Archive for August 6th, 2009

Bottom Bouncers: Drifting for Walleye

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

I had a lot of fun last night working the Monroe Evening News’s booth at the fair last night on the web site’s “Meet the Bloggers Nite”.  Got to meet some really nice people who blog on different topics and others who were walking through the great facility built/sponsored by Monroe Bank and Trust.  Love the air conditioning by the way!!!

I had a really good question about using drifting as the primary technique for catching walleye out on Lake Erie.

The first cardinal rule about drifting walleyes is you have to enough wind to push you fast enough to entice walleye to bite.  Sometimes they want the baits slow, say .8 to 1 mph.  Sometimes they want a lot of spin on your crawler harnesses, so you look for faster winds to drop your lines down into the water.  There are ways to achieve the desired goal here, putting more fish in the box!  Either way, “if the wind ain’t blowing, you ain’t drifting”, or just wasting your time trying.

In most situations the first thing to consider is the bottom bouncers you will be using with your crawler harnesses.  I am just starting the topic off with BB’s, but will get back into the old faithfuls like Erie Dearies, Hot n Tot Pygmies and my personal fav, the Golden Nugget later.  I can tell already, this is going to be a long topic, so it might be two day, two part deal.

Ok, back to the use of bottom bouncers.  In most situations three sizes will get the job done and cover your bases at the same time. 3/4, 1 and 1.5 oz BB’s will handle most wind situations that you encounter, but with higher winds or just the need for greater control of your lines, you should not hesitate throwing down a 2 oz bouncer.  With a really good wind, you could put out a full spread of lines including 4 oz BB’s and 1.5 or 2 oz off the boards, and maybe some 1 oz off the back of the boat with your regular trolling rods.  If you are just dropping down a few lines, then stick to the first three sizes mentioned.

One of the keys, although not entirely a rule written in stone, is that you want your line to form a 45 degree angle from the tip of your rod to where it enters the water.  This gives you greater line control and really is a bit easier to notice strikes and react quickly before losing your walleye.  Line diameter is important and any 10 lb with a reel with a good drag will do the job nicely. With BB’s, if you want to go to a 14 lb mono, that’s fine.  I run Power Pro, so I match the 40 lb braid with its 10 lb diameter on all my trolling reels, just to stay in line with the trolling guides like Precision Trolling for other applications.

The nice thing about the use of bottom bouncers is the average joe can head out with a regular ol’ rod and spinning reel and still have a great day on the water. Lots of times I just use my St. Croix Avid and Premier Medium Light spinning rods with 20 lb/6 lb mono diameter Power Pro for kicking back and relaxing type fishing.  If the fish are schooled up, this can be a very effective method.

But if you want to take it a step further Daiwa makes the perfect line counter reel to really help you zero in on the depths and mood of the fish.  The Sealine SG 17 LCA is the perfect size to go on a variety of rods to use for drifting, its like the size of a Shimano 300 size or an Ambassadeur 5500/5600 casting reels.  I chose St. Croix’s Premier Glass Crankbait rod to match up with the reel, it has a moderate/fast action tip and performs great for this technique.  They also have a 7 ft Medium Light action casting rod in the Premier series that would be lots of fun with the smaller BB’s.

Types of harnesses can be a bit trickier.  In low winds when the fish seem to want a lot of spin on the harness blade, I go to the harnesses I have tied up with Smile Blades from Mack’s Lures . I like the 1.9 inch size in the mirror finish, but sometimes, specially earlier in the year when the fish are in shallow around Luna Pier, I don’t hesitate dropping down in size to the 1.1″ size.

Another good option early in the year is to drop down to a #3 or #4 colorado blade on your harnesses.  Northland has some really good color options here in both their Deep Cup and Baitfish Image holographic blades.  Sometimes its good to add a float to your rig if you are using the #4 blades,  you are depending on the wind, and sometimes “Mother Nature” doesn’t always cooperate.  If you aren’t making your own rigs, its good to make sure you buy some that come with a float of some type.  I like the Lil’ Corky’s  from Yakima Baits.  Don’t be confused by the pic of a spin n glo, but with all the options available color wise, its easy to find one that matches up with your blade color choices available on the market.

