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Fishing Reports for Local Area - Location |
    
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 03, 2003 - 8:08 pm: | |
I was given a ticket for attempted snagging. Huh? Middle of the day, I even knew officer was watching. I was setting the hook to hard was all he could say. Any idea of statute (law) code number that I can actually read pertaining to this matter? |
Randy
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2003 - 12:47 pm: | |
i would like to know how much it would be ir you got caught spearing pike
|
cheri pattinson
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 10:36 am: | |
Subject: steel head
could you please tell me where i might find steelhead running i was to tippy dam all weekend only saw small rainbow trout being takin out please email me with some good news thank you cheri pattinson |
Capt. Mike Veine
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 08, 2002 - 7:31 pm: | |
Subject: Michigan Fishing Information Newsletter
Michigan Fishing Information Newsletter
1/5/02
The latest cold snap has covered most of Michigan's inland lakes with a coating of thin ice. I can definitely tell when people are thinking about ice-fishing, because I'm getting a ton of phone calls from people looking to book my guided trips later this winter on Little Bay De Noc. I'll be up there the last two weeks of February and as of this writing I only have one date that remains open.
I'm getting geared up for ice fishing having just finished customizing two more tipups. I've also respooled al my ice rods and tipups so they are all in tip-top shape. I also just ordered some new ice fishing electronics from Vexilar and can't wait to test it out. I'll let you know how these products work.
I just heard on the news last night though that two, elderly gents are in critical condition in the hospital after plunging through a Livingston County lake the day before. I tested the ice at two local lakes yesterday, and it only took two chops with my spud to punch through and the ice moved with each step. I think I'll wait a few more days before I venture out on the ice in southern Michigan. Be sure to check ahead for ice condition when planning an ice-fishing trip and for heaven's sake, be careful.
News and Commentary
The DNR announced many changes to fishing regulations that will be effective starting April 1, 2002. In fact, so many regulations have changed that I would call the DNR's actions sweeping and massive. Here's a list of the orders issued:
· FO-200 Statewide Trout, Salmon, Whitefish and Lake Herring Regulations
· FO-204 Spawning Closures
· FO-205 Michigan-Wisconsin Boundary Waters Regulations
· FO-206 Special Fishing Regulations for Coolwater Species on Select Lakes
· FO-214 Waters Where Northern Pike May Be Taken at Any Size
· FO-215 Statewide Coolwater Regulations for Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Sauger, Muskellunge, Channel Catfish, FlatheadCatfish and Yellow Perch
· FO-217 Order to Restrict Spearing Season
· FO-219 Waters Open to the Use of Spears and Bows
· FO-220 Special Muskellunge and Northern Pike Regulations
· FO-221 Banning of Dip Net Fishing on Certain Michigan Inland
· FO-222 Restricted and Closed Waters for Fisheries Research
· FO-223 Protection of Sturgeon, Muskellunge, and Walleye on the Black, Indian and Cheboygan Rivers
I received a press release from the DNR about these changes, but instead of summarizing the changes; they simply listed the new/changed orders and let it go at that. Go to http://www.midnr.org/PressReleaseDetail.asp?LinkID=31&sec=main&ReleaseID=3342&imageid=3 to view the press release and the orders (Acrobat files) in detail. It's a real confusing mess.
After reading those orders, like most anglers in Michigan, I don't have a clue what most the new laws indeed are. You would think that the DNR would issue a press release to decimate the new fishing regulations simply without all the confusion and smoke screens, but we know that the DNR does not believe in simple. Instead we will all just have to guess what the new regs are come spring and hope we don't get a ticket.
I heard through the grapevine (not through the DNR) that snagging regulations were tightened significantly. The new regulations will make it illegal to use larger than a 3/8-inch point-to-shank treble hooks in all Michigan rivers. Also, single hooks are now restricted to 1/2-inch, although the new regulations still allow jig fishing and the use of spinnerbaits as long as the hooks fall at or under the 1/2-inch maximum requirement. I also heard that the DNR is now restricting lure weights to no more than one ounce. These changes were made because illegal, snagging activity has increased significantly in recent years. The 3/8-inch point to shank treble hook regulation equates to a #6 hook! I just looked through my bait box and measured several of the hooks on popular river baits and guess what, they are
just about all going to be illegal come April 1. I also checked the hooks on my jigs and spinner baits and not one of my spinnerbaits had a hook even close to being under 1/2-inch. All of my jigs that weigh 1/4-oz. or more are over 1/2-inch. I'll be waiting with baited breath for the DNRs rule book this spring to see the official details.
