Fishing Reports 8-29-07

[lonehunter]

Upper Peninsula:[/url]

On Copper Harbor, anglers are catching a few lake trout and splake. On the inland lakes near Copper Harbor, the bass fishing ranges from fair to good on both lakes Fanny Hooe and Medora.

Anglers on Lake Gogebic are catching a few bass and perch. Crawlers and leeches are the preferred baits. The walleye fishing on the lake is slow.

In the Marquette area, the bass and pike fishing is good on the Greenwood Reservoir. Outside of the harbors on Lake Superior, the lake trout fishing is good. The perch and smallmouth bass fishing ranges from fair to good on Teal Lake.

The perch, smallmouth bass and walleye fishing is spotty on Lake Independence.

Around Escanaba, the walleye action on Little Bay de Noc ranges from fair to good. Anglers are dragging crawler harnesses. The bluegill fishing is fair in the Escanaba Harbor. By Fairport anglers are reeling in a few salmon.

By Manistique, the salmon fishing is fair on Lake Michigan. Anglers are catching a few small perch and walleye on Indian Lake.

The walleye fishing is very good on the St. Marys River from Sault Ste. Marie to Raber Bay. Try using a crawler harness with a bottom bouncer. The perch fishing on Munuscong Bay is fair.

Around Drummond Island, the perch fishing is good by Grape and Harbor islands and on Maxton Bay. Anglers on Maxton, Scott and Whitney bays are reeling in a few bass. The salmon fishing is fair on the St. Marys River, by the lighthouse.

At St. Ignace, anglers are catching a few walleye on Brevort Lake. The salmon fishing on the Straits of Mackinac ranges from slow to fair.

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Northwest:[/url]

Out of the Harbor Springs area, the salmon fishing is fair on Little Traverse Bay. Anglers on Burt Lake are reeling in a few perch. Crooked Lake is producing fair bass fishing near the drop-offs.

In the Boyne City area, the salmon fishing is good on Lake Michigan, in water 50 to 120 feet deep. The perch and walleye fishing is good on both Lake Charlevoix and Walloon Lake.

By Traverse City, the lake trout and salmon fishing is fair on both the east and west arms of Grand Traverse Bay. The walleye fishing is spotty on Long Lake.

The salmon fishing is good off and around the piers at Frankfort and Elberta on Lake Michigan. Some salmon are starting to run up the Betsie River.

Lake Michigan is producing some very good salmon fishing out from Manistee. The salmon are starting to move into the rivers. The walleye fishing is good on Manistee Lake. Anglers are trolling using stick baits.

In Kalkaska, the smallmouth bass fishing is good on Lake Skegemog. The walleye fishing is improving on Lake Bellaire.

Around Gaylord, the fly-fishing is very good on sections of the Au Sable, Black, Manistee, Pigeon and Sturgeon rivers. Ant, beetle and grasshopper patterns are working well in the late morning and afternoon hours. Blue winged olives and caddis are being used at night.

At Cadillac, the bass and pike fishing is good on both lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. The panfish fishing is improving on the lakes.

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West:[/url]

Lake Michigan near Ludington is producing some very good salmon fishing. The fish are found in the top 50 feet of water that is up to 150 feet deep. Some salmon are starting to show up in the Pere Marquette River. Anglers along the breakwall are reeling in a few perch. The panfish fishing is fair on the upper end of Hamlin Lake.

Around Pentwater, the salmon fishing is very good on Lake Michigan in water 50 to 100 feet deep. Some salmon are starting to run up the Pentwater River.

Out of the Muskegon area, the salmon fishing is fair on Lake Michigan and on the lower end of the Muskegon River. In the big lake, the fish are found 35 to 55 feet below the surface, in water up to 110 feet deep.

At Baldwin, the bluegill fishing is fair on most of the local lakes. Crickets are working well as bait.

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Southwest:[/url]

By Holland, the salmon fishing is good on Lake Michigan. The fish are hitting on J-plugs and spoons, in water 35 to 60 feet deep. The perch fishing is fair on the lake, in water 35 to 40 feet deep.

