Thursday, September 21, 2006
Recreational Fishing Report
 

Rain and below normal temperatures have salmon moving closer to shore and into the river systems. Boat and shore anglers have reported good catches at most ports. All other fishing should pick back up once the weather improves.

Anglers are reminded that it is UNLAWFUL TO SNAG OR RETAIN any fish that has not been hooked in the mouth. This includes all species of trout and salmon.
 

Lake Erie - While perch numbers are still down, the better fishing has been north of the E Buoy, near the Sputnik and off Stony Point. Some nice jumbo perch have also been caught north of the E Buoy, though the catch rate was slow.

Huron River - Still no word on any steelhead activity.

Ford Lake - The algae blooms have slowed down and the lake is clearing up. Because of the weather, fishing has been up and down. Fair walleye catches when slow trolling or jigging with Wiggle Warts, Hot-n-Tots, or spoons. Bluegills and perch are hitting on natural baits, but the fish are running small. Smallmouth bass are hitting on both live and imitation crayfish.

Lake St. Clair - Good bass fishing continues off the weed beds. Fish are hitting on crawlers, tube baits and spinners. Those seeking walleye should try the weed beds off New Baltimore, around Grass Island, and near the mouth of the North Channel.

St. Clair River - Walleye are stacking up at the mouth of the river. Boat anglers are hand-lining or vertical jigging right under the Blue Water Bridge. A few chinook salmon have been caught by those fishing off the Boadwalks. The fish are hitting on spoons and thundersticks and are averaging 8 to 12 pounds. Those casting spoons or spinners near the mouth of the Black River have caught some steelhead.

Port Sanilac - Boat anglers are trolling just outside the pierheads in the early morning. Pier anglers have done well off the North Pier. Walleye can be found in 30 to 60 feet of water. Good yellow perch fishing continues straight out from the harbor in 40 feet of water. Emerald shiners seem to work best.

Saginaw Bay - Slow perch action was noted off Buoys 2, 3 and 22, and near the Spark Plug. Most of the fish averaged 7 to 8 inches and were taken on minnows. Off Quanicassee, perch are starting to bite in shallow waters 5 to 6 feet deep in the early morning. Walleye have been caught in 10 to 12 feet of water off the Bar and in the Slot. Fish were also taken about four miles straight out in 12 feet of water.
 

St. Joseph - Pier fishing is fair for chinook salmon, with most of the fish caught at night. Those trolling are catching chinook in 100 to 150 feet of water.

St. Joseph River - There are fish in the river, however, they are not real active. Chinook salmon are the predominant fish, with a few coho and brown trout being taken. The best area is at the mouth of the Paw Paw River where it comes into the St. Joe, using jigging spoons. Boaters are using hot-n-tots and flat fish from the mouth to Berrien County Sportsmens Club. Large numbers of fish are at the dam, with few being taken by drifting spawn and flies.

Grand Haven - Boat and pier fishing has been slow. Anglers are fishing 80 to 200 feet deep with salmon being caught at 120 feet. Blue and green spoons or flies have worked well in the morning, switching to yellow as the sun gets brighter.

Grand River at Grand Rapids - Good numbers of salmon can be found up near the Sixth Street Dam. Spawn or flies have worked best. A few brown trout and steelhead have also been caught in the last few days. Salmon have also been caught when drifting Hot-n-Tots off the bridges. Walleye fishing was slow with only a few fish taken up near the dam. Catfish are still hitting strong.

Grand River at Lansing - Coho salmon have made it to the point where the Grand River and the Red Cedar River meet. Fish were caught on spoons and spinners. Other good spots to fish are near Grand Ledge and Lyons. Fair to good fishing for crappie, bluegill, rock bass and sunfish when using small rubber baits tipped with a wax worm.

Muskegon - Both pier and boat fishing has slowed. Boat anglers are fishing about 120 feet down in waters 80 to 200 feet deep for salmon. Blue, green and yellow spoons have been working well.

Muskegon River - The lower river is full of fish and they should be moving up towards the dam. Anglers are using pearl colored or fire tiger flatfish, spinners in pink and orange, and spawn bags.

