Olcott 4/29 to 5/5

[big easy]

We fished out of Olcott for seven straight days,from 4/29-5/5.Fishing was pretty slow compared to last year,and we didn't boat a single king.We were not alone,as every other person we spoke to or heard on the radio,had the same results.

We ended up with a catch of about fifty coho,in the three to five pound range, Two good browns at eight and eleven pounds.and at least ten pig lake trout,several over fifteen pounds.

We fished east to the power plant,and west to around six mile creek,and everywhere in between.Virtually all the coho,with the exception of a few,where caught off the boards with stickbaits.Our best baits were white/orange, green/orange, and blues. we did good with the jointed F7 Rapalas, and 4" Berkely tormentor stick baits.

Best water depths for the coho were with the boat in six to twelve feet,with the boards probably in four to fifteen feet.

We did get quadruples on the riggers set at fourteen and nineteen feet with spoons in greens and orange colors.

Both browns were caught with the boards almost on the beach,from between keg creek,and the power plant.

The Lakers were caught off the riggers sixty down over approx eighty feet of water,with the stinger stingray,in the ludington pattern being the best producer.Best area,was off the power plant.

We met and talked with lots of friends and a few capts. in Olcott,and the conversations were always the same,"where are the kings?". Even the guys on the bar were'nt getting any.Yeah,there were a few caught but it was not common.

Water temps were very cold with temps inside of 41 to 43 deg.,and beleive it or not, from 34 to 39 deg. in fifty to two hundred depths.

As other reports stated,the amount of trees,branches,buckets,bags,and other stuff in the water was unbeleivable. I had a plastic trash bag get wound around the prop on the kicker,and literally had to dodge whole trees and huge branches while trolling.

Hopefully the temps will rise and the kings will show up for all of you fishing the LOC Derby,good luck to all of you.