Q&A With Diver Dock Owner Eric Traver - Part 2

Continued from the new products question on PART 1.

And our last thing we have, which I'm really most excited to introduce, is on the high-tech side of things. We have created a fishing log app that is specifically designed for Great Lakes Anglers. It is called "The Program," a play on "running your own program" when you are out on the lake. Users will be able to create their own personal account and log all their details from their fishing trips including weather conditions, water temps etc. and then also log your bites and catches. Once you have all your trips logged you'll be able to use a search function to look into trends on when, where and on what you caught fish with. For example you'll be able to look up bites you got on a "Rasta Goose SS" spoon (one of my favorites that gets out at least once on every trip) and the app will pull up a list of all those bites, and if you log your GPS data on your bites (which is an option) you'll be able to see all your Rasta Goose SS bites laid out on a map! In addition to the fishing log data, there is a feature called "The Spread" where you can track and update what baits you have in the water so you never forget what it was you put ou on the 400 copper again, and we are including links to a number of weather data and buoy data sites as well as depth charts for divers on leadcore/copper lines. It will hopefully be a one-stop-shop for Great Lakes anglers that want to tap into the tech side of fishing to really learn what is working best for them to ultimately improve their success out on the lake! The app will initially live on our website but we plan to roll it out onto the app stores at some point in the near future. We are also going to be doing a giveaway to launch the app! Everyone who signs up for an account before the end of the Ultimate Sports Show in Grand Rapids (March 15, 2026 @ 11:59pm ET) will be entered into a drawing to win one of our track-mounted storage systems, 2 Diver Docks and 2 Slider Docks (over $100 worth of stuff!!) You can head over and check out the app now on our website at The Program. So yea...lots of new stuff coming in 2026 for us!

Where can you purchase a Diver Dock?

You can currently find Diver Docks at Outdoorsman locations throughout west Michigan as well as ClearH20 Tackle in Edwardsburg, Michigan or on our website at www.diverdock.com. And we are working to expand into other local bait shops around the Great Lakes as I'm a big proponent of supporting our local shops. So make sure the next time you are in your favorite local shop to ask them if they have Diver Docks!!

Big lake trolling is your passion, what port do you call home and what is your favorite time of year to fish there? While you are at it give us a favorite bait and presentation?

Grand Haven is our home port and while nothing beats a screaming drag on a big staging king in August/September, my favorite time of the year is probably April/May. That time of year in Grand Haven we can start to see some coho make their way up here in good numbers, lakers and browns can still be caught up near the beaches and there is always the possibility of running into one of those big early season kings or a skam staging to run up the Grand! It's just great to get back out on the Big Lake that time of year with some good numbers and a variety of fish in and around the mouth of the Grand River. It's also a great time for new big lake anglers to get out there because spoons are the name of the game early in the year. You can still have success with other tactics but really just focusing on spoon size and color can make for a successful trip. It can be exhausting later in the summer when you are balancing your rod limit between spoons, flies, plugs, meat rigs and any other experimental ideas. As for favorite bait and presentation...it's hard to beat fighting an angry king on a wire diver, and it is even more satisfying when you take a bite on a homemade fly pattern. So, wire diver with an 8" magic man spin doctor and a chartreuse version of a pickled sunshine fly I make with pink beads instead of green. But Jeff would probably tell you it is an OG Moonshine wonderbread RV spoon...even though somehow it didn't take a single bite for us last year...hoping 2026 is the return of the wonderbread!!

With all those fish coming into the boat do you have any favorite ways to cook the fish you keep?

My favorite quick and easy way to prepare some Great Lakes King Salmon would probably be kebabs. I'll dice the meat up into 1 inch cubes and trim off any of the dark meat, throw it into a bag or container with some soy sauce and my seasoning of choice. I'm a big fan of Mom's Gourmet Feisty Fish Rub. I used to be able to find it at Meijer but now I just grab some from their website when I run out. If I've got some more free time on my hands to put something a little more involved together, same as the kebabs, dice the meat up into 1 inch cubes and then toss them into some panko bread crumbs and drop them into the deep fryer until golden brown. Then throw it in a bowl of some steamed white rice, with a spicy asian chili crunch cucumber salad and a drizzle of yum yum sauce and sriracha.

What are you looking forward to the most this upcoming season on the Big Lake?

Figuring out some new strategies and tactics to use that could give us an edge on our local tournaments. Grand Haven and Muskegon are in the cards for us, weather permitting, and I'm actually on the tournament board for the Muskegon Pro-Am this year! That Muskegon tournament is in its 3rd year at the new Adelaide Pointe location which is a great home base to run the tournament out of and it happens at the perfect time of the year to start getting some big kings in the area. There are some new opportunities coming for that tournament this year that should add to the excitement for the whole event! And I'd be crazy to not mention I've got a new boat being delivered in a couple of weeks that is going to be fully loaded to chase some Chrome out on Lake Michigan. It is one of the brand new 2026 Angler Quest Family Fish models. After a lot of research, back and forth, and "marital compromise," it should be a great all-around boat for the family, allowing for some serious fishing action and accommodating cruising our local waters here in Grand Haven and Spring Lake!