Mark Sochocki (center) and his fishing mates celebrate their success. (Courtesy photo)
EVART – Evart’s Mark Sochocki usually keeps busy in the summer with fishing, and this year has been no different.
“I have been focused mostly on fishing in Lake Michigan the last month and fishing has been up and down for me,” he said. “We are catching some kings but the numbers are certainly lower than in the past however the size of the fish are good.
“We have been catching some very nice steelhead as well.”
Sochocki and his fishing partners usually do well in Lake Michigan fishing.
“We did fish in the Ludington Offshore Classic in July and finished in 12th place in the tournament and 11th place in the 333 tournament which takes place within the regular tournament,” he said. “The weather was bad again this year during the tournament and it was called at 10:30 Saturday morning just as we were fighting a double header of nice kings, and canceled all together on Sunday.
“In fact, we were at the dock preparing the boat to fish around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday of the Ludington tournament when lightning hit a sailboat in the marina directly across from us.”
Sochocki is executive director of the Big Rapids Housing Commission.
He and his partners won the trophy for the biggest steelhead in a Manistee tournament earlier in the summer.