If the wind is really pushing at a good pace and you are in deeper water say later in the year, like right now even then jump up to the bigger blades.  Either run #4’s or #5’s, from Northland, Silver Streak, or something from DB Fishing.  Willow blades are also good choices for running above suspended fish and catching their attention.

The last trick for using a crawler harness is this, sometimes its good to be full of hot air.  Well any air really will do the trick, but it sounded better in my head at least. Pumping a little air into a night crawler will give it a little lift, and can be the difference between a nice walleye on the other end, or a clump of nasty ol’ zebra muscles!  Lindy makes a Worm Blower, most big stores like Bass Pro carries the product, also many of the local bait shops might be stocking the item too, call ahead though, just to make sure.

That’s bottom bouncer 101 with the use of crawler harnesses.  Might still be feeling the effects of last night’s corn dogs, so if you have any questions, email is always an option or post your comments below and I will get to them quickly

Posted in Lake Erie, Walleye Fishing | 2 Comments »

Michigan DNR Fishing Report for August 6th

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Trout and salmon fishing has picked up now that boats are able to get out on the Great Lakes. River fishing is good with the low water levels. Look for panfish activity to improve now that we have some warmer temperatures.

 

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie - Fishing has been good in recent days with walleye caught off Stony Point in waters 19 to 24 feet deep. Trolling was the best method with a variety of baits. Good perch fishing was reported in 13 to 15 feet of water near Stony Point, Toledo Beach and the Dumping Grounds off Luna Pier. Try perch splitter rigs tipped with small minnows. Good channel cat action in the Hot Ponds near the Monroe.

Huron River - With water levels down, bass anglers are doing well with crayfish. A couple walleye were caught up near the dam. Catfish and carp action was good.

Detroit River - Walleye were caught in the Trenton Channel, around Celeron Island, Grosse Ile and Sugar Island. The better fishing was in the early morning and late evening when jigging, drifting or hand-lining. Bass fishing has also been good.

Lake St. Clair - Walleye were caught near the Grosse Point Yacht Club, the St. Clair Light, and the Dumping Grounds. Muskie were caught in Anchor Bay and perch were active along the shipping channel.

Lexington - Those trolling in 110 to 160 feet of water have found steelhead near the surface, chinook about halfway down, and lake trout at the bottom. Perch have been caught on various weed beds south of the port. The fish appear to be moving daily so anglers will need to move around to find them in 15 to 25 feet of water. Pier fishing was slow with only a few pike, smallmouth bass or chinook caught. Some are night fishing for channel cats.

Port Sanilac - Boat anglers have caught chinook, lake trout and steelhead. Perch fishing was hit-or-miss in waters up to 25 feet deep. The perch are moving so anglers will have to keep moving to locate schools of fish. Pier anglers were taking a few pike, bass and bluegill.

Harbor Beach - Walleye fishing picked up north of the harbor. Start in 25 feet of water and head deeper as the sun comes up. Fish were caught on long lines about 50 feet down in waters 130 feet deep. Good colors were copper, orange, green, yellow or blueberry muffin, some with small blades. Lake trout can be found in waters 80 to 150 feet deep straight out and north of the harbor. Try silver dodgers with green body baits close to bottom. Steelhead were hitting spoons 150 feet back in waters 125 to 150 feet deep. Good colors were bright pink and orange. The bass bite was good but perch fishing was slow.

Grindstone City - Had good walleye fishing on good weather days. Fish were caught on crawler harnesses in 20 to 40 feet of water. Boat anglers are finding lake trout, steelhead and the occasional salmon in waters up to 150 feet deep.

Port Austin - Walleye were caught in 20 to 45 feet of water when trolling or drifting crawler harnesses along the reefs between Sleeper State Park and Port Crescent State Park. Lake trout and steelhead were caught in waters up to 160 feet deep.

