Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Opening Day in The Great UP
My brother who runs in the Beautiful Upper said lots of traffic today in the UP with boats everywhere which is a good sign with high gas prices.
Little Bay De Noc - All the boat launches are up and running and ready for the walleye opener. Water temperatures vary from the low 40’s to the mid 50’s, so warmer weather would help. Perch fishing has been good in the Narrows when jigging worms in 23 to 35 feet of water and near the Center Reef in 20 to 25 feet of water. No reports on brown trout or splake but several anglers were heading south of the Ford River in search of them. Shore anglers fishing off the new piers at the North Shore Boat Launch have caught rock bass when using crawlers under a bobber. This is a good opportunity for kids.
Big Bay De Noc - The boat launches are open and ready for the walleye opener.
Manistique is gearing up for a big opener, with Indian Lake, Manistique Lake, andCurtis Area. The St Marys River should be good also for walleye, pike and huge muskies
Cooler temperatures, rain and strong winds have been keeping fishing activity at bay across a good part of the state.
Hamlin Lake - Good numbers of crappie have been caught in the East Arm just off Layman’s Landing in 8 to 12 feet of water or straight across the lake to the north in 10 to 20 feet of water. Limit catches of walleye were taken after dark in front of Pete’s Bayou and around the narrows. Those fishing the North and Middle Bayou’s reported very good panfish action when using power grubs on jigs or a wax worm on a teardrop..
Lake Charlevoix - Had good perch fishing on the northwest side of the lake when you can find a school of fish and stay with it. The fish are getting ready to disperse and spawn but some nice catches are still coming in on minnows or wigglers.
Skegemog Lake - Anglers have been targeting walleye north of the Torch River, along the southern end of the lake and near the narrows. Most are trolling, casting or drifting in 10 to 25 feet of water with rapalas, leeches and jigs. Pike and muskie were caught near the public access site and the narrows in 7 to 15 feet of water. The majority of bass anglers can be found along the south end of the lake near the Desmond Marsh area in 4 to 10 feet of water. Try using tubes, spinners or jerk baits. Perch anglers have been drifting or still-fishing near the narrows and the mouth of the river. Try minnows and wigglers in waters up to 25 feet deep.
Traverse City - Whitefish are being caught throughout the East Bay when jigging. Lake trout fishing has been excellent with limit catches reported. The brown trout and steelhead action has slowed. Lake trout fishing has been good in the West Bay but few anglers have been out.
Long Lake - The walleye are hitting on crawler harnesses after dark. Also Lake Leelanau has reported in with a good walleye bite
Portage Lake - Walleye were caught in the evening when trolling along the shore and out in the channel. A good number of rock bass have been caught and the bigger bluegills are starting to show up in 25 to 30 feet of water. Try crawlers or wigglers. Perch were caught on minnows.
Muskegon Lake - Perch have been caught in 20 to 30 feet of water. The northern pike action has been good. Crappie and bluegills can be found in waters 10 to 15 feet or deeper. Both the large and smallmouth bass fishing has been good. Some nice fish have been caught and released.
Whitehall - Has good walleye fishing off the pier. Most anglers are picking their spots before dark and fishing most of the night. A few salmon have been caught when trolling. The lake trout were found in shallow waters.
FISHING REPORT
Upper Peninsula:
The pike and walleye seasons open across the Upper Peninsula Thursday, May 15. At the time this report was being written, no information has been provided on how the openers are going. The cool weather and water temperatures are limiting the fishing activity near Copper Harbor. An occasional splake is being reeled out of Copper Harbor. A few steelhead are being caught in the creek between Lake Fanny Hooe and Copper Harbor.
Up until the open of the pike and walleye seasons, fishing activity on Lake Gogebic has been slow.
Around Marquette, the lake trout fishing ranges from fair to good on Lake Superior. The lakers are found toward the bottom of the lake, in water 60 to 120 feet deep. Most of the fish are being caught with spoons. Anglers trolling on the Lower Marquette and Upper Marquette harbors are catching a few coho. The steelhead action is good on the Carp, Chocolay and Dead rivers.
In the Gladstone area, the perch fishing is improving in the “narrows” on Little Bay de Noc. The best fishing is found in water 30 to 35 feet deep.
Anglers along the Manistique River by Manistique are catching fair to good numbers of steelhead.
Fishing activity this week has been slow near St. Ignace.
The bays around Cedarville are producing good perch fishing. Minnows are the preferred bait. The splake fishing is fair out of Hessel.
Anglers on Maxton Bay by Drummond Island are catching a few perch. Anglers will have to sort through the fish that are caught, since there are a lot of small fish being reeled in.
And at Sault Ste. Marie, anglers are catching a few whitefish on the St. Marys River behind the “powerhouse.” The upper end of the St. Marys River is producing fair perch fishing.
