# Sticky  Any Lake Michigan Kayak Fishers here?



## Jim_MI

I have to add my $0.02 on the million dollar writeup that Dr. Johnny-O provided. Spot-on practical advice, hard earned over many years but given freely in the spirit of helping others. Truly, the shoulders of one giant there.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


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## Johnny O

motoscoota said:


> @fisheater:
> That's a nice suggestion on Platte Bay. Definitely looks worth the drive. Any experience camping around there?
> 
> Just looked at the Platte Bay depths! OMG it's deep!
> 
> I like the The Duck Lake suggestion @Cptncor84 made earlier in the thread too! I think I'm going to make that my first big lake target.
> 
> My garmin says you can reach 100' depth 4 miles out. That's awesome!


Motoscoota, after re-reading your last several posts and seeing your pics I'd first off congratulate you on those awesome catches. I can't imagine what the fight of that white sea bass must have been like. I also can't imagine being 11 miles offshore of anywhere, much less chatting it up with a sea lion while fending off a pack of boats who don't realize that there's about a million miles of ocean they could be fishing rather than crowding you.

I think/hope you're going to love Lake Michigan. I'm envious if you live on the west side of the state as I'm in Ann Arbor and it's a minimum two hour drive to get to Lk MI or Huron. If you're comfortable in big water (and you certainly seem to be), you can head west out of most any westside port and get to 100 ft plus of water but it might take a few miles. Yet in places like Platte Bay, Good Harbor Bay, and especially the Grand Traverse Bays (GTB), you can hit 100 (and 200ft, and . . .) within a 1/4 to 1/2 mile off short (or less). That said, other than select trips to Platte Bay or GTB, you can be pretty successful year round fishing depths of 40 ft or less (in the summer this'll be more dependent on nearshore water temps).

Platte Bay is a beautiful place to fish and camp. You can launch at the river mouth and enjoy about a 30 to 45 minute paddle/peddle to deep water or beach launch from a back road and paddle 5 minutes to deep water (after 10 minutes of getting your yak over a dune; need beach tires and preferably a yak lighter than my Hobie PA). The National Park campgrounds at the Platte River Campground and DH Day campground (access to Good Harbor Bay) are fantastic (but fill up early). There's some State Forest and National Forest campgrounds inland (just search the MI State Forest Campground). There's also some private campgrounds including one on the way into Frankfort which are much less scenic but serviceable and has easy access to the Frankfort harbor (great place to fish) and a short drive from Platte Bay.

Enjoy your explorations and let us know what you find and how you do.


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## Johnny O

Jim_MI said:


> I have to add my $0.02 on the million dollar writeup that Dr. Johnny-O provided. Spot-on practical advice, hard earned over many years but given freely in the spirit of helping others. Truly, the shoulders of one giant there.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


Very kind of you Jim. I do want to thank you for your posts and info about the GTBs in the past. I've since made about 8 to 10 outings there and am never disappointed. The scenery is beautiful, the bays are generally protected, the water is clear and deep, and I've generally managed at least a few cisco and/or lakers every time out. Your posts and the bays themselves helped me better figure out my deepwater trolling and jigging tactics and I really enjoy both. Cisco are a hoot and provide a sporting fight. 

Quick question on downriggers. When trolling the bays I've gotten pretty good at managing my mini-downrigger and adjusting for the blowback you get with a 4 pound ball (good tip on switching the cable to braid). A lot of time the cisco and smaller lakers won't pop the line and I have to do that myself but that hasn't been a big deal as I can still see the hit and I personally find it better to have the pinch pads too tight then to have to pull the DR back up on an accidental release. I've paired my DR with leadcore rod (as my second rod) with some success but am finding the leadcore to be a "so-so" fishing experience. It's a lot of line, it sinks, and the fight from ciscos and the smaller lakers common in the bays are less enjoyable on the heavier gear. I've used a flatline instead as my second rod and have yet to have a hit (most fish seem 60 plus feet down when/where I'm fishing). I could try a torpedo, but they also sink and take something away from the fight. So I'm toying with the idea of adding a second DR and using it on my 14 ft PA. Ever try this? Asking for trouble? It is something I would like to be able to do if/when I get to take an experienced fisherman out in my tandem as then he/she could run the second rigger from the front; that seems doable.

