32 pound plus-Frankfort!!!

[beer and nuts]

According to the Tackle Box web site there was a 32 pound plus King caught recently. www.frankforttacklebox.com

[gomer]

yep its true, one of my buddies is a mate on a charter boat in frankfort and he said it was a true hog.

[andy capp]

A guy in our group keeps his boat there. According to him:
There have been a 32, 29 and two other 26's caught at the marina.
He caught a 26.6 last week

[Fishndude]

Nice. That is at least 2 Master Angler Award Kings, and there were only 6 registered for the entire State last year. I wonder how many don't get registered?

[Overdew]

Good news. I hope we can start hearing things like that out of Huron soon.

[Oldgrandman]

Trust me on this A LOT of people don't register for various reasons. I've caught master angler records before on a few species and never bothered to register them. I mean how does it bennifit me by doing so?

I know I have caught master angler fish like cats, perch, etc. and maybe a bass that I never registered. I will a trout salmon or walleye though.
As for a benefit the knowledge it's self is beneficial to others like the information in this thread.
Not to mention there are some things everybody does that are not always beneficial, it is just something to do if you choose to do so.

[Jason Adam]

There will be a ton of master angler chinooks out of Lake Michigan this year. The bait is overabundant. I think you will Some of the biggest kings in years.

[ds619]

Nice fish Heard of a 36 lb one caught also

[MPsteelheader]

all this about big kings...

hmmm so what happened to the baitfish propaghanda from last year???

i havent seen baitfish like this in a while on the lake

[ausable_steelhead]

There will be a ton of master angler chinooks out of Lake Michigan this year. The bait is overabundant. I think you will Some of the biggest kings in years.

How come we're not seeing many big fish in the reports right now? I see alot of 5-11lb fish, and quite a few 12-15lbr's, but most of the "big" fish right now seem to be 21-23lbs? Hmmm. I guess it is still a bit early, as kings do really pack it on in August. Nice king though, 32lbs is big.

[pikedevil]

The 36 pounder reported from frankfort a couple weeks ago was actually a 26. I talked to a few people that fish frankfort every day about that one. This 32 is the real deal though. Yes there are some big fish around but they are rare. 26 was big fish for ludington out of the thousands caught. I've caught over 300 fish from Lk Mich this year and am yet to top 20 lbs so they are still not a common thing. Having said all that there will be more 30 + caught this year, the fish are bigger then they were in 2004-2005.

[Jason Adam]

I have several people that I am freinds with over there that are not BS'rs that are and have been catching low - mid-20's with semi-regularity for a couple weeks(most of my buddies have each caught a few in that range since July 1st). Last year I didnt boat a 20LB king, and I spent probably 20 days in August alone in Ludington. Remember too that we are in mid-late July, not August. These are big fish for this time of year, even when you compare it to good years like 2000/2001. There is as much bait in Lake Michigan as these fish can eat.

[halfcore]

all this about big kings...

hmmm so what happened to the baitfish propaghanda from last year???

i havent seen baitfish like this in a while on the lake

Most of the baitfish negativity was from alot of Lake Huron guys who said LK MI the last few years was like Huron was before it crashed. Of course the biologists they are not is now glaringly obvious. I remember a couple of threads where I was pummeled by several posters who proclaimed the sky was falling, etc....and that all of us Lk MI fisherman were in for a huge surprise, enjoy it while it lasts, etc.

Well, now here we are with bigger kings than in many recent years...and you are right...tons of bait! I am not a biologist but I still think the warm winter played a big factor in this years crop..

[BFG]

Not only have I seen more 20#+ fish this year, but I am sooooooooo excited about the 2-3yr. old fish that we are catching....they are fat and healthy as well.

If you didn't have a 9# coho last week at Salmonarama, you didn't make the board. I don't know how many 8# cohos I cleaned last week, but it was a bunch.

You can tell a lot about the fishery by looking at the mix of 4yr. old kings. Some of them are very short, but fat as can be. Take for example the 18.7# king that my buddy caught last Sunday in the Two in a Boat tourney. That fish was only 31" long. While standing in line to weigh, the guys in front of us had a 20.25# king that was 37" long. Bird Dog's fish was A LOT thicker, but the other was longer, which added weight of course. I'm sure Bird Dog's fish (and plenty more that I saw last week like it) was a victim of poor nutrition for some period of it's life...and has now packed it on in a big way, but not in length, just girth.

I also agree with Jason, it is mid-July, not mid-August. Those 18-20# fish will be 22-25#'ers very soon. I pulled 21 alewives out of a king stomach last week, and if anyone says that you should not be pulling mag spoons these days, they are nuts. All of the alewives were at least 5" long, with some up to 7".

Looking forward to Ludington in 10 days!


