| Weekly Fishing Report | |
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Low water levels are causing a bit of a delay in the salmon runs this year. Warm water temperatures are also contributing to the slow start. Cooler temperatures along with much needed rain will help improve conditions.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula On Lake Erie, recent strong winds and cloudy water conditions have not made fishing easy. The good news is water temperatures are starting to drop slowly. A few walleye have been caught on crawler harnesses just east of Sterling State Park in 16 to 19 feet of water. Those fishing between the Fermi Power Plant and Stony Point have also caught walleye in the early mornings. Perch fishing was slow, but some fish 9 to 12 inches have been caught. White bass are starting to bite in the Hot Hole. In the Huron River, light catches of steelhead have been taken on a jig tipped with a wax worm when fishing below the Flat Rock Dam. On the Detroit River, anglers are fishing near the mouth for walleye. Fish have been caught in front of Lake Erie Metropark and Horse Island on a variety of lures including jigs and harnesses. Yellow perch have been caught near Point Mouillee, and around Sugar Island. Some are drifting perch rigs with shiners along the weed beds. Large and smallmouth bass have been caught on crayfish and tube baits when fishing along the drop-offs and the rock piles. In Lake St. Clair, fair to good yellow perch fishing was reported in the North Channel in front of Decker’s Landing using jigs with emerald shiners or crawlers. Some are trolling along the drop-off between the Firecracker and the St. Clair Light with crawler harnesses. Perch have been caught in Anchor Bay. Bluegill and crappie were caught southeast of the Fair Haven launch site. Off Harbor Beach, lake trout fishing is still good north of the harbor in 75 to 110 feet of water when using attractors with cut bait. Dodgers with Spin Glows on the bottom are working best. Salmon fishing has picked up some with fish taken in 35 to 65 feet of water straight out and a little north of the harbor. Spoons, body baits and J-Plugs fished 15 to 45 feet down caught fish. Steelhead were caught using color lines with spoons and body baits. Walleye fishing is slow, but fish have been taken north of the harbor using crawler harnesses and Hot-n-Tot’s in 45 to 80 feet of water. Yellow perch fishing is still slow, but fish were caught south of the harbor by the cemetery working the reefs in 40 to 60 feet of water with minnows. In Saginaw Bay, fair yellow perch fishing was reported near the Black Hole in 18 to 20 feet of water. Boats fishing near the Spark Plug have caught yellow perch at Buoys 12, 15, and 16. No walleye have been caught. Channel catfish have been caught near the Hot Ponds. Perch fishing near Quanicassee has been spotty. Near Caseville, perch have been caught in 45 feet of water off Sleeper State Park. A few perch are starting to show at the mouth of the Saginaw River. Southwestern Lower Peninsula Off St. Joe, boat anglers have caught some nice chinook salmon when trolling just outside the piers in 30 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are using a variety of lures in the color green. Heavy boat traffic was reported in the channel. Fair fishing in the St. Joe River. Good numbers of salmon and steelhead are in the river, but the bite has been slow. There is good movement of chinook and steelhead going through the fish ladder at Berrien Springs. Those fishing below the dam caught chinook, steelhead and brown trout when drifting spawn in the early mornings. Walleye and bass fishing are slow. From the ports of Holland and Port Sheldon, salmon fishing was good as the fish have finally moved in closer to shore. Chinook and coho have been caught when trolling just past the piers or in the channel in waters less than 50 feet deep. Steelhead can be found in deeper waters. Green J-Plugs along with blue and green spoons have worked best. Pier anglers are casting small spoons. The bite is definitely best early in the morning before the sun comes up. At Grand Haven, cooler water was pushed closer to shore. Fish have been caught in waters 30 to 100 feet deep. J-Plugs in chrome and green took fish in the clear waters, while glows and white caught fish in the mud. Silver chinook and steelhead were also caught in 190 to 240 feet of water. Casting alewife or small spoons off the piers also produced some good catches. There have been no reports of any perch caught. Good numbers of chinook have now moved into the Lower Grand River. The run is really just starting and will likely hold for a while. In the Grand River, the fish are starting to move up, but still are not in large numbers up towards Grand Rapids. A few chinook, coho and steelhead have been caught in the early mornings between 2:30am and 7:00am on flies, spawn, and spinners. Water levels are quite low and clear, so the fish are spooked easily. Anglers will need to put some time in to catch a fish. A few walleye have been caught between the Sixth Street Dam and the Thornapple River. Near Lansing, channel catfish have been caught on crawlers, minnows and cut bait. Good crappie fishing was reported on Jordan Lake and Morrison