| Weekly Fishing Report | |
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Thursday, August 25, 2005 On the Great Lakes, cooler temperatures did move fish closer to shore, but rain is needed to push migrating fish into the river systems. Water levels are low in many of the major river systems that produce good trout and salmon runs. Inland, good numbers of rock bass, musky and crappie were reported. Walleye and yellow perch fishing slowed.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula On Lake Erie, strong winds caused cloudy water conditions and slowed fishing. There were no reports of any walleye caught. Those boats able to anchor have managed to catch yellow perch off Luna Pier, the Toledo Lighthouse and near Buoys E and C. Smaller catches were taken near Buoy 3 off the Raisin River. It seems the jumbo perch have not come in yet. In the Detroit River, anglers are jigging minnows and crawlers for walleye. Near Trenton, perch fishing was fair. Boat anglers have caught perch around Grassy Island and Mud Island on minnows. Smallmouth bass have been caught in the cuts near Grosse Ile. No steelhead to report in the Huron River, as water levels are low. Anglers have caught bass, catfish and carp. In Lake St. Clair, those fishing Canadian waters have caught some nice musky. Yellow perch were caught around the St. Clair Light, off Metro Beach and near Nine Mile Road when fishing in the early mornings. A few walleye were taken when slow trolling between the Firecracker and the St. Clair Light. Those fishing the St. Clair River are drifting, jigging or hand-lining between Algonac and Port Huron. Walleye have been caught near the Blue Water Bridge. From Lexington to Port Sanilac, a mix of chinook, lake trout and steelhead have been caught in 50 to 100 feet of water when using dodgers and cut bait. Yellow perch have been caught in 18 to 30 feet of water off both ports, but the fish are small. Rock bass and sunfish have been caught off the pier at Lexington. At Harbor Beach, good lake trout fishing north of the harbor in 85 to 110 feet of water using attractors with cut bait. Try Spin Doctors or dodgers with flies just off the bottom. Salmon fishing is slow, with a few fish taken 40 to 60 feet down in waters 60 to 90 feet deep. Lead lines with spoons and small Spin Doctors with flies are also working. Best colors are yellow or green glow, and blues. Steelhead fishing was slow, but some fish were taken on bright colored spoons north of the harbor. Walleye were also caught in 60 to 90 feet of water as far north as the “Can” off Light House Park. Try slow trolling with crawler harnesses or Hot-n-Tot’s. Perch fishing was slow with a few fish taken south of the harbor. In Saginaw Bay, walleye fishing was slow. Most of the fish were caught when jigging between the Saginaw River and the Quanicassee River. Yellow perch were taken near the Black Hole, the Spark Plug, and Buoys 5, 18 and 22. Fish were also taken off the Pinconning Bar. Southwestern Lower Peninsula At St. Joe / Benton Harbor, chinook can be found in waters 60 to 90 feet deep. Most fish have been taken when fishing 30 to 45 feet down with spoons. Pier anglers have managed to catch a few chinook and steelhead as the fish are starting to move closer to shore. Perch can be found in 15 to 25 feet of water, but the fish are scattered. In the St. Joe River, bass anglers are doing well when casting jigs along the bank or drifting crawlers. Steelhead are starting to move into the river as water temperatures dropped a little. Anglers are taking fish at the Berrien Springs Dam. Movement of the steelhead should provide some good angling opportunities for both boat and shore anglers. Slow fishing from Holland to Port Sheldon. Light numbers of chinook were caught 15 to 25 feet down in 40 to 60 feet of water. Perch fishing also slowed, with only small fish taken off the piers at Holland. Smallmouth bass and freshwater drum along with lots of gobies were caught off the north pier. At Grand Rapids, anglers are starting to catch a few chinook at the Sixth Street Dam. Anglers are using a glow crawler harness with a neon green crawler under a bobber. Crappies are hitting on minnows near Riverside Park. Channel and flathead catfish have been caught on sucker minnows, crawlers and shrimp. Not much to report near Lansing. Some large channel catfish have been caught on live bait up near the North Lansing Dam. Good crappie fishing in Morrison Lake when using minnows. In the Rogue River, those fly fishing have caught rainbow trout and brown trout when using Hopper or Caddis patterns. Fish have been caught below 10-Mile Road and above Rogue River Drive. Good walleye fishing continues in the Thornapple River. Crappie were caught in 10 to 15 feet of water in Reeds Lake. Good bluegill fishing in Camp Lake. At Grand Haven and Muskegon, boats are fishing near the mouth of the rivers in the early mornings and evenings. Anglers reported good fishing when using J-Plugs and fish catchers with flies in