Charter News
I've been booking trips steadily for the 2002 open water, fishing season. In fact, about 1/2 of my available dates are already reserved by savvy charter customers who know that it's best to plan early to get the best dates. My boat just got back form the Lund factory. It was completely refurbished to "like new" condition. With new Mercury power, all new canvas, new electronics and other new assorted odds and ends, my boat will certainly be ship-shape come spring. I just updated my webpage for 2002. The online schedule and booking capability that I implemented late last year has certainly been popular. All you have to do is go to the webpage, check for available dates and you can make your reservation a slick as fish slime. Check it out at http://members.aol.com/tscharters
Website News
There is an all-new opinion poll on the Michigan Fishing Information site now. Go ahead and vote so your opinions can be registered. The last pole was sent to the DNR for comment and then I wrote an article for Woods N' Water News to summarize the pole and the DNR response. I've rounded up several new sponsors for the website. Bass Pro Shops, Vexilar and Cortland Line Company are now aboard as they join Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters, Cabela's, Church Tackle, Daiwa, D&R Sports Center, Fishing Hot Spots, Lowrance, Lund, Mercury, Minn Kota, Moor Electronics, Raymarine and Walker
Downriggers. Please support these sponsors, because without their help, this website would not be possible. I'll be digging into a major overhaul of the website adding a long list of newfound links and other useful Michigan Fishing Information in the coming weeks.
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Article: Higgins Lake Ice Fishing Potpourri
With a reputation as one of Michigan's most beautiful inland lakes, 9600 Acre Higgins Lake is also ranked as one of Michigan's top ice fishing destinations. Yellow perch make up the brunt of angling effort on Higgins, however rainbow trout and lake trout are also rated as excellent fisheries as well. There's also a viable population of brown trout, northern pike, smelt, rock bass, splake and whitefish. With all these ice-fishing opportunities on one lake, the hardest part may be picking what fish to go after.
Last year, on my way home from a Michigan Outdoor Writers Association winter conference, I hit Higgins Lake for an evening of ice fishing action with Lake Trout on the agenda. Prior to that, my Higgins Lake ice fishing experiences were limited to perch outings. Before heading out on the ice, I stopped at Higgins Lake Sport and Tackle on West Lake Shore Drive for some live bait and hopefully some advise. While there I met Tina, the proprietor, who was very helpful indeed. She recommended an area about one mile from the bait shop in the north west corner of the lake.
Boot power was my mode of transportation. It took me about a half-hour to pull my Fish Trap II shelter loaded with gear to the fishing area. I used a portable GPS receiver to punch in a starting waypoint at the road-ending access point. I then used the GPS to navigate to the spot Tina had circled for me on my Fishing Hot Spots Map.
After drilling a few holes I set a tipup baited with a lively shiner. I then closed the lid on my Fish Trap and set up my Lawrance fish finder. Low and behold, I started marking fish right on the bottom immediately. I sent a white jig tipped with a shiner all the way to the bottom. I had barley gotten the slack out of the line when "wham," a fish smacked the bait. My little ice rod bowed sharply as I hauled up my first Higgin's laker. It wasn't a big trout, maybe 20", but it was certainly better than a stick in the eye.
Still ecstatic from my quick success, I looked out the plastic window of the shelter and noticed that my flag was flapping in the gentle breeze. After ambling over to the tipup, I carefully lifted it from the hole and started to reel up the line. The tipup was set in almost 110' of water, so it took a while to bring him up, but after a couple minutes another chubby, eating sized laker was flopping on the ice. I reset the tipup, but before I could return to the Fish Trap, the flag popped again. A few minutes later and I had caught my limit of lakers and I was heading back to shore. It was almost too easy.
As I was loading my junk into the back of the truck, an angler approached me and inquired as to how I'd done. His name was Bill Klowski; a middle-aged man with a whisker studded face and a curious gleam in his eye. Klowski is a local angler who lives within spitting distance of Higgins Lake. We chatted about fishing for a while and before I knew it Klowski invited me to go fishing with him at a latter date.
Rainbow Trout
I met Klowski at the bait shop at mid-afternoon and promptly headed out to one of his secret spots to try for rainbow trout. The shoreline of Higgins Lake is speckled with springs, creeks and seeps. These inlets tend to erode the ice away from shore, which draws the rainbow right into the shallows. Even though the ice was over a foot thick in the center of the lake, the ice in the area where we fished was only a couple inches thick with even thinner spots intermixed with open water. We were fishing in just one foot of water though, so if you fell through, it was no big deal.
