Fishing Michigan

Anglers are starting to catch more steelhead on the west side of the state however storms combined with strong winds continue to challenge those fishing the Great Lakes. Inland, both shore and the boat anglers are catching panfish.

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie - The walleye bite has been fair. The better catches have come from 26 feet of water near the Fermi Towers when using orange, gold or white crawler harnesses. Perch are slowly starting to bite in 20 feet of water off Stony Point. Most fish were 8 to 9 inches. Largemouth bass were caught near Bolles Harbor.

Huron River - Is good for smallmouth bass, catfish, and panfish. The occasional steelhead has been caught near the cold water discharge but the better action is still a couple weeks away.

Detroit River - Walleye are still being caught and some nice smallmouth bass have been caught by shore anglers using crawlers.

Lexington - Perch fishing was a bit spotty but those that find schools of fish are doing very well with good catches of 10 to 16 inch perch. Start by hitting the weedbeds in 15 feet of water and move around until you find fish. Minnows and perch rigs are the standard gear. Not many anglers are targeting salmon. Lake trout can be found in 80 to 120 feet of water.

Port Sanilac - Those drifting perch rigs with minnows have caught perch and some of those fish were nice jumbo perch. The trick is to find a school of fish then anchor. Salmon and lake trout have been caught in waters up to 100 feet deep.

Harbor Beach - Anglers are starting to catch walleye.

Port Austin - Continues to provide good walleye fishing. Concentrate on the Lighthouse Reef, the Flat Rock Reef and the area around the rocks. A few decent sized perch were caught off the north breakwall.

Saginaw Bay - Has excellent walleye fishing even though heavy rain and wind will slow the action somewhat. Muddy runoff is still entering the bay so anglers will want to head out far enough to find clean water for better fishing. Good walleye fishing continues from Au Gres to Sebewaing however catch rates slowed around Bay Port and Caseville.

Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joe - Pier anglers are catching summer run steelhead early in the morning. Boat anglers are catching trout and salmon in 80 to 100 feet of water when trolling northwest of the piers.

South Haven - Has fair to good trout and salmon action in waters up to 100 feet deep. Pier anglers have caught summer run steelhead. Early morning was best.

Holland - Salmon and steelhead have been caught. Look for the temperature breaks. Some yellow perch were caught.

Grand Haven - Fishing has picked up and more steelhead are being caught. Boat anglers with downriggers are fishing 45 to 85 feet down in waters 80 to 160 feet deep. Good colors are orange, anything yellow and green, yellow and blue, and white spinnies with green flies. Pier anglers caught freshwater drum and catfish.

Grand River at Grand Rapids - In the lower river, anglers will find good pike action near the feeder creeks. Catfish are hitting on live bait and the crappie on minnows. Some anglers are fly fishing for carp. Try streamers or crayfish.

Grand River at Lansing - Fishing has slowed but anglers are still taking some bluegills, smallmouth bass and rock bass. At Moore’s Park, catfish have been caught on the other side of the river along the wall. Anglers are using small boats or wading. Those fishing between Moore’s Park and Dimondale have caught some nice crappie on minnows. Good numbers of bass have also been caught when drifting artificial crawlers. Good colors were black, purple and pumpkinseed.

Park Lake - Has good bass fishing.

Gun Lake - Some big panfish have been caught in shallow waters 4 to 8 feet deep. The trick is to use small lures such as spoons, beetle spins and jigs.

Reeds Lake - Perch are hitting on minnows in 20 to 40 feet of water while the bluegills are in 15 to 25 feet.

Muskegon - Boat anglers are doing well for salmon and steelhead. Set downriggers 20 to 70 feet down in waters 50 to 130 feet deep. Good colors are anything yellow and green, yellow and blue, orange and white spinnies with green flies.

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Rogers City - Most of the fishing is taking place straight out or south towards Adams Point in 65 to 190 feet of water. The trick is to find the colder water so start shallow in the early morning and move out deep as the day goes on. Most are using small spoons with downriggers, dipsey divers, leadcore with planer boards and drop weights. Good colors have been green and blue, green and silver, purple, black and white or anything that glows early and late.

Presque Isle - Reported slow fishing. Boats are trolling straight out from the Red Can, south towards Stoneport, north between the lighthouses, off Black Point and Thompson Harbor.

Rockport - A few salmon have been caught around False Presque Isle, Middle Island and the shipwreck in 80 to 150 feet of water. Green has been a good color.

Alpena - Steelhead are being caught 30 feet down in 100 to 150 feet of water. No luck on salmon. Walleye are hitting both day and night in 25 feet of water.