Around Benton Harbor, anglers on Lake Michigan are reeling in good numbers of salmon. Try using a J-plug in water up to 70 feet deep. The perch fishing is fair on the lake.

In the New Buffalo area, the perch fishing ranges from fair to good on Lake Michigan. Anglers along the Galien River are catching a few crappie and catfish.

Pine Lake near Kalamazoo is producing some very good crappie fishing. The perch fishing is good on Gull Lake. Anglers on Gull and Duck lakes are reeling in a few bluegill. The pike, rock bass and smallmouth bass fishing is spotty on Gun Lake. Along the Kalamazoo River, the catfish fishing is very good, at night.

At Three Rivers, the bluegill fishing is good on most of the local lakes, including Corey Lake. Both crickets and waxworms are working well as bait. The perch fishing is improving on most of the local lakes.

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Northeast:[/url]

In the Alpena area, the perch fishing is good on Grand Lake. Minnows are working well as bait.

By Grayling, the bluegill and walleye fishing is fair on Lake Margrethe. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to be out.

Out of the Oscoda area, the smallmouth bass fishing is good on both Cooke Dam and Foote Dam ponds. The catfish and bluegill fishing on the ponds is fair. Van Etten Lake is producing good perch fishing. Anglers on the Au Sable River are reeling in a few smallmouth bass and perch. On Lake Huron, the salmon fishing is fair.

Higgins Lake is producing some very good lake trout fishing. Anglers are trolling with Rapalas or using a jig with a Swedish pimple. The perch fishing on the lake ranges from fair to good.

Anglers on Houghton Lake are catching a few walleye in water up to 10 feet deep. The bluegill and sunfish fishing is fair by the weed beds.

At Au Gres, the perch and walleye fishing on Saginaw Bay is slow. Anglers are catching fair numbers of perch, but they are running small.

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East:[/url]

Around Linwood on Saginaw Bay, the walleye fishing is fair. The best spots to drop a line in the water are near buoys one and two and by the “blackhole.” The perch fishing on the bay is improving.

Out of the Bay City area, the perch fishing is picking up, with minnows being the preferred bait.

In the Saginaw area, the small mouth bass fishing is very good on the Tittabawassee River. Anglers along the Saginaw River are reeling in several catfish.

By Bay Port, the perch fishing is good on Saginaw Bay. The best area to cast a line in the water is by Sand Point.

The walleye fishing is very good on Lake Huron near Harbor Beach, in water 18 to 45 feet deep. The perch fishing is good in water 65 to 80 feet deep. Anglers are finding some good lake trout action in water about 85 feet deep. The bass and catfish fishing is fair along the shoreline.

The perch and lake trout fishing is good on Lake Huron near Port Sanilac. The perch are found in water about 45 feet deep, the lakers are found in water 100 to 110 feet deep.

Anglers on Lake Huron by Lexington are catching a few perch and walleye in water 20 to 25 feet deep.

On Lake Huron near Port Huron, the walleye fishing is fair. Along the St. Clair River the walleye fishing ranges from slow to fair.

At St. Clair, the smallmouth bass fishing is good on the St. Clair River, the walleye fishing is slow.

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Central:[/url]

Anglers along the Chippewa River near Mount Pleasant are catching a few panfish. Worms are being used as bait.

Out of the Lansing region, the bluegill, catfish and pike fishing ranges from fair to good on the Grand River.

At Jackson, the bass fishing is good on Wamplers Lake. Anglers on Stony and Vineyard lakes are catching good numbers of bluegill. Devils Lake is producing some good pike fishing. The northerns are hitting on spinner baits.

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Southeast:[/url]

The bass fishing is pretty good on Anchor Bay between Fair Haven and New Baltimore. The perch fishing ranges from fair to good on the southwest side of Grass Island in water six to eight feet deep. Both minnows and small crawlers are being used as bait.

Elsewhere on Lake St. Clair, the perch fishing is fair by the weather buoy, Nine Mile Road and the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. The musky fishing is good on the Canadian side of the lake in water 12 to 20 feet deep.

Along the north end of the Detroit River, the walleye fishing is spotty. On some days, anglers jigging near the Belle Isle Bridge are limiting out and on other days anglers end up with nothing.