White River - Large numbers of salmon are showing up in the river.
 

Cheboygan River - Chinook salmon are being caught from the Cheboygan River to the shallower waters of Lake Huron along the channel.

Hammond Bay - Most of the fish are being caught out from the Ocqueoc River mouth or in front of the Biological Station, with most fishing early in the morning or in the evening past dark. Trolling with J-plugs or spoons is the most common method used, with green and silver or white being popular colors.

Rogers City - Fish are staging off Swan Bay and the river. Fish waters up to 60 feet deep using planer boards with one or two colors of lead. Good lures have been J-plugs, bombers, flashers like the Hootchie Mamas and spoons. The best colors are white or pearl, green with a black ladder back, green splatter, purple splatter, silver, and blue. Use anything that glows when fishing early and late. Fish waters 50 to 60 feet deep straight out or north towards 40 Mile Point using spoons or early summer fishing techniques.

Presque Isle - There is good fishing in 30 to 60 feet of water using spoons, J-plugs, bombers and attractors. Best colors have been white, green, blue, and black and white. Use anything that glows when fishing early or late. Reef runner body baits off planer boards have been working well. The best areas have been straight out from the Can and south toward Stoneport. Fish are also being taken off Albany Point north of the big lighthouse.

Rockport - Salmon are being taken off the pier in early morning just before sunrise. Most anglers fishing off the end of the pier are casting into the waters on the north side. Walleye have been caught along the Shelf, which is about halfway out to Middle Island and runs parallel to shore. Try trolling 18 to 20 feet down in waters 20 to 30 feet deep for walleye, lake trout and steelhead. Good trout and salmon fishing on the east and northeast sides of Middle Island. Try 60 to 70 feet of water with spoons or small plugs. The Sink Hole located just off the Lighthouse is also a good place to fish for salmon, lake trout and walleye.

Hubbard Lake - Walleye fishing is still very good. Anglers trolling with crank baits in 50 feet of water have had good success. Most of the action is on the south end of the lake or along the shoreline from East Bay leading to the South Bay. Bass action has been fair with some being picked up while trolling for walleye in water around 50 feet. Some are also being taken at 8 to12 feet along the shoreline. Crawlers work best but spinner baits have been successful as well. Perch action is good with many anglers keeping 10 to15 perch a trip. Minnows are working better than crawlers and they are being taken in 12 to 14 feet of water.

Alpena - Fishing has been fairly slow. Only a few river anglers have caught fish. Boating anglers fishing closer to the river mouth had more luck.

Thunder Bay River - Boat and shore anglers are still fishing the river for salmon. Construction continues on Fletcher Street and may cause the Second Street Bridge to be closed at times. Anglers can still access the river by using the launch on Ford Street. The Ninth Street Bridge will be closed until November. Shore anglers may have difficulty accessing their favorite fishing spot up near the dam.

Oscoda - Action has been slow for both lake trout and salmon. Anglers targeting salmon have been fishing in front of the pier heads early in the morning. The best baits have been J-plugs in chrome, pearl, or green patterns. Pier anglers have been catching salmon on glow spoons or body baits in the fire tiger pattern. Offshore anglers have been fishing for lake trout in 90 to 120 feet of water. Bluegill fishing is good in the backwaters and ponds.

Au Sable River - Salmon are being taken while trolling near the mouth as fish are just starting to enter the river.

Tawas - Pier fishing for perch has been slow and the fish are small. A few chinook, walleye, channel cats, pike and smallmouth bass have been caught.

Au Gres - Perch fishing is still good when boats can get out. Best fishing is in 30 to 40 feet of water.

Au Gres River - Some salmon have been spotted in the river.

Houghton Lake - Since the weather has turned colder the fish are starting to bite. Walleye are being caught while drifting crawlers in 6 to 8 feet of water. In the evening anglers are fishing in the canals with minnows and stick baits. Panfish are biting near the weed beds in 6 to 8 feet of water.
 

