Lake Michigan Charters

[gjoice06]

Hello, my 30th birthday is in May and my brothers and I will be celebrating up in Chicago. I want to do a day of fishing on Lake Michigan with a charter. My question is: does anybody have any recommendations on what charter company to use? I have heard Winthrop Harbor is a good location. Any advice will be appreciated. I will also add that we will be going the third weekend in May, hoping for Coho Salmon

[stripernut1]

Capt. Rich Pegau "Rainmaker Charters", hes out of Port of Burns Indiana (you are looking straight across the lake at Chicago) . He has been chartering for something like close to 40 years, his deckhand has been on a salmon boat as long or longer. Went with them this last May and had an absolute blast and caught fish in spite of horrible hurricame like weather. Just an FYI if you are even the least bit prone to seasickness take some dramnine, lake michigan gets wave action as bad as any ocean you will ever be on. Take a big cooler, fresh never frozen coho and king salmon on the grill is one fine meal.
Google "rainmaker charters, lake michigan". You might want to hit him up pretty quick, he fills up fast and early. If hes booked he can reccomend one of his top notch buddies as well.

[BKGOOCH]

second capt rich

[kygorski]

There are a ton of charter boats, but book early for the good ones.In may I'd use an indiana charter, the cohos will still be active close to shore. But for some real fishing, look for a capt that fishes steelhead also. I used to launch out of whiting or hammond indiana,but the best fishing is closer to gary indiana.In the spring the fish will mostly coho in the3 to 5 pound range, the kings may go to 10 or better. But the trout can be bigger.

[gforcetrivers]

There are a ton of charter boats, but book early for the good ones.In may I'd use an indiana charter, the cohos will still be active close to shore. But for some real fishing, look for a capt that fishes steelhead also. I used to launch out of whiting or hammond indiana,but the best fishing is closer to gary indiana.In the spring the fish will mostly coho in the3 to 5 pound range, the kings may go to 10 or better. But the trout can be bigger.

You should see some Steelhead and Brown Trout as well at that time of year. I grew up about 100 miles north of there. Thats a shallower part of the Lake. X2 Dramamine. 6 footers are not uncommon but they are spaced out more than on Erie for example.

Good Luck.

[kygorski]

I worked almost on the shore. The company I worked for a wam water discharge into the lake, And yes, the browns and steelhead fishing was fantastic.