Anglers on the south end of the Detroit River, between the Ford Yacht Club and Celeron Island, are catching a few walleye.

Out of the Monroe area, the perch fishing is good on Lake Erie.

At Belleville, the bluegill and crappie fishing is good on both Belleville and Ford lakes. The best area to drop a line in the water on Ford Lake is by the boat launch facility.

[lonehunter]

[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday, August 30, 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]

Looks like we're moving into the typical late-August weather pattern where conditions change daily and one cold front after another shuts fishing down. Walleye fishing is winding down and perch fishing is just getting started. Salmon in the Great Lakes seem to be a bit scattered as the storms last week rolled the lake over once again pushing warm water up into the harbors.

Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Is very muddy from all the recent rain. There have been reports of some large debris floating in the lake as well, so boat anglers will want to use caution while navigating. Perch fishing has picked up the past few days. Those fishing out near the E Buoy were bringing in 20 to 40 fish from waters 20 to 22 feet deep. Almost all the fish were caught on minnows. Walleye fishing was still slow but a few fish were caught when drifting crawler harnesses. Bass fishing was spotty.
Huron River - A light number of steelhead have been caught off the Ford Street Bridge. Anglers are using spawn near the cold water discharge. A few walleye were caught in the evening.
Detroit River - Some walleye were taken in the lower river. Boats are fishing in 10 to 15 feet of water between the Michigan waters of Gibraltar and the Canadian waters of Amherstburg. Fishing will improve as the waters clear up.
Lake St. Clair - Bass fishing remains very good, with lots of fish being caught. Muskie fishing continues to be good. Try the shipping channel or the weedbeds along the channels. Walleye fishing has been tough but a few fish were caught. Try the shipping channel or the Dumping Grounds. A few perch were taken in the area of the shipping channel.
St. Clair River - Walleye fishing has been slow however the bass fishing has been very good up in the channels and all the way up to St. Clair. Yellow perch fishing was spotty but anglers willing to do some exploring should check out the weedbeds along the North Channel and the Middle Channel.
Port Sanilac - Some 7 to 12 inch perch were taken in 15 to 30 feet of water.
Saginaw Bay - Fishing has been slow from all ports. A few walleye were taken west of the Spark Plug near Buoys 11 & 12 and in 7 to 8 feet of water in the Slot off the islands. Some nice perch were taken near the Spark Plug and around Buoy 15. The Hot Pond is still producing some channel cats.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph - There were a few fish taken close to shore. When boats can get out, they are trolling just outside the pierheads in the early morning and evening, but moving out to deeper waters during the day. Try spoons, meat rigs, J-plugs, flashers and flies. Jumbo perch have been caught in 20 to 35 feet of water.
St. Joseph River - Is still running high. This is prompting the movement of steelhead which are going through the ladder at Berrien Springs.
Grand Haven - Pier fishing slowed as very few alewife and shad could be found close to shore. Salmon were in 100 to 150 feet of water, but the action has not been fast and furious. Plugs and spinnies are working best.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Coho along with some large brown trout have been caught up near the Sixth Street Dam. Anglers are using spawn bags, yarn, crawlers or pink and chartreuse flies. A couple steelhead were taken on a jig with a wax worm under a bobber. A few salmon were taken in the lower river when drifting plugs through the deep holes. Walleye were caught when jigging the ledge or drifting crawler harnesses. Crappie were caught on minnows and catfish on crawlers.
Reeds Lake - Anglers have caught some big bluegills.
Grand River at Lansing - Rain bought the lower river up, but the waters are still fishable. Pike fishing continues to be good. Some nice fish have been caught at the point where the Grand River and the Red Cedar River come together. Catfish have been caught up and down the river.