Saginaw Bay - Walleye were caught off Linwood in 15 to 20 feet of water and a couple miles northeast of the Callahan Reef when using crawler harnesses. Quanicassee had limit catches in 5 to 8 feet of water straight out from the mouth of the river. Good fishing was noted in 14 feet of water in the Slot. Sebewaing was good between Fish Point and The Slot in 16 feet of water. Shore anglers managed to catch some bluegills and a few pike in the marina. Bay Port had good walleye action around North Island. At Caseville, a few walleye were caught near Oak Point.

Saginaw River - A few walleye and some bass were caught near Essexville.

Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joe - Good perch fishing was reported in 20 to 30 feet of water. Chinook were caught by those trolling in waters up to 85 feet deep. Pier fishing was slow.

St. Joe River - Has excellent smallmouth bass fishing. Try spinners, flies or jigs.

South Haven - Salmon and lake trout were caught in 90 to 120 feet of water. Perch fishing remains good when it’s not too windy. Try a couple miles south of the piers in 20 to 30 feet of water. North winds seem to slow the bite.

Kalamazoo River - Has excellent smallmouth bass fishing. A few walleye and some steelhead were caught up near the Allegan Dam.

Grand River at Grand Rapids - Some nice skamania have been caught up near the dam. The better catches were coming on flies and streamers in minnow patterns or crawlers. Some walleye were caught on soft shelled crabs, crawlers or body baits. Those fishing Fulton Street and Wealthy Street caught both flathead and channel cats on creek cubs, crawlers and cut bait. Nice crappie were caught at Bridge Street. Bass were caught at Millennium Park when casting artificial worms over the weed beds. Purple and black were good colors.

Grand River at Lansing - Those fishing around the dams should do well for catfish.

Lake Ovid - Anglers are catching smaller bluegills and some bass.

Morrison Lake - Is still good for bluegills and crappie. Pike could be found in the shallows along the weed beds.

Reeds Lake - Crappie were hitting minnows 15 feet down in 30 feet of water on the northwest side of the island. Those drifting spinners caught some nice bluegills.

Muskegon - Salmon anglers are fishing glow spoons in shallow waters in the early morning then heading out deeper late morning and early afternoon. Perch were hitting on perch rigs in 20 to 30 feet of water.

Muskegon River - Boat anglers were catching walleye when trolling crawlers or body baits. Bass were still hitting on crawlers, leeches or spinners.

Whitehall - A few salmon were caught off the bottom in 100 feet of water.

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Mullett Lake - Anglers are still catching perch, bass and pike. A few walleye were caught on the north end when trolling a crawler harness or spoons.

Rogers City - Finally has some large adult chinook salmon showing up. No big numbers yet, but fish were caught near the baitfish and structure. Try straight out and south towards Swan Bay and Adams Point while fishing the top half of waters 45 to 90 feet deep. Plugs and spoons along with flies or squid were taking fish. Good colors were green, blue and orange.

Rockport - Salmon and steelhead were caught along the north end of Middle Island in 120 feet of water. White and black were good colors.

Alpena - Walleye were caught in 20 to 30 feet of water behind the Cement Plant. Crawler harnesses were the ticket. Catch rates were spotty between North Point and Thunder Bay Island. Steelhead and lake trout were caught in 90 to 100 feet of water.

Harrisville - Fishing has started to pick up for lake trout, salmon and walleye. The fish are hitting out deep in 130 to 200 feet of water. Watermelon and gold/green combinations have been productive.

Higgins Lake - Boat anglers caught lake trout just off the bottom in 100 to 120 feet of water. Most are jigging Swedish Pimples or Cast Masters with or without bait. Try wax worms, or pieces of minnow. Perch were caught in 40 to 60 feet of water when using minnows, crawlers or wax worms.

Houghton Lake - Walleye, pike and bass are hitting along the weed beds in 6 to 10 feet of water. Anglers are trolling or drifting worms, leeches and crawlers. Bluegills are there however the fish were scattered.

Oscoda - Salmon and lake trout were taken straight out in 50 feet of water.

Au Sable River - Walleye were caught throughout the day. Anglers are fishing crawler harnesses and drift rigs early and late.

Tawas - Walleye were caught 20 to 40 feet down in waters 50 to 60 feet deep when trolling Hot-n-Tots, spoons or crawler harnesses. Boats trolling in 160 to 170 feet of water off Au Sable Point caught lake trout. Pier fishing was slow.