Northwest:
Anglers near Alanson are catching a few steelhead along the Bear River. The walleye action ranges from slow to fair on both Burt and Crooked lakes. Walleye anglers are using jigs tipped with a minnow.
In the Boyne City area, the walleye fishing is slow on both Lake Charlevoix and Walloon Lake.
By Traverse City, the lake trout fishing is fair to good on West Grand Traverse Bay. Try using a jig near the bottom of the bay, in water about 100 feet deep. The bass fishing is improving, but everything is catch and release with the bass since the season is not open.
Out of the Frankfort area, the perch fishing is fair on both Crystal and Portage lakes. Minnows and wigglers are both being used as bait. Anglers on Crystal Lake are reeling in a few whitefish, using wigglers as bait. Along the Betsie River, the steelhead fishing is fair. The steelhead are hitting on a variety of baits.
Around Manistee, anglers on Lake Michigan are reeling in a few brown trout. The fish are found close to shore, in water up to eight feet deep. The shallow waters of the small lakes in the area are producing fair bluegill fishing.
Anglers on Manistee Lake near Kalkaska are catching good numbers of walleye. The steelhead action along the Boardman River is fair.
The fly-fishing opportunities range from fair to good on the Au Sable, Black, Pigeon and Sturgeon rivers. The walleye fishing is pretty good on Bradford and Otsego lakes. The walleye are hitting on crawler harnesses or jigs tipped with a minnow.
And at Cadillac, the pike fishing is fair to good on both lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. The crappie fishing is fair on Lake Mitchell. There are not a lot of fish being caught, but those that are reeled in are big. After dark, an occasional walleye is being caught on the east side of Lake Mitchell.
West:
Hamlin and Lincoln lakes near Ludington are producing good panfish and bluegill fishing. The fish are starting to move into shallower water in the lakes.
Out of the Muskegon area, the bluegill and perch fishing is good on Muskegon Lake, in water 10 to 20 feet deep. After dark, the walleye fishing is fair along the Muskegon Channel and off the pier heads. The salmon fishing is improving on Lake Michigan.
Chippewa Lake is producing fair bluegill, pike and walleye fishing. The northerns are hitting on minnows, but most of the pike being caught are on the small side.
And at Baldwin, the bluegill fishing is good on most of the local lakes. The best fishing occurs during the warmest part of the day.
Southwest:
By Holland, the walleye fishing is good off the piers on Lake Michigan near Holland and on the Kalamazoo River. The best fishing occurs at night. Anglers on the piers are using husky jerks, on the river any type of live bait seems to be working well. Out on Lake Michigan, the salmon action is slow. The fish that are being caught are found in water 80 to 140 feet deep.
Lake Michigan by Benton Harbor is producing some good lake trout and steelhead fishing. The fish are found in water up to 300 feet deep. Along the St. Joseph River, anglers are reeling in a few catfish. Anglers on the Lake Michigan piers are catching a few walleye.
Around New Buffalo, the crappie fishing ranges from slow to fair on the Galien River.
In the Kalamazoo area, the bluegill and bass fishing is good on Sugarloaf Lake. The largemouth and smallmouth bass action is good on Gull Lake, however, since the bass seasons are not yet open, any bass caught must immediately be released.
And at Three Rivers, the crappie fishing is very good on most of the local lakes, such as Corey Lake. Shiner minnows are the preferred bait. The bluegill action on the local lakes is pretty good.
Northeast:
In the Alpena area, the walleye fishing is fair along the Lake Huron shoreline, in water up to nine feet deep. Evenings are the best time to be out. Anglers along the Thunder Bay River are reeling in a few perch. The Second Street Bridge is the best spot to cast a line in the water, and minnows are the preferred bait.
Around Grayling, the walleye fishing is fair on Lake Margrethe. Anglers are using jigs or trolling slowly in water 15 to 20 feet deep. The panfish action on some of the smaller lakes in the area ranges from slow to fair.
Out on Higgins Lake, the rainbow and brown trout fishing is fair. Anglers are trolling for the trout, with the best action found near the drop-offs in the lake.
Houghton Lake is producing good pike and walleye fishing. The northerns are hitting on stick baits. The walleye are biting on crawlers or leeches near the weed edges or on stick baits used by anglers trolling on the lake.
In the Oscoda area, the perch and walleye fishing is good on Van Etten Lake. The Cooke Dam and Foote Dam ponds are producing good panfish, pike and walleye action. Anglers along the Au Sable River, below the Foote Dam, are reeling in fair numbers of steelhead.
And at Au Gres, the steelhead fishing is fair on the east branch of the Au Gres River. Anglers on Saginaw Bay are catching a few walleye in water 25 to 30 feet deep.
East:
The walleye action is steady on Saginaw Bay near Linwood. Anglers are trolling in water eight to 14 feet deep.