J. Young Outdoors

06/01/2026

See you later month of May. Fishing was great, temps were cold, it was windy and wet. Next up, June! ☀️ 🎣

05/29/2026

Night session with 3 generations of this Chicago Crew.

05/29/2026

Cold and rough water but my Missouri clients got it done 👍

05/27/2026

Monster Walleye on East GT Bay tonight! 30.5” and just under 11lb. Caught on a SS A-Bomb on a 8 color lead line.

05/25/2026

Another solid morning on the big water. Spoons continue to dominate the spread with a meat bite or large flasher strike here and there.

05/23/2026

Spring Kings have been keeping my clients busy this week. Alien Breath took 4 of our 8 this morning. Screaming lines is the best music choice of any outing.

05/13/2026

First walleye of the day and first ever legal keeper walleye for this guy Needless to say, it was a personal best for him at just under 22” It’s was cold, windy and then raining just after that sun came up. spoon getting the biggest fish of the day.

05/07/2026

04/22/2026

Fun in the ☀️ with and 🇲🇽

04/15/2026

The Flooding

My first thought is always for those whose homes and properties are directly affected. It’s incredibly sad to see houses flooded and roads falling apart or washing away.

My second thought turns to my profession and the potential fallout for our fishery. Why? Because the peak of steelhead season is upon us, and right now, no one can take advantage of it, especially after an already difficult year marked by sustained low temperatures and a lack of precipitation.

Steelhead are about to spawn, but with rivers in their current condition, that may not happen. We’ve already seen devastating losses at the Manistee fish hatchery, where nearly 1,200 steelhead and 4.8 million eggs intended for future stocking were lost. Less talked about is the walleye spawn that has just taken place, those newly fertilized eggs will most likely not survive. On top of that there are uncountable fish and other aquatic species that will be devastated by this. In Michigan this is a lifeline of tourism, professions and sustainability.

The long-term repercussions could be severe, impacting our fishery for years, possibly decades. It’s hard to fully grasp, harder to plan for, and ultimately uncertain how things will recover. Walleye numbers can be adjusted for planting. Steelhead can’t be adjusted the same way when the collected specimens for the state have died.

I in no way want to diminish the main issue, people’s homes are in jeopardy. Land may be lost. Families are facing hardship, and accessibility remains uncertain.

My heart goes out to those severely impacted so far and those that have hard days ahead. I also want to acknowledge those that will be affected for years to come.