waters 40 to 100 feet deep. Although fish are starting to stage near the mouth of the rivers, rain is needed to jump start the run as water levels are low. In the Muskegon River, smallmouth bass along with a few walleye have been caught on live bait, crank baits, and spinners in the deeper holes. Northeastern Lower Peninsula From Rogers City to Presque Isle, strong east winds are needed to push cold waters in and improve fishing conditions. At Rogers City, boats are trolling in front of Swan Bay, Adams Point, near the Forty Mile Point Light and the State Park. Fish the surface down to 70 feet in waters 30 to 120 feet deep. Spoons in orange, green, blue and purple or J-Plugs in green, silver or glow-in-the-dark have worked well. At Presque Isle, try fishing straight out from the harbor or north between the two lighthouses. Off Rockport, salmon fishing has started to pick up and some boats have reported limit catches. Middle Island had the most action, when trolling along the east, northeast and north sides of the island. Anglers are reminded to use caution when fishing around the commercial nets. Lake trout and walleye have also been caught. Stoneport had a few hits in waters 80 to 120 feet deep. Chinook can be found near the top, while the lake trout are just off the bottom. Fishing from Alpena is still a bit slow. Boats are fishing for trout and salmon in the morning and afternoon, and walleye as soon as it gets dark. A few boats are heading out to the Nordmere Wreck and fishing about 70 feet down in waters 160 to 180 feet deep for chinook. Coho and lake trout can be found in 150 feet of water. Anglers need to use caution with all the nets surrounding the area around the Nordmere Wreck. Lake trout can be found east of Thunder Bay Island. At Harrisville, lake trout have been caught near Sturgeon Point, straight east of the harbor, and south of the harbor. Use orange, green, chartreuse, and watermelon spoons with dodgers and cowbells in waters 70 to 160 feet deep. A few chinook have been caught north to Sturgeon Point in 60 to 135 feet of water. Anglers mentioned marking abundant fish near the nets just north of Sturgeon Point. From Oscoda, lake trout have been caught northeast or straight east in waters 85 to 130 feet deep. Orange and chartreuse spoons have caught most fish. Pier anglers are catching catfish on live bait while fishing at night. Smallmouth bass and rock bass have also been caught. At Tawas, a few salmon and lake trout have been caught in 50 to 110 feet of water. Fair to good catches of walleye 30 to 40 feet down in waters 60 to 100 feet deep out past Buoy-2. Northern pike have been caught when trolling near the weed beds. Pier fishing has been slow with an occasional smallmouth bass or yellow perch taken. For Au Gres, good perch fishing was reported in 30 to 40 feet of water in the Shipping Channel and along the Gravelly Shoal. Walleye fishing slowed with a few fish taken in 30 to 50 feet of water off Point Au Gres. In the Au Gres River, channel catfish have been taken at night. On Higgins Lake, water temperatures in the shallow waters are still in the high 70’s. Good numbers of rock bass have been caught in 8 to 10 feet of water. A few more lake trout have been caught using cowbells and minnows in 85 to 100 feet of water. Perch are starting to hit on minnows. On Houghton Lake, those working the weed beds have caught a variety of fish including walleye, bass, sunfish and rock bass. Try to anchor and fish leeches or crawlers under a slip bobber. On Lake Margrethe, bluegills have been caught on wax worms, while smallmouth bass are hitting on leeches in 20 feet of water. Northwestern Lower Peninsula Recent north winds have blown cooler waters into port from Harbor Springs to Charlevoix. Check waters temperatures when you go out as fish have been caught in waters 65 feet deep or less. Fish were caught inside the bay and around Harbor Point. Boats are trolling between Bay Harbor and Petoskey. At Charlevoix, boat anglers have taken fish on spoons with dodgers and flies when fishing just south of Fisherman’s Island to North Point. The majority of fish are running 3 to 16 pounds. Perch anglers are still catching fish in Lake Charlevoix. The Pine River Channel has yielded some nice smallmouth bass when using worms and leeches. Higher water levels from recent rains have pushed a few early salmon into some of the river systems. Closer to Traverse City, good numbers of lake trout have been caught in both the East Bay and West Bay. Those seeking salmon reported slow fishing. Good walleye fishing was reported in Lake Leelanau and Long Lake. In the Boardman River, smallmouth bass are still hitting on crawlers and leeches, but the fish are running small. A few brown trout have been caught by those fly fishing with a Caddis Fly between the Shumsky Public access site and Beitner Road. Anglers are targeting carp with crawlers, dough balls and shredded wheat. Small northern pike were caught on spinners and crawlers above the Union Street