Mid-Day Mayhem

Adapted from Capt. John King's article, first published January 12, 2009 on MichiganSportsman.com. Read the original.

Most boats fish the morning and head in by mid-morning. Capt. John found that on summer days, some of the best fishing started right when everyone else left.

The mid-day pattern

• In August, deep Kings often switch on after 8:30–9am.
• The fleet thins out by 10am, and the lake can be empty by noon.
• Mid-day fish sit deep, in 38–44°F water, and are sluggish. Slow down to 1.5–2.0 mph.

Setting the riggers

• Keep about 15' between rigger depths so you cover more of the water column.
• Fishing 80–120' down: deepest (center) rigger on the shortest lead, 10–15'; the next rigger 20–25'; the highest rigger 30–40'.
• Fishing 150–200' down: tighten every lead to 10–12'.
• John's "John J" rig on the deepest rigger: a 12" King Kryptonite flasher with a 3-fly Undertaker meat rig.

Snippets

• Troll downwind, then run back up to your starting point.
• Most bites come as fish leave a pod of bait, not as they enter it.
• Mid-day is the time to run copper and lead core.
• With fewer boats around, deep fish are less spooked and easier to work.

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