Muskegon - Salmon were being caught in 70 to 90 feet of water with plugs taking the most fish in the early morning. No perch reports.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Rogers City - Fish are scattered up and down the coast so anglers will want to concentrate on areas with structure and places like Swan Bay where the fish usually start staging before the spawning run. Boats are running 10 to 45 feet down in waters 30 to 70 feet deep with lead core and dipsey divers. Most are trolling J-plugs and spoons with flashers and flies or squid. Good colors have been white, green, blue, purple, silver, yellow or black and white.
Presque Isle - Fishing here picked up with a mix of chinook, lake trout and steelhead taken in waters 30 to 80 feet deep. Good places to fish have been straight out, north between the lighthouses and in North Bay.
Rockport - Anglers were catching salmon and steelhead when fishing 45 to 50 feet down in waters 50 to 100 feet deep. Most boats were heading to Middle Island and fishing right in front of the launch. Green and yellow were good colors.
Harrisville - Windy conditions have kept many off the lake. Those targeting trout and salmon caught one walleye when trolling about halfway down in waters 20 to 50 feet deep.
Van Ettan Lake - Perch fishing has been very good with some limit catches reported. Most of the fish are averaging 6 to 8 inches. Minnows, wax worms and red worms worked best.
Oscoda - A few kings have been caught off the pier where anglers reported seeing some alewife. Boats were picking up a few fish, but the action was slow. Most are waiting for a good west wind.
Au Sable River - Water temperatures are still to warm for the trout and salmon runs. Bluegill fishing was good in the Cooke Dam Pond.
Tawas - Walleye are still being caught south towards Alabaster in 30 to 50 feet of water. Both crawlers and crankbaits have caught fish.
Au Gres - Has slow walleye fishing. Some are running north towards Alabaster while others are heading out toward the Charity Islands. A few perch were caught in 30 feet of water off the hotel.
Higgins Lake - Fishing was slow but should pick up by the weekend. Lake trout are hitting on cowbells and bodybaits. Some nice perch ranging from 9 to 12 inches were taken on minnows and crawlers.
Houghton Lake - Fishing remains steady for a variety of fish. Avoid getting hung up on the weeds in 8 to 10 feet of water and fish will be caught.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Petoskey - High winds caused lake temperatures to vary and as a result the salmon can be found in shallow waters. Boat anglers are using a wire dipsey, glow spoons, J-plugs and flies. Fish have been caught from 30 to 80 feet with more salmon up high and the lake trout at the temperature break.
Charlevoix - Pier anglers are starting to catch salmon as the fish are starting to stage near shore. Those fishing near the Cement Plant are starting to catch fish.
Lake Charlevoix - Smallmouth bass and perch are biting.
Thumb Lake (Lake Louise) - Few splake were caught over the last week. Boats continue to jig, troll or drift with minnows, crawlers or spawn, but catch rates were slow. Angling pressure for bass has been extremely heavy. Anglers are casting in 10 to 30 feet of water near structure with tubes, deep diving crankbaits and poppers. Some are targeting perch in the western basin. Keep moving to locate schools of fish in waters 5 to 10 feet deep. Panfish are hitting worms in 10 to 15 feet of water.
Platte River - The Lower Weir was put in place on August 15th and is currently being monitored. The Upper Platte Weir has been out since early July however the DNR is currently in the process of putting the boards back in. All the boards should be in place by the time this report comes out. No salmon were reported at the Upper Weir.
Frankfort - Good catches of chinook, coho and steelhead are coming from the Herring Hole all the way up into West Platte Bay. Fish are being caught in 50 to 120 feet of water in front of the piers and in the top 50 feet of waters 220 to 300 feet deep in front of Point Betsie. Anglers are using a variety of spoons and plugs along with white and blue or white and green flasher and fly combos. Pier anglers fishing with alewife caught a few salmon in the early morning and evening.
Betsie River - Anglers are reportedly catching salmon as far up as Homestead Dam.
Onekama - Boat anglers trolling straight out from the piers and up in the Barrel have caught a good mix of chinook and coho. The bite in the early morning and evening was best however fish have been caught in deeper waters during the day. Pier anglers caught a few fish when casting Cleo's.
Portage Lake - Those trolling or drifting in 35 to 40 feet of water are picking up good numbers of northern pike and a few small walleye. Some nice perch were caught near the mouth of the channel. Those casting off the piers and along the south shore have taken some nice catches of largemouth, smallmouth and rock bass.
