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Baron2150 wrote:

All good advice given so far.  For getting into the sport check Craigslist or eBay for guys getting out or just trying to get rid of extra equipment.  There are some great deals out there for gear that will surprise you if you are willing to make reasonable offers.  Also look for tackle swap meets. 

The HCC will be having its swap meet this year on Feb 26th.  You can get a table if you want to sell or just come and buy a bunch of stuff .  More details will come out soon.  Here is the link on the HCC page:  www.hoosiercohoclub.org/index.php/meeting-dates

I’m from Valpo, so plan on launching out of Portage

Okay, coho will probably start on the south end around mid march. Gary light is a good spot if coming from portage. 

Also ,as Baron mentioned,  the swap meets are a great place to get equipment at a great price.

Good luck out there,  becareful- once bit by the salmon bug it becomes addicting!
Also there's alot of hate for Lakers on some sites but i find the small ones are good off the grill and larger ones in the smoker.

Coho from ice out till mid July has been the normal the past 5 years. The areas, methods and techniques change with the seasons. Ice out they will be hunting warmer waters and they typically are 15-22". April same thing but more spread out in all shallow waters and they range 22-25" then in June and July they move offshore 6-20 miles depending on water temp. In June and July they put on lbs and can be anywhere from 2lbs to 12lbs by mid July. This passed July we were averaging 6-8lbers which are really fun.

Mid April kings show up and are around till about mid June in the same areas as the Coho.

Mid June=end of July Skamania Steelhead are coming in to spawn so you can target them right out of the river mouth.

Mid July to end of Aug = offshore lakers and mix bag of species depending what is around

End of Aug - Mid sept = Coho and Kings coming into spawn so you can catch them in close around the river mouth.

Our end of the lake is shallow compared to the rest of Lake Michigan but there are still a lot of close to shore opportunities for small boat or new guys to get in on the fun without having to venture 10+ miles. Follow the reports and ask questions. They reports on the site here will give you a good idea on where the fish are going and a good starting point then the fun is hunting them down.

This is a fun thread to read and proves there's not right or wrong ways - or even always.  Like when Dirty says he never runs braid on downriggers. Once I'm running lures more than 30 or 40 feet deep, I only use braid, to get better releases off the downrigger and far less blowback on the 'rigger balls and cables.  Not trying to start a fight, just pointing out there are different  methods that suit some better than others. I haven't mentioned this much the last several years because I don't want people think I'm using this site to drum up business for myself.  I would say one bit of advice is correct. Go with someone once or twice. I've taken "newbies" out many times over the years and if they let me know in advance, I spend as much time trying to explain what and why I'm doing something as just trying to catch fish. Go on a charter or hook up with someone with experience.  

I will offer this to you. Before you drill a hole, or buy anything, take a drive down to the country and come into my pole barn where my boat is stored. It's only 21 ft. - just a bit bigger than yours and see how it's rigged. It's the fifth boat I've put into service and I can definitely show you some hard do's and don't's.  my email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want to set something up - probably 45 miles from Valpo, mostly down I-65.  

One bit of advice in this thread makes little sense. Don't buy something "to get by" for a season or two and then upgrade later. Buy something that you can use for the next 20 years. You don't have to buy everything the first year, but have a plan and work towards completing the plan.  

I'm in the same boat. I have been a silent reader for about a year and have found a lot of good info. Next year will my first time in about 35 years on the big pond. I'm still getting used to my new boat. I do have a question about VHF radios. Any recommendation? I don't think it matters but I have all Humminbird equipment. 

You can't go wrong with a Standard Horizon imo

 I've been using an relatively inexpensive Cobra brand from Bass Pro for years. Couple things - one, get a fixed radio (as opposed to hand held for a variety of reasons. Two, get an eight foot antenna as opposed to a short model.  VHF range is line of sight. That extra 4 or 5 feet of antenna length will get you an extra 8 or 10 miles of range (depending the height of the receiving antenna 8 or 10 miles away.  I've talked boat to boat with guys who mounted their antenna on the end of an upright outrigger more than 30 miles distant. 
One other thing I did years ago was to salvage an external speaker from a car stereo - probably has a 4 or 5 inch "noise maker thing" inside the box. Way louder, if you wish, and much clearer than the squeaks and grunts that come out of a little 2-inch speaker inside the radio.   

The scan function used to be very helpful on "away" trips when people actually talked on the radio. Not so much anymore since more and more people are using cell phones or like here in Indiana where if you put it on 68 you'll hear about 90% of the fishing traffic (and plenty of harbor talk from Chicago where they use it to order pick-ups from their moorings - very tall antenna.)  

Thank you all for the info

  Eopperman13
 if your starting out keep it simple. Sounds like your going fish 3 rods? If you have some fishing lures, some will work for you for the spring coho. Old baits like hot n tots, tadpolly's, Rapala j-9's ,and 11's etc. in oranges and reds all work still. Some days a certain bait will be better then others. Double up or triple up if you can on whats working for you. The other item that changes sometimes daily is troll speed, and each of those baits have a best speed to troll them at. Doesn't pay to troll stuff that for the speed your working that one of your baits maybe going to slow or to fast. You will figure it out and if you have a gps, match your speeds can help. If no gps watch your rod tip and make sure your pulling good as you troll. If you need some baits I'm sure I could hand over to you enough to get you going in the right direction. Learn to use the Personal Message system on this site.
The Coho will be there as soon as your ready to get out. Last season there was coho to be caught at the mouth of the ditch in February.