Fishing Forum

[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday, March 29, 2007 [/font] [font "Arial, Helvetica"]Recreational Fishing Report[/font]
[font "Arial, Helvetica"][/font]
[url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]

Boat and pier anglers are on the move as ice fishing season has come to an end. On Sunday April 1, 2007 all anglers will be required to have the new 2007 Michigan Fishing License. Copies of the 2006-2008 Fishing Guide and Inland Trout and Salmon Guides are available at all license vendors around the state.

Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Shore anglers are catching perch off the Metro Park. Some have reported taking 15 to 20 fish per day. Bluegills were also caught.
Huron River - Water levels remain very high. Anglers are starting to catch a few fresh steelhead but fishing remains slow at best. A couple fish were taken in the slower waters between the dams when using small jigs with wax worms or flies. Boat anglers were catching fish on crankbaits. Steelhead have reached the Belleville Dam and were hitting plugs and flies under a bobber. All other fishing was extremely slow.
Detroit River - Some big walleye have been caught when jigging or handlining about one half mile down from the Edison Plant. Some are using stinger hooks with large minnows. Some limits of yellow perch were taken east of Sugar Island when using small shiners.
St. Clair River - Walleye have been caught when vertical jigging with large emerald shiners near the mouth of the Black River. Smelt action near Algonac has been slow as water temperatures are still between 38 and 40 degrees.
Black River - Suckers have started to run.
Saginaw Bay - Boat anglers are looking for perch near the mouth of the Pine River, but they are not spawning yet. Commercial fishermen are just now setting their nets. Boat anglers are taking walleye off the mouth of the Saginaw and Kawkawlin Rivers. Muddy water is hindering fishing. Some nice perch were taken in the harbor at Caseville. Mornings are best.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph - Pier anglers have caught some steelhead and brown trout, but the action has been off and on.
St. Joesph River - Water levels are high and muddy, and fishing seems to have shut down with the cooler temperatures.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Has very good steelhead fishing up near the Sixth Street Dam. Good action was also reported off Fulton Street, Bridge Street and near the Post Office. Most are using spawn bags, yarn, or jigs with wax worms. Hot colors have been pink and chartreuse. Check the bayous for bluegills and crappie.
Grand River at Lansing - Water levels are still high. A couple steelhead were taken at the Moore's Park Dam.
Rogue River - Has good numbers of steelhead up near the Rockford Dam.
Reeds Lake - Bluegills have been caught in the shallow waters.
Muskegon - Steelhead have been caught in the warm waters off the end of the piers. Both pier anglers and those surfcasting are using spawn bags.
Muskegon Lake - A few perch have been caught, but they are running very small.
Muskegon River - The upper river is experiencing high and muddy waters. Good numbers of suckers have been caught on crawlers in the lower river.

Northeast Lower Peninsula
Rogers City - Most of the ice is gone, however there is still some present in the marina so the docks have not been put in. Those looking for brown trout may want to try casting from the platform or rocks off the marina. Try spoons, crankbaits and bodybaits in blue and silver, chartreuse and silver or firetiger. The key is to find the warmest water possible along the shoreline. Try north of town off the Trout River and south of town off the Swan River. Brown trout should be in full swing in the next few weeks.
Hubbard Lake - Poor ice conditions have brought the ice fishing season to a close.
Tawas Bay - Steelhead along with a few brown trout have been caught off the pier.
Au Gres - Boat anglers caught walleye in 10 feet of water off the mouth of the river.
Au Gres River - Water levels have been high and muddy near the Whitney Drain, which is on the East Branch of the Au Gres River.
Higgins Lake - Still has some ice, but no safe ice. It could be another week or so before the lake has open water. If it warms back up, anglers could be surfcasting soon.
Houghton Lake - Has open water, but fishing action so far has been very slow.

Northwest Lower Peninsula
Lake Charlevoix - There has been no fishing on the lake due to poor ice conditions. The ice is honeycombed with lots of cracks around the entire lake. Watch for the sections with open water near the shoreline.
Traverse City - Both the East Bay and the West Bay have open water. Whitefish action has been slow, but good numbers of lake trout have been caught when jigging with Pimples. No word on perch. Steelhead have been caught near the mouth of the Boardman River, but cooler temperatures will slow the action.
Betsie River - Should have good numbers of steelhead in the river system. Look for fishing to improve with warmer weather.
Frankfort - Boats are now starting to troll inside the pierheads. Pier anglers are also starting to target steelhead.
Manistee - Boat and pier anglers are starting to fish.
Manistee River - Has high water levels. Cooler weather will slow the steelhead fishing, but good catches should resume when spring returns again.
Pere Marquette River - Watch out for high water levels. Steelhead fishing should be good once it warms back up.

