Fishing reports , 8-15-07

[lonehunter]

Upper Peninsula:[/url]

Schlatter Lake near Copper Harbor is producing some good pike fishing. The walleye fishing on both Lake Gratiot and Lac La Belle is fair. Anglers on Lake Medora are reeling in a few bass. Fly-fishermen are catching a few trout on the Montreal River.

The bass and perch fishing on Lake Gogebic ranges from fair to good. Both crawlers and leeches are being used as bait. Anglers trolling on the lake are reeling in a few walleye.

Out of the Escanaba area, the bass fishing is good around the weed beds in Little Bay de Noc. The walleye fishing is fair in the bay. The salmon fishing ranges from fair to good between Cedar River and Fairport.

By Manistique, the perch fishing is fair on Indian Lake, with evenings being the best time to be out. Anglers on Lake Michigan are catching a few salmon.

Around Sault Ste. Marie, the walleye fishing is very good along the St. Marys River between the Soo and Raber Bay. Anglers are using crawler harnesses with a bottom bouncer. Anglers are starting to catch a few pike and musky by Munuscong Bay.

And by Drummond Island, the bass fishing is good on Maxton, Scott and Whitney bays. The walleye fishing is fair on Scott Bay and a few perch are being caught on Maxton and Whitney bays. The king salmon fishing has slowed down this week on the St. Marys River.

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Northwest:[/url]

Out of the Boyne City area, the bass and walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on Lake Charlevoix. The best fishing is found in water 25 to 30 feet deep. Anglers on the lake are also reeling in good numbers of perch, using minnows as bait. The walleye fishing on Walloon Lake is fair to good. On Lake Michigan, the salmon fishing is improving. The silver fish are found 50 to 120 feet below the surface, in water up to 200 feet deep.

Around Traverse City, the walleye fishing is fair on Long Lake. The best fishing occurs during the evening, just before it turns dark.

By Manistee, the salmon fishing is good on Lake Michigan. Mornings are the most productive time to be out. Glow colored spoons are working best for morning anglers. The walleye fishing is fair on Manistee Lake. Anglers are trolling for the marble eyes at night.

In the Kalkaska area, the bass fishing is good on Elk, Skegemog and Torch lakes. Anglers are catching a few bluegill on many of the other local lakes, in water up to 25 feet deep.

Anglers continue to find some very good trout fishing on sections of the Au Sable, Black, Manistee, Pigeon and Sturgeon rivers near Gaylord. Try using Tricos in the morning, ant, beetle or grasshopper patterns during the middle of the day and caddis or blue winged olive patterns at night. Bradford and Otsego lakes are producing good smallmouth bass and walleye fishing.

At Cadillac, the bass and pike fishing is good on both lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. The bluegill fishing on Lake Cadillac is also great.

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West:[/url]

In the Ludington area, Lake Michigan is producing good salmon fishing. The best fishing is found during the early morning hours, with the fish found in the bottom half of water that is about 100 feet deep. Later in the day, the salmon move out into water about 200 feet deep. The bass, pike and walleye fishing is good on Hamlin Lake. The smallmouth bass fishing on Pere Marquette Lake is fair to good. Anglers are starting to find a few salmon moving up into the Pere Marquette River.

Out of the Pentwater area, the salmon fishing ranges from good to very good on Lake Michigan. The fish are in shallow, 30 to 60 feet of water, and early mornings are the best time to be out.

By Muskegon, the salmon action is good on Lake Michigan, especially by the pier-heads. The perch fishing is fair on the big lake. Both minnows and spikes are being used as bait.

On Chippewa Lake, the pike fishing is good, the bluegill fishing is fair.

At Baldwin, the bluegill fishing ranges from fair to good on most of the local lakes. The gills have moved into deeper water, and crickets are working well as bait.

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Southwest:[/url]

By Holland on Lake Michigan, the perch fishing is fair in water 30 to 40 feet deep. Minnows are the preferred bait. The salmon fishing has slowed down this past week.

Around Benton Harbor, the salmon fishing is still going very strong on Lake Michigan. The salmon are hitting on spoons, dodgers and flies in water up to 60 feet deep. The perch fishing on the big lake is fair in water 25 to 30 feet deep.

Out of the New Buffalo area, the salmon fishing ranges from fair to good on Lake Michigan in water up to 90 feet deep. The perch action is pretty good on the lake, in water about 35 feet deep.

In the Kalamazoo area, the bluegill fishing is good on Reynolds and Sugarloaf lakes.