BFG

[salmon_slayer06]

The warm winter we had also affected Lake Huron. Alewives, shad, emeralds and shiners and other types of minnows have been running up the St. Clair River non stop since ice out. NO BODY has ever seen this kind of bait run ever! Ever. Even the old farts who have seen the good ol days even say the bait is thicker now than ever.

The Lake is full of bait, but there is still a lack of alewives. Theres lots of them that went up the river, but I think the Lake is so stripped of its nutrients the went way North to Rockport, Oscoda etc. The KIngs I have caught this year had no Alewives in them. I caught walleye with 7 inch alewives in them, but that was in the river. I don't know what to think. MAybe one or two more mild winters will do it.

[ausable_steelhead]

Remember too that we are in mid-late July, not August. These are big fish for this time of year

I also agree with Jason, it is mid-July, not mid-August. Those 18-20# fish will be 22-25#'ers very soon

That's what I said. I thought people were talking about right now, and was thinking, they're definanetly not racking in numbers of MA fish right now! But I think the mild winters have ALOT to do with it. Even Huron is looking much better than the last couple years. I think if we have a couple more mild winters, than alewives will be able to re-coup some in Huron. And biologists have nothing to do with Lk. Michigan's bait explosion this season, they just cut the plants this spring. The warm winter is what helped this all come to. I think warm summers are somewhat helpful, too. The warmer water grows more food for everything. Either way, I'm looking forward to this fall, both east and west!

[Jason Adam]

I think if we have a couple more mild winters, than alewives will be able to re-coup some in Huron...

Yes and No,, Alewives are so damn sensative, you could get them back to where you want them to be in a year or two, and one wicked cold snap in April will put a serious hurt on the population for another year. All I know is the bait in the west lake is abundant...

[ted stehney]

I fished Saginaw Bay two weekends ago and boy did I mark schools of bait!! Alot of people also remarked about the fry or small minnows swimming along the surface all over the bay. Jason I have not caught but a few salmon over twenty pounds since 2001. I boated one in 2000 that went 38.55 (photo is in my gallery) along with many up to 28# that season. With all the bait it should be fun come August. I will be in Holland all next week so hopefully we can get into a few hogs. FISH ON!

[MPsteelheader]

thank you mother nature for a mild winter...

maybe the 30+lbers will return to the rivers this year

[Alpha Buck]

I fished Saginaw Bay two weekends ago and boy did I mark schools of bait!! Alot of people also remarked about the fry or small minnows swimming along the surface all over the bay. Jason I have not caught but a few salmon over twenty pounds since 2001. I boated one in 2000 that went 38.55 (photo is in my gallery) along with many up to 28# that season. With all the bait it should be fun come August. I will be in Holland all next week so hopefully we can get into a few hogs. FISH ON!

That is one silly HOG in your gallery. Man I would love to tie into something like that.:yikes:

[STEINFISHSKI]

Here is the pic and story behind the fish. Thanks Don Harrison at Benzie County, Frankfort and the BCSFA for sending them to me to post.

http://www.geocities.com/fishbenzie/

"Monster Master Angler” Qualifying Salmon Caught off Frankfort

2006 Frankfort catch one of the largest Lake Michigan

King (Chinook) Salmon caught in several years!!!

On Tuesday July 18th, 2006, Benzie County Charter Captain Dave Rusch, who’s Boat, the Family Feud, had one heck of a Great Day Fishing off of Frankfort!

BIG FISH…BIG FISH ON…was the word of the day!!!

The Family Feud Captain and one of his Charter Customers, Max Griffith, caught a 2006 “Goliath” sized King (Chinook) Salmon! The Family Feud landed a huge male Chinook Salmon that tipped the scale at 32# lb.- 12 ounces, and was 43” inches in length. While the average size of Lake Michigan Chinook (King) Salmon is up this season, this Department of Natural Resources “Master Angler” Qualifying Fish was huge, by all current standards. Current minimum DNR Master Angler requirements for a Chinook Salmon are 27# lbs. (or 41” inches in length) both of which Captain Rusch’s Monster King exceeded.

To put this into perspective…only 6 total Michigan Master Angler Awards were applied for during the 2005 Michigan Fishing Season, for the King (Chinook) Salmon category!

Locally, news’s of this catch brought this comment from Brian Murphy, Owner of the Frankfort Tackle Box, “It's been a long time since a fish that size has been caught in these waters. This monster was taken on one of Frankfort’s favorite spoons, the Magnum size Wolverine Silver Streak Glo-Screwball”.

A Reporter’s call to Tom Rozich, Michigan Central Lake Michigan Unit Manager (Muskegon North to Mackinaw responsibility) for the DNR Fisheries Division, Mr. Rozich suggested “that this fish potentially was the biggest salmon yet caught this season” and a huge trophy, based on the size of this years King Salmon and those over the last several years”.