Upper Peninsula
Northern Iron and Dickinson still had quite a bit of snow. Most of the roads leading to trout streams in North Iron County were impassable with 2 feet of snow and mud.

Golden Lake - In Iron County has good splake action.
Copper Harbor - Angler participation was down as fishing has been very slow. Both boat and pier anglers are just starting to fish.
Bass Lake - In Dickinson County also has good splake action.
Little Bay De Noc - The ice is going fast, so anglers should avoid traveling out on the bay. Though perch fishing was starting to improve near Kipling, it is definitely not worth the risk to go out on the ice. Anglers will need to hold on as we are in between seasons.
Au Train - The ice is gone. Coho and trout fishing near the river mouths has been slow.
Munising - Still had some ice in the bay, but it is not safe ice. Coho, whitefish and rainbow action has been slow. Splake and smelt have been fair.
Two-Hearted River - Some steelhead activity is being reported but fishing is only described as being fair.

HERE'S A UPDATE .
STEELHEAD ARE ALL OVER THE WEST SIDE OF THE STATE !
I've talked to a couple dozen guys and the bear , manistee , white , heck all the rivers are stacked with fish !
Steelhead fishing is picking up in the Au Sable and Manistee rivers, but the water is still high and the best fishing is yet to come, so “Hang Tight”!
On the east side , perch are in the cuts but most are on the small size , crappie are a hit and miss in the cuts .
I’ve heard a few rumors of guys taking Walleye trolling off of Linwood and Pinconning, so get that boat ready because the ice is gone and with every nice day the fishing will heat up!
Omer is on !!!!
3 5 gal buckets in 2 hours , break out the smoker baby !
A small amount of smelt are showing up along the shores of the huron .
Pike and bass are in the local cuts and ditches , pitty the season isn't open .
Eyes are in the bay , like last year , they are a little on the large size .
[signature]

FISHING REPORT
March 28, 2007

Spring Steelhead Runs Improving Around the State


Warmer temperatures and rain could help improve the steelhead runs in the rivers around the Lower Peninsula.

The same mild weather and rain will help put an end to any of the ice fishing that remains in the northern part of the state.

---

Upper Peninsula:[/url]

On Copper Harbor, the splake fishing is good. Anglers are fishing from shore or on docks. Anglers on Eagle Harbor are catching a few salmon.

There is still some good ice on Lake Gogebic, and anglers are catching a few perch. Porcupine Point is the best spot to fish, and wigglers are the preferred bait.

Around Marquette, the steelhead fishing is pretty good on the Chocolay River. Anglers on the Lower Marquette and Upper Marquette harbors are catching a few coho salmon.

The steelhead are starting to run in the Manistique River near Manistique. Fishing activity this week is slow by Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace.

Anglers venturing out on the ice that remains on Munuscong Bay are catching a few perch.

At Cedarville, there is still some safe ice on Cedarville and Muscallonge (Musky) bays, where the perch fishing is reported as being fair.

---

Northwest:[/url]

Anglers along the Bear River near Alanson are starting to catch a few steelhead in the Bear River.

By Boyne City, the steelhead fishing is good on the Boyne River. The steelhead are hitting on a variety of baits.

Around Traverse City, anglers on East Grand Traverse Bay are catching a few whitefish. The best area to cast a line in the water is by Deepwater Point. Anglers on West Grand Traverse Bay, near the mouth of the Boardman River, are reeling in a few perch. Both minnows and wigglers are being used as bait. The steelhead fishing is slow on the Boardman River.

In the Frankfort area, the steelhead are starting their spring run in the Betsie River.

Out of the Manistee area, the steelhead fishing is slow in the Manistee River, due to the high water levels. Anglers are beginning to catch a few brown trout, trolling the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Fishing activity this week is slow by Kalkaska. The steelhead action is improving on the Jordan and Sturgeon rivers near Gaylord.

At Cadillac, the ice is breaking up on both Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell and fishing activity is slow.

---

West:[/url]

Out of the Ludington area, anglers are catching a few brown trout and steelhead off the north pier on Lake Michigan. The steelhead and sucker fishing along the Pere Marquette River is fair. Anglers out trolling on Pere Marquette Lake are reeling in a few steelhead.