My Aunt now has a place in Interlochen that she's given me access to so I hope to be up in that area even more frequently, especially in the fall and spring. I'll keep you posted in hopes that we could meet up for an outing or two; I'd really like that.


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## Tommy O

Awesome Fish Moto! Johnny, great post!!


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## Tommy O

I was actually surprised to find that it was pretty easy to run a downrigger from my kayak, and I rather enjoyed it. I copied Johnny O's set up and cut the boom down on a small scotty so that it just cleared the side, and used two Hobie H rail plates to mount it to the boat. Easy on, easy off.

If John is "thinking" about running a second downrigger, then yeah, he'll have two on there before the end of fall. 

Here's my rigger set up


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## motoscoota

Johnny O said:


> Motoscoota, after re-reading your last several posts and seeing your pics I'd first off congratulate you on those awesome catches. I can't imagine what the fight of that white sea bass must have been like. I also can't imagine being 11 miles offshore of anywhere, much less chatting it up with a sea lion while fending off a pack of boats who don't realize that there's about a million miles of ocean they could be fishing rather than crowding you.
> 
> I think/hope you're going to love Lake Michigan. I'm envious if you live on the west side of the state as I'm in Ann Arbor and it's a minimum two hour drive to get to Lk MI or Huron. If you're comfortable in big water (and you certainly seem to be), you can head west out of most any westside port and get to 100 ft plus of water but it might take a few miles. Yet in places like Platte Bay, Good Harbor Bay, and especially the Grand Traverse Bays (GTB), you can hit 100 (and 200ft, and . . .) within a 1/4 to 1/2 mile off short (or less). That said, other than select trips to Platte Bay or GTB, you can be pretty successful year round fishing depths of 40 ft or less (in the summer this'll be more dependent on nearshore water temps).
> 
> Platte Bay is a beautiful place to fish and camp. You can launch at the river mouth and enjoy about a 30 to 45 minute paddle/peddle to deep water or beach launch from a back road and paddle 5 minutes to deep water (after 10 minutes of getting your yak over a dune; need beach tires and preferably a yak lighter than my Hobie PA). The National Park campgrounds at the Platte River Campground and DH Day campground (access to Good Harbor Bay) are fantastic (but fill up early). There's some State Forest and National Forest campgrounds inland (just search the MI State Forest Campground). There's also some private campgrounds including one on the way into Frankfort which are much less scenic but serviceable and has easy access to the Frankfort harbor (great place to fish) and a short drive from Platte Bay.
> 
> Enjoy your explorations and let us know what you find and how you do.


Johnny O,

Thank you for your interest and kind words. It's hard to express how delighted I am to be embraced in this way. It certainly has helped motivate me to get out there to fish!

You also remind me to treat others in this way

This is going to sound sappy...
I printed clippings of your posts and folded up the paper to keep in my wallet. This is something I do with ideas and information I want to memorize, reflect on, and create goals upon. I pull out my notes and read them at times of resting.

Thanks for putting wind in my sail

My wife and I are very excited to be in Michigan, but it is a very big transition for us.

We had thriving careers in Oakland, CA but COVID destroyed them. We put it all on the line to flip our misfortunes. And so in many ways Michigan saved us!

We are also aware that some are not happy to have people not from here arriving. All we can do about that is try to be resourceful contributors to our surroundings.

And this is why I'm grateful to have found Michigan Sportsman. This is my sense of community at this time.

And, well Lake Michigan is an hour away from were we live. I wish we were a little closer, but we are pleased to be embracing a more rural lifestyle. We got some chickens and a garden started.

We're going to explore Muskegon this week. We are looking for a place to start a new business, and well crime stats are a concern but hope is contagious and that's what we're looking to spread around.

I appreciate your help navigating to some new spots to enjoy!


