Capt. John's Tips & Tricks

Capt. John King wrote dozens of how-to articles on MichiganSportsman.com between 2000 and 2021. We've brought his best ones here, organized by topic. Each article credits John and links to his original.

Browse all of Capt. John's articles →

Quick guides

• Magnum vs. Super Magnum Meat Head Fit Guide — Which head fits your strips, Rip Teezers or whole herring.
• Salmon Buster Spoon Selection Guide — Size and color by season and water clarity.
• Trolling Speed Chart by Product — John's speeds for spoons, flashers, meat rigs and Rip Teezers.
• Trolling Cheat Sheet — All of John's key numbers in one printable table.
• Spread Setup Guide — Riggers, divers, copper, lead core and planer boards.

Strategy and decision making

• How to Find Fish: Capt. John's Exploratory Elimination — The question John was asked most.
• Do I Stay, or Do I Go? — A 28 lb King trip broken down: thermocline, the 100' rule, and when to leave fish to find fish.
• Mid-Day Mayhem — Why the best summer bite can start after the fleet goes in.
• Speed Kills: Getting Trolling Speed Right — Sea bags, currents, cable angles and turns.
• Meat Me in Manistee: The Bi-Chromatic Program — Two colors, matched sides.
• Thinking Inside the Box, and Storing Your Tackle

Salmon behavior and color

• Eaters or Biters? — Late-summer Kings act like two different fish.
• Fish Can't See Red? Capt. John Begged to Differ
• Phat Results: Testing the Skinny Minnie Pattern — A 16.95 lb Coho.

The meat program: Rip Teezers™ and real bait

Which head? Magnum meat heads are designed for cut or sliced bait, meat strips and Rip Teezers™; the smaller Orange Label (4" to 5") whole herring also works. Super Magnum heads are for all forms of bait: cut or whole bait, meat strips and Rip Teezers™, with Green Label (6" to 7") or Red Label (5" to 6") whole herring the perfect fit. The larger Blue Label (7" to 8") whole herring also works in the Super Magnum. See the Fit Guide.

• The Rip Teezers Story — Why John made them, and the 2020 test where charged glow strips out-fished real meat in low light.
• Rip Teezers Use and Care — Rigging, speed, scent, glow and storage.
• Designing Rip Teezers
• Manistee's Master Baiter: How the Meat Program Began (2003)
• Rigging Whole Bait in a Super Mag Meat Head
• Cutting Your Own Herring Strips
• Building Your Own Flies and Meat Rigs
• Capt. John's Secret Hook Setup
• The Story of the Super Magnum Meat Head

Flashers, flies, knots and hooks

• A-Tractors: Fishing Dodgers, Cowbells and Rotating Flashers — Speed, leads, fly leader lengths and attaching the fly.
• Making and Rigging Trolling Flies
• 6 Pack Stickers: Why Capt. John Switched to Double Snelled Trebles
• Get the Point: Hooks, Sharpening and Hooking Fish

Downriggers, divers and line

• Black's & Bands: The Science of Downrigger Releases
• How to Install Rubber Band Releases
• Diverology 101
• Super Snubbers, Wire and Braid: Stop Losing Diver Fish
• Rod and Reel Care Tips

Spoons, planer boards and surface trolling

• Surface Trolling with Salmon Buster Spoons
• Salmon Buster Spoons: Rigging, Leads and Tips
• The Birds: Rigging Inline Planer Boards

Tackle history

• Tackle Development History: BTI, Silver Bullet and Salmon Buster
• Our Story: Capt. John King

More from Capt. John

Lake Michigan Trolling Guide · Fishing Calendar · Reviews & Testimonials · Log Archive