At Three Rivers, the bluegill fishing is good on most of the local lakes. Crickets, red wigglers and waxworms are all being used as bait.

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Northeast:[/url]

Anglers by Alpena are reeling in a few bass and perch on both Grand and Long lakes. The best fishing is found near the weed beds in the lakes. The salmon and lake trout fishing is fair on Thunder Bay and Lake Huron out from Presque Isle. The fish are found in the bottom half of water that is up to 100 feet deep.

In the Grayling area, the walleye fishing is fair on Lake Margrethe.

Out of the Oscoda area, the bass and bluegill fishing is good on Cooke Dam Pond. Foote Dam Pond is producing fair to good bass, bluegill and pike fishing. The perch action is pretty good on Van Etten Lake. Minnows are the preferred bait. Anglers along the Au Sable River are reeling in a few smallmouth bass and perch. Anglers on Lake Huron are starting to catch a few steelhead, about five miles out from shore.

On Higgins Lake, the rock bass fishing is good, the smallmouth bass and perch fishing is fair. The bass are hitting on leeches and crawlers, the perch on minnows and waxworms.

Houghton Lake is producing some good bass, pike and walleye fishing. The panfish fishing on the lake ranges from fair to good.

At Au Gres, the perch and walleye fishing is spotty, at best, on Saginaw Bay. Anglers along the Au Gres River are reeling in a few catfish.

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East:[/url]

Saginaw Bay near Linwood is producing good walleye fishing, in water up to 22 feet deep. The walleye are hitting on spoons, crawler harnesses and Hot-N-Tots.

By Bay City, the walleye fishing is good on Saginaw Bay. Anglers near buoy 15 are starting to catch a few perch early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Along the Saginaw and Tittabawassee rivers near Saginaw, the catfish and smallmouth bass fishing is good.

In the Port Austin area, the walleye and lake trout fishing is fair on Lake Huron.

Out of the Harbor Beach area, the lake trout fishing is good on Lake Huron in water 60 to 110 feet deep. Anglers are starting to reel in a few king salmon and steelhead, in water about 80 feet deep. The perch fishing is fair in water about 35 feet deep.

Around Port Sanilac, the perch fishing is spotty on Lake Huron.

Anglers in Port Huron are catching a few walleye on the southern end of Lake Huron and on the St. Clair River. The pike, smallmouth bass and walleye fishing is fair at the mouth of the Black River.

At St. Clair, the bass fishing is good along the St. Clair River. The perch and walleye fishing is fair.

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Central:[/url]

Around Mount Pleasant, the walleye fishing is fair on Lake Isabella. Anglers are trolling with crawler harnesses.

By Lansing, the catfish and smallmouth bass fishing is good along the Grand River. Anglers by the river at River Point Park are reeling in a few panfish. The walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on the river at Grand Ledge. The best area to cast a line in the water is at Fitzgerald County Park.

At Jackson, the walleye fishing is fair on both Clark and Devils lakes. The best fishing occurs at night. Anglers are drifting, using leeches as bait. The bluegill and pike fishing is fair on most local lakes. The gills are hitting on both crickets and worms, the northerns prefer large shiner minnows as bait.

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Southeast:[/url]

The bass fishing is pretty good all around Anchor Bay. The perch fishing is spotty around the bay. The best fishing is found near buoy “B” and the St. Clair Light. Anglers along the North Channel and St. Clair River are catching a few walleye.

Out on Lake St. Clair, the bass and musky fishing is good, especially on the Canadian side of the lake. Anglers trolling around the “dumping grounds” are catching a few walleye at night. The perch fishing is fair out from the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

On the north end of the Detroit River, the bass fishing is very good. Anglers using pencil plugs at night are reeling in a few walleye.

Along the south end of the Detroit River, the perch fishing is fair south of Celeron Island and the crossdyke.

The perch and walleye fishing is spotty on Lake Erie. The best perch fishing is found near the “E” buoy, dumping grounds, Luna Pier and the Sputnik.

At Belleville, the catfish fishing ranges from fair to good on Belleville Lake. Anglers are catching a few panfish. Out on Ford Lake, the walleye fishing is fair at night near the I-94 bridge.