Au Gres - The walleye bite was a little slow but anglers heading south toward Linwood or the Great Lakes Marina did catch some fish. A few nice perch were caught in 30 feet of water near the hotel.

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Petoskey - Saw warmer water move in. A few anglers are still doing well in shallow water early and late with moonshine spoons, flasher/fly combos, and J-plugs on copper wire. Try 180 to 250 feet of water with white and pearl plugs or blue, white and green flies.

Charlevoix - Chinook and lake trout were caught 60 to 80 feet down in waters 200 feet deep. The better fishing was off North Point and near the red can. Early morning was best when trolling dodgers and flies or spoons.

Lake Charlevoix - Perch were hitting on minnows in 20 feet of water. Walleye and smallmouth bass are deeper now so look for them along the drop-offs during the day. Shore anglers are catching fish in the Pine River Channel.

Lake Bellaire - Anglers are still catching walleye 14 to 22 inches. Troll early or late near Fisherman’s Paradise, the south bay or the northwest arm. Try spoons, rapalas, crawler harnesses, or jigs with leeches and crawlers. Small perch were caught near the Intermediate River in 3 to 15 feet of water. Anglers are still-fishing with crawlers.

Traverse City - The East Bay is producing a few salmon 80 to 90 feet down in waters 100 to 120 feet deep. Lake trout can be found near the bottom when trolling along the bank in the southern portion of the bay. In the West Bay, look for salmon near the Boardman River and along the west shore from the red buoy to the west arm access site. Fish spoons 70 to 90 feet down in waters 100 to 150 feet deep.

Leland - Produced a nice 26 pound salmon on the north side of North Manitou Island when trolling in 65 to 70 feet of water along the Shelf. Use green spoons early.

Glen Arbor - Catch rates were fair to good in 60 to 80 feet of water around the islands. The key seems to be variety. Anglers might want to dig into their tackle boxes and start using those old J-plugs and spoons with herring rigs, flashers and flies to help attract fish.

Platte Bay - Fishing was slow with the exception of a few fish caught in the West Bay. Try 110 feet down in waters 200 feet deep with green or blue spoons. All the fish have been chinook, no coho to report.

Frankfort - Good catches of chinook, coho and steelhead were taken 90 to 120 feet down in waters 80 to 180 feet deep. Spoons, flies, and meat rigs are working well. Try aqua/gold flies with white flashers, blue meat rigs, or spoons.

Arcadia - Fishing has been hit-or-miss. Some large chinook salmon were caught 100 feet down in waters 120 to 350 feet deep when using green magnum spoons. Steelhead were hitting on orange spoons in the top 40 feet.

Onekama - Had fair to good action for chinook and coho. Most anglers were trolling straight out from the piers and north to waters 150 to 170 feet deep. Fish were caught out near the Barrel before sun up. Hot lures were purple flies with yellow flashers, aqua flies with white flashers, meat rigs, and spoons.

Portage Lake - Trolling for walleye at night was slow but is picking up. Bluegill fishing was fair in waters up to 25 feet deep. Bass fishing is good along the weed beds when casting deep diving crank baits or artificial worms.

Manistee - Salmon are being caught in waters 120 to 180 feet deep. Try 80 to 120 feet down with spinnies and flies. Best colors continue to be green or blue. Pier anglers are catching freshwater drum when casting spoons.

Manistee River - Has good steelhead and brown trout fishing with the low water.

Ludington - Salmon were caught 80 to 130 feet down in waters 100 to 180 feet deep. White spinnies with green or mirage flies have produced the most fish.

Pentwater - Salmon fishing has been slow. A few fish were caught off the bottom in 100 feet of water. Anglers reported a temperature break in 90 feet of water.

UPPER PENINSULA

Lac La Belle - Walleye fishing has improved for those drifting a crawler harness in 15 to 20 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were in 6 to 12 feet of water.

