DNR Fish Report 09/10

Weekly Fishing Report
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Recreational Fishing Report517-373-0908
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Great Lakes temperature map
Salmon are moving into the rivers however the big push has not yet occurred. Catch rates on the inland waters should only get better as we move into the fall fishing mode. Anglers are reminded that the season to take both snapping turtles and softshell turtles will close on September 15th, 2009.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Perch anglers are catching fish in 11 feet of water where the warm water discharge used to be off Lake Erie Metro Park and about a half mile east of Stony Point. There are reports of the perch run starting off Colchester which is on the Canadian side of the lake.
Huron River - Smallmouth bass, carp and catfish seem to be the only thing anglers are catching. No reports on trout fishing as it may still be a bit early.
Detroit River - Walleye anglers continue to do well between Sugar Island and the Cross Dike. Those handlining did well east of Celeron Island in 14 to 16 feet of water and near McClouth Steel. Perch are being caught around Sugar Island.
Lexington - Those trolling were taking a variety of trout and salmon in 80 to 100 feet of water. Salmon and steelhead are about halfway down while lake trout are near the bottom. Walleye were caught but the perch were scattered in 40 to 60 feet of water.
Port Sanilac - Boat anglers are catching salmon, steelhead and lake trout. Some are getting the occasional walleye when targeting trout and salmon. The perch were scattered however anglers were taking 10 to 30 fish per boat.
Harbor Beach - Anglers are trolling in 100 to 125 feet of water for chinook and steelhead however more lake trout have been caught. There are rumors of yellow perch being caught southeast of the lighthouse.
Port Austin - Boat anglers are taking limits of lake trout when trolling in 90 to 125 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were caught in 40 feet of water.
Saginaw Bay - Limits of walleye have been caught off Pinconning and Linwood when trolling crawler harnesses or Hot-n-Tots in 12 to 15 feet of water. The action was slower a few miles east of the Spark Plug and the Black Hole. Yellow perch were caught in the shipping channel, around the Spark Plug and near Buoys 9 and 10. Catfish are hitting on shrimp in the Hot Ponds. Near Quanicassee, walleye fishing was slow with boats only taking 1 or 2 fish off the Callahan Reef. Those heading out for perch were taking 12 to 15 fish on average per boat near the Spark Plug. The better walleye fishing was off Sebewaing, but anglers are still working hard to get them. Target 15 feet of water in the Slot off Fish Point and out near the Spark Plug in 32 feet of water. Most are using crawler harnesses but fish were also caught on Hot-n-Tots in the deeper water. A few perch were caught northeast of the Spark Plug. Caseville is quiet except for a few smallmouth bass caught off the breakwall.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joe - Anglers are catching mostly chinook salmon when trolling in waters about 85 feet deep. Fish the mud lines and between the piers. Perch fishing is slow. Pier anglers were catching a few suckers.
St. Joe River - There is good chinook and coho movement through the ladder at Berrien Springs.
South Haven - The chinook have started to come in. Anglers are catching them in the mud lines and between the piers. Steelhead and perch have also been caught.
Kalamazoo River - Chinook, steelhead and the occasional walleye have been caught from the piers to the Allegan Dam.
Grand Haven - A good number of boats are trolling just outside the piers in the early morning. Pier anglers are catching chinook, coho and steelhead when casting spoon or rapalas in the early morning. A few perch were also been caught.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Anglers are catching chinook, coho, brown trout and steelhead from the piers up to the Sixth Street Dam. They are using spoons, spinners, rapalas, yarn, flies or spawn. Some are drifting Hot-n-Tots or thundersticks. Pike and walleye were caught. Crappie are hitting twister tails and crappie minnows.
Grand River at Lansing - Shore anglers are trying for catfish below the dams. No word yet on salmon in the Lansing area however rain should push some fish up closer. A few fish have been caught near Ionia in Prairie Creek.
Lake Ovid - Anglers are catching catfish and bullhead. For the bigger bluegills, try slow drifting in deeper waters with leaf worms, wax worms or crickets.
Reeds Lake - Perch have been caught around the Sunken Island when drifting leaf worms. At night, some limits were caught on minnows.
Muskegon - Boat anglers are fishing shallow in the early morning and heading out to waters up to 300 feet deep as the day goes on. They are catching chinook, coho and steelhead. Plugs are working in the shallows and spoons out deep. Pier anglers have caught salmon and steelhead in the early morning or late evening. Boats are also fishing in the channel.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Mullett Lake - Anglers have caught pike and perch when still-fishing with crawlers or minnows. Walleye, bass and even a few trout were also caught. Good perch fishing on the west side with some in the 9 and 10 inch range.