[lonehunter]

[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday, August 16, 2007 [/font] [font "Arial, Helvetica"]Recreational Fishing Report[/font]
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[url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]

In light of recent questions regarding the regulations for sturgeon fishing, anglers are reminded of the following: [ul] [li]Current law requires an angler of any age to obtain a sturgeon tag prior to fishing for sturgeon. [li]Regardless of whether you intend to harvest a sturgeon or practice catch/release, you must obtain this tag before going sturgeon fishing. [li]The sturgeon tag is free and is not a substitute for a fishing license. [li]When you register and receive a sturgeon tag, you are helping the Department of Natural Resources collect information on the sturgeon population and the number of people fishing for them. [li]Sturgeon that are to be released after capture do NOT need to be tagged. [li]Check the DNR website [url "http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364-97325--,00.html"][#000000]http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364-97325--,00.html[/#000000][/url] for more information on sturgeon fishing, including open seasons, possession limits and locations where you can obtain a sturgeon tag. [/li][/ul]

Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Fishing has been slow this week. Perch in the 5 to 8 inch range were taking minnows in 14 to 18 feet of water however most boats were only bringing in 12 to 20 fish. Smallmouth bass were hitting on tubes and crankbaits. Most of the walleye moved out to deeper waters, but a few fish were caught. Fish have been caught in Canadian waters when fishing off Bar Point which is straight across the river from Lake Erie Metro Park.
Detroit River - Fishing has slowed in Michigan waters. Some perch have been caught east of Sugar Island near the Cross Dike and just south of Celeron Island. Some are fishing in 10 to 12 feet of water around Horse Island and south to Rat Island. Those fishing in Canadian waters have done well around Buoys 38 & 50.
Lake St. Clair - Muskie fishing has been very good with some large fish caught.
Lexington - Perch fishing continues with fish caught near the weedbeds.
Port Sanilac - Fishing for perch is good but anglers will need to move around to find the fish as they seem to be moving from weedbed to weedbed in 20 to 40 feet of water. Most of the perch are in the 7 to 11 inch range, but a few up to 14 inches have also been caught.
Port Austin - Lake trout and a few salmon have been caught in waters up to 130 feet deep. Walleye are still hitting off the reefs and bass fishing has been excellent around the lighthouse.
Grindstone City - Walleye are coming from 40 feet of water on lead core and crawler harnesses.
Saginaw Bay - In general, walleye fishing seems to be slowing down while perch fishing seems to be getting started. They are not coming in with limits anymore, but they are catching enough to make the trip worthwhile. The best fishing continues to be out near Buoys 1 & 2, although trollers out of Sebewaing are still doing fairly well in the Slot outside the islands. Crawlers and crankbaits are both taking fish.
Saginaw River - Shore anglers are taking some bass and catfish from the lower river near Smith Park.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph - Boat anglers trolling in 50 to 70 feet of water are taking good numbers of chinook salmon. The boats are catching fair numbers of perch in 25 to 40 feet of water while the pier anglers have caught perch off the end of the North Pier.
St. Joseph River - Fishing has slowed for walleye and catfish as the waters are running high and fast. The only good fishery is the smallmouth bass fishing which is starting to pick up. No word on steelhead.
South Haven - Chinook salmon have been caught in good numbers when trolling straight out from the piers and fishing in 50 to 80 feet of water. Perch fishing remains good about two miles south of the piers in 25 to 35 feet of water.
Grand Haven - Salmon have moved into shallow waters. J-plugs and spoons have worked best. Those out perch fishing are using small minnows, but the bite has slowed and the fish are running small.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Water levels are low, so walleye have been caught when floating a crawler with no weight. Boat anglers are slow trolling in the deeper holes. Those vertical jigging with a fuzzy tail jig and a piece of crawler have caught fish along the drop offs. Those fishing Millennium Park have caught some monster bass. Catfish are hitting on bluegills and big sucker minnows.
Thornapple River - Has good walleye fishing near the Ada Dam.
Grand River at Lansing - Walleye have been caught over near Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge. Catfish are hitting above the Moore's Park Dam. Northern pike have been caught below the dams including Moore's Park and the Smithville Dam in Eaton Rapids. Bluegills, carp, and bass have been caught near Riverfront Park.
Lake Interstate - Has good smallmouth bass fishing. Owners of small boats can launch and fish across from the fishing pier.