Dam and below the Sabin Dam. Along the upper sections of the Boardman River, those fly fishing have caught brook and brown trout using Trico’s, Hoppers, and Wooly Buggers. In Boardman Pond, smallmouth bass and yellow perch have been caught, but the fish are running small. Bluegills, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and rock bass have been caught in the Brown Bridge Pond. The panfish are hitting on crawlers and poppers. Smallmouth bass have been caught on crawlers or leeches. Near Frankfort, good numbers of chinook along with steelhead, brown trout and a few coho have been caught. Good fishing from the Herring Hole to Pt. Betsie, in waters 150 to 350 feet deep. Most spoons, flies, and plugs in the colors green, blue, pink or anything that glows have taken fish. Pier fishing has slowed, but casting alewife or spawn should start to produce some catches as fish are starting to move into the bay area. Yellow perch and northern pike have been caught off the public fishing pier in town. In Platte Bay, limits of chinook along with a few lake trout have been caught. The thermalcline is down 55 feet and the fish are below that. Chrome J-Plugs and green spoons have caught fish. Off Arcadia, the fishing has been hit or miss. Fish have been caught 100 feet down in waters 100 to 180 feet deep. Green spoons or green glow J-Plugs are the ticket. Near Onekama, salmon and trout have been caught straight out and north of the piers on spoons and plugs in colors of green, yellow, blue, and purple. Pier anglers have seen both large and smallmouth bass near the south end of the pier. Portage Lake anglers have been catching good numbers of bluegill and rock bass on wax worms. At Manistee, while the thermoclines had been deep for some time, recent north winds have pushed salmon in closer to shore. Good numbers of chinook have been caught in the harbor and out to the shelf in 100 feet of water. Pier anglers are starting to catch salmon. Those fishing the Big Manistee River have caught steelhead up near Tippy Dam. The weir is now in place on the Little Manistee River and will stop any further upstream salmon migrations. The egg take will likely begin in early October. Upper Peninsula Slow fishing in Keweenaw Bay, but anglers are catching lake trout in Traverse Bay. Fish were caught when trolling in 60 to 150 feet of water or jigging in 120 to 240 feet of water. On the Menominee River, walleye have been active in the backwaters of the White Rapids Dam and the Chalk Hill Dam. Anglers are trolling crawler harness in 20 feet of water. Good numbers of 12 to 14 inch smallmouth bass have been caught. Fair panfish catches taking place above the Chalk Hill Dam. Musky and northern pike have been caught. In the waters of Green Bay near the Garden Peninsula, good numbers of mature salmon are beginning to migrate closer to shore. Fish were caught in waters as shallow as 20 feet in the early mornings and late evenings. A few salmon and brown trout have been caught while casting Cleo’s off the breakwalls in the early mornings. From the port of Marquette, good numbers of lake trout have been caught in waters at least 100 feet deep. The fish have been running 2 to 5 pounds with an occasional 10 to 18 pounder taken. Off Munising / Au Train, lake trout were caught when trolling out near Big Reef in 150 feet of water. Good lake trout fishing off Grand Marais for those fishing near the drop-offs in 150 to 300 feet of water. Limits have been taken in 3 to 4 hours of fishing. Good spoon colors are green/gold, green/chrome, or black and white. Boats are trolling 1.3 to 1.7 miles per hour and running cannon balls about 2 feet off the bottom. There were no signs of salmon from these ports, but the chinook and coho should start to gather around the harbors in the next few weeks. At Sault Ste. Marie, a few walleye have been caught in the St. Mary’s River. Boats are slow trolling or drifting while using crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers in 8 to 14 feet of water off Raber Point. Near De Tour, walleye and northern pike are up in the river, but the catch rate was slow. Yellow perch have been caught near the marina at Yacht Haven. They are hitting on popcorn shrimp, minnows and worms in 8 feet of water off the end of the dock. Off Cedarville and Hessel, yellow perch are biting in fair numbers throughout the Les Cheneaux Islands. Northern pike and smallmouth bass are hitting on shiner minnows or chubs in shallow waters. Try fishing between Government Bay and Cedarville Bay, Connors Point, Musky Bay, Hessel Bay and around the piers. Salmon anglers are trolling in 40 to 70 feet of water between Brulee Point, Coat Point and Goose Island. Off St. Ignace, salmon can still be found around Mackinaw Island and off the Coast Guard Station. Catch rates are slow, with the average catch weighing just 4 to 10 pounds. Most are using small silver J-Plugs, silver and white flashers and red and white flies. |
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