Lake. At Muskegon, boats have caught chinook when trolling just outside the piers in waters 30 to 90 feet deep. Those fishing off the piers are jigging in the very early mornings. Boats are trolling J-Plugs in 30 to 50 feet of water in Muskegon Lake. Northeastern Lower Peninsula In Rogers City, chinook salmon along with an occasional lake trout have been caught north of the harbor to Forty Mile Point in 20 to 60 feet of water or south of the harbor in front of Swan Bay, Calcite and Adams Point in 60 to 100 feet of water. Some are setting downriggers 10 to 65 feet down while others are using planer boards. J-Plugs and spoons in bright colors or glows have been popular. There are not very many fish in Swan Bay or the river, as most of them are still in deep waters. Those fishing Presque Isle have been getting salmon, lake trout and an occasional walleye. Try fishing straight out from the harbor and south to Stoneport and False Presque Isle, 15 to 60 feet down in waters 30 to 75 feet deep with spoons or J-Plugs in bright colors or anything that glows. Near Alpena, boats running out 19 to 22 miles continue to catch lake trout. The fish are down 30 to 40 feet in waters 60 to 80 feet deep. Try fishing the rocky shoal past Thunder Bay Island. Boats fishing in Thunder Bay and near the mouth of the river have managed to catch a few nice chinook in 40 to 60 feet of water. The fish are dark and hooked, but their size is worth the effort. Fish early mornings 4:30am to 6:30am. With the recent opening of the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary & Maritime Museum, lots of divers are visiting the area. Please use caution when dive boats are in the area. In the Thunder Bay River, the chinook salmon aren't quite in yet. A few guys are drift fishing from shore up near the Ninth Street Dam. No reports of any fish caught, but those using flies and spawn are starting to get some hits. Inland fishing for walleye has started as the walleye move into shallower waters. Walleye are biting in the north end of Burt Lake, and fair to good fishing was reported in Hubbard Lake. Boats are trolling with shallow divers, Hot-n-Tot’s and Rapalas in Black Lake. Those casting crawlers have caught yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Northern pike action has started to pick-up in Fletchers Floodwaters. Good numbers of bass were caught, but the fish are running small. Jumbo perch and bluegills have been caught when fishing 3 to 4 feet down. Near Oscoda, catch rates have been very light. Chinook have been caught when trolling J-Plugs and bright colored Rapalas just off the piers. Late night and early mornings are best. Chinook have been caught near the mouth of the Au Sable River. Boat anglers are using J-Plugs and spoons in 15 feet of water. Catfish have been caught on live bait when fishing off the piers at night. At Tawas, boats are trolling for chinook and brown trout in 45 to 55 feet of water using spoons tipped with cut bait. Pier anglers have caught chinook and smallmouth bass on a variety of spoons, spinners, and body baits. From Au Gres, the locals are catching nice perch straight out from the harbor in 40 to 50 feet of water. No one is catching limits, but most are happy with the numbers and size. Some chinook were reported in the Au Gres River. Northwestern Lower Peninsula For Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, warm water is still keeping many salmon in waters up to 140 feet deep. Fish moving closer to shore are providing some action for small boats, shore and pier anglers. The overall fishing continues to be on the slow side, but salmon have been caught at daybreak and sunset when using J-Plugs, spoons, flies and squid. Shore anglers at the Bear River and near the Cement Plant at Charlevoix are awaiting north winds or more rain. At Traverse City, salmon fishing has been good on both bays this past week, especially in the in the early mornings and just before dark. On East Bay, anglers continue to catch salmon along the South Bank when trolling J-Plugs and spoons with flies 50 to 80 feet down in 100 to 120 feet of water. On West Bay salmon were being caught in the "Hole" at the mouth of the Boardman River. Boats are using J-Plugs that glow and spoons when trolling 65 to 80 feet down. Salmon have started to run into the Lower Boardman River, where anglers are fishing from the North Union Street Bridge to the DNR Weir. The grates are in the weir and the salmon are stacking up, but the DNR has not started taking fish yet. Anglers are reminded to stay 300 feet away from the weir at all times. Locations are marked in the stream to assist anglers. Only one chinook has been caught below the weir. Rainbow trout and smallmouth bass have been caught on flies in the pond below Sabin Dam. The fishing at Platte Bay is very good. Anglers have caught coho with some limit catches reported. Those doing the best are jigging 60 to 80 feet down in waters 60 to 120 ft deep with spoons in chrome, chartreuse, and green glow. Those trolling have caught fish, but the bite is very early and short. Try black and chrome Rapalas or black and green Hot-n-Tot’s. Water temperatures in the river and up on the shelf are still about 70 degrees. A good number of fish are stacked up just off the