Thunder Bay River - Walleye, smallmouth bass and catfish have been caught when using a hook and worm.

Harrisville - Has good catches of lake trout and salmon along with a few brown trout and steelhead. Orange and silver were good colors in 90 to 100 feet for lake trout, 55 to 75 feet for salmon and 45 to 65 feet for steelhead. Fish straight out from the harbor to one mile north and one mile south. Remember to watch for the commercial nets.

Van Etten Lake - Anglers are catching perch.

Oscoda - A few salmon and lake trout have been caught just off the bottom in waters up to 100 feet deep. Silver and yellow were good colors.

Au Sable River - Warm water temperatures and a faster current may be the reason for the slower walleye fishing. Fish were caught but not as many as the past few weeks. Smallmouth bass and catfish were taken near the mouth. Foote Pond is producing bass, pike, walleye and crappie.

Tawas - Walleye anglers are doing well in 50 feet of water however many anglers are trailering their boats down to Au Gres for walleye. A few perch are being caught off the end of the pier first thing in the morning.

Au Gres - Those trolling have started to catch walleye south of Point Au Gres, around the Charity Islands and the Gravelly Shoals.

Higgins Lake - Limits of lake trout have been caught in the early morning when trolling with large cowbells, bombers or body baits. Smallmouth bass and rock bass continue to bite and some perch were caught near the Sunken Island.

Houghton Lake - Fishing has been steady for walleye and bass when targeting the edge of the weedbeds. The bluegills are finally starting to bite and some nice fish have been caught in 4 to 8 feet of water.

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Elk Lake - Has seen steady lake trout and steelhead action in the early morning and evenings when trolling a large area from the Narrows to Rex Terrace and Spencer Bay to Whitewater Park. Fish spoons in 50 to 160 feet of water. A couple walleye were also caught by lake trout anglers. Muskie fishing has been consistent for those trolling large baits in 20 to 45 feet of water between Spencer Bay and Kewadin. Good smallmouth fishing was also reported along the shoreline on the north, east and west side of the lake. Most are using tube baits, sinkos, rapalas, crank baits and spinners in waters 10 to 25 feet deep. A few perch and some rock bass were caught along the drop-off on the southwest end of the lake.

Skegemog Lake - The public access site on Baggs Road is open. Walleye anglers were drifting crawler harnesses between the Torch River and Baggs Road but no fish were caught. A few nice pike were caught in the flats in 10 to 12 feet of water. Smallmouth bass action has been good especially between the mouth of the Torch River and the shallow weedy area or from the access site to the Narrows. Anglers are casting top water baits, artificial frogs, swim baits, power baits, tube baits, crank baits, jigs or spinners. Small bluegills are hitting in crawlers or red worms.

Big Glen Lake - Lake trout are hitting good on spoons in 70 to 100 feet of water and a few fish over 20 pounds have been caught on the west side of the lake. Bass are hard to find but a few were caught on jigs. Perch are hitting on minnows but the fish were small. Bluegills are hitting on worms.

Fisher Lake - Is still a good place to pick up a few bluegills or the occasional largemouth bass, especially for those that want to avoid the wind on the bigger lakes.

Frankfort - Catch rates for trout and salmon continue to rise as we move into the last leg of summer. The better fishing is still in the early morning out on the Bank and between the harbor and Betsie Point. Try meat rigs with spoons or body baits.

Lake Missaukee - Boat and shore anglers are catching some nice bass and other panfish. Walleye have been caught but catch rates were not consistent.

Lake Cadillac - Has fair to good bluegill and crappie action. Try worms or leeches for the bluegill and jigs with minnows for the crappie.

Manistee - Salmon and lake trout are hitting 40 to 80 feet down in waters 100 to 200 feet deep. Try spinnies and green flies.

Big Manistee River - Steelhead are being caught up near Tippy Dam, just not in big numbers yet.

Ludington - Some boats have reported good success while fishing for chinook and lake trout. Target waters up to 200 feet deep between the Bath House and Big Sable Point. Green and blue flies have been the best bait.

Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay - A few chinook salmon were caught in 50 to 65 feet of water between the head of the bay and the marina at Baraga. Lake trout were caught when jigging in 200 to 230 feet of water out from the Whirl-I-Gig and Pequaming. In Traverse Bay, a few lake trout and coho were taken when trolling in 30 to 150 feet of water or jigging in 150 to 200 feet of water off Big Louie’s Point.

Cisco-Chain-of-Lakes - Muskie activity is increasing.

