Weekly Fishing Report
Oct. 10, 2013
What
to do when you’re looking for crappie in the fall
This time of year can bring some of the best results when it comes
to fishing for crappie. Want to target these panfish when you head out in the
coming days or weeks?
These fish often stay in deeper water longer than other panfish – and they also
tend to move around more as they target large schools of baitfish. If you use
baits that imitate a crappie’s food of choice you’ll be more likely to find
them.
Keep in mind that crappies will get less and less active as the water cools off
and they slow down. You’ll then want to slow your presentation and offer
smaller baits to keep seeing success.
Try your luck at some great crappie fishing this fall. For more information on
this species, visit the Michigan Fish and How to Catch Them webpage.
This tip was adapted from Michigan
Outdoor News.
 Great Lakes Temperature Map
Click on the links below to jump to the report section that interests you most.
Lake Erie: Perch fishing continues to get better as water
temperatures cool. Fish have been caught
out from the River Raisin and north to Stony Point in 20 to 24 feet. Most of the limit catches were reported out
near the Michigan/Ohio line.
Detroit River: has
not changed much. Perch are still being
caught south of Celeron Island and Sugar Island by those using minnows and
perch rigs in 10 to 12 feet of water. As
for walleye, few have been caught.
Lake St. Clair: has good perch fishing for those using minnows. Some say the smallmouth bass are chasing the
schools of perch away. Muskie fishing
has been good and should continue to improve as water temperatures drop. Smallmouth bass fishing was slow but some
were caught in shallow waters.
St. Clair River: Walleye
fishing has been good in the river and the channels. Some limit catches were taken up near Port
Huron. Catch and release sturgeon
fishing has been good in the North Channel.
Lexington: Salmon are rolling
and jumping in the harbor but they will not bite.
Port Sanilac: Boat anglers out trolling reported warm water
temperatures at least 90 feet down. No
fish were caught. A brown trout was
caught on a spinner.
Harbor Beach: A couple brown trout and one very dark chinook salmon
were caught in the Edison Channel when casting rapalas.
Saginaw Bay: A few perch were caught off the Pinconning Bar which
is straight off Pinconning in 9 to 12 feet and off Linwood. A walleye and some channel cats were caught
in the Hot Ponds which are just east of the mouth of the Saginaw River. On the east side of the bay, several shore
anglers caught bluegill, crappie, rock bass and a few perch. Smallmouth bass were caught in Wildfowl Bay
but most of the boats out there are duck hunters. Just north of Caseville, perch fishing was
slow off Oak Point.
Saginaw River: Fishing is slow and will probably stay that way for a
few days after several inches of rain fell in the watershed.
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St. Joseph: A
decent number of perch have been caught in 50 feet of water north and south of
the piers. Pier fishing was slow. When they can get out, boat anglers have
caught salmon in 90 feet of water.
Kalamazoo
River: Is
producing chinook and coho up near the Allegan Dam. Some are casting spoons and spinners while
others are floating spawn and crawlers. The
occasional steelhead has also been caught.
Grand River at Lansing: Salmon can be found, however the bite is
slow. Very few were caught at Moore’s
Park or the Point where the Grand meets the Red Cedar. The few caught seem to attack bright spinners
with feathers. A few walleye were caught
over at Moore’s Park and catfish continue to hit on live bait.
Muskegon River: The
recent rain did help to push what might be the last of the chinook salmon into
the river. Anglers were starting to see
some steelhead.
Whitehall: Pier
Anglers are taking a few steelhead on spoons and on spawn.
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Rogers
City: Still has adult chinook
salmon in and around Swan Bay. Try
anchoring and casting spoons or body baits. Some are trolling high lines
off boards with bombers. Pier anglers are
getting a few when casting spoons or body baits in the early morning or late
evening. Younger salmon have been caught
halfway down in waters 40 to 90 feet deep with spoons. Hot colors are still green, white, purple,
blue and silver, black and white or blue and green. Boats are fishing Swan Bay or north towards
the State Park and Forty Mile Point.
Presque Isle: Has good fishing straight out of the harbor between
the red can and the lighthouses. A
decent number of young chinook salmon have been caught by those fishing summer
patterns halfway down in 40 to 90 feet and using the same colors as Rogers
City. The key is to find the
baitfish.
Thunder Bay River: Has salmon. Many have turned dark and some are
spawning.
Catch
rates were better in the evening or early morning before the sun comes up. Try spawn or crank baits.