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## Jim_MI

Johnny O said:


> Quick question on downriggers. When trolling the bays I've gotten pretty good at managing my mini-downrigger and adjusting for the blowback you get with a 4 pound ball (good tip on switching the cable to braid). A lot of time the cisco and smaller lakers won't pop the line and I have to do that myself but that hasn't been a big deal as I can still see the hit and I personally find it better to have the pinch pads too tight then to have to pull the DR back up on an accidental release. I've paired my DR with leadcore rod (as my second rod) with some success but am finding the leadcore to be a "so-so" fishing experience. It's a lot of line, it sinks, and the fight from ciscos and the smaller lakers common in the bays are less enjoyable on the heavier gear. I've used a flatline instead as my second rod and have yet to have a hit (most fish seem 60 plus feet down when/where I'm fishing). I could try a torpedo, but they also sink and take something away from the fight. So I'm toying with the idea of adding a second DR and using it on my 14 ft PA. Ever try this? Asking for trouble? It is something I would like to be able to do if/when I get to take an experienced fisherman out in my tandem as then he/she could run the second rigger from the front; that seems doable.
> 
> My Aunt now has a place in Interlochen that she's given me access to so I hope to be up in that area even more frequently, especially in the fall and spring. I'll keep you posted in hopes that we could meet up for an outing or two; I'd really like that.


Good question, John. I have my Scotty DR cut down like Tommy-O shows in his post, but my mount is outboard of the H-Rail so when I insert the DR into the base mount, I rotate it 90-deg to keep the ball adjacent to the hull, minimizing the "external tipping moment" for stability. But having 2 balls hanging as pendulums only 30-some inches apart (at different depths) could cause issues when wave action causes the beam to rock at all. The period of each pendulum would be different due to different depths and I can imagine that things might get kind of squirrelly at best and become a tangled mess at worst. You would certainly be in a better situation with your tandem since they would be further apart - let us know if you try!

When targeting lakers, I routinely fish leadcore pretty deep. Today I had 420 ft out to get down 95 ft where the trout were. (I usually do this when prospecting for fish, then mark waypoints and return to productive spots for serious jigging). But as you mentioned, the catenary bow in that much line offers a lot of slack so your rod tip is not going to be jumping around nearly as much when a fish is on. I compensate by setting the reel in freespool mode with the clicker on and adjust the "casting drag" (freespool drag?) to just a tad above what any wave action might cause line to strip out. Then any fish-on will be telegraphed by persistent clicking, even with minimal change in the rod tip. 

That said, most of the Cisco, browns, coho and chinook are fished much shallower so you don't have use that trick as the rod tip remains responsive. In the past I jigged up beaucoup mid-summer cisco from 60-90 ft down. But last May-June I found them in fairly shallow water. I had a blast again this spring just doing cast-n-retrieve with blade baits on my spinning rod in 12-30 fow. Much more sporting than pulling in cisco on salmon gear. 

Congrats on the Interlochen connection. I hope that you get more time up this way now and look forward to getting out together sometime.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


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## Johnny O

Jim_MI said:


> Good question, John. I have my Scotty DR cut down like Tommy-O shows in his post, but my mount is outboard of the H-Rail so when I insert the DR into the base mount, I rotate it 90-deg to keep the ball adjacent to the hull, minimizing the "external tipping moment" for stability. But having 2 balls hanging as pendulums only 30-some inches apart (at different depths) could cause issues when wave action causes the beam to rock at all. The period of each pendulum would be different due to different depths and I can imagine that things might get kind of squirrelly at best and become a tangled mess at worst. You would certainly be in a better situation with your tandem since they would be further apart - let us know if you try!
> 
> When targeting lakers, I routinely fish leadcore pretty deep. Today I had 420 ft out to get down 95 ft where the trout were. (I usually do this when prospecting for fish, then mark waypoints and return to productive spots for serious jigging). But as you mentioned, the catenary bow in that much line offers a lot of slack so your rod tip is not going to be jumping around nearly as much when a fish is on. I compensate by setting the reel in freespool mode with the clicker on and adjust the "casting drag" (freespool drag?) to just a tad above what any wave action might cause line to strip out. Then any fish-on will be telegraphed by persistent clicking, even with minimal change in the rod tip.
> 
> That said, most of the Cisco, browns, coho and chinook are fished much shallower so you don't have use that trick as the rod tip remains responsive. In the past I jigged up beaucoup mid-summer cisco from 60-90 ft down. But last May-June I found them in fairly shallow water. I had a blast again this spring just doing cast-n-retrieve with blade baits on my spinning rod in 12-30 fow. Much more sporting than pulling in cisco on salmon gear.
> 
> Congrats on the Interlochen connection. I hope that you get more time up this way now and look forward to getting out together sometime.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk


Thanks Jim. That's interesting the way you've oriented your DR outbound with the mini-boom parallel your boat. I think Tom and I were nervous about the security of the H-rail adapters so elected to keep the bulk of the DR inboard so that if it gave way the DR would hopefully fall back into the Hobie (for anyone wondering, the H rail clamps have proven very secure. My DR is mounted on just one but if I did it over again I'd use two like Tom did). But I can see some benefits to your set up. 