Reeds Lake - Some nice 8 to 11 inch perch have been caught in the deep hole, which is 40 feet of water near the Sunken Island. Most fish were taken on a crappie rig with glow beads tipped with a minnow or wax worm.
Silver Lake - Near Rockford reported limits of walleye taken on chartreuse crawler harnesses. Some big bluegills have been caught along the weedbeds.
Muskegon - Fishing has slowed at this port. Those trolling have marked fish but the bite has been slow. Fishing should pick back up once the cold front moves through.
Muskegon River - Has good smallmouth bass fishing. Pitch crankbaits, poppers, spinners and tube baits into the deeper holes.
Whitehall - Had good salmon fishing as the fish have moved in closer to the pierheads. Boats are trolling close to shore before dawn and then moving out to deeper waters 80 to 120 feet deep as the sun comes up. Pier anglers have taken a few fish when casting spoons.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Rogers City - Good places to fish have been out to Forty Mile Point and beyond or south to Adams Point in waters 30 to 120 feet deep. They are using downriggers, lead core with planer boards, dipsey and slide divers to target various depths in the water column. Fish downriggers in the deeper water and lead core with the boards, slide divers and dipseys in the shallower water. Use spoons and attractors, flies and squid or cut bait. Good colors are greens, blues, purple, black and white, red and white or anything that glows in the early morning or late.
Presque Isle - Boats are going straight out of the harbor, north between the two lights, off North Point and Thompson Harbor and fishing in waters 30 to 120 feet deep. They are using mostly spoons and attractors, flies and squid or cut bait. Green has been the hot color. The better hits have come when trolling about 2.5 mph around structure.
Harrisville - The few anglers that have been out are picking up some lake trout, salmon and steelhead. The lake trout are hitting on spoons fished just off the bottom in 75 to 110 feet of water. The further north you go the better.
Oscoda - Lake trout in the 3 to 6 pound range have been caught when trolling spoons in 60 to 100 feet of water north or east of the pier. A few salmon are starting to show up. Pier anglers are catching smallmouth bass, rock bass and catfish.
Tawas - Walleye have been caught in 30 to 50 feet of water off Tawas Point and down towards Alabaster when trolling with crawler harnesses. Pier anglers are getting a few perch on minnows in the early morning.
Au Gres - Walleye anglers are trolling about five miles south of Point Au Gres. Crawlers worked best and are producing 5 to 15 fish per boat. Boat anglers are starting to get 7 to 10 inch perch in 25 to 35 feet of water out by the shipping channel.
Higgins Lake - Lake trout are being caught on large cowbells and bombers. Some nice fish have been caught. Both smallmouth and rock bass fishing continue to be good. The perch appear to be scattered in deeper waters.
Houghton Lake - The fish are still in waters 8 to 12 feet deep. Fish right on top of the weedbeds or along the edges. No limits of any one species have been caught, but anglers are catching a variety of fish.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Petoskey - Boats are trolling south towards Nine Mile Point for chinook and lake trout. Mornings have been the most productive in 70 to 80 feet of water.
Charlevoix - Anglers are working from North Point to Fishermen's Island for salmon. Boats have been fishing 75 to 85 feet of water when using everything from glow spoons and fly/dodger combinations to dipsey rigs and cut bait.
Thumb Lake (Lake Louise) - Water levels have been dropping all summer however boat anglers will still find the access site is still useable. Effort for splake has increased over the last week with anglers catching quite a few legal-sized fish when jigging minnows or spawn in 40 to 60 feet of water on the east side of the lake near the church camp. Good panfish action for the kids near the public access site.
Elk Lake - Boats are trolling for lake trout in 100 to 120 feet of water along the west side of the lake. Perch and rock bass have been caught along the rocky shoreline and near the drop off.
Traverse City - Those fishing the East Bay have caught chinook in the early morning off Deepwater Pont and the Bluffs. Spoons and Hootchie Mama's and flies have worked best. Near Elk Rapids, chinook were caught south of the harbor near the Humps when trolling plugs and spin doctors. Lake trout fishing has been very good from the launch at Center Road to the Bluffs, off Dock Road and Yuba Creek. Whitefish action was slow with only a few fish taken when jigging spoons in 80 to 100 feet of water in the south end of the Bay. In the West Bay, chinook salmon were caught between Lookout Point and Elmwood and up to the White Wall. Early morning is producing some kings off the mouth of the Boardman River when trolling spoons and plugs. Lake trout fishing has been good near the Gravel Pit. Limit catches of lake trout and near limits of chinook have been caught in Bowers Harbor, where the boat launch is very shallow so bigger boats will not be able to launch at this location.
Crystal Lake - Has fair to good fishing for rock bass, perch and pike. Smallmouth bass fishing continues to be very good when casting spinners, crankbaits, tubes, crawlers or leeches.