Rogers City - Is producing salmon in Swan Bay. Early morning or sunset is the best time in waters 10 to 65 feet deep. In shallow, use planer boards with J-Plugs or bombers. Out deep, fish about halfway down with spoons or J-Plugs. Good colors are orange and silver, green and yellow, watermelon, pearl or glow.
Presque Isle - Anglers are catching salmon straight out of the harbor and north toward the lighthouses while trolling the top half of waters 45 to 90 feet deep.
Rockport - Fishing was still spotty. Salmon and steelhead were found in 15 to 50 feet of water around Bell Bay and the launch. Salmon were halfway down in 40 to 50 feet of water and lake trout were just off the bottom in 110 feet of water near the wreck. Hot colors were chartreuse, black, red and gold. Walleye were taken in Bell Bay when using rapalas or body baits in perch patterns.
Thunder Bay River - Salmon and steelhead have been caught near the Ninth Street Dam. The best fishing has been between 10:00pm and 1:00am for those using black and brown flies or glow spawn.
Harrisville - The salmon are moving into shallow waters 60 to 80 feet deep. The salmon are hitting on silver, blue or gold and the steelhead on orange. Lake trout are hitting on anything white or silver. Walleye were caught in the and around the harbor and north toward Sturgeon Point.
Oscoda - About half the boats heading out were successful. Reports have the fish from the river out to waters 100 feet deep. Lures in blue and silver were catching fish. Those fishing close to shore just north or south of the pier were using planer boards and lead core. Pier anglers have caught some steelhead and walleye on body baits and crawlers.
Au Sable River - A few walleye have been caught in the river. Try body baits or crawlers down near the mouth.
Higgins Lake - A few anglers are still catching lake trout when trolling or jigging. Good numbers of rock bass have been caught over the last week.
Houghton Lake - Walleye are being caught on crawlers or leeches. Some big bluegills have been caught and a few nice crappie were taken on spinner baits. Those out pike fishing have also caught some nice fish.
Tawas - Walleye fishing was slower with a few fish caught near Buoy 2 and down near Alabaster. Pier fishing was also slow with only a few small perch or the occasional walleye taken.
Au Gres - Is producing some limit catches of walleye, mostly north of the Charity Islands in 15 to 40 feet of water. Some are heading south toward Standish and fishing off Eagles Bay Landing. A few limits were taken in 10 to 30 feet of water.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Petoskey - Salmon fishing varies from day to day however fish were caught in the bottom 70 feet of waters 120 to 130 feet deep. Good colors for flies and plugs have been blue, purple, green, or white and spoons were green, blue, purple, or black. Mix up your colors with a different color attracter. Try a white spin doctor in front of a purple fly on sunny days. A number of lake trout have been caught.
Charlevoix - Anglers are concentrating on salmon. Most are fishing down 70 feet or more in waters up to 130 feet deep.
Lake Bellaire - Surface temperatures increased to the high 60's and low 70's. Walleye anglers are still fishing near the Fisherman's Paradise Public Access, Northwest Arm and the Narrows. Try trolling crawler harnesses, spoons, and stick baits or jigging with leeches and crawlers in 10 to 35 feet of water. Fish range from 14 to 16 inches. Bass anglers have been casting artificial worms, tube baits or crank baits in 3 to 25 feet of water. Target the drop-offs in the South Arm. Pike are hitting on crawler harnesses or spoons near the mouth of the Intermediate River and the Grass River. Yellow perch ranging from 4 to 13 inches have been caught by those still-fishing in 2 to 16 feet of water in the Northwest Arm and in front of the Intermediate River. Try crawlers or minnows.
Leland - North Manitou Island is still the area to fish as the salmon get ready to run. Boat anglers are starting 45 to 50 feet of water in the early morning and moving out to deeper water as the sun comes up. No reports on the First or Second Banks yet.
Glen Arbor - Fish are moving into shallow waters 60 feet deep off Pyramid Point and right out in front of the boat launch.
Platte Bay - Has good fishing in the West Bay 30 to 80 feet down in 50 to 150 feet of water with black ladderback J-Plugs. Good fishing in the East Bay as well about 30 to 80 feet down in 60 to 120 feet of water.
Platte River - Some fish are up the river and at the mouth. A small run of fish came in over the weekend and there are fish below the weir, mostly coho. Shore anglers casting or fishing spawn were not having much luck yet.
Arcadia - Catch rates have slowed for boat anglers as more fish start running up into the rivers. Those fishing in the early morning have caught salmon in 150 to 400 feet of water when using spoons or J-Plugs that glow.
