By Jennifer Dums
Fishing has always been a part of my life since as far back as I can remember. Growing up in the UP of Michigan, my dad took me fishing when I was a little girl for panfish like Bluegill and Perch often at small inland lakes. We lived very close to Lake Superior and visited often for beach time and warm weather fun. Although Lake Superior is quite cold, even in the hottest part of summer, as kids we never hesitated to jump in for a swim. It was in my late teens that I first headed out on a charter on Lake Superior to catch my first Lake Trout. Little did I know that it would later come to ignite a quest to fish all 5 of the Great Lakes.
As a woman, there are many more opportunities in the outdoors for hunting and fishing then there ever was when I was growing up. To the best of my knowledge there has not been a woman to have published an account of fishing all 5 of the Great Lakes until now. I am very proud of this accomplishment and hope to stand as an inspiration to empower women to go out and pursue what makes them happy in the outdoors.
Living first in the UP of Michigan and now in Northwest Wisconsin, I have fished Lake Superior more times than I can count or remember both on open water in the Spring/Summer and the bays for hard water ice fishing in Winter, but a few great charters do stand out in my memory. The top three charters and captains that I have fished with on Lake Superior include Captain Scott of N&S Great Lakes Fishing, Captain Robert of R Forrest Charters, and Captain Tom of Superior Sport Fishing. I was successful on each of these boats, a few of them several times! Lake Superior is known for Lake Trout and although it can be difficult to fish, you will not be disappointed with your experience. I am sure I will be out many more times on this big lake in search of those huge trophy Lakers. My most recent adventure included taking 5 other ladies out who had never fished Lake Superior before, and all of us were successful! Photos are of representative Lake Trout of Lake Superior.
Lake Michigan is the place everyone talks about for fishing King Salmon. I have been lucky enough to fish this lake 4 times and have caught some beautiful Chinook, Steelhead, Coho and even a Lake Trout. Two charters that stand out for me with excellent crews, success rates and overall great experiences: Captain Rob on the Nauti Dog and Nolan’s Top Gun Charters. I have fished out of both the Wisconsin and Lower Michigan ports with not only great fishing success, but each equally as fun and exciting. There is certainly a lot of opportunity on Lake Michigan to have a great time filling the cooler. I even participated in a lady’s tournament on the Nauti Dog and came in 3rd place overall with our huge cooler of Kings! Pictured here is one of my biggest Chinook Salmon on Lake Michigan and a beautiful Steelhead.
One lake that is often overlooked but proved to be a huge success in very little time was Lake Huron. Big Water Charters got my husband and I on the fish immediately and we had a limit in under 2 hours. From Coho to Steelhead to Lake Trout the lines were tight and the cooler was full. If you are looking for a great fishing experience, I highly recommend this hidden gem of a fishing spot. Pictured is a back-to-back double on Coho.
Next on my list was Lake Ontario. I took a recommendation from a friend to book with Captain Dan on Relentless Charters and it was everything and more! This was the furthest lake from me distance wise, so my husband and I flew to New York and booked two days of fishing to be sure we did not get shut out by weather or any other problems having to travel so far. Now, we almost didn’t make this trip as we had some pretty interesting plane trouble. Literally 20 minutes into our flight, an engine blew and we had to return to the airport. That caused a more than 4-hour delay and almost cancelled the flight. This was extremely stressful as we were fishing at 6am the next morning. But God was certainly looking out for us as we made it to our motel room by 11:30 pm that night and still managed to fish at 6am the next day! We limited out both days on Lake Ontario with some of the biggest and best Chinook and Steelhead with even a Coho to finish the limit. I caught my personal best King at just over 20lbs! A quick visit to Niagara Falls rounded out that amazing trip and we left with a huge cooler full of fish and happy hearts. Photo is of my 20# King.
Of course, it would not be a Great Lakes Slam without some Walleye fishing on Lake Erie. I finally had the opportunity to go this summer out of Ohio with a group of ladies. I quickly caught a beautiful 24” Walleye but then immediately topped that by catching my biggest Walleye ever at 29”. That trip was one for the books! We fished with Dunlap’s Charter Service and stayed at their lodge. The accommodations and hospitality were great, but the fishing was even better. Photo: 29” Walleye
Now that I have finished my Great Lakes Fishing Slam, I look forward to many more opportunities around the states and around the world for fishing, hunting, and inspiring women to follow their outdoor dreams.
You can follow along my outdoor adventures on the socials by searching my name or jpdums.
Jennifer Piasecki-Dums
Jennifer is an avid sportswoman who spends her time hunting, fishing, foraging, hiking, and gardening. She is the CEO of Provider Outdoors: a company born to support women in their journey in becoming self sufficient outdoorswomen. She is the Próis Hunting Apparel for Women Wisconsin and Minnesota State Coordinator and Scheels Representative. Jennifer is also the Secretary for the Lake Superior of SCI Chapter and a member of many other conservation organizations including the MN DNR BOW program, helping to mentor new women hunters.