooped the stringer. LMAO

Hey Scott, how did you deal with him for 2 days?


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## kingfisher2 (Mar 22, 2001)

Another great time and finally the fish cooperated! Another venture to the west side with the worlds funniest man....the Shoeman!!!! Thanks Ralf for the ride and not charging me for all the additional entertainment you so-graciously gave!!!lol

Our arrival at the Lands Inn was greeted with the usual....smiling faces, warmth and the best damned bartender....OUR FRIEND JOHNY!...thanks johny for putting up with us again and the training you provided me in my "waiter" role.......

Sunday was the first time I "plugged one in" .... thanks to Ralf's precision rowing and bait placement...thanks bro! Plugger...you are one fishing machine....great job!

Sunday's dinner...the best with one of the most entertaining nights I've seen from the Shoeman!.......My side is still hurting.....

And the hospitality from our gracious host...kirk, thanks.... I truley enjoyed your company, the stories of "gods country" and you putting me in your will to inherite the most beautiful piece of land I've ventured on.....

My highlight of the weekend was an 18 1/2" Brown......I did manage two chromers and as usual....a great time with all.....thanks to Ralf, Kirk, Jeff, Dr. Suess (john) for a great weekend....

Marc


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Nice fish guys. I must spend more time with you so that I can get that first steelie under my belt. My wife had other plans however this weekend. Maybe next time....


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

The look on his face after relizing he had netted a tied up fish, well, "priceless." lmao Riverman


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Yes, John did learn a lesson in "fishing laws".
You'll have to excuse him. He was unaware that netting is illegal. His wife let's him out about every couple of years and that's the result.

Pretty funny though..


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

J"ohn (Elk Call) grabs my net and stalks fish along shore. He steps down to the water and with one swoop nets a few fish. Come to find out, he scooped the stringer." Shoeman



He wuz jus practicin'........................Thanks for the tail......errr!........tale!!!


Sorry I didn't make it down on Saturday evening, but with my mom here I didn't want to leave.

On Sunday I fished a few hours with Toto on the Big M. and when we pulled in the driveway my wife rushed out of the house to tell me that my mom had a huge nosebleed (she's on cumodin). She could not stop the bleeding and had called the ambulance. They took her to the hospital and stopped the bleeding. She had lost about 1/4 of her blood in a short time and is still in West Shore Hospital in Manistee. They have to make a major adjustment in her dose of bloodthinner.

I think she'll be coming home today.

Congrats to all you guys who caught fish and to those who didn't, I know you enjoyed yourself. It doesn't get much better than to partake in one of these outings.

I'll be staying very close to home for awhile.


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## kingfisher2 (Mar 22, 2001)

"Hey Marc, where's the net"..........swooooooosh!!!LMAO!!!!

My seasoned friend Mr Whit...I hope your mother gets better soon.....


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

I bet he just wanted to get the stringered fish out of the way, so the one on didn't get tangled up with them.


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## ag2053 (Feb 1, 2000)

Whit 

Sorry to hear about your Mom. Hope she comes home soon. My dad is on Cumodin. Can't be to careful with that stuff.

Barb


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## Neapolis (Apr 22, 2000)

Sounds like a good time was had by all.

Best wishes to your Mom Whit.


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## mickey (Sep 25, 2000)

You guys rock. I bet there were laughs every step of the way.

Whit, Sorry to hear your mom is having a tough time. My best wishes to her for a speedy recovery.


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## STEINFISHSKI (Jan 30, 2001)

Dang Ralf, glad to see you guys spanked them. I bet that float was a riot.

Whit, I hope for a speedy recovery for your mom.


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## Steely-Head (Dec 2, 2001)

Sounds like people had a good time, too bad I had to miss it. Nice fish everyone!


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## quix20 (Jan 14, 2001)

whit, i hope everything goes well with your mom. 

nice fish guys, man i cant wait to get back up there for some fishing (and hopefully catching)


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## elkcall (Jan 18, 2001)

I want to express a great thanks to RiverMan for the extended hospitality, the surroundings were quite fantastic.
Secondly I am appreciative of PolarBear's generosity for the use of a reel fishin' pole.
The comaraderie was a good escape from my treadmill life.
Meeting everyone and the spirit that existed in the group outing really adds to quality of life.
Kingfisher2, the new name was a chuckle..
The net result of the tied up fish, was embarassment to the point of wanting to crawl under my tennis shoes, a replay not to occur in this lifetime.


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