Lake Cadillac - Anglers are catching largemouth bass, pike and crappie. For bigger bluegills, fish deeper water with leaf worms, wax worms and crickets.
Manistee - Boats have found the salmon and trout to be scattered anywhere from the front of the piers to 400 feet of water. Early in the morning, salmon can be caught using glow plugs in front of the piers. Those fishing the Shelf found fish in the top 60 feet of water. Best colors continue to be green or blue.
Manistee River - Salmon are in the river however cooler weather will bring more fish in. The better fishing has been in the early morning or at night with spoons, crank baits, body baits, yarn or spawn. Fish the deeper holes or up near Tippy Dam.
UPPER PENINSULA
Copper Harbor - Splake are starting to come back into the harbor.
Eagle Harbor - Those jigging have caught lake trout in 220 feet of water. Trolling was slow as it has been hard to find scum lines or temperature breaks.
Lac La Belle - Walleye fishing was good along the flats in 15 to 25 feet of water using crawlers or minnows near the bottom. Smallmouth bass fishing has been good in 10 to 14 feet of water near the weedbeds.
Keweenaw Bay - The better lake trout fishing was in Traverse Bay when trolling between Big Louie's and Gay Point in 130 to 150 feet of water. Those jigging got limits in 220 to 240 feet of water. Try 1 or 2 ounce jigs with cut bait. Lake trout were caught near the South Portage Entry when trolling spoons in 130 to 160 feet of water.
Paint River - In west Iron County has good brook trout fishing in the South Branch. The trout are running a little small this year but should be good next year.
Peavy Reservoir - Has good pike fishing.
Hagerman Lake - Has good smallmouth bass action.
Marquette - Lake trout picked up between the White Rocks and Granite Island. Standard Rock is still very productive with groups limiting out. Coho are still spotty but anglers are marking fish. Large groups of baitfish have been marked in 140 to180 feet of water. No action to report near the Carp and Dead River.
Menominee - Catch rates were a bit slow with only a few fish caught in 10 to 20 feet of water down near Green Island. Chinook were caught from the pier in the early morning and late evening when casting spoons. Up near the Cedar River, a few chinook were caught near the Whaleback Shoal.
Menominee River - Small walleye were caught by those trolling, fishing off the Cat Walk, and wading near Stephenson and Boom Island. Use crawlers. Sturgeon season on the boundary waters is open from September 5th through September 30th. Anglers are reminded that the possession limit for sturgeon on the river between the Hattie Street Dam and end of the breakwalls in Green Bay is 0 fish. A non-transferable sturgeon tag must be obtained at a license vendor prior to all sturgeon fishing, including catch and release. Successful anglers must tag and register the fish within 24 hours. Fish being released should not be tagged.
Little Bay De Noc - Most of the walleye are still in the southern bay however fish have been caught throughout. Some are trolling stick baits from the mouth of the Escanaba River south to Portage Point and fishing 25 to 30 feet down just off the break. Walleye and perch were caught by those drifting or stillfishing with crawlers off the beach at Gladstone. Northern pike were caught on spinners and spoons fished in 10 to 12 feet of water at the mouth of the Escanaba Yacht Harbor.
Big Bay De Noc - Had fair walleye catches near Ogontz in 14 to 16 feet of water and Garden Bay in 8 to 12 feet of water. Good smallmouth action for those casting crank baits and tube baits in 18 to 25 feet of water. Salmon action off Fairport was down.
Au Train - Has excellent lake trout fishing. A few salmon were caught along the flats, the shipping lanes and around Wood Island in 150 to 170 feet of water.
Munuscong - Anglers are trolling up to the bell and the split in the channel for walleye. Use bottom bouncers with crawler harnesses in lime green and orange.
De Tour - Boats were trolling both sides of the freighter channel to the lighthouse area, some further south as well as to the flats and catching chinook, lake trout and even a couple Atlantic salmon.
Cedarville and Hessel - Pier fishing at the Hessel Marina was slow with only small pike or perch caught. Splake have started coming into the harbor and were hitting on spawn bags. Fish were also caught in Snows Channel and Musky Bay however many were sub-legal. In Cedarville Bay, the best perch action was in 6 to 8 inches of waters when using minnows, leaf worms or crayfish tails.
Carp River - A few anglers are catching chinook using green and white or red and white spoons.
St. Ignace - Anglers fishing from the primitive launch are casting weedless baits. Fire-tiger and lime were good colors. Those trolling have caught a few chinook and lake trout between the bay and the Coast Guard Station when using silver J-Plugs or green and gold spoons.