Newletter

Welcome from Captain Dave!

Welcome to the 2009 sport fishing season! As Resolute Charters heads into its 27th year of operation, we would like to note some of the highlights from last season and share with you some of the items we’re looking forward to in 2009…

Looking Back at 2008

All in all, 2008 was a productive, yet challenging year for Resolute Charters. Weather played a dominant roll in Lake Michigan fishing this last season; much more than we’ve seen in years.  A frigid and windy spring kept water temperatures much colder than normal, yet we started the season off pretty well with some good to excellent coho and king fishing in May and early June. However, just as the weather warmed and the Lake was starting to properly “set up”, record rainfall plagued the Midwest.

While spring precipitation is normally not an issue, the tremendous rains we were subjected to in early June caused an incredible amount of runoff into the Lake and cloudy water (normally an enemy to any salmon fisherman) could be found south of Waukegan to north of Milwaukee and from the beach to 20 miles offshore. This 800 square mile plum of dirty water plagued our area for most of June, which is a critical time for our fishery. The huge schools of salmon and trout that normally move up the shoreline from the south during the month of June avoided this band of tainted water and either stayed well to our south or migrated toward the middle of the Lake and out of our range. Instead, small bands of fish trickled into the area at a slow pace and the normally hot fishing month of July was off by 30-40%.

By the first week of August, the water had stabilized and we saw a nice return to normal as our local structure (the “hill”) lit up with some fantastic fishing. Catch averages were back to 15 to 25 fish per charter with a nice mixture of kings, cohos, and steelhead. However, just as we were about to relax, Mother Nature flexed her muscle once again. A huge high pressure system moved through the area around August 10^th and turned winds to the northeast for several days. As a result, the lake currents changed and our waters suddenly warmed from the surface to the bottom, driving our fish way offshore. Average catch numbers fell off again for mid to late August, but on the up side, the average size of the fish were bigger than in years past.  

By early September, fishing settled back into a normal pattern, but we were still fishing offshore (3-5 miles) well into October. Catch averages did improve and we did finish the season with some pretty steady action. All in all, the charter boat Resolute posted an overall 13 fish-per-charter average for 2008 (down from 17.1 in 2007). 2008 will definitely go down in history as one of the strangest weather years we have ever seen!

Looking Forward to 2009
 
Despite last season’s returns, we’re expecting an exciting and productive fishing season for the Port of Kenosha in 2009. Spring coho fishing should be right on track, plus we’re anticipating continued fantastic early season king, brown trout, and steelhead action to mix into the spring catch. Look for fishing to heat up toward the middle of April. Weather, as always, will be the key factor.

Judging from past trends and area stocking reports, we’re also looking forward to a great year for returning king salmon. While mid-summer historically tends to be the time when the bigger kings show up, indicators are looking good for some excellent early season big fish action. Lake trout numbers are expected to remain consistent for 2008 with numerous “lakers” in the 25 lb class sure to be cruising our off shore waters! June, July, and August are generally the best times to key in on this species.
 
A consistent brown trout fishery continues to develop in the Kenosha area and we’ve seen increases both in terms of size and quantity of these prized game fish over the last several years. The Wisconsin DNR has had continued success with the “Seeforellen” brown trout program resulting in numerous 15 to 20 pound browns taken in our area. Look again for some excellent early and late season brown trout action. All factors considered, we’re looking forward to what should be a highly successful and exciting fishing season for the port of Kenosha!

We’re currently taking bookings for the 2009 season and have plenty of prime dates still available – feel free to check with us for any time for open dates or fishing reports.

This is my personal invitation to you to join us this season in some of the best sport fishing in the Midwest, right here out of the port of Kenosha, Wisconsin!

Best regards,

Capt. Dave