Jawzon charter fishing Lake Michigan adventure

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The alarm woke me up two hours before the crack of dawn. Summer had been a whirlwind so far as it had been one adventure after another. Most notably, I returned from four weeks in Thailand, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. School was starting again in about ten days, so something closer to home was in order. A charter fishing Lake Michigan adventure seemed like a great way to close out the summer.

Getting to Waukegan Harbor

I awoke and put on my adidas waterproof hiking boots, and soon enough, I was on a near empty highway going north on I-94 and the 41 to Waukegan. It was still dark when I parked and met longtime fishing buddy Jim. Jim and I first went fishing together in grade school when we were on a little league team together. We discovered while in the dugout together that we both enjoyed fishing, and a few days later, my mom dropped me off for a day of fishing ponds in Barrington adjacent to Jim’s house.

Related: Traverse City Lake Michigan fishing adventure

Fishing Lake Michigan has always been on the list

Fishing Lake Michigan has always been something I have wanted to do, but being busy canoeing, hiking, and traveling internationally always got in the way. When Jim reached out to see if I was interested, I was excited that the date fit in between returning from Asia and the start of school, so I jumped at the chance.

As we trolled out of Waukegan Harbor, the sun began to rise over Lake Michigan. Phones were out recording the beautiful sunset as we headed out to the deeper waters east of the harbor. We were joined by Jim’s neighbor Bill and his son Bill. Our captain’s name was Jim, the owner of Jawzon charter tours. I was joined by two Jims and two Bills, so easy to remember. The first mate was Ryan and that rounded out our cast of characters on this more than three-hour tour.

Tight lines in deep water the charter fishing Lake Michigan adventure commences

I enjoy all aspects of fishing, even some of the parts that many think are a pain, but I am not going to lie, it is really nice to sometimes to sit back and let others do the work. This charter fishing Lake Michigan was the fishing counterpart of luxury travel. The boat was a gorgeous new pure white machine with plenty of room and places to sit. Jim and Ryan did all the work. They put on the lures; they threw out the lines. All we had to do is sit and wait for the fish to bite.

Fish on many times due to a charter fishing Lake Michigan adventure

And bite the fish did. It took a little while for the action to get started, as we headed out about a mile or so from shore. Then it took some time to get all the lines in the water. A little more time was spent trying to find the right depth and spot where the fish were active. When all the necessary steps were taken, the action began, and at times it was nonstop. At one time, all four of us were reeling in fish. If the fish got off, the first mate would take over the reel and set it back to the correct depth.

Bad luck for me at first

My first fish was successfully brought in the boat, but I think I lost the next three or four. It got so bad I was even getting a gentle ribbing from the captain. This was not a reputation I was looking for. It is like a running back in football who has a reputation for fumbling. Once you do it a couple of times, you get tight and the defenders know you are a fumbler and lock in. I feel like fish have a similar instinct. They can sense a fumbler at the helm of the rod and jerk extra hard knowing they can escape.

Brown trout changes the narrative

I then got the good fortune to handle the rod with a mighty nice fish. We took turns grabbing the rod when a fish took the lure. I fought this fish for a good 10-15 minutes, all the time fighting the fear that he would keep my reputation intact. The fish was out of luck this time, and it turned out to be a brown trout.

Up to this point, we had caught steelheads, king salmon, and coho salmon. When I brought in the brown trout, even the captain, who does this everyday was surprised and excited. He called it a unicorn. It seemed like this boost in confidence did wonders, because I had success reeling in three or four more fish. I may have lost another along the way, but at least I was leaving the vessel on a positive note.

Four fishermen and over 24 fish

We had a wonderful day catching over 24 fish and reeling in multiple species. Our first mate cleaned the fish as we turned back to the Harbor. My friend Jim passed out celebratory beers, and we took pictures with the fish before being cleaned and toasted to as successful day. We each had several bags full of fresh fish to take back home.

The adventure is not cheap but so worth it

I am not going to lie, the price is expensive for four hours, but it was so worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just the experience is worth the price in of itself, but you add the fact that you get many pounds of fresh salmon filets to take home is amazing. I supplied fresh salmon filets for dinner on three separate occasions and fed myself three times and fed seven other people once, and I still have one bag of filets frozen in the freezer. You cannot beat fresh salmon filets. It is the best travel souvenir ever in my opinion.

The price was around $240 per person, and of course this price varies by how many people you bring. It would be really pricy if you were solo, so this is an experience you really need to bring a group of friends with. Of course, with fishing, you are never guaranteed to catch fish, but Captain Jim knows the spots, and I am sure his success rate is pretty high. My friends went once with him earlier, and they had a similar load of fish.

Adventure on!