shelf waiting for some colder waters. At Frankfort, pier fishing for coho and chinook was good early or late when casting spawn or spoons. Chinook were caught in the bay when trolling or casting off the wall near Elberta. Chinook and coho, along with the occasional steelhead or brown trout have been caught from the Herring Hole all the way up past Point Betsie when trolling in 40 to 100 feet of water. Chinook have been caught in the Betsie River at the Homestead Dam and the M-22 Bridge. At Manistee, chinook salmon have been caught, but the bite has been slow. A good west wind would help cool water temperatures and bring more fish in closer to shore. Anglers fishing the Big Manistee River near Tippy Dam have caught some fish, but most are waiting for more fish to come in. At Ludington, boats are trolling north of the harbor and up past the State Park for chinook, coho and steelhead. While the Pere Marquette River has only seen light numbers of fish caught, anglers reported good numbers of salmon in the Big Sable River. Anglers are drifting spawn or flies in the deeper holes. Upper Peninsula In Keweenaw Bay, boats are trolling in 80 to 160 feet of water or jigging in 180 to 240 feet of water for lake trout. Chinook, coho and pink salmon are in the Falls River, but only light numbers of fish have been caught. Lake trout can be found in Traverse Bay. In the Menominee River, bluegills and yellow perch have been caught in the backwaters of the Chalk Hills Dam and the Grand Rapids Dam when still-fishing with crawlers. Smallmouth bass and walleye were caught below Pemene Falls. In Little Bay De Noc, water temperatures are still 69 to 72 degrees. Fishing has been slow, but anglers had some success catching jumbo perch around Butler Island when jigging crawlers and minnows in 15 to 25 feet of water. The better walleye fishing was south of the Ford River near the shoals when drifting crawlers or trolling stick baits in 12 to 30 feet of water. Northern pike catches are up throughout the bay, with most fish taken while trolling for walleye. Salmon are just starting to show up in the rivers. In Big Bay De Noc, salmon anglers are far and few between at Fairport. Boats are still trolling between the Islands, but fewer catches have been reported. Perch are still the main target in the Fayette Harbor when jigging minnows or crawlers in 12 to 20 feet of water. Those fishing near Garden are jigging in 8 to 10 feet of water. No walleye catches were reported. Good numbers of smallmouth bass have been marked throughout the bay. At Marquette, boat anglers have taken fair catches of lake trout in 130 to 180 feet of water. Salmon fishing was slow, but a few coho were caught near the mouth of the Chocolay River. Good lake trout fishing in Munising Bay. Inside the bay, few coho have been caught as surface water temperatures are still near 67 degrees. The few that have been caught were taken on smaller spoons in green and yellow. Slow lake trout fishing from Grand Marais, and the salmon have not started running yet. Perch fishing on the Manistique Lakes has been producing limits of 7 to 9 inch fish. Try using a bobber and minnow along the edge of the weed beds. Along the St. Mary’s River, water temperatures are still about 67 degrees. A few walleye have been caught using 36 inch crawler harnesses with bottom bouncers in 18 to 20 feet of water off Raber Point. Good smallmouth bass fishing off Point Aux Frenes, using crawlers or crayfish in 6 to 8 feet of water. Off DeTour, few reports have come in due to low angler pressure. Those anglers targeting salmon are fishing the Shipping Channel to the #3 Green Can which is near the lighthouse. Chinook along with a few pink salmon have been caught on silver dodgers, green squid and black and white spoons. To the north of Drummond Island, good perch fishing was reported around Harbor Island when using worms or minnows in 6 to 8 feet of water along the weedbeds. Yellow perch have been caught in the Yacht Haven Marina when fishing about halfway down in 12 feet of water with minnows or popcorn shrimp. At Cedarville and Hessel, fair numbers of salmon have been caught on J-Plugs or stick baits in 30 feet of water. Try fishing the Dolomite Shipping Channel or right in front of the docks. Anglers targeting salmon in the Hessel area are fishing from Fuyards Point to Goose Island with fair results. No salmon in the creeks as of this report. Yellow perch are quite active and hitting on minnows, garden worms, crab meat or crawlers around Little Joe Island, Moscow Channel and Musky Bay. Northern pike and smallmouth bass fishing was very good when casting chubs or shiner minnows in shallow waters. Try Government Bay, Cedarville Bay, Hessel Bay and off Connors Point in Musky Bay. While few boats have been out near St. Ignace, those going out are coming back with fish. Fair to good catches of chinook salmon are still coming around Mackinaw Island and the Coast Guard Station. Green, white and yellow spoons worked best. Salmon are in at the mouth of the Carp River. A few beds have been spotted up near the McDonald Rapids. The best hours to fish have been in the very early mornings or late evenings with green J-Plugs or small Cleo’s. |
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