# Salmon fishing sucks!



## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

I decided to head out for a while today with on of my buddies 2Pawsriver. He had seen some salmon the previous day loitering around in some smaller water so we decided to give it a shot. 

I was of course a little late getting going, but whats new. So about 830 I arrived at the river to find Mark already down there doing well. I had brought some skein to try... I had never fished for salmon with skein and bobbers. 

Needless to say it doesn't work at all. I am never going salmon fishing again.... too many other fish like the skein too much, skein under a bobber is a bad technique for salmon. 

Heres one of those annoying other fish that kept getting in the way....










And another one of those pesky critters... BTW, does anyone else think this one really looks like a Michigan fish(it had no clips)?









BTW, we weighed both of these fish. 2Paws was right around 10lbs, and mine was between 8-9 lbs.... They were bigger than they looked.


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

:lol: somehow I knew there would be sarcasim in this thread before I read it.Got love those anoying steelheads.I wish that I get some to bother me the next time I go fishing. :lol:


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## Little Roober (Jun 17, 2004)

So since you had such a horrible day fishing you wouldnt mind telling me where you were fishing...would you?:evil: 

P.S. congrats on the nice fish.


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## Erik (Jan 17, 2000)

Sweet! Glad you got some fish. 
MI winter strain are supposed to have a rt pec clip. Not sure about MI summer strain fish. You could look through the planting records at the DNR site. I know back a few years they were doing the adipose clip on the fish with the coded wire tag, but other than that I think it's pretty much impossible to tell without DNA testing. Heck it could be a WI fish for all we know. Spanky told me the IN fish have signs that say "stupid" on them, but I don't know whether to believe him or not


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## BuzzFloatman (May 6, 2005)

Glad to see some of the fish are getting caught before making the Fish Cam. I may have to get over to BS one of these days since boredom is beginning to creep in with this dry weather. This weather is great for grilling and beer drinking - not good for massive fish migrations.

Buzz


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

One of the many great reasons to be a part of this site...company while fishing and I learn something pretty much everytime I get out. I now know how to put my Black Bird Bobber on correctly.  

Good to see you and we will have to work a little harder to find someplace without those pesky Steelhead so we can get into some king salmon.


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

Erik said:


> Spanky told me the IN fish have signs that say "stupid" on them, but I don't know whether to believe him or not


Thanks Eric, I never took the time to read the sign. Thought it said "KILL ME"!!! Riverman


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## Spanky (Mar 21, 2001)

Good job guys, I know a couple of my river captain buddies, did real well on sunday on the cromers, both summers and fall runners! All we need is a good rain on weds, or thursday, and I'll be itchin to go on sat! Nice pics John.


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## Razzo (Feb 17, 2005)

> "BTW, does anyone else think this one really looks like a Michigan fish (it had no clips)?"


I am somewhat new to Michigan steelhead, but I went back and checked my photos from the last year (a few charter outings on the st. joe or out of st. joe) and we caught a lot of steelhead and none of them had clipped fins. I know that the Muskegon river produces a lot of wild steelhead but I am pretty sure the st. joe doesn't produce any? I suspect Michigan may not be clipping fins down here.

Russ


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Razzo said:


> I know that the Muskegon river produces a lot of wild steelhead but I am pretty sure the st. joe doesn't produce any? I suspect Michigan may not be clipping fins down here.
> 
> Russ


Michigan does clip fins, it is only a percentage though and I am not sure what percentage that is. We weren't exactly on the St Joe either, we were in a trib that runs a little cooler and does have some natural reproduction in its upper streches. BTW, the MO doesn't have near as many wild steelhead as some of the streams further to the north. It supports some, but if we have another summer like we had this year there aren't going to be many wild fish around in some of the marginal rivers.......


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## MPsteelheader (May 2, 2000)

indiana clips the ventrals both of them...

im not sure about wisconsin clippings(because the pike, root, and milwaukee all get some skamania stocking)...

but the fish that are stocked in IL waters are also clipped like indiana fish...

maybe it was a rogue skammy that didn't get clipped  ...

i know we got a few of them out off the pier this past july...

i cant wait til october though...

those holes are gonna be full


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## Scuba Steve (Jul 16, 2003)

He's a fayyyt!!!!


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

MPsteelheader said:


> maybe it was a rogue skammy that didn't get clipped  ...


He wasn't built like a skam.. much more like a winter fish. Broad shoulders, and shorter than the other fish of similar weight.