Hadn't thought about the physics of both cannonballs rocking the Hobie with different pendulums; could be an issue if stopped with waves coming in sideways. Not sure I'd try two DRs in anything but calm conditions. 

The point I didn't mention is I like to keep my right hand side of my Hobie as clear as possible as I net fish on that side. So having a DR on both sides could complicate things at an inopportune time (fish gets caught on the DR cable or net gets caught on the DR boom). Not sure I'm going to try running 2 unless I commit to buying one for the tandem and have less to lose by trying it a time or two on the 14 PA. 

Have heard the early season, shallow water blade bait bit is fun. Couldn't make it happen this spring but hopefully next year.

450ft out on a leadcore rod? Now that's dedication (and a testimony to your fitness)!


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## Johnny O

motoscoota said:


> Johnny O,
> 
> Thank you for your interest and kind words. It's hard to express how delighted I am to be embraced in this way. It certainly has helped motivate me to get out there to fish!
> 
> You also remind me to treat others in this way
> 
> This is going to sound sappy...
> I printed clippings of your posts and folded up the paper to keep in my wallet. This is something I do with ideas and information I want to memorize, reflect on, and create goals upon. I pull out my notes and read them at times of resting.
> 
> Thanks for putting wind in my sail
> 
> My wife and I are very excited to be in Michigan, but it is a very big transition for us.
> 
> We had thriving careers in Oakland, CA but COVID destroyed them. We put it all on the line to flip our misfortunes. And so in many ways Michigan saved us!
> 
> We are also aware that some are not happy to have people not from here arriving. All we can do about that is try to be resourceful contributors to our surroundings.
> 
> And this is why I'm grateful to have found Michigan Sportsman. This is my sense of community at this time.
> 
> And, well Lake Michigan is an hour away from were we live. I wish we were a little closer, but we are pleased to be embracing a more rural lifestyle. We got some chickens and a garden started.
> 
> We're going to explore Muskegon this week. We are looking for a place to start a new business, and well crime stats are a concern but hope is contagious and that's what we're looking to spread around.
> 
> I appreciate your help navigating to some new spots to enjoy!


It sounds like you and your wife have been through a tough year. Hopefully the future is bright. I personally don't perceive Michigan as unwelcoming to newcomers and its unfortunate if you met anyone who has been less than pleasant and supportive. Then again, they've probably had a hard year too (as most everyone has). 

Kudos if you're able to bring some hope and new business to Muskegon as it and some other west side cities have been hit hard by an economic downturn over the last couple of decades and further hammered by COVID. Hope and innovative new business approaches will help breathe new life into their economy and culture. 

Enjoy your explorations and I'll try to message you to see if we might be able to meet up.


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## motoscoota

Once again - thank you

A hookup would be great. Seems there's a few of us here that would benefit from a gathering.

Kayaks are different than powerboats since we don't need as much distance to safely fish around each other, and actually being a sort of hive means more baits in the water and thus more action

It's good to keep talking about downriggers now...

In the past, I've considered using a Penn level wind and a chopped fiberglass fishing pole with a roller on the end to act as a downriggers.

But the boat tipping, or squirreling out, thing is real. I've had issues while simply working a big arse banana sinker!

I'm trying to figure a way to do a rear mount so the mast of the DR is more inline with the hull. The challenges are, avoiding blocking the precious tank well, and the difficulty of cranking something behind the seat.


