From 4-27-18 News-Dispatch
Big, bigger, biggest.
The Buffalo Bill Memorial contest held in Michigan City on Saturday provided some huge chinook, the largest turnout in years and the heaviest winning catch in the 17-year history of the event.
Captain Joel DeVries of Goshen and crew aboard Fin Scout muscled a contest record 100.8 pounds of salmon (10 fish limit) to the scales to win the first Lake Michigan trolling event of the season.
"This was the first time I fished this year," DeVries, who won the Classic here in 2013 as well as the Ludington Offshore, the biggest tournament on the lake last summer, said.
"I'd heard chinook were caught north of the Cook Plant prior to last weekend's blow, so that's where we started. The fish were inside 40 feet of water."
DeVries mentioned a Stinger spoon in the green dolphin pattern was a hot bait on a downrigger along with plugs on the surface. The winning catch included multiple kings weighing in the teens.
First place paid $1,015 and earned Fin Scout swaggering rights for the week.
My Tyme, captained by Bill Dodrill of Valparaiso, claimed second ($710) with nine salmon weighing 87.4 pounds, including big fish ($675) for the day, a whopping 19.4 pound chinook.
"The big one hit a blue dolphin (spoon) on a braid diver," Dodrill, who also fished north of the Cook plant, said.
Third place winner ($310) Reel FIle, with captain and contest coordinator Shannon Rock at the helm, stayed close to Michigan City, catching a 10-pound king and nine coho for a total of 31.4 pounds.
"The king hit a Thin Fish (plug) on top and most of the coho came from the deep 50's (feet of water)."
Rock also figured the mild weather and good salmon catches earlier this spring led to the best turnout - 27 boats - in many years.
Overall, catches were not real good due to silty water from the previous weekend's storms. Only five boats were able to record 10-fish limits. There were however, 25 salmon over 10 pounds brought in.
On a down note, this was likely the final official event organized by the Michiana Steelheaders.
"There has been three or four of us (volunteers) keeping things together the last four years, but we just don't have the people to keep things going," Rock said.
For decades the Steelheaders were one of the premiere conservation clubs promoting and protecting Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River fishery. The club annually held multiple salmon and perch events, a youth contest, Special Athletes outing, fish boils and more.
On a positive note, Rock said the Hoosier Coho Club has pledged to keep the Buffalo Bill (and its 10-silver fish limit) going, as well as take over the youth tournament, which is scheduled for June 9 (see
www.hoosiercohoclub.org).
Coho Capital
The seventh annual Coho Capital Derby, sponsored by the LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau, starts today in a revamped format.
A total of $2,500 is up for grabs in the April 27 through May 4 contest. The three heaviest fish in five categories - coho, chinook, brown trout, lake trout and steelhead win cash with first paying $300, second $100 and third $50, plus a prize for the smallest catch in each division. Entry is free for Hoosier Coho Club members, or an angler may join for $20.
Official scales will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day at the Washington Park fish cleaning station. Prizes will by awarded on the evening of May 4 at the Classic Captain's meeting.
Previously, the CCD ran for five consecutive weeks with weekly winners plus $500 for the largest salmon and largest trout overall. Now, it kicks off Classic Week in Michigan City,
Classic Week includes the HCC Pro/Am on Saturday, Hartman Memorial on May 4 and the 44th annual HCC/Horizon Bank Classic on May 5-6. Multiple events fish within the Classic, including big fish, 333, second-day and progressive with total prizes topping $50,000. First place in the Pro division of the Classic pays $12,000.
For more information on contests during Classic Week, including complete Coho Capital Derby rules, see
www.hoosiercohoclub.org.
Also, standings for the CCD will be updated daily on the Hoosier Coho Club Facebook page.
Outdoors Report
Its about to get real good on the inland lakes with 70-degree temps in the forecast for the middle of next week. Crappie should be starting to spawn with bluegills and bass crowding the shallows, particularly in and around emerging lily pad fields.
Coho, brown trout and steelhead catches picked up greatly on the Michigan City pier early this week. Those fish should be available to small boat trollers around the breakwall, too. Steelhead continue to slip into Trail Creek, although the number of days remaining in the spring run are dwindling.
Turkey season continues through May 13