Menominee - Boats trolling for trout and salmon have done well near Chambers Island and Green Island. Try spoons 50 to 75 feet down in 110 to 130 feet of water.

Menominee River - Those fishing from the Hattie Street Bridge to the mouth are catching walleye, smallmouth bass, rock bass, channel cats and freshwater drum. Most are using natural baits but some did well with crank baits. Walleye catches were better on overcast days or during the evening.

Cedar River - Is producing smallmouth bass but many are small. Boat anglers are using natural baits or a Mr. Twister while shore anglers are doing well with crank baits or crawlers. Look for salmon near the Whalesback.

Little Bay De Noc - Walleye action was slow and those that caught fish seem to do best in the southern parts of the Bay. Fish late evenings off Breezy Point while trolling stick baits or crawlers in 10 to 14 feet of water or about 20 feet down just off the break. Those fishing off the mouth of the Escanaba River in the early morning are jigging or drifting crawlers in waters up to 20 feet deep. Walleye and perch were caught in 20 to 25 feet of water off Gladstone. A few salmon were caught on spoons 80 feet down in 100 feet of water out near the Ford River Can.

Big Bay De Noc - Has good walleye action but few anglers taking advantage of it. Most are trolling crawlers and stick baits in 20 to 33 feet of water from Ansell’s Point to the “Boot” and from Garden Bluff out to the Shoals. A few perch were caught off Ogontz when jigging crawlers off the weeds just south of the launch. Good salmon action off Fairport for those trolling 80 to 90 feet down in 105 to 120 feet of water and steelhead were caught 60 to 70 feet down. Try spoons or artificial cut bait that glows.

Marquette - Limits of lake trout have been caught but it seems the fish have moved to deeper waters. Good places to fish were off Granite Island and Shot Point. No salmon to report.

Au Train - Boat anglers are still trolling in 160 feet of water near the Wood Island Reef and the backside of Au Train Island. Only a few trout have been caught.

Munising - Only a few small splake are being caught just off the city dock. Boat anglers traveling to the Big Reef are coming back with a few lake trout.

Grand Marais - Limits of lake trout are still being taken in 120 to 190 feet of water. The occasional coho and steelhead were caught 40 to 80 feet down. Just about any color spoon is working.

Nawakwa Lake - A few pike were caught when casting near the drop-off with rapalas and buzz baits.

St. Mary’s River - The herring bite up near Lime Island is winding down and the walleye action has slowed. Atlantic salmon are still being caught by those trolling spoons 10 to 12 feet down in waters 25 to 28 feet deep. Best time to fish is early in the morning or late evening. Perch are hitting on minnows in 16 feet of water out near the #3 Green Buoy.

De Tour - Anglers are trolling from the DNR launch to the #3 Green Can and around the lighthouse for chinook and lake trout. Some are heading out south of the lighthouse to the “Hump” and trolling both sides of the shipping channel. Some are using green flies with silver or green flashers. Other good colors have been salmon, black, raspberry, gold, purple, yellow and orange.

Cedarville and Hessel - At Cedarville, the herring bite is winding down in McKay Bay. Good perch fishing was reported in the Moscow Channel in 4 to 6 feet of water or in Musky Bay and Cedarville Bay in 8 to 12 feet of water. Northern pike fishing has been excellent around the Les Cheneaux Islands when trolling, still-fishing or casting with chub spawn. Smallmouth bass action has been good and should only get better. Perch have been caught off the pier at Hessel. Try minnows in 8 to 10 feet of water. Salmon were caught off Goose Island.

Pine River - Bullhead and suckers are hitting on crawlers or leeches.

St. Ignace - Fishing is slow due to wind and rain. Those heading out and trolling have managed to catch chinook and lake trout using spoons, flies, flashers and squid. Good colors have been watermelon, salmon, orange, yellow, green and white.

There should be six or so bloggers tonight in the Expo Center.  You know that fine building with all the air conditioning at the fairgrounds!  The Luna Pier Cook will be there, Jesse Mayo who writes on Veteran affairs,  and I will have some goodies to hand out as well.  Stickers, catalogs, patches..etc.

I will also be bringing some items to keep myself busy,  so if  you want to learn how to snell a walleye harnesses, come visit, talk some fishing in general……..come on out.

Bring the kids and the questions!

Eyes are holding steady,  and the perch really haven’t been located in big numbers lately.  Here is the latest report from Jason @ Matthew’s.

Tired of paying the tab at the fair for some good ol’ homestyle ribs?  With the smoker I picked up from Bass Pro last spring, its only 5 hrs away while being at home.  Don’t get me wrong, when I find that cotton candy machine on ebay, I will probably never see another fair, but until then I will keep going.  Until that time arrives, this was pretty darn good folks.