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## JasonCarp

motoscoota said:


> I am currently re-rigging my '09 Tarpon.
> 
> I just moved to Kalamazoo county from the West coast.
> 
> Let me know when you dry run Gull. I willl join if I can. my cell is 616.334.2630. I am almost complete on my setup, and am also excited to go. If Port Sheldon isn't too far for you, there is a kayak launch there we can hit together.
> 
> Jason
> 
> 
> I fished the Pacific Ocean a lot, Albion, Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay, Half Moon Bay, Tomales Bay, SF Bay were my usual stomping grounds. Got down to Baja once too. Used to get Dungeness crab at Muir Beach every season opener. All on the Tarpon.
> 
> I swear us kayak folk did better than most power boats.
> 
> After all that crazy water, surf launches, et'all I'm somehow more intimidated by Lake Michigan.
> 
> That's saying something because Great Whites were a bit of a problem where I come from.
> 
> I've been out of the saddle for a few years now, but I'm working my way back - super excited to fish new grounds.
> 
> Hunting down ocean Kings proved very difficult. I never hooked one on the kayak. Caught lots of other stuff trying tho Did great catching Kings on 6-pak charters, but it's a bucket list item for me to land one on the 'yak.
> 
> I have no buddy system people here yet. If anyone would like to hook up, I'm down.
> 
> I'm planning on testing everything out the new rigging on Gull Lake soon if anyone wants to join
> 
> Kayak fishing is very rewarding!
> View attachment 777036


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## JasonCarp

Man, I was gone for a few days and BAM! all this good reading to catch up on. Got some good practice on small water with a big fish last weekend when this brute hammered a glass perch rattle RAPALA and took me for a ride. So much fun landing this bruiser in my kayak. 42" northern pike is no 27 lb king salmon, but it was fun and good challenge.


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## Johnny O

Awesome fish! Have wanted to catch a pike over 40 inches but have never come that close. Congrats.

See your conversations for my contact info if you want to meet up almost any day the next two weeks while I’m near Ludington. Both Hobies are loaded up and I’ll be heading up in a few hours.


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## fisheater

motoscoota said:


> Once again - thank you
> 
> A hookup would be great. Seems there's a few of us here that would benefit from a gathering.
> 
> Kayaks are different than powerboats since we don't need as much distance to safely fish around each other, and actually being a sort of hive means more baits in the water and thus more action
> 
> It's good to keep talking about downriggers now...
> 
> In the past, I've considered using a Penn level wind and a chopped fiberglass fishing pole with a roller on the end to act as a downriggers.
> 
> But the boat tipping, or squirreling out, thing is real. I've had issues while simply working a big arse banana sinker!
> 
> I'm trying to figure a way to do a rear mount so the mast of the DR is more inline with the hull. The challenges are, avoiding blocking the precious tank well, and the difficulty of cranking something behind the seat.


I have never had a problem fishing too close to Johnny O! Usually the only way I find him is on the radio. However it’s probably just me in fish search mode, and John also has fish search mode, the next thing I don’t see him anymore!. 
You could do a lot worse than following John around on Lake Michigan, but if you you follow your nose like me, well you can always meet at the landing!


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## motoscoota

Nice!
Some good fellows gathering here! A head count at the launch, and/or a radio check on the water, then meeting at the landing, end of day, are all good buddy system moves indeed


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## JasonCarp

Maiden Lake Michigan voyage was Wednesday morning out of Port Sheldon. Made it out to about 115' deep. Didn't mark much, trolled a couple lead. One with a fire tiger Jplug, and the other with blue fly and flasher set up. Could pedal at 2.2 mph with no problem. Added a flat line with a yellow and orange flasher with a green and orange spoon. (Sorry, don't remember all the names anymore. )


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## Johnny O

Looks like a great day to be on the water Jason. Seems like a successful shakedown cruise even if the fish didn't cooperate. I'm confident that with the rigs you described you'll find something to put a bend in the rod before too long. 

I thoughts I'd recap my vacation to the Ludington area the last two weeks. Launched out of PM lake a half dozen or more times. Sometimes solo in the 14ft PA and sometimes with 1 or 2 others in my "tandem" (with a 600 pound weight limit I can take up to 2 of my kids/nieces/nephews). Water was initially warm but I was fortunate enough to catch a flip which brought cold water and a lot of bait nearshore. It varied some, but there was generally pretty good numbers of salmon in PM lake throughout both weeks. Yet when conditions allow, I prefer to fish the harbor and beyond the pierheads (primarily because I enjoy the expansive views and the feel of big water). So I spent most of my time there and didn't spend more than a couple hours in PM Lake. 