Wigglers were the bait of choice and Klowski's rigs were quite simple. He uses short ice rods (3' long) with spinning reels spooled with 6-8 lbs. test, clear monofilament line. A small, #16 treble hook was tied onto the business end without any weight what so ever. The wigglers were dangled about half way down or about six inches below the ice and the bail was left open. Because the ice was so thin, we had to lay the rods down and stand back to avoid spooking the fish. When line started to go out, you carefully approached the hole, set the hook and hung on for dear life.
Just for fun, I decided to try a Slammer Tipup on those shallow water rainbows. A Slammer is basically a rod holder for a spinning rod that sets the hook automatically when a fish strikes. This rig allows anglers to stand way back for ultimate stealth. On the Slammer rig, I used a #6 treble hook, and dangled three wigglers from the barbs.
It didn't take long before the Slammer hammered a nice rainbow. Unfortunately, I didn't have the drag set light enough and we lost him as he slashed around in the hole. Loosing the fish didn't really matter though, because just minutes later and I was battling a five-pounder with my little ice rod. That fish managed to straighten the dainty hook when we missed him with the gaff and he was gone too. That one didn't mater either. We set up in the early evening and the fishing was fast and furious until dark. The Slammer worked great on those shallow rainbows and that rig accounted for the majority of our action that evening. Go to http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/slamcoinc/ to find out more about Slammer tipups.
Lake Trout
I was supposed to fish with Klowski the next morning for lakers, however a bad toothache forced him to see the dentist instead. Bill arranged to have Don Dickinson, a good friend of his, accompany me the next morning. As
usual, we met at the bait shop. Bill Klowski met us there too, and before heading off to the dentist, he told us, "Don't limit out before I get out there, it shouldn't take to long to get this damn tooth pulled."
We accessed the lake at the DNR boat ramp along West Shore Drive. We headed northeast across the ice and set up in about 100' of water. We used tipups baited with live smelt that Bill Klowski had caught the day before. We also brought along some shiners because some days they seem to prefer them.
Don Dickinson turned out to be a great guy that was more than willing to share his considerable experiece with a novice on Higgins Lake like myself. His tipup rigs were specially geared for Higgin's lakers. They featured a large spool with a line guide at the bottom of the spool for easy reeling. Dickinson uses tipup line with a 6-lbs. test, clear, monofilament leader. A 3/4 oz., egg sinker is slid on above the barrel swivel, which connected the main line to a rather long leader. He used a diminutive #16 treble on the business end.
Dickinson told me, "The small treble hook is impaled just under the skin of the bait near the tail. The small hook doesn't weigh the minnow or smelt down allowing it more action. The lakers don't seem to feel the small hook either, which results in a better catch ratio."
Being a little stubborn at times, I stuck with my larger, #6 treble hooks and watched as Dickinson caught fish after fish while my tipups just sat there like sticks in the ice.
Klowski roared up on his snowmobile about noon and I still hadn't caught a trout. With his jaw still numb, he mumbled a little, but was ready to fish none-the-less. I re-rigged my tipups like Dickinson's and in short order we
all limited out with many throwbacks for good measure. Dickinson said, "On some days, just about anything will catch lakers, while on other days, like today, a precise presentation is needed to bring home some trout." All of the lakers that we caught were in the 16" to 25" range, but Klowski says, "I've seen several huge lakers taken by ice anglers that surpassed 30-lbs." Brown trout cruise over the same deep waters where lakers are found. Klowski advises, "Set a tipup baited with a shiner in the top 30' of the water column to target browns."
Besides tipups, jigging is another productive tactic for lakers. Heavy lead-head jigs and big jigging spoons are popular in the deep water that lakers call home. Most savvy anglers tip their jigging lures with a minnow.
Some of the best areas for lakers are along the drop-offs in 70' to 130' of water. For lakers, Klowski recommends the break out from the North Higgins Lake State Park south to the DNR boat launch along West Shore Drive. The deep waters off Hillcrest and the break to the north and south of Flag Point are also prime spots for winter lakers.
Perch
Perch fishing was really happening on Higgins last year with most of the fish running in the 8-10" range. I've had good success catching perch using tinny teardrops baited with a wiggler. Pinch a split shot a foot above the teardrop to help get the bait to the bottom where most of the perch action occurs.
