| Weekly Fishing Report | |
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Thursday, May 19, 2005 Recreational Fishing Report Warmer temperatures by the weekend should help to produce some better fishing around the state. Anglers are reminded that bass season remains closed until the 3rd Saturday in June on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and the Detroit River. All other waters in the state including the Great Lakes will open to bass fishing on the Saturday before Memorial Day (May 28th). Anglers may not take or attempt to take any species during the closed season.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula Anglers fishing Lake Erie have caught walleye in Ohio waters. Boats are trolling east of Turtle Island and southeast of the Toledo Light while jigging minnows or drifting crawler harnesses. A few perch were caught on the Canadian side of the lake near Colchester. White bass, catfish and drum have been caught by boat and shore anglers. Those fishing around the launch site at Lake Erie Metro Park have caught bluegills, perch and bullhead. On the Huron River, anglers have caught walleye on Hot-n-Tot’s when fishing near the mouth. Channel cats are hitting on shrimp, minnows and crawlers. White bass along with a few suckers have also been caught. Boats are fishing just off the launch site at Point Mouillee. Anglers are still catching walleye in the Detroit River. Many are fishing the Trenton Channel between Gibraltar and Wyandotte. Boat anglers are jigging during the day or hand-lining at night. White bass and perch are starting to bite between Grosse Ile and Sugar Island. Those seeking northern pike have done well when floating large minnows under a bobber or casting crank baits. In Wayne County, the fishing on Belleville Lake was fair with a couple walleye per trip. Anglers are trolling or drifting leeches and using jigs or crank baits near the bridge at Rawsonville Road and the power lines on the east side of the lake. White bass are hitting on jigs with minnows between the Rawsonville Road Bridge and the Ford Lake Dam. On Maceday Lake in Oakland County, anglers are catching bluegills, pumpkinseed, and rock bass in shallow waters near the boat launch with a worm and bobber. At Lexington and Port Sanilac, boat anglers are taking chinook, coho, lake trout and steelhead in 40 to 50 feet of water. Anglers fishing out of Harbor Beach have caught mostly lake trout with an occasional chinook, coho, steelhead or pink salmon in 40 to 80 feet of water. Lake trout fishing at Port Austin was good. Bad weather slowed the fishing in Saginaw Bay. A few walleye were caught around Spoils Island. Anglers are taking catfish in shallow waters off Sebewaing. Walleye can be found in the Lower Saginaw River near the Independence Bridge. Those fishing the Quanicassee River have caught walleye on jigs tipped with minnows and crawlers. Along the Tittabawassee River, anglers are still catching walleye up around the Dow Dam and near the Center Street launch site. White bass are starting to show up in good numbers near Center Street.
Southwestern Lower Peninsula Boats fishing out of the port of St. Joe have caught chinook when fishing 35 to 55 feet down in waters 50 to 80 feet deep. Pier fishing was slow with an occasional chinook, steelhead or brown trout taken when casting spoons. Anglers continue to catch light numbers of steelhead in the St. Joe River. Most are drifting flies and Wobble-Glo’s or using spawn. Walleye fishing was fair in the Lower St. Joe River. Boat anglers caught more fish when trolling crank baits or drifting minnows, leeches or crawlers. Good to excellent salmon fishing was reported at South Haven. The majority of fish caught were chinook in the 3 to 8 pound range. Steelhead and lake trout were also caught. Boats are trolling 40 to 65 feet down in waters 80 to 150 feet deep with blue or green Dolphins and Double Orange Crush working well. Those night fishing off the Holland Pier have caught walleye. Fair to good walleye fishing was reported in the Kalamazoo River when drifting minnows, leeches or crawlers. Crappie are hitting on minnows in Lake Macatawa. Boats trolling near Grand Haven are catching good numbers of chinook mainly 40 to 60 feet down in waters 80 to 175 feet deep. Fishing patterns along with depths are changing just as much as the weather and the fish seem to go deeper after the fronts move through. Those fishing the Grand River near Grand Rapids have caught fair to good numbers of walleye when jigging minnows, leeches or crawlers. Those fishing off the wall and off the bridges have caught the most fish. Flathead cats are starting to bite. Crappie, bluegills and 10 to 12 inch perch have been caught at Millennium Park. Near Lansing, walleye are hitting on hitting on leeches at Moore’s Park. Good numbers of catfish have been caught. Catfish are starting to become more active at Sleepy Hollow State Park. There have been no reports of crappie or bluegills on the beds because of colder temperatures. The Thornapple River is producing good catches of walleye when floating crawlers with a split shot near Cascade and the Ada Dam. Fresh steelhead were reported in the Rogue River. Channel cats are starting to bite in Spring Lake. On Reeds Lake, 7 to 12 inch crappie were caught in 8 to 10 feet of water. Those fishing the sandbar northeast of the Sunken Island have caught 10 to 12 inch bluegills.
