An Outdoorsman’s Journal

By: Mark Walters

Coho at Port Washington

Hello friends, I am currently in what could be termed as an overscheduled time in my life. Fortunately what is on my schedule is all good, such as hobby farming, pond building, volunteering, a litter of pups and in just a few days, my daughter Selina is coming home from Missoula, Montana for a wedding. The crazy stuff will end or slow down after the 4th of July.

This week’s column is about paddle trolling out of my canoe on Lake Michigan at Port Washington for coho salmon. This spring the coho fishing has been incredible on Lake Michigan and I thought it would be fun to see if I could catch one out of my canoe and live to tell about it.

Friday, May 24 High 67, low 47 One of the main challenges in paddle trolling for salmon and actually catching a salmon is to be able to paddle your canoe fast enough to make your lures work to attract a salmon. Speaking of canoe fishing for salmon, how come I have never seen another person fishing for salmon out of a canoe?

Anyway here is the scoop; I put my canoe in at a beach in Port Washington and after rigging three poles, one with a spoon and two with a flasher/fly set up, I was headed out to sea. In reality you have to be in at least 30 feet of water before you start to set lines and it was interesting as I worked my way east and was passed by dozens of both charter boats and private boats that were headed out to at least 100 feet of water. The wind was minimal, and I made a goal of paddling to 100 feet and that is what I did, which took me about 90 minutes. I did not have a strike, did not see anyone else catch a fish and kept fishing until an hour after dark. Because I did not have a lodging plan, I slept in a Walmart parking lot in the GMC Hotel.

Saturday, May 25 High 89, low 50 I was moving at 4:30 this morning and as soon I got out of the truck after a pretty pathetic night’s sleep, I decided that I needed some calories so I chugged a nutrition drink, which I do often as it is quick, reliable calories. Very bad luck came my way when I realized that my breakfast was curdled and that was a very unpleasant experience.

Today was going to be a big mile day as I was going to go as deep as I could and hopefully catch a coho. I headed southeast as that is the direction the wind was from, and I figured it would push me back to Port Washington. Nothing was happening for me and I paddled to where I could easily see the buildings in Milwaukee and at 184-feet of water I figured I had better start working my way back.

I had been in the canoe for 6 hours and generally, I am on my knees. Seven hours into my journey I was back to 50- feet of water and something hit a clowncolored crankbait that I was pulling. The coho jumped several times and I was one happy camper when it made it to the net. I figured I had better work this area a bit longer and within minutes had another coho hit a flasher/fly. I was about to net it when the manufactured knot came out and I watched my quarry swim away with the fly in it’s mouth.

After 9 hours, I hit a very crowded beach and was one happy camper. My goal of catching a salmon out my canoe had been met and physically the experience did not kick my butt.

Set goals and do your best to achieve them! Sunset.

This coho hit a crankbait Walters was pulling while paddle trolling with his canoe on Lake Michigan at Port Washington.

Sunrise on Lake Michigan at Port Washington as seen from my canoe.

Ruby is the grandma to Red’s pups and is pretty much addicted to them.