Klowski recommends trying for perch in water over 25' deep along the drop-offs. His favorite spots are off the North Sunken Island, north of the South Higgins Lake State Park and east of Big Creek. Some other good spots are the 25-50' depths along the drop-off from Flagg Point all the way to the Cut River and the drop-off to the south and north of the DNR access on West Shore Drive. The drop-off straight out from the South Higgins Lake State Park is also good for perch at times. It often pays to run and gun for perch. If they aren't biting in one spot, pick up and move until you strike gold. Klowski likes to Suspend small minnows near the bottom on a spreader rig for perch.
Pike
"Northern pike are largely ignored on Higgins Lake," Says Klowski. For good pike action, he recommends the weed beds just west of the South State Park and the 15' to 20' depths off Sam-O-Set Road. With the ultra clear water, spearing pike is popular on Higgins. "Pike up to 20 pounds are taken every year," remarked Klowski.
Smelt
Smelt are targeted mainly at night. Locals typically suspend a light in a hole to attract smelt to the area. The smelt will usually be suspended somewhere in the water column. Here is where a fish finder can be invaluable to determine what depth the fish are holding at for an accurate presentation. Small ice jigs tipped with a wax worm are typically most productive on Smelt.
Klowski recommends trying for smelt in 15-25' of water south and north of the DNR Access on West Shore Drive. He says another good areas are the same depths off the North State Park and out from Roosevelt Ave. If you don't have a fish finder, Klowski advises to focus on the top portion of the water column, as smelt will often school just under the ice.
Whitefish
Try fishing waters 90-100' deep for whitefish and put the baits right on the bottom for best success. Most consistently successful anglers use small Swedish Pimples tipped with a small minnow or wiggler for whitefish. Whitefish have soft mouths, so when one picks up the bait, just reel him in gently without jerking to set the hook.
For good whitefish action, try the waters south of Beaver Creek Park, straight out from the DNR Access on West Shore Drive and the 80' depths out from the South State Park.
Whether it's perch, lakers, rainbow, browns, smelt or whitefish you're after, Higgins Lake is the place to head during the winter. I'd suggest calling or visiting Higgins Lake Sport and Tackle (517-821-9517) for fishing information and for all your bait and tackle needs. The owners are truly friendly people that know how to put anglers onto some fish. Higgins Lake is truly big water fishing on an inland lake. A quality lake map like the ones offered by Fishing Hot Spots (800-338-5957) would prove indispensable for serious angling.
For area lodging and other information contact the Higgins Lake/Roscommon Chamber of Commerce at 517-275-8760.
THE END
Capt. Mike Veine
734-475-9146
veinemr@aol.com
Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters
Michigan Fishing Information |
Capt. Mike Veine
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2001 - 12:42 am: | |
Subject: Michigan Fishing Information
Commentary
As a charter captain, I often get to fish with many folks that live outside Michigan. One topic that often comes up with "out-of-stators" is Michigan's outlandishly complex fishing regulations. When I bought my All-Species license this year, the kind lady behind the counter handed me an envelope containing not one, but three booklets of rules, regulations and facts. One was the fishing guide, which at 47 pages, is the longest fishing rulebook I've ever seen: Much longer than other state's or province's rule books. As usual, this Guide is laid out poorly, is complicated, hard to read and full of all the crazy rules that the DNR has mish-mashed together over the years.
As if this guide weren't bad enough, the DNR also distributes an Inland Trout & Salmon Guide, which contains separate regulations for streams and small lakes where trout swim. That booklet is also 47 pages long and the pages are much bigger to make room for even more poorly written, complex and insane stuff. These regulations feature color coded maps that look like the designer was a child that went wild with magic markers. Next comes the Michigan 2001 Fish Advisory booklet, which at 53 pages truly represents government waste to the extreme. If you actually believe the poorly written and illustrated information in this booklet, then everyone who eats any fish from Michigan is doomed. The DNR spared no expense with these booklets with costly, full, four- color printing throughout. Let me warn everyone that the regulations change on a yearly basis, so we are basically forced to read and study these DNR concoctions or face citations. Perhaps the Michigan DNR should take a lesson from some of our neighboring states and simplify the rules and the regulations. If I were magically crowned the "King of the DNR" the rules would fit on one sheet of paper and would run from January 1, through the end of the year. Just think of the millions of dollars that could be saved by getting rid of those thick booklets and the huge staff required to create these works of garbage. Sadly, the money wasted by the DNR on their booklets far exceeds the annual sum-total of all fines collected from all the fishing violations committed throughout Michigan. Ironically, from a financial standpoint, we'd actually be better off not having any fishing rules at all.