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## Spanky (Mar 21, 2001)

Hate to start this reply, but as much as many of us already know, just cuz its long and lean with a big tail and jumps alot doesn't make it a skam. Fact is , the only real way to tell is by scale samples. I know alot of us think these long, big tail silver rockets are skams, but many may not be. Many fall runners will hang out with the summer runs, and visa versa. They actual spawn only weeks apart from each other, often overlapping the spawn on the same gravel.

In the next couple years with the new budget cuts, we face the problem of not having as many of our hatchery steelies clipped. Indiana has agreed to help us out with this a bit in exchange for a few favors that they need from the MDNR.

The rule states that all skams planted in Mich are to be clipped...period!

Just thought you folks need to know  

By the way, there are quite a few steelies showing up in the tribs, and actually in the main body of the Joe. Kings have been in for at least 2 weeks. Just need to know where to find them. Yes we need some rain, but remember, the kings are not even close to be a temp sensitive as the steelies. The kings are getting ready for their only"date" of their lives. They are dying and on a mission, a little thing like water isn't gonna stop them from getting their only piece! :lol:


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## MPsteelheader (May 2, 2000)

very true spanky...

however unless there is some rain in the forcast for the next 10 days good luck launching at shamrock park!

it has been a long time since ive seen the run 10 ft. accross at thats with 2 flood gates goin...

quest it may be...

there is some nat. reproduction in small tribs over there...

for all we know that fish could be a ganaraska or chambers creek strain from wisconsin...

these fish have a mind of their own...

cya on the river,

mark


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## BuzzFloatman (May 6, 2005)

Spanky, you're right on the money. I fish Tippy all the time and those Skamania's come directly from IN. The clips are all over the map on this year's run. The 2001 year class of Skams were the last to have a different clip from the winter runs. They had a Dorsal/Vent clip. This was a great year class as they made up the bulk of the run in 03' and 04'. Any of the fish in the teens this summer were from that class as well. The problem is from 2002 on, the fish were supposed to be right pect clipped like all the winter runs that come from Wolf Lake. I don't think IN got the memo because all the 2002 plants I caught this summer were vent clipped.
There are years like 03' and 04' when conditions are so good and the summer run is so strong that some winter fish show up in the mix. They stick out like a sore thumb, totally different build to them. One other tell tail sign about Skams is the beat up dorsal. They tend to nip at each other much more in the hatchery, so I have been told. Either way, it's nice to have different clips so you can tell for sure.

If I wasn't feeling so lousy, I'd be searching for some chrome upstream. One thing about these fish, when they decide it's time to go up river - they don't care about low water. Maybe next week.....

Good luck to all on the weekend....

Buzz


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## engineer20 (Apr 17, 2015)

has the salmon/steelhead fishing begun yet? i see they said st joseph already had salmon biting, this year? it hasn't even gotten cooler yet, it will get cooller nex week but this week's feeling still like summer! AND when do the fall crappie bite as well? now, when it starts getting cooler just after summer or after it's been cool for a while now? will there be steelhead below french landing dam in bellevilel now, or not till a little late rin ocotober or is late sept late enough for steelhead or salmon in michigan in terms of fishing from shore in the streams and stuff, not from the great lakes in a boat? thanks. do you have to fly fish, or no, regular rods would work for them? is fly fishing for them better?


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## Swampbuckster (Nov 28, 2010)

engineer20 said:


> has the salmon/steelhead fishing begun yet? i see they said st joseph already had salmon biting, this year? it hasn't even gotten cooler yet, it will get cooller nex week but this week's feeling still like summer! AND when do the fall crappie bite as well? now, when it starts getting cooler just after summer or after it's been cool for a while now? will there be steelhead below french landing dam in bellevilel now, or not till a little late rin ocotober or is late sept late enough for steelhead or salmon in michigan in terms of fishing from shore in the streams and stuff, not from the great lakes in a boat? thanks. do you have to fly fish, or no, regular rods would work for them? is fly fishing for them better?


Seriously?


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## slowpaya (Oct 23, 2011)

engine 20,study the forums 4 several weeks,all of your questions will be answered in due time grasshopper(size 12)


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

Always fun to see an old thread pop up.....nice to see the old names and where they are.....Spanky is fishing in heaven, while Quest is fishing and hunting heaven on earth, Alaska.....a few have fallen along the wayside and vanished....and a few just stop by less.....should look for a snagging thread file old times sake......


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