Somewhat surprisingly, with the cold water and plenty of bait I didn't catch a fish beyond the pierheads (did get a few rips though). Had some success in the harbor. The highlight was a morning in which my daughter caught about a 7 pound brown trout and my niece caught a small king. A runner-up was a morning in which my friend Jason (of "Salmax Kayak" fame) and his son Jack joined me. Jason caught a beauty of a coho that weighed in at 12 pounds (a "master angler" qualifier), a fat 7-8 pound brown, and a small king. His son Jack caught a small king and I caught about a 12 pound king. Most of these fish came on flat-lined magnum hot-n-tots. Later in the week I caught a smaller king jigging in the harbor. A few other pike, smallmouth, and sheepshead rounded out the other trips. 






















The morning I left was the day the new state record 47 pound King was caught off Big Sable Point by a charter that launched out of Ludington. My buddies and I are still talking about what it would be like to hook up with that from a kayak or canoe. We joked that it could probably pull us to Wisconsin if that's where it wanted to go.


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## Hyrius

Guys, I know that the thread is old, but I would like to ask you for some advice about lake Michigan kayaking for a beginner. Is it a good place for my first time? Is it safe enough, or is it better to look for another place to start from?


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## Hyrius

Guys, I know that the thread is old, but I would like to ask you for some advice about lake Michigan kayaking for a beginner. Is it a good place for my first time? Is it safe enough, or is it better to look for another place to start from? 
I’ve just seen an offer to buy an affordable fishing kayak and thought that I might fulfill my old dream of making a kayak camping trip. Someone’s selling that boat near lake Michigan, and I thought it might be a good idea to start sailing right away. Do I need the education to do that, or can I learn everything necessary in the process of sailing?


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## motoscoota

Hyrius said:


> Guys, I know that the thread is old, but I would like to ask you for some advice about lake Michigan kayaking for a beginner. Is it a good place for my first time? Is it safe enough, or is it better to look for another place to start from?


Start here:








Great Lakes Kayak Fishing Primer


In response to some recent interest by fisherman new to great lakes kayak fishing I put together a primer on the topic. I originally posted it in reply to a post in the Cold Water Fishing Section ("Kayak Fishing Lake Michigan" or something like that) and was encouraged to repost it on this...




www.michigan-sportsman.com


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## fisheater

Long day, no time for a proper response. See the link below. I’ve been doing this for many years, throw a new boat in, and whoops.
PS check the date of the post, however remember big lake water is usually cold enough to be serious quickly.
Summary, no don’t go, take it slow!









Went for an Unplanned Swim Today


Went out today in my new decked canoe, without really thinking about how different it is the the open canoe I have paddled for a dozen plus years. I paddled out about a quarter mile or so, rods at ready in the rod holders, grabbed the gunwhales like I always do lift up to get on my knees. Well...




www.michigan-sportsman.com


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## Johnny O

Hyrius said:


> Guys, I know that the thread is old, but I would like to ask you for some advice about lake Michigan kayaking for a beginner. Is it a good place for my first time? Is it safe enough, or is it better to look for another place to start from?


It really depends. Lk Michigan definitely isn't a place to start with if all you have is one of those inexpensive kayaks from Dunhams's or some place equivalent and your basic inland lake fishing gear that is mostly suited for bass and panfish. I created the link @motocoto provided to give sportsman a pretty full view of the sport of big-water kayak fishing. If you read that and it feels way out of your current skill and equipment level then consider starting on inland lakes chasing panfish/gamefish to get the hang of things in a safer environment. 

On the other hand, if you've fished for salmon/trout/walleye in big water many times before and are already pretty experienced with big water tactics and safety, then I'd cautiously encourage you to consider kayak fishing in Lk Michigan and the link that Motoscoota provided should get you started. Look for calm days and I often encourage "newbies" to start inside the harbors. Find places out of boat traffic and see if you can find some sheepshead to help you get the hang of things. 

Yet as Fisheater Bob noted, your priority when fishing Lk Michigan needs to be safety first (second, and third). Please read all of the info that pertains to safety and follow that advice.

Hope this helps


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