Website Information
The Michigan Fishing Information website continues to undergo changes. I had to take the Web Guide offline for a short time, so major renovations could be performed. It's back up now and I've added many more fishing reports from around the state along with additional news sources, forums and Great Lakes water level data. There is also a good article on fishing knots. I've simplified the Articles section and will soon be adding many more sources of fishing article for your reading pleasure. I also plan to add a Saginaw Bay Walleye article in my Tips section. The Sea Grant surface temperature maps are having technical difficulties and as soon as they fix the problem, those maps will be available again. Tomorrow, I will forward the Michigan Fishing Information Survey results on to the "powers that be" at the DNR, so they can see how you feel on the issues. I also plan to write a Woods N' Water News article based on the survey. If you haven't already done so, I encourage everyone to take the poll and make your views heard. I'll soon be adding a new pole.
The popularity of the Michigan Fishing Information site is growing rapidly. We've had over 90,000 unique visitors and the daily hit rate is surpassing 1000 visits per day.
Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters Information
The Lake Erie walleye trips for what's left of Aril and the month of May are booking fast. We will still be taking plenty of big walleyes this month and during May is when limits of those eating sized walleyes are taken on most trips. My remaining open dates for Lake Erie walleye are 4/19, 4/23, 5/17 and 5/21. Because we took so many trophy walleyes this year, naturally my 2002 early spring trips are booking fast. I only have a couple days left during the peak period of late March and early April, 2002.
I only have one day left for my popular Lake Michigan Brown trout trips. That date is May 8.
The June steelhead trips last year were lots of fun. We averaged over 15 trout and salmon a day and plenty were big ones. My July Saginaw Bay walleye trips averaged over 30 fish per trip last year and this year is expected to be even better. These June and July trips still have plenty of openings.
As usual the August salmon trips are filling up quickly. Here are my open Aug. salmon dates: 8/3, 8/6, 8/7, 8/9, 8/18, 8/20 and 8/23. If you want to go salmon fishing with me this year, then book now because the remaining dates will be gone soon.
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Article: World Class Off-Shore Steelheading
Lake Michigan offers some of the finest offshore steelheading opportunities found anywhere.
During June and early July the deep, clear waters of central Lake Michigan host a steelhead fishery that's second to none. When offshore thermal bars set up, it's quite common to boat limit catches of adult sized,
acrobatic steelies. During decent conditions, this fishery puts on the kind of fishing that dreams are made of.
Even though it was many years ago, I still vividly remember my first offshore steelheading adventure. The weatherman predicted a real scorcher with temperatures into the 90s. As we motored out of the Portage Lake inlet
near Onekama, MI, the piers framed a breathtaking panorama of clear skies accented with the soft light of the early morning sunrise.
It took us 30 minutes to cover the 15-mile run to the fishing waters. We experienced a drastic contrast in climate during that boat ride. When we left the shore it was warm and balmy, but by the time we started setting
lines, I noticed my breath steaming in the bright sunshine. The cold offshore water acts like a giant air conditioner and the invigorating coolness is often a welcome change of pace during the dog days of summer.
As we set our trolling spread of spoons trailing behind inline planer boards, it didn't take long before we had our first fish on. The chrome colored steelhead hit the air within seconds of the hookset and skipped across the water like a flat stone thrown by Nolan Ryan. After a vigorous battle, the eight-pounder was in the icebox to await his fate with the filet knife, the grill and then finally my digestive system. We caught 17 trout that day that weighing up to 15 lbs. When we got back to the dock, we thought we were really hot stuff, at least until we discovered that our catch was merely average. Where else in this country can a catch of steelhead like that be considered average? The answer: Only in central Lake Michigan during the summer.
