2019 RV/Boat

Another busy day in the Straits of Mackinac began before the sun rose.  I was determined to find some fish today.  Unfortunately, the fish had other ideas.

I motored out into the Straits and trolled north toward the island.

Here are some action shots of the excitement...

Rods set to the downriggers

My propwash.

Yup, that was about as exciting as it got all morning.  I did actually land one small lake trout and had a salmon or steelhead on the line first thing in the morning.  I probably should have stuck around the area that I started in, but my temperature probe showed the water was really cold at 42°...or was it?

It's a long story, but I discovered that "someone" installed the probe upside down.  Apparently, the temperature doesn't read accurately when it's inverted.  I was actually fishing water over 57°.

Anyway, we ended up trolling completely around the island.  It's a scenic trip if nothing else, which is what it turned out to be...nothing else.

We pulled lines about 9:00am and ventured through the Round Island passage as a Shepler ferry arrives at Mackinac Island.

Passing the Mackinac Island harbor.

And the Round Island Light.

The sign says "open house".  It's not like you can just pull into a parking lot, get out and go have coffee and donuts.  Must have been some kind of transportation from Mackinac Island to get over there.  Needless to say, we passed on the opportunity.  Maybe next month when we're on the island for a few days.

So we made tracks toward Mackinaw City.

And what has become my least favorite place...

The gas dock, for fuel and a pump out.

Yessiree, it finally got there.

That's an even $5.00 a gallon.  Fortunately, I "only" needed about 75 gallons.  Doh!

Time for lunch and off to Darrow's.  It's the place we like the best here.

Then an afternoon relaxing around the boat.

Perhaps I should just fish the marina.  Noticed this smallmouth bass on its bed just off the marina patio.

I worked on the dinghy to begin the process of installing davits so it's easier to haul when we travel.  We determined that it was probably going to be easier to do the work on the dinghy at home, so loaded that into the minivan.  One other small chore was to retrieve the cap to the cooler drain that I dropped overboard.  Hopefully those antics don't appear on YouTube.

Evening arrives and over to the Crossing to take in a little classic rock.  There's entertainment there all day long.

Then the highlight of the day.

Mooneys!!!

And Brownie Nut Fudge.

The price isn't as good as we got at the Country Cone some years ago, but the helpings are every bit as generous.  This place is Mackinaw's best for ice cream.

After the ice cream, time for a little culture.

These guys were pretty good.  No violins in that group, only fiddles.  Kind of a mix between Irish and the Opry.

We ran out of gas after that event and relaxed at the boat until sundown missing another group in the Crossing and the laser light show.

Not the best forecast for tomorrow.  Rain, fog and possible thunder.

Ta-ta for now.