Keweenaw Bay - The salmon bite was up and down. When the bite was on, anglers did good trolling 55 to 70 feet down in waters 60 to 90 feet deep. Some nice lake trout were also caught on spoons, herring dodgers and flies. Trolling speeds were between 2.1mph and 2.6mph. Hot spots were Sand Point to the north end of the red rocks. Lake trout were still hitting off Pequaming and the Big Reef. For the South Portage Entry, lake trout were picked up by those jigging near the Farmers Reef, Mud Bank and the Big Reef. A few coho were taken near the lighthouse. In Traverse Bay, lake trout were caught when trolling at Hermits Cove, Seven Mile Reef and near Big Louie’s Point. Try spoons in 120 to 160 feet of water.

Marquette - Fishing picked up with limits of lake trout taken in waters 80 to 150 feet deep. Catch rates for coho picked up just outside the piers in 40 to 70 feet of water and some whitefish were caught by local anglers.

Menominee - Brown trout have been caught around the Whaleback Shoal, Chambers Island, Stony Point, and Green Island. Chinook and steelhead were caught on spoons with flies and flashers 50 to 85 feet down in 60 to 120 feet of water.

Menominee River - Evening hours were the best for walleye off the Cat Walk and the fishing platform at Hattie Street but many were sub-legal. Crawlers seem to work best. Those trolling the deeper holes with a crawler harness found walleye. Boat and shore anglers were catching lots of smallmouth bass and rock bass. Carp and freshwater drum were hitting on crawlers.

Cedar River - Those fishing from the mouth to the first rapids caught lots of smallmouth bass when jigging crawlers or casting crank baits. Many were small.

Little Bay De Noc - Walleye anglers are trolling or drifting crawlers in 16 to 25 feet of water between the Escanaba River and the Black Bottom. More fish were caught by those trolling stick baits between Garth Point and the Day’s River however most were small. Smallmouth bass were caught off the Ford and the Escanaba Rivers when casting tube baits, crank baits or jigs in 8 to 16 feet of water. Pike were hitting on spoons or crank baits near the yacht club at Escanaba.

Big Bay De Noc - Had no walleye reports. Good smallmouth action near Ogontz, Nahma and Garden Bay. Try casting jigs or tube baits in 10 to 15 feet of water. Lots of small perch were caught in Garden Bay and those fishing up near Nahma have caught some very large rock bass off the mouth of the Sturgeon River. Off Fairport, salmon anglers were trolling artificial cut bait or spoons 40 to 80 feet down in waters 80 to 110 feet deep around the Gap. The fish are much larger this year. Red and orange were best but red, blue and black glow were also taking fish.

Munising - Lake trout fishing remains good in waters 70 to 190 feet deep. Salmon and steelhead were caught on high lines about halfway down.

Grand Marais - Anglers are catching salmon and lake trout.

Two Hearted River - The boating access site at the mouth of the river will be closed temporarily starting August 10th. The closure will allow for improvements to be made to the boat ramp and the parking lot and will extend through September 30th.

St. Mary’s River - Walleye can be taken in 5 to 8 feet of water at the mouth of the Gogomain River using bottom bouncers trailed with small black and chrome crank baits. Target the edge of the weed beds and the bull rushes in the early morning. Good walleye action around Hart Island which is just north of Lime Island.

De Tour - Boaters fishing around Drummond Island are reminded to use caution and watch for the areas with dangerous rocks.

Cedarville and Hessel - Pier anglers at Hessel are catching pike and smallmouth bass. Perch were hitting on minnows in 10 to 14 feet of water. Snows Channel was good for pike and bass while Musky Bay and Middle Entrance were excellent for pike when casting or trolling along the south shoreline in 6 to 12 feet of water. Salmon anglers are heading out towards Goose Island and fishing halfway down in waters 60 to 90 feet deep. Cedarville Bay has been excellent for pike and fair for perch and the Moscoe Channel is also producing some perch in 4 to 6 feet of water. Catch rates for lake herring were very good in McKay Bay, Prentice Bay and the Moscoe Channel.

St. Ignace - Chinook and lake trout have been caught around Mackinaw Island. The better fishing was off the north point and the southwest section of the island when trolling a gold spinner fly with a flasher or spoons.

Posted in Fishing Reports | No Comments »