May on Lake Michigan: Spring King Salmon

From Capt. John King's fishing logs, 2004–2015. May brings the spring King Salmon run up the Michigan shore, starting at the southern ports and reaching Manistee by mid-month.

When the Kings arrive: the lilac rule

Since the 1970s, John used lilac bushes as his calendar: "if the Lilacs are in full bloom, you can count on some pretty decent Chinook action." Southern ports like St. Joe and South Haven start in late April. Manistee runs about 3 weeks behind.

Where to fish

  • Harbors after an east wind: "Every time Manistee has had an east wind, the harbor and mud line has loaded up with Kings." On 5/16/06, harbor limits to 15 lb came 17' down.
  • The shelf: Manistee shelf Kings 50' down over 100–130' of water, trolled slow (5/3/06).
  • Southern ports, deeper: South Haven Kings 90' down over 110–140' of water (May 2006). St. Joe 50–120' down over 130–150' (5/7/06).
  • Lead core: 3- and 5-color lead core was "on fire" at Manistee (5/6/06).
  • Southern Coho: Michigan City Coho in 30–45' of water, surface to 12' down, in dirty water.

The 2-fly meat rig debut: May 17, 2006, Manistee

  • Lines set on the shelf around 9am, skipping the crowded harbor.
  • A 6-King limit averaging 10 lb, every fish on 10" BTI flashers with 2-fly meat rigs.
  • Black Mamba/Clear Red took 4 of the 6 on two divers. "Both divers produced equal action, as the directional spin did what it was designed to do. No tangles either!"
  • 2-fly spacing: 12" from the bead chain to the first fly, 12" to the second fly, a barrel swivel, then 14–15" to the Magnum meat head.

Divers beat spoons

Capt. Kirk's Ludington limit on 5/13/06: "2 divers (equipped with meat/BTI) produced more fish based on a rod count compared to the 4 downriggers I was running with spoons." His best diver rod was a Monkey Puke BTI.

Deep and slow on cold spring days

St. Joe, 4/29/06: a 2-person limit in rough water on a Green Double Glow BTI with a matching meat rig. Riggers at 85', 95' and 105' over 115–120' of water, trolled slow at 1.3–1.8 mph.

Top May colors from John's logs

Black Mamba with a Clear Red meat rig, Monkey Puke, Green Double Glow, Krystal Killer, Mountain Dew and King Kobra. On spoons, the Mamba patterns took 75% of John's spring 2015 fish.

Recommended tackle

More: Full trolling guide · Trolling cheat sheet · All months

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