Frankfort - Anglers trolling from the piers to Point Betsie, and down in the Herring Hole have been catching good numbers of chinook with coho and steelhead mixed in. The best catches have been in the top 50 to 60 feet in waters 100 to 130 feet deep. Right before sunrise, and right after sunset have been the best when using various colored spoons along with white and green fly combos.
Onekama - Fishing off the Bank and in the Barrel has been good in 100 to 150 feet of water. Some trolling in front of the Sisters have caught fish in 60 feet of water. Chinook, coho, steelhead and lake trout were caught on spoons, plugs and meat rigs.
Portage Lake - Walleye have been caught on crawler harnesses in the afternoon. Good numbers of large and smallmouth bass have been caught and while the number of panfish being caught may be down some, the bigger bluegills are once again being caught.
Manistee - Has very good chinook, coho and steelhead fishing about halfway down in waters 70 to 140 feet of water south of the harbor and out on the Shelf. Early morning has been best when using glow spoons or plugs.
Ludington - Is also producing good catches of chinook, coho and steelhead. Boats are trolling in 80 to 120 feet of water between the harbor and Big Sable Point. Pier fishing will pick up when the water turns over.
Pere Marquette River - Has been fishing well for brown trout even though water levels have been low and clear. Hopper patterns have worked best.
Upper Peninsula
West Portage Lake - The walleye bite was still good with some nice fish in the 2 to 4 pound range caught in Pike Bay. Good fishing continues in the early morning or late evening out on the Humps between the Sturgeon River and Chassell. The North Bar Reef located southwest of Grosse Point is also producing some good catches. Once again, trolling planner boards with crankbaits or crawler harnesses worked best but some are jigging with half a crawler or drifting crawlers harnesses or a lindy rig with crawlers. Pike and smallmouth bass have been caught along the west shoreline from Chassell to Pilgrim Point.
Torch Lake - In Houghton County reported slow fishing. A few walleye were taken when still-fishing off the bottom. Smallmouth bass have been caught in 4 to 10 feet of water when using crankbaits, spinners and live bait.
Ottawa Lake - Has good smallmouth bass fishing.
Michigamme Reservoir - Has fair walleye fishing when using crawler harnesses. Water levels here have been drawn down over 5 feet so boat anglers will need to use extreme caution due to obstructions.
Little Bay de Noc - Walleye seem to be scattered around the Bay. Fair to good catches were taken near Kipling when trolling or drifting crawlers in 20 to 25 feet of water. Several fish were caught when drifting or jigging crawlers in 10 to 22 feet of water near the Black Bottom. Anglers fishing down near the Fingers have caught some large fish, but catch rates were slow. Good smallmouth action was reported in 10 to 18 feet of water between Garth Point and just south of the Day's River. Perch fishing was spotty when jigging worms around Butler Island.
Big Bay de Noc - Has seen low angler activity. Good numbers of fish were marked northeast of Round Island but no catches were reported. Garden Bay has great smallmouth bass fishing. Most are casting crankbaits or jigging minnows in 10 to 19 feet of water along the old shipping dock. Fairport could use a few more anglers as the salmon fishing has been good. Those fishing in the early morning reported limit catches by daybreak about 30 to 65 feet down in waters 80 to 120 feet deep. Good colors are blue, green or anything that glows.
Marquette - Strong winds and currents made for slower fishing. The breakwall at Presque Isle and the White Rocks have been popular fishing spots. Lake trout are still out deep in 180 to 200 feet of water.
Munising - Lake trout have been caught when trolling in 90 to 250 feet of water near Wood Island.
Au Train Lake - Anglers are still catching small walleye with a keeper here and there. Pike and perch have also been caught, but they are running small. Some big smallmouth bass have also been caught.
Grand Marais - Limits of lake trout are still being caught when trolling 3 to 5 miles off shore. The fish are ranging from 2 to 8 pounds.
De Tour - Chinook and lake trout have been caught on spoons. Good colors have been black and white or raspberry and black. Flashers and green squid with a touch of red or blue and green flies have also worked well. Anglers are taking chinook salmon when using cut bait rigs with spoons. Good colors have been purple, dark blue and orange.
Cedarville and Hessel - Salmon fishing has slowed a bit, but anglers are still having success 30 to 50 feet down west of Goose Island and in the east end of the Dolomite Shipping Channel. Northern pike are being caught in 10 to 15 feet of water in Cedarville Bay, Government Bay, Musky Bay, and the east side of Hessel Bay when still-fishing or casting. There was fair yellow perch and sunfish action in Musky Bay, Moscoe Channel and the Middle Entrance. Northern pike and smallmouth bass have been caught from the pier in Hessel Marina.
St. Ignace - Anglers are taking chinook salmon when using cut bait rigs with spoons. Good colors have been purple, dark blue and orange.