Lake Charlevoix - Salmon are still being caught in Lake Charlevoix off Whiting Point to the old power plant, with some fishing at the mouth of the Boyne River and Horton Bay. Anglers have also been targeting salmon in the Ironton Channel and the Coast Guard Station near Charlevoix. Trolling spoons and J-plugs 22 to 80 feet down in 25 to 100 feet of water are producing catches in the 10 to 15 pound range. Perch anglers continue to do well in Oyster Bay, Two Mile Bay and near the Charlevoix Yacht Club in 10 to 25 feet of water using minnows and nightcrawlers. Smallmouth bass fishing has slowed. Anglers have been using artificial worms and tubes, fishing in 15 to 22 feet of water near Horton Bay and the Ironton Channel.

Traverse City - On West Bay, anglers continue to catch good numbers of chinook salmon while trolling the mouth of the Boardman River and by the Red 8 Buoy. Spoons and Hootchie Mamas with green or flies trolled 30 to 50 feet down in 60 to 90 feet of water produced the most action. On East Bay, boaters continue to catch fair numbers of salmon along the Wall on the south bank of Old Mission Peninsula while trolling baits 30 to 50 feet down in 60 to 110 feet of water. Smallmouth bass action is also good on East Bay using spinners, jerk baits and tube baits along the Old Mission Peninsula by Old Mission Harbor.

Boardman River - A good number of salmon are being taken as a large number of fish moved into the river over the past week. Most anglers drifted spawn bags or casted glow-in-the-dark spoons in the morning or evenings.

Leland - Fishing for chinook salmon has been good around North Manitou Island and off the First Bank, with most fish in the 8 to 12 pound range. Salmon have moved into the harbor where casting has been producing chinook early in the morning. Body baits such as thunder sticks and rapalas have been working best. Lake trout fishing has been slow at best.

Leland River - Salmon have moved into the river system. Anglers are reminded of the spawning closure that will close the river to fishing on October 1st, and will remain closed through the end of November.

Glen Arbor - Fishing has been great in Sleeping Bear Bay on flashers and flies. Salmon have started staging at the mouth of the Crystal River. Some fish have moved into the Crystal River and are being caught regularly. The mouth of Shalda Creek in Good Harbor Bay continues to have excellent fishing, with both chinook and coho being caught in the morning. Try casting from shore with green little cleos and white or pearl krocodiles.

Glen Lake - Perch fishing has been steady. Crayfish and crawlers are producing some of the bigger catches in 50 feet of water off the narrows. Smallmouth bass fishing has been great on Little Glen Lake. Trolling for lake trout in over 100 feet of water has been producing some nice catches as well.

Frankfort - Fishing for chinook, steelhead, and some coho has been good in front of the piers and along the shore up to Point Betsie with most fish being caught in 30 to 110 feet of water. A good number of chinook have also been caught trolling inside the harbor near the Coast Guard Station. Salmon have been caught on both piers and the wall in the early mornings on krocodiles and wobblers. At the M-22 Bridge chinook are being caught by drifting spawn, and fish continue to be caught as far up as the Homestead Dam on spoons, spawn, and spinners.

Betsie River - Salmon fishing remains good.

Onekama - Trolling anglers are taking decent catches of chinook and coho in 80 to 140 feet of water to the north of the piers near the Barrel. Fish have been caught on meat rigs, green, glow or blue spoons, and purple or white flies. Fishing on the piers has been slow but a few bass and suckers have been caught on the south pier.

Portage Lake - Nice pike have been caught on the west end and some nice size perch have been caught near the channel.

Manistee -Fishing has been slow, although chinook salmon are being taken in Manistee Lake, and the harbor and Lake Michigan. Anglers are mainly fishing the shelf in 90 to 120 feet of water. Those trolling the harbor are catching chinook inside and just outside the pier heads. Pier anglers have had some luck catching chinook while casting spoons off both piers.

Big Manistee River - Salmon fishing remains strong.

Ludington - Fishing has been slow as the fish still seem to be scattered. Steelhead were caught in the top 15 feet of water and chinook have been down 70 to 100 feet out in deeper water. Pier anglers have caught a few salmon off both piers casting spoons. Shore anglers are starting to catch fish by the State Park.