About 20 years ago, I played on a soccer team in my hometown of Manistee, MI. One of my teammates was Paul Seelbach who was the star of our rag-tag bunch of soccer enthusiasts. Paul made even the most experienced
defender look like a bumbling fool as he scored at will on our opponents. At that time Paul Seelbach was working on his fisheries PHD studying the famous Little Manistee river strain of steelhead. Since then, Paul Seelbach has spent the better part of 20 years performing research as a biologist for the Michigan DNR and has earned a reputation at a noted expert on Michigan's steelhead. He explained the off-shore steelhead phenomenon this way:
"Steelhead relate to the near shore waters of Lake Michigan during the cold water periods. During the summer though, the vast majority of Lake Michigan's steelhead are drawn to the deep waters of the central basin." He
then added, "Steelhead that were tagged in the St. Joseph river have been routinely collected from the waters offshore from Ludington, MI north to Frankfort, MI. The fish are drawn to the deep waters because thermal bars
and other environmental factors create a perfect feeding scenario for the trout. Studies have shown that steelhead have a rather slow attack speed when perusing baitfish, especially when compared to salmon. This makes them less than efficient predators of quick baitfish like alewives and smelt."
I was rather surprised when Seelbach told me that steelhead were rather slow and I questioned him further about how the steelheads' slow attack speed concentrates them along off-shore thermal bars. "Tank studies have proven that salmon are very quick and efficient predators. They typically spend the summer months chasing schools of baitfish closer to shore where they can ambush and chase prey along structure. Steelhead are too slow to consistently catch quick prey, especially in the relatively warm, near shore waters of the Great Lakes. Instead, steelhead migrate to the deep waters of the central basin and feed on the accumulation of bugs, and slower baitfish like sticklebacks and other goodies that are drawn to the cool water of the thermal bars."
I asked Paul Seelbach what caused the thermal bars commonly known as scum lines? "In Michigan waters, thermal bars are formed by the combined forces of water currents and air currents. The central basin is the deepest section of Lake Michigan and holds a virtual reservoir of cold water. The near shore waters are much warmer. Water currents typically run south to north while the wind is typically blowing from the west. These two forces push the cold water against the warm water creating the sharp thermal bars." Seelbach added, "The accumulation of bugs offshore is caused by shoreline formations and their resulting thermals. The east central, Lake Michigan shoreline primarily consists of steep, sandy cliffs. These cliffs create high rising thermal air currents. Bugs are sucked up into these thermals and carried out into the lake where they are deposited over cold water."
Where the warm and cold water meet, differing wave action often results. This phenomenon causes all the floating debris including plankton, baitfish, bugs and dead fish to collect right on the temperature break. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that this equates to chow-down-city for Lake Michigan's steelhead.
For offshore steelheading, I use a specialized trolling technique that targets the surface water. Both spoons and minnow imitating body baits are used depending on the water temperatures. Body baits work best when the water temperature is rather cold -- under 45-degrees. I use orange colored jointed Storm Thundersticks and Jointed Rapalas. Body baits will usually out produce spoons at the slower trolling speeds that cold water dictates. When plying cold water for steelhead, I often troll at 1.5 mph.
When targeting waters above the 45-degree mark, flutter spoons trolled at around 3 mph will allow anglers to cover more water and ultimately catch more fish. My favorite steelhead spoons are Lakeland Diamond Flutter spoons with an all orange top and chrome bottom. I also have good success with chrome Wolverine Silver Streaks with a diagonal strip of orange/glow tape. A 3/8-oz. rubber core sinker is attached one-rod length in front of the spoon and the rig is set back 75' behind the boards. On windy days, I up the weight of the rubber core sinker to 1.5 oz. I use Mr. Walleye in-line planer boards for steelhead. These boards are the number one choice of Great Lakes captains who demand top performance. Since the trout typically feed near the surface, in-line boards allow anglers to pull baits past those top water fish without spooking them from the disturbance of the boat.
Noted charter captain and tournament pro Capt. Dave Engle uses in-line boards for most of his surface presentations. He adds this observation, "Steelhead are actually attracted to orange in-line planer boards. My catch rate escalates when I use orange, boards when compared to the larger, catamaran style planer boards of yesteryear. We also use shallow set downriggers and Luhr Jensen Dipsy Divers for off-shore steelhead, but when
the fish are on the surface the in-line boards will typically out produce all other presentations hands down."
Trolling isn't the only way to target scum line steelhead. When it's calm, one can actually maneuver within casting range of fish that are spotted while feeding on the surface. By sight fishing with spoons, spinners, body baits and even flies, anglers can experience the thrill of the hunt. A quality spinning rod capable of casting heavy spoons long distances with pinpoint accuracy are necessary. Little Cleos or Cast Master spoons both work great for this task. Fly rods should be on the stout side for maximum casting distance. The trick is to anticipate the fish's direction of travel and then lead them with an accurate cast that presents the bait right in front of their nose. Using an electric trolling motor is a great accessory in this game of cat and mouse. I use my bow mounted Minn Kota autopilot to slip in on unsuspecting steelhead.