I made my dry rub out of brown sugar, seasonall salt, cayenne and garlic powder, and loaded two slabs of ribs in the smoker.

Five hours later, I opened the doors.

When I finally overcame my smoke inhalation, this is the final product

When most folks in these parts think of walleye and jigging, the concept that comes to mind involves 1/2 oz to 1oz jigs, medium heavy or heavy rods, the Detroit River and fast currents.  If you are heading North of the border, scrap that idea totally.  Get it out of your head before you get stuck in a rut that just won’t produce fish like you have been accustomed too.

Canadian jigging for walleye can still be done in the vertical sense, but be prepared to let go on the heavy equipment.  Expand the thought process to better suit a shallow bite, working weed edges, all with a little more finesse that you than what you have done in the past.

My rod is a St Croix Avid, medium, 6′3″ with an extra fast tip.  Even this rod could be considered too much for inland lake walleyes that you will find across Canada.  Ideally, the medium light in the model series would be the perfect choice.  BUT, if you are any situation like I am, its hard enough to explain how, with all the rods I have, I would ever need another one.  Another day, another purchase.  Sometime in the future, I will do something right,  and sneak that rod into the arsenal.

Why a 6′3″ rod?  Why not 6′ or 6′ 6″ or 7 ft even?  To be honest a six foot rod would not be a bad choice for all around use.  The the six and half and seven foot rods are ok for doing some casting, but seem way to long in vertical jigging that might come up on your trip.  The 6′3″ is a workhorse,  call it a jack of all trades, and master of all.  Its just right for jigging off the side of the boat while you work and edge or rock pile.  It really shines for casting jigs to precise locations.  For the bass heads, the medium action is great for sniping spinnerbaits around docks and boat houses.

Since this is still jigging, no matter the method, I still want my braid on the reel.  The Power Pro casts well in a side arm motion, easy to whip to the spot of your choice.  I still want to be directly below the rod tip as I can,  when attacking vertically.

Attacking?  Yep, I look at each trip, study my needs, wants and outcomes.  Love to look over maps and locate positions before I go out each day.  Half  the fun is looking things over and making it work on the water.  My attack approach is my battlefield plan, divide the lake into sections and conquer.  Even in today’s times where GPS and sonars rule, get a map before you make your trip, find those likely spots that will hold eyes and formulate your course of action.  Eliminate some areas that you just do not need to check out, save the time for the spots you know will hold fish.

My needs for a trip North will be the rod and reel set up already discussed, but what to use for ammo?  An old In-Fisherman video, titled “The Greatest Walleye Lure Ever”, or something very close to that, was all about jigs, and their uses.  Northland offers me the biggest selection of jigs for fishing walleyes on any body of water, so most of my jigs are from that company.  Stand-ups, Weed-Weasels, Whistlers, Roundballs, Tungsten, Glows and live bait jigs all make the trip with me.  And I forgot my floaters, perhaps there in lakes of Ontario, is really where the floating jigs shine the most.  From 1/8 oz jigs and weights, up to half ounce varieties.  Will get into the half once later, but for jigging and casting jigs, 3/8ths of an ounce should be  your limit in size, with 1/4 oz being the most used more than likely.

I have never been one to really embrace preserved baits like minnows and leeches, but won’t argue their effectiveness.  For some guys, they swear by them and who is to argue with success.  For the most part I am into the whole packing my fresh 500ct crawlers into paper bedding, and loading up on the plastics from the shop upstairs.  Plastic worms, leeches twisters and minnow baits all the make the trip.  Northland Slurpies, Berkley Gulp and other walleye formulated batis are all packed up for their individual techniques and uses. 

This is actually one of the more productive ways to stay on top of walleye whether its early spring on the Great Lakes, fishing inland lakes or on your Canadian trip.  Come to think of it, its a pretty good way to stay on top of the schools in late fall too as the fish bunch up in shallow while feeding at night.

What do you need, the tackle changes slightly from inland to big water fishing, but mostly just in the line choices and maybe the rod as well, depends on your locale.  When choosing your line, I am still sticking with my 8 or 10 lb Power Pro.  I want my line to be as directly below the bobber as I can to help in recognizing the slightest twinge on the float’s  action that might indicate a strike.  The Pwr Pro helps with its thin diameter in cutting in any possible current action below the surface.  The biggest difference is actually in my selection of strengths for my leaders.  On local inland lakes, or in Canada, I will use a 6 lb Vanish fluorocarbon leader.  Big water and fishing at night, I switch up to 10 or even 12 lb fc leads.