Around Muskegon, anglers in boats on the west end of Muskegon Lake are catching a few perch. Off the breakwalls on Lake Michigan, the brown trout and steelhead fishing is fair. Anglers casting a line in the water near the mouth of the Muskegon River are catching a few suckers.

On Chippewa Lake, with no safe ice on the lake, the fishing action is slow.

At Baldwin, the steelhead fishing is slow, due to the high water levels in the rivers.

---

Southwest:[/url]

South of Holland, the sucker fishing is pretty good along the Black River. Crawlers are the preferred bait. The steelhead fishing is slow on the rivers, due to the high water levels. Anglers trolling along the Lake Michigan shoreline are catching a few brown trout.

Anglers casting lines into Lake Michigan from the pier in Saugatuck are catching a few brown trout. In the Benton Harbor area, the brown trout fishing is fair on Lake Michigan. Try trolling in water up to 15 feet deep, using a top water bait. Anglers are also catching a few brown trout off the pier on Lake Michigan.

Out of the New Buffalo area, anglers at the mouth of the Galien River are reeling in a few brown trout, coho salmon and steelhead. Anglers trolling the Lake Michigan shoreline are starting to catch a few brown trout.

In the Kalamazoo area, the steelhead and sucker fishing ranges from fair to good on the Kalamazoo River near the Allegan Dam. Anglers in boats on Austin Lake are reeling in a few perch. The crappie fishing on Sugarloaf Lake is fair.

At Three Rivers, anglers are finding open water on the local lakes. The bluegill, crappie and perch fishing is all reported as being good.

---

Northeast:[/url]

Around Cheboygan, due to a lack of safe ice, fishing activity this week is slow. Anglers along the Cheboygan River are starting to see a couple of steelhead in the river.

In the Grayling area, the shore ice is melting away, but anglers able to find a way out on Manistee Lake are catching a few panfish and smelt.

By Alpena, the brown trout and steelhead fishing is fair on the Thunder Bay River near the Ninth Street Bridge. The trout are hitting on both spawn bags and flies.

Out of the Oscoda area, the steelhead fishing is fair on the Au Sable River, below the Foote Dam. Higgins Lake is producing some very good smelt fishing. The problem for anglers is the shore ice is such poor shape, that it is difficult to get on the lake to fish. The perch fishing is also reported as being good on the lake. The smelt is hitting on waxworms, the perch on minnows or spikes.

At Au Gres, the walleye fishing is fair on Saginaw Bay. Anglers are getting out in boats and doing some trolling. The suckers are starting to run in both the Au Gres and Rifle rivers.

---

East:[/url]

Fishing activity this week is slow in the Linwood area.

The perch fishing is improving along the Saginaw and Quanicassee rivers in the Bay City area. Minnows are working well as bait.

In the Saginaw area, the sucker fishing is fair on the Saginaw and Cass rivers. Crawlers are the preferred bait.

The perch fishing is reported as being spotty by the marina near Sebewaing.

Around Port Sanilac and Lexington, there is still some ice coming down Lake Huron making it difficult for anglers to think about launching a boat and do any fishing.

By Port Huron, the smelt fishing is spotty, at best, on the St. Clair River. The suckers are running in the Black River and in Mill Creek.

And in the St. Clair and Marine City areas, the sucker fishing is fair on the Belle and Pine rivers.

---

Central:[/url]

In the Mount Pleasant area, the high water levels in the rivers is making it difficult to do any sucker fishing. Anglers fishing from shore are catching a few panfish on the local lakes.

Out of the Lansing area, the steelhead fishing is fair in the Grand River. The best spot to cast a line in the water is at Moores Park. The steelhead are hitting on a variety of baits.

Anglers along the river are also catching a few catfish, with cut bait and crawlers both being used as bait.

At Jackson, the crappie fishing is pretty good along the Wamplers Channel and on Columbia Lake. Anglers are fishing from shore and minnows are working well as bait.

---

Southeast:[/url]

The spring walleye season is getting underway on the North Channel between Algonac and Decker’s Landing. Anglers are using vertical jigs. Purple seems to be the hot color. The perch fishing is spotty in the cuts around Harsens Island.

Fishing activity this week is slow on the west side of Lake St. Clair.

On the Detroit River, the walleye fishing is very good below the discharge on the Trenton Channel. Anglers are handlining and vertical jigging. The perch fishing is good around Sugar Island and near the US/Canadian border. The steelhead fishing is fair to good on the Huron River at Rockwood and Flat Rock.

And out of the Monroe area, the walleye fishing is good on Lake Erie by Luna Pier and Toledo Beach. Anglers on the Bolles Harbor pier are catching a few perch.