Harrisville: Salmon
continue to trickle in and around the harbor.
Most anglers are floating spawn or casting spoons just before daylight
and throughout the evening. Wind
direction makes a difference so watch for winds from the north to east.
Oscoda: Salmon have been caught off the pier, but again seem to be coming
in and out of the river. The majority of
fish seem to be fresh.
Au Sable River: Few salmon have made it up into the
river. Anglers are hoping rain will cool
the water temperatures and improve the flow.
Tawas: Those fishing from the pier and
inside the harbor have caught a few small perch and some rock bass. One angler did catch a 26 pound chinook
salmon.
Tawas
River:
A few salmon were caught in the lower river at night.
Au
Gres: Perch fishing was spotty but a few
decent catches were taken in 45 feet of water off the Northport Marina, which
is just to the north of Au Gres.
Au
Gres River: Anglers fishing the East Branch
can be found near the Singing Bridge.
Salmon can be seen in the surf and the lower river however they will not
bite.
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Petoskey: Had dredging in the marina. The boat launch has been closed and the dock has
been pulled out. Those surfcasting
inside the breakwall did manage to catch a couple salmon on crank baits. A couple steelhead were caught on spawn.
Bear River: Has a lot of salmon after the recent rains. Anglers caught mainly chinook followed by
coho and steelhead. They are using
flies, skeins, spawn bags or yellow and green yarn.
Charlevoix: Boats are fishing inside the Cement Plant
breakwall and into the boat slip. Most
are casting crank baits or spoons but some are still-fishing with spawn. Smallmouth fishing was good in the
channel. Try crawlers or leeches. A lot of anglers are salmon fishing near the
Medusa Weir. Catch rates were up after
the rain.
Anglers wading near
the slip did well with spawn during the day. Those fishing at sunrise and sunset did best
with crank baits in a green tiger pattern.
Those fishing at night used anything that glows.
Traverse City:
The East Bay is producing
smallmouth bass for those using live bait or plastics. Cisco have also been caught. In the West Bay, anglers have caught
smallmouth bass and perch. They are
fishing along the edge of the weeds with minnows, wigglers or shrimp. Those putting in the effort to locate the
fish and stay on them have taken some decent catches of perch ranging 8 to 10
inches.
Elk River: Chinook and coho have been caught near the power
dam. Coho were hitting on small spawn
bags and the chinook were hitting on skein, spawn bags, deep diving crank baits
and beads.
Boardman River: The chinook salmon run is nearing the end. Those drifting skein under a bobber were
still picking up the occasional fish.
Anglers are reminded that snagging is illegal. Look for coho and steelhead to start moving
in.
Platte
Bay: Fishing in the bay has slowed as most of the fish are
now up into the river. Those surfcasting
with spinners or spawn have still caught the occasional fish.
Platte
River: Chinook and coho have been caught below the weir and
the canoe landing. Try yarn flies or
rubber eggs.
Frankfort: Boats heading out in waters between 190 to 250 feet and
trolling 80 to 120 feet down caught coho and young chinook on spoons and
plugs. Pier anglers at Frankfort and
Elberta have caught steelhead on fresh spawn.
Betsie
River: Still has a good number of chinook
salmon but many are now quite dark in color.
Onekama: Dredging should be done sometime this
week. Coho could be seen off the north
pier but the fish were not willing to hit.
Portage
Lake: Is producing some good
catches of large and smallmouth bass.
Perch and bluegill fishing slowed with the change in weather.
Manistee: Boats are catching chinook
and coho salmon 80 to 130 feet down in 120 to 200 feet of water. Green
flies and blue spoons have been working well. Steelhead action is slow off the
piers and surf.
Manistee
River: The
recent rain pushed some steelhead into the river. Anglers are fly fishing or using spawn.
Ludington: A
few steelhead and salmon have been caught in 100 to 200 feet of water.
Steelhead have been biting on orange spoons higher in the water column. Salmon
have been coming 70 to 100 feet down on blue spoons or flies. Pier anglers targeting steelhead have found
the action to be slow but it should pick up soon.
Pere Marquette River: Is
still producing some big chinook though many have turned dark. A couple steelhead and a few brown trout have
also been caught.
Pentwater:
Pier anglers are reporting catches of brown
trout, steelhead and coho salmon on spawn.
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Keweenaw Bay: Those casting spoons from Sand Point and out from
the L’Anse Marina have caught coho. Those
fishing Traverse Bay might find leaving a little more difficult as the last
storm pushed a lot of sand into the harbor.