What do you need for rigging your float?  There are several types of bobber stops available on the market, I like the thread and bead rigging.  Always rig your stop above your bobber!  This helps in keeping the float upright for higher visibility, better casting because your extra weight is at the end of the line,  and quicker detections on a bite.  If you rig the stop below the bobber, it becomes harder to cast in deep water (too much line out), and the fish can swallow the offering before you know what’s happening.

Inland lakes, keep it simple.  A hook and split shop are your prime choices.  On the bigger waters of the Great Lakes, you want to switch over to a roundball jig or even a Fire-Eye Minnow ice jig available from Northland.  Anchor you jig behind the dorsal tail of a shiner, and let the minnow swim against the action weight of the jig.  A wounded struggle  happening below the float often entices light biting walleye.  Ice jigs are not just for the frozen water months folks, they have GOOD applications year around, and often out produce the traditional jigheads.  Course you can rig just about anything you like on these presentations, a minnow, leech or crawler work just as well. When water current conditions are at their best, a plastic twister tail provides enough action to get the job done.  Regardless of the type of jig that you use, try a glow jig at night to improve your catches.

In extreme conditions, where the walleye are finicky, a clear casting bobber works best.  Most times I like the bubblegum colors available from Lindy on their stick bobbers.  Just easier to see, and at times miss when you look away and then come back to the location.  At night a lighted bobber rules.  It might be a glow stick above the bobber, for a glow in the dark type.

My rod choices vary.  I like the 8′ slip-bob St Croix Walleye Tournament rod for its length and action.  The rod is long enough where I can drop it straight down from the side of the boat, place it in a holder and get to work casting jigs, cranks and rigs. Its medium light action is just right detecting bites, and it telescopes away for storage and travel.   If its too pricey for your tastes, I also have a 7 and 1/2 ft Avid ML that I use for slowly trolling livebait presentations like a Roach Rig with a walking sinker.  The rod easily doubles as a slip bobber rod.  There is also a Premier spinning rod, available in a 7′6″ ML model.

For big water presentations, specially piers in the spring and fall, an 8ft, 6 inch steelhead rod in the Wild River St Croix series works best.  I like the longer handle while working the drift.  Same reason I like it for steelie fishing on the Huron River in Flat Rock.  Its easier to manipulate the drift and keep contact with the bottom.  Its a medium action rod, and casts better with the heavier jigs or weights that I am using.

This type of fishing, can be reworked and tweaked to apply to several types of fish species.  Could be pike all the way down to crappie and gills.  Change sizes, baits,  strengths, lenghts and weights to match your quarry.

This time of the year seems to be the time to cross the border and hunt Canadian walleye.  Its a unique type of fishing not usually practiced here in Michigan, mostly due to the lack of numerous quality inland walleye lakes.  That’s not to say there are some good exceptions to that statement, its mostly a local bite with local pressure though.

The techniques practiced in catching our northern neighbor’s walleye population is still widely practiced in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Finesse, downsize and keeping it simple are the rules.  Gone are the 20 lb test, for the most part gone are the divers and spoons.  Leave the #5 or #6 colorado blades at home, get back to the basics.

Medium light and lite action rods rule, even though you will have a reason to bring some medium action rods with you as well.  The fancy rigs are replaced by a hook and split shot, working a slip bobber takes the place of trolling (not entirely) and 1/8 or 1/4 oz jigs are your casting favorites.  Floating jigheads are popular, rigged like a bass fisherman’s carolina rig, by using a small egg  or split shot sinkers.

Pack up your arsenal of plastics;  paddle and curley tails, minnow bodies and leeches all make the trip.  For the most part minnows are non factors, unless brought in salted.  You can bring in crawlers, but must be packed in artificial bedding.

I will have some tips coming up with some techniques in the next few days.

I will be down in the new Expo Center on the 31st with some of the other bloggers between 6 and 8 pm.  The Monroe Evening News will have a booth in the SW corner of the building.  Some of the companies that I am staff with have provided me with some stickers and other goodies to hand out so stop by if you have a chance and talk a little fishing.

This just in from Jason at Matthew’s Bait and Tackle in Bolles Harbour.  Like the sheephead idea, well not really !  Is there anything worse than thinking you have a monster walleye on, only to find out it one THOSE fish?

Recently at the ICAST sport fishing show, these new products won their categories, with the new CuradoE taking overall best in show.

Look for details on many of these items as they are introduced later this fall and available in many of your favorite retail locations.