Manistee - Pier anglers reported slow action due to warm waters. Only a couple chinook were caught were when using alewife for bait. The boats had to fish way out deep, but when they did they caught lots of chinook when trolling spoons, meat rigs, flies and J-plugs. Glows work early and late and green ladder backs during the day.
Manistee River - Rain and cooler temperatures have pushed the first wave of fish into the lower river.
Ludington - Pier anglers have caught some chinook in the early morning when using alewife for bait. The fish moved back out to deeper waters, so boat anglers moved back out to waters 80 to 120 feet deep. Chinook, coho and steelhead were caught when trolling flies and J-plugs.
Pere Marquette River - A few more fish have moved into the river system where those fishing are using spawn.
Upper Peninsula
West Portage Lake - Walleye fishing has been fair to good on the Humps. They are using a variety of methods including trolling with shad raps, reef runners, rapalas or a crawler harness off a board, or jigging with lead head jigs and half a crawler.
Torch Lake - Reported slow fishing. Smallmouth bass have been active in waters 15 to 20 feet deep. A couple nice pike were also caught in waters up to 20 feet deep.
Little Bay de Noc - The better walleye fishing was off Gladstone when jigging or drifting in 10 to 25 feet of water and between the Second and Third Reefs off Kipling when trolling or drifting crawlers in the evening. Good smallmouth action when casting or jigging crankbaits and tube baits in 10 to 18 feet of water at Hunters Point and just south of the Day's River. Perch anglers have been few but several nice fish were harvested in the Kipling area when jigging worms out past the island in 23 feet of water. A few salmon were caught when trolling spoons 40 to 50 feet down in waters 80 to 120 feet deep.
Big Bay de Noc - The better fishing here has been for smallmouth bass. Most are working the weedlines in 10 to 25 feet of water when casting crankbaits or jigging plastics. Ogontz and Garden Bay have been hot. Several nice perch were caught in Fayette Harbor when jigging worms in 14 to 25 feet of water. Fairport is still reporting good catches when trolling spoons and flies 35 to 50 feet down in waters 80 to 130 feet deep.
Marquette - Fishing has picked up as many anglers were getting their limits. The salmon are finally here. Chinook, coho and lake trout mixed in the occasional brown trout and northern pike were caught. Schools of fish have been marked in 40 to 50 feet of water in front of the dome. Some nice fish were caught near the mouth of the Carp River. Those fishing north of the white rocks have caught fish in waters 150 to 200 feet deep. Lake trout were found in 40 to 80 feet of water.
Munising - A few catches were reported in Trout Bay. No reports from the mouth of the Anna River.
Grand Marais - Limits of lake trout are still being taken 3 to 5 miles off shore. The average size of the lake trout has gone up with many in the 5 to 8 pound range. No reports of coho and steelhead but anglers are starting to look for them.
De Tour - Bigger salmon are coming in with the average size ranging from 10 to 17 pounds. Anglers are fishing 40 to 80 feet down with a multi blue fly with a green or silver flasher, a hammered blue and green spoon or silver J-plug. Fish both sides of the shipping channel, south of the city launch, out to the #3 Green Can, and around the lighthouse.
Drummond Island - A few perch have been caught off the Yacht Haven dock. Set minnows about a foot off the bottom in 8 feet of water. Northern pike have been caught on silver spoons in the early morning and evening when targeting the edge of the weedbeds around Grape Island.
Cedarville and Hessel - Salmon anglers are targeting the west side of Goose Island, the south end of Boot Island and southwest of Brule Point. Perch anglers are fishing Moscoe Channel, Musky Bay, Middle Entrance, Connors Point, the east end of Hessel Bay and off the pier at Hessel. The large fish were caught near and after dark when using worms. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and sunfish were also caught. Good northern pike fishing in the Moscoe Channel, Cedarville Bay and the south end of Hessel Bay.
St. Ignace - Anglers continue to fish from the Mackinaw Bridge to the Coast Guard Station, behind Mackinaw Island and around Bois Blanc Island. A variety of lures, including green flies and flashers with seaweed or green squid or green and white glow spoons are bringing in chinook , lake trout, steelhead, and a few pink salmon. Some walleye and catfish have been caught near the mouth of the Pine River.