River fishing around the bay has started to pick up with coho caught on
a daily basis.
Marquette: Boat anglers had good action with three
to five fish and some limit catches of coho taken outside the lower harbor
breakwall in 40 to 50 feet or trolling near the mouth of the Carp River and the
Chocolay River. Those fishing off the
breakwall caught coho and lake trout.
The coho are not quite ripe yet and the lake trout are still a couple
weeks away from moving in close for spawning.
The fish cleaning station in the Lower Harbor is closed for maintenance.
Dead
River: The pink salmon are done spawning and the chinook salmon have
moved into the area. Fishing pressure
has increased as several chinook have been caught.
Carp
River: Has good action with anglers catching good numbers of
coho and the occasional steelhead. Early
morning is best with stick baits, crank baits, spoons, crawlers and spawn
bags.
Chocolay
River: Boat anglers are averaging zero to five coho. Shore anglers and those wading had good
action with one to five fish per trip.
They are using spoons, spinners, small stick baits or spawn bags.
Menominee:
Those targeting trout and
salmon were casting spoons off the lighthouse pier. The marina pier is closed to fishing due to
work being done on the docks and dredging.
Menominee
River: Most
of the trout and salmon action has been just below the Hattie Street Dam. The fish are active but the catch rate was on
the slow side. Anglers are drifting
spawn or casting spoons and crank baits.
Shore anglers have caught walleye, smallmouth bass, bluegill and perch
when drifting crawlers near the Mystery Ship Marina and off Stephenson
Island.
Little
Bay De Noc: Windy
conditions have kept walleye anglers in the north end of the bay. Fish were caught but many were sub-legal. Perch anglers have done fair to good near the
mouth of the Day’s River in 13 to 16 feet or east of Butler Island in 20 to 25
feet.
Escanaba
River: Shore
anglers up near the 1st Dam have caught salmon when casting spoons,
spinners and crank baits. The fish are
turning dark as the season winds down.
Big
Bay De Noc: Due
to windy conditions, perch anglers were not able to reach their
destinations. Smallmouth bass action was
fair as fewer anglers were catching them.
Try just off the break in 10 to 35 feet between Garden Bluff and Snake
Island with minnows, crank baits or plastics.
Two Hearted River: Has coho, a few chinook and the occasional steelhead. The high water levels could make fishing a bit
of a challenge however.
Munising: reports a good amount of fishing activity
over the past week. Boat angling effort has remained fairly active
targeting coho salmon almost exclusively this week with fair to good
results on coho with several limit catches being reported. Pier fishing
activity has remained steady but slightly down from its peak with anglers
fishing various times of the day targeting coho and splake. Shore angling
effort was very light but those trying reported fair to good results.
Grand Marais: Shore
anglers reported fair results this past week targeting coho salmon and
steelhead at the mouth of the Sucker River. Steelhead were caught
primarily on spawn under windy conditions while coho continue to be mainly
caught while casting.
St. Mary’s River: A few nice walleye were caught
in Raber Bay by those drifting and trolling in the early evening up until
dark. Use floatation devices to keep the
crawler harness above the weeds. Hot
colors were orange, chartreuse and yellow fire-tiger.
A
few smallmouth bass were caught on the north end of Munuscong Bay, east of
Kemps Point, and on the south side of Moon Island. Try jigging tube baits near the rock piles in
14 to 18 feet.
DeTour: The fish cleaning station is
closed for the season.
Drummond Island:
Anglers
are fishing for walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Yellow perch
fishing was fair around most of the islands.
Anglers are using shiners and wire spreaders in waters 14 feet or
deeper. Perch 9 to 11 inches were
reported off the south side of Harbor Island in 20 feet. Try jigging shiners just off the bottom.
Cedarville and Hessel:
Yellow perch have been caught on the east end of
Hessel Bay, Snows Channel, and Musky Bay.
Try crawlers or minnows in 6 to 11 feet of water. Pike fishing has been great for those
still-fishing with chubs or casting into the weed beds in shallow water. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing
remains excellent. Salmon can be found
in Bush Creek and Beavertail Creek.
St. Ignace:
Boat
anglers heading out have caught chinook and pink salmon. One angler was pleasantly surprised with a
chinook measuring 40.5 inches. The
action in Nunns Creek slowed but the rain should have pushed more fish into the
area.
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