Mr. Rozich said “ Last year, the largest King Salmon caught in Lake Michigan was 32# lb.- 8 ounces, a fish caught in late August. This fish, the Griffith fish, weighing in at 32# lb.- 12 ounces in mid-July, surely could have outpaced last years largest King. These fish can put on a pound a week, weight-wise and potentially, the Griffith fish could have been a 36# pound +plus fish a month from now! With the catch of this Griffith King Salmon, we feel it is an excellent indication that we will have multiple 30# +plus pound class fish and multiple Master Angler Award Winners this year, once again. This years Class of King’s are Fat and Sassy…which is a very good thing!!!”

When called, Jay Wesley, the Southern Lake Michigan Unit Manager (Area’s South of Muskegon responsibility) for the DNR Fisheries Division confirmed that “the Family Feud fish is the biggest Fish I have heard being caught on Lake Michigan this Summer, or possibly in the last couple years for that matter, and he stated “that a 28# lb. King, out of the Port of Ludington, was the largest he had heard of so far this year”. Mr. Wesley went on to say that “the good news is that the average “Chinook Weight’s” are up from the last year, which is great news, and due to a dramatic increase in their food source”.

Captain Rusch said that “Our Charter Trip was already going very well (11 beautiful Salmon in the Cooler), when we hooked into this monster. One of my Customers, young Max Griffith of Haslett, Michigan, was on the rod and did a great job battling this huge fish to the Boat. Congratulations once again Max!”

Max’s Dad, Dale Griffith, was still excited when called at Home one week later. “Oh, we had such a great time. Max loves Fishing and this catch was a real thrill, a lifetime memory. This fish just would not come in. While Max had his huge fish on, for what seemed like an hour or so, we had other fish hitting our baits. At one point, we had a “triple header” going, including Max’s monster. We finally cleared all of the lines and had to begin to try and chase this fish down, in order to land Max’s trophy! The Family Feud Captain and his Mate did a great job!”

Max, a recent High School graduate from Haslett, will be starting College at Western Michigan University this Fall. The Griffith Family was in Frankfort Area, with many “Out of State (Iowa)” Family Members, for a Family 50th Wedding Anniversary Party. Said Mr. Griffith, “All of us were elated with our Charter on the Family Feud, a beautiful 40' Silverton, and with the event of Max’s huge King Salmon conquest. Frankfort/Elberta and Benzie County are two of our most favorite places on the Great Lakes, and when it comes to Great Lakes Fishing…Frankfort is second to none!!!”


http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/531/UNM3.jpg

[stinger63]

Good news. I hope we can start hearing things like that out of Huron soon.
The only way that will happen if the kings from lake michigan return to huron where they came from this fall.The largest king that I have heard about out of huron has been 14lbs.Kings while larger and over abundunt in lake michigan this year they are scarce and difficult to find at least in the far southern portion.Maybe its better up on the northern end I dont know reports have been hard to get from that area.
Good news about the Lake michigan kings though 30lb + fish are nice to see and read about.

[ausable_steelhead]

The largest king that I have heard about out of huron has been 14lbs.

Uh, I believe the winning king at the Brown Trout festival was around 20lbs or so, or did that get topped? One of the guys on the site has taken a 15 off Oscoda so far this year. People gotta realize, lake Huron is JUST coming back, there won't immediatley be 20-30lb fish right off the bat. And frankly, I'm quite happy with what I've heard about Huron so far this season, it's alot better sounding than the last two years. There's actually healthy fish out there, with bait in some stomachs, that's a huge improvment over the last couple seasons.

[ted stehney]

That is a great story! It gets me all worked up. Ohhhh baby Lake Michigan here I come! I hope we can get a few half the size of that monster this next week. We will be fishing out of Holland in a 24 Albemarle. My handle is Tipper. I also answer to "hey you I've got leadcore out." LOL

[salmon_slayer06]

I know for a fact that the 22 pounder I caught last week would easily have been 26 pounds minimum come fall. And I seen 2 26 pound kings weighed in also last week. So...30's will be had and maybe bigger. When I cleaned the fish we caught last thursday, I noticed lots of alewives packed in the bellies. But the fish we caught from that day on were empty, not all, but most of them. BTW, we boated a 4 pound male atlantic that hit the dipsy.

[gomer]

BTW, we boated a 4 pound male atlantic that hit the dipsy.


Pic?

[stinger63]

Pic?
:16suspect

[Dale Griffith]

My son caught the 32 lb. 12 oz. King Salmon on July 18 in Frankfort. It was 43" long and 26" around. It is currently at the taxidermy to be mounted.
Here's where you can find the story and picture of his fish:
http://www.educatedangler.com/content/view/805/82/

We chartered Family Feud with first mate Harry Day. What a great team!

[weekendredneck]

Congratulations to you and your son on a great fish!