Northeastern Lower Peninsula Near Cheboygan, a few anglers have been fishing for walleye on Black Lake. Most fish were caught on Rapala’s and Cleo’s. Fishing was slow at Rogers City with only a few lake trout caught in Lake Huron. At Alpena, boat anglers fishing Thunder Bay have caught walleye near the mouth of the Thunder Bay River. Trolling with stick baits and Rapala’s in the evening worked best. The steelhead run in the river is pretty much over. Inland, fishing was slow, but should improve with warmer weather. Near Oscoda, anglers are catching good numbers of walleye at the mouth of the Au Sable River while drifting crawlers during the day and casting Rapala’s at night. A few steelhead remain up river on the gravel beds. Brook and brown trout numbers have been good. The Hendrickson hatch is in full swing and the Sulphers are expected by the weekend. Boat anglers fishing Lake Huron have caught lake trout in waters 70 to 80 feet deep using spoons. Near Tawas, boat anglers trolling near Tawas Point have caught walleye in waters 20 to 30 feet deep. Lake trout and chinook were caught in waters 30 to 40 feet deep. Pier anglers got a mix of brown trout and walleye when casting a variety of lures or still fishing with minnows. Light numbers of steelhead can still be found at the Singing Bridge. Night anglers caught walleye in the surf while casting body baits and Cleo’s. Inland, fishing was slow with light catches of bluegill, crappie and northern pike. Near Au Gres, boat anglers have caught walleye, chinook and catfish in waters 20 to 40 feet deep. Good numbers of walleye were taken when trolling with Rapala’s. In the Au Gres River, catfish are hitting on crawlers. Lake trout fishing has been steady on Higgins Lake when trolling with Rapalas or gray minnows in waters 100 feet deep. Brown trout are suspended 45 to 50 feet down in waters up to 90 feet deep. On Houghton Lake, crappie were caught on minnows and wigglers. A few bluegill were caught on crawlers. Northwestern Lower Peninsula Up near Petoskey, anglers continue to catch some steelhead. With the week’s cold weather, area fishing has been slow. Anglers reported slow fishing on Burt Lake. In Lake Charlevoix near Boyne City, a few walleye, northern pike and suckers were caught. Perch numbers are good in both Bays at Traverse City. Boat anglers have caught perch in waters 50 to 70 feet deep using wigglers and minnows. In the East Bay, boat anglers caught whitefish near Deep Water Point using wigglers, Swedish Pimples and Sand Kicker Jigs. Light numbers of steelhead have also been caught. At Lake Leelanau and Long Lake, walleye have been caught in waters 2 to 7 feet deep using Rapala’s and body baits after dark. Fishing pressure on the Lower Boardman River has been constant with most anglers fishing from the Union Street Dam down to the mouth. A good mix of coho, steelhead, brown trout, and suckers were caught using crawlers, wax worms and spawn. Anglers fishing upstream above the Sabin Dam and the Boardman Dam have caught brown trout on crawlers. Brown trout and brook trout were caught in the upper river. Good catches of brook trout were reported from Shecks Campground to the Brown Bridge Pond. Bluegills were caught on crawlers in the Brown Bridge Pond. At Leland, pier anglers have caught steelhead on spawn just below the dam. Suckers have been caught in the harbor on wax worms. Anglers caught brown trout at the mouth of Shalda Creek. Near Glen Arbor, boat anglers caught brown trout at the mouth of the Crystal River while casting spoons or drifting spawn. At Manistee, boat anglers trolling for brown trout around the piers and along the shoreline have done well. Chinook were caught out in deeper waters while trolling with spoons. Walleye have been caught using Rapala’s and body baits. Anglers fishing the shallows on Manistee Lake have caught bluegills on tear drops with wax worms. At Ludington, pier fishing is slow. Boat anglers have caught a few brown trout when trolling spoons and body baits close to shore. At Hamlin Lake, anglers caught bluegill on wax worms and crappie using minnows. Upper Peninsula The weather has made fishing a challenge. Those seeking northern pike, muskie and even panfish reported slow fishing. Anglers fishing the inland lakes did manage to catch a few walleye on jigs with minnows. Trout fishing seems to be the only thing going on, but catch rates were light. Some of the smaller streams are experiencing small hatches, but cool temperatures have suppressed much of the normal activity.
Not much action this week on Keweenaw Bay. A few hardy anglers have ventured out and caught chinook, coho and even a few lake trout. Good angler turnout was reported along the Upper Menominee River. Most boats are fishing two miles north of the Chalk Hills Dam around the recreation area where the water temperatures are 52 degrees. Some 17 to 22 inch fish have been caught. Crappie are hitting below the Grand Rapids Dam. It has been a rough start to the walleye opener in Little Bay De Noc, with lower than average angler turnout and low catch rates reported. The good news is anglers reported marking good numbers of fish just south of the Escanaba River out past the Shipping Docks. Those fishing from the Second and Third Reefs off Kipling managed to catch a few fish when drifting crawlers in 18 to 27 feet of water. Breezy Point south to the Ford River has been fished very little because of strong winds. There has been a great deal of fishing pressure on the Escanaba River, but few fish were actually caught. Water temperatures are anywhere from 46 to 52 degrees. Slow fishing was reported for all species at Munising and Au Train. A few more chinook is starting to show up in both bays but is still slow overall. Lake trout fishing has been fair when fishing in deeper waters. Those fishing near the port of Grand Marais have caught menominee. Steelhead fishing on the Sucker River has been slow but steady, with most fish in the 5 to 7 pound range. Many of the fish caught were spawned out. Closer to Newberry, the walleye, northern pike and muskie opener on the Tahquamenon River was slow due to the cold weather and a Mayfly hatch.
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