Pere Marquette River - Salmon fishing is good in the river and in Pere Marquette Lake.
 

Ontonagon - Salmon have been productive near the mouth of the river and rainbow trout are showing up.

Keweenaw Bay - Fishing pressure has been low. Anglers trolling for salmon have taken a few coho and lake trout trolling spoons in 30 to 60 feet of water fishing 25 to 55 feet down. A few coho have also been taken off the pier in L'Anse casting with Little Cleo's. There are a few pink salmon in the Falls River, although the water is very low and clear.

Lake Michigamme - Fishing has slowed due to rain and high winds. Anglers that were out had success catching walleye near the rock reef off of Presbytery Point, south of Flat Island, and in the east arm near Van Riper State Park in waters 10 to 40 feet deep. Best baits were leeches, crawlers, rapalas, thundersticks and minnows. Smallmouth bass were being taken near the islands in the east arm and south of the islands while still fishing with leeches, jigging with both artificial and live bait, and casting spoons. Rock bass were found throughout the lake and were caught using worms, leeches, and artificial bait. A few northern pike were found south of the islands casting spoons and rapalas.

Marquette - Lake trout fishing remains fair for anglers trolling in 140 to 170 feet of water. Anglers trolling near the shoreline are fishing in 30 to 70 feet of water. Near shore boaters are catching coho salmon or lake trout, with an occasional chinook, brown or rainbow trout. Boats have been concentrated toward the Lower Harbor or the Chocolay River. Good salmon fishing can be found in Marquette Harbor.

Dead River - Shore fishing has been slow, however, chinook and pink salmon have been taken.

Green Bay - Boat anglers trolling late evening hours off Cedar River green buoy marker south to Hayward Bay have had excellent walleye catches.

Menominee River - Has fair to good salmon fishing between the Hattie Street Bridge and the First Dam. Some brown trout and steelhead were also taken casting spoons or drifting spawn or yarn.

Little Bay De Noc - Walleye fishing has been slow. Anglers marked good numbers of fish throughout the bay but few catches have been reported. The best fishing is in the southern areas trolling or drifting in 14 to 25 feet of water using crawlers. Smallmouth bass action is good throughout the bay with best catches reported in the Kipling area jigging minnows in 10 to 20 feet. A few yellow perch have been taken out of the Kipling area jigging minnows and worms in 10 to 17 feet. Northern pike action has been good while trolling and casting spinners and cranks along the edges by the Gladstone coal piles and south to the Escanaba Yacht Harbor in 6 to 12 feet of water. Several large northern pike were reported. Salmon fishing is good at the Ford River. Shore anglers are casting spoons and cranks out by the mouth with good morning and evening catches.

Big Bay De Noc - Snake Island is producing good catches of large bass while drifting or trolling minnows in 15 to 35 feet of water all along the break.

Munising - Coho fishing is slow to fair trolling dodgers with flies and spoons 40 feet down in water 80 feet deep. Shore angers are using spawn bags. Sizes are ranging from 2 to 6 pounds. A few splake have been taken as well. Lake trout fishermen are having fair to good success in waters 150 feet deep.

St. Mary's River - Chinook salmon fishing is good at the north end of the river with limits of chinook and pink salmon being taken trolling J-Plugs and spoon baits in 30 feet of water fishing 12 to 18 feet. Salmon fishing is also good in front of the Sault Edison Power Plant in 30 feet of water. Yellow perch are being taken using small cuts of crawler fished in 18 to 28 feet of water just off the bottom with perch spreaders just north of the Garden River on the Lake George side of the river. The south end of Sugar Island is also producing good catches of yellow perch using minnows and pinches of worm in 22 feet of water in the early morning. Yellow perch can also be found in open water ¼ mile south of Timber Ridge Resort. Northern pike fishing has been productive casting rattletraps in 6 to10 feet of water in and around the weed beds, at Bear Lake, and Sankie Bay which is on the south end of Lake George.