This fishery was discovered when the Lake Michigan Salmon population crashed many years ago. Over the past few years, the Lake Michigan salmon fishery has rebounded to near record levels taking the pressure off the steelhead. As a result, the fishing for chromers has never been better.
Offshore, scum-line fishing oftentimes requires long runs of sometimes 25 or more miles just to reach the fish. For safety's sake, this opportunity is limited to experienced boaters with large, seaworthy vessels. This is one fishery where hiring the services of a licensed charter captain makes perfect sense. The best steelheading occurs from the ports of Ludington, Manistee, Onekama and Frankfort. Manistee is centered in the middle of prime steelhead waters and during June and early July this port leads the state as the top steelhead destination.
Phone Rily's Bait and Tackle at 231-723-3354 for up-to-date Manistee fishing information. Rily's is also well stocked with an awesome assortment of fishing supplies and they are conveniently located just west of U.S. 31 on River Street in downtown Manistee. I recommend the Riverside Motel (231-723-3554). With boat slips, fish cleaning facilities and rooms overlooking the Big Manistee for reasonable rates, the Riverside certainly caters to fishermen. For additional trip planning information, contact the Ludington Area Chamber of Commerce at 800-542-4600, the Manistee County Chamber of Commerce at 800-288-2289 or the Frankfort/Elberta Chamber of Commerce at 231-352-7251. If you have any questions, send me an email to me at veinemr@aol.com.
The author offers fully guided ice fishing trips on Little Bay De Noc in addition to open water charters for Lake Erie, Lake Michigan and Saginaw Bay walleyes, browns, steelhead and salmon.
The End - Good Luck Fishing!
Capt. Mike Veine
veinemr@aol.com
Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters
Michigan Fishing Information . |
Michael Myatt - IGFA
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 02, 2001 - 7:48 pm: | |
Subject: Stout Wins Bout With Michigan Trout!
Stout Wins Bout With Michigan Trout!
Dania Beach, Florida - The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has announced the approval of a new Michigan line class record on 20-lb test line. The record lake trout was caught in Lake Superior, Michigan.
Luke A. Stout of Washburn, Wisconsin caught his 20-lb line class state record lake trout on May 31, 2000. The trophy fish weighed 20 lb 0 oz and was caught trolling a Rapala in Copper Harbor.
There are still 12 vacant Michigan freshwater line class records remaining in the 4, 12, and 20-lb categories. A complete list of all 50 state freshwater line class records and the species recognized in each state is available free from IGFA. All state freshwater line class records are listed on the IGFA website www.igfa.org. There is no fee for IGFA members to submit state record applications. Non members are charged an application fee of $35, which includes all processing and administrative costs, a state record certificate and a one-year membership in IGFA.
The IGFA State Line Class Record Program is separate from each state’s all-tackle record program, where rules vary from state to state. Anglers are allowed to release their potential record catches alive after weighing, photographing and measuring their catches.
IGFA is a nonprofit membership supported conservation and record keeping organization, founded in 1939, with members in over 120 countries. The association’s headquarters are in the 60,000 square foot IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum in Dania Beach, Florida.
For further information, contact Michael Myatt at the International Game Fish Association, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida 33004 · (954) 927-2628 · Fax (954) 924-4299 · E-mail: mmyatt@igfa.org
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Captain Janice Deaton, J-Lyn Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 03, 2000 - 5:45 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing Report from Harbor Beach, Michigan
Salmon fishing at Harbor Beach in Lake Huron is going great, with some real nice size Salmon being caught.
Try fishing in 60 to 100 feet of water, using Magnum Stingers and Silver Streaks. Add some Pro Kings to
the lines on sliders, and fish the top 80 feet of water. Head straight out of the harbor. Lake Trout are
being taken fixed in with the Salmon. Steelhead are in deeper waters, try fishing in 100 to 150 feet of water.
The storms and heavy lightening have the fish scattered some so keep looking till you find some, then work that
area. With some luck the storms will settle down and the fish will get schooled up again, and make for some great fishing!
The Salmon that have been taken have been running 10 to 20 pounds with an occasional 25 pounder! Keep those lines tight, till next time.
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