# Foote Dam, what would you have done?



## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

No I don't want every-cast action, but there comes a point in the season on the Au Sable, where the holes are not producing fish much, mostly drop-backs. Every redd has people on them, so when you get low on spawn, it'd be nice to throw up in the spill, whack a loose hen, and then your all set. And Foote dam is far from a spacious, relaxing place. Go there on a Saturday, and it's just like Tippy. One of my buddies counted 42 guys on Sunday or Monday, can't remember which, that's alot of people for them days, especially if it was Monday. The fish this year are there, but they ARE not hitting. I watched countless fish porpise, jumping the spill, and running under the "falls" yesterday, and there were three caught while I was there, pathetic. That spill is filled with fish. Maybe they could do a special license or something, I think it should be open. Ask all the guys about when it was legal, it only got out of hand during salmon season. You can fish the spill at Tippy, so why not Foote.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I understand your concerns, but there are simple solutions to them. Why doesn't the DNR keep trash barrels around at Foote dame for people to put trash into anymore? They used to have this, and staffed people to empty them. They do this in other similar places (Tippy), and used to at Foote dam. And if you have ever been to the Highbanks during the peaks of Salmon or Steelhead season, most people are throwing very long leaders, trying to line fish - which is still way safer than when everyone tossed large lead snagging "lures." I am not justifying this, and do not participate, but the fact is that it still goes on. 
The point is that all of the fish want to migrate upstream, and many of them make it into the pool at the coffer where nobody can take advantage of them. It is a perfect place for fishing, and can accomodate a lot of people fishing, and everyone can fish together safely and productively. As it is today, the fish that make it into that pool are a wasted resource, at a time when runs are dwindling, and the popularity of Steelhead fishing is at an alltime high. 
If a lot of people fished at the coffer, then they would not be in other parts of the river, which would make other places less crowded, and would provide a higher quality of fishing for people in those places. 

All that being said, I fish from a boat, and if one spot is taken when I get there I just move on to another. I might not even fish in the coffer if it was open again, because I do not like crowded fishing. Then again, that is where anyone would stand the best chance of catching fish, so maybe I would sometimes. Like in the middle of January. :lol:


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## Krull (Mar 29, 2005)

AS + FD, I respect both of your views and points. I have seen Foote Dam packed full and even at its absolute worst it is way better than Tippy. I understand that given a perfect world a DNR officer could be stationed there to watch what goes on in when fishing the Spillway if it were to be opened, but obviously this is not feasable so I have no doubt pitchforking would take precedence over those legitimately trying to catch the fish. I am sure that when they made the decision to close off the fishing there was in a large part due to the fact that there was no way to adequately enforce anti-snagging rules short of positioning an officer on a stand similar to a life guard 24-7. Self governance by fisherman would not work IMO, just look at my thread, I saw someone doing something wrong and basically took no action, mainly because until I saw him actually snag one I didn't feel like dealing with the drama of an argument with some inbred unless it was necessary. I guess I am getting older and no longer want to be put in a position that would force me to loosen the guys final two teeth when he mouths off to me. Regarding the garbage, I could not agree more that they need something put in place there.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

I'd fish it just to get a hog from the Au Sable. My biggest steelhead is 11.25lbs, a hen below Foote in april 03'. I've been stuck on that for three seasons now, and it looks like it'll be that way for awhile. Though the fish are nicer-sized this year, they're mostly 6-9lbers, with a 10-12 here and there. I've seen a 13.5lb fish, and one other one, the one everybody's talking about up there that was a supposed 40" and near 20lbs, I seen that one, more like 35"/12lbs. But you catch very few big fish below, for whatever reason. I see monsters up in the spillway every year. It'd be nice to feel a fish like that. And I was wondering about the trash can deal, they have people who go down there and pick up trash, but why not put in trash barrels, and those wooden line-discarding posts they have all up and down the Big Manistee below Tippy, all the way down to Suicide Bend? That would be nice. And while there are alot of "bad apples", I see for the most part, decent guys down there, atleast this season. The fishing has gotten bad to the point where it's all about who got how many, to where guys are getting super competitive and they'll do whatever to get a fish, just because they're buddies did. I remember not too long ago, EVERYBODY hooking up at the dam, and having a ball. Everybody got along, and everybody had fun, because they were ALL hooking up. Now, guys get pissed if your the only one hitting them, and it gets fairly tense down there at times. They need to do something, maybe plant the smolts in the fall, or earlier in spring, instead of right now when the MOST pressure is on the river. ALOT of smolts are killed from getting caught, either being deeply-hooked, handled rough, or in some cases, guys get annoyed by them, so they just rip the hook-out, killing the smolt. Also, cormorants are not around in March, or November, making it ideal for more to head out. Plus if they fall planted, it would keep the yearlings in the river longer, thus acclimating them more closely to the river, insuring(hopefully) more adults returning to the Au Sable, instead of Canadien streams. I guess my reply got alittle off subject , but just some things to think about. Also, I don't think guys would snag steelhead, they bite very well. Was there many snagging incidents during spring when it was open? I've only seen one incident, spring 03, of blatant steelhead snagging. These two guys, well only one was doing it, came down at night. I was down there with my brother, running glo-corkies and spawn. The guy was firing torpedos into the far corner of the white-water, and ripping. He kept 7 or 8, but he got caught two hours later, by a CO hiding in the woods just downstream, and watching with night-vision.


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## Krull (Mar 29, 2005)

I hear you about wanting to land a large steel. Biggest I pulled out of there was 12 LB and that was 7 years ago. Regarding snagging, lets be honest, one does not need a Torpedo and 20 LB cable to snag a steelhead. I understand that steelhead will hit and that ideally this is what people are attempting to do, but..... Lets just say I question the ability of the DNR to enforce regualtions of the closet snagger and I will leave it at that.


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## jayzbird (May 19, 2005)

hey guys, 

There are still big fish being taken out of the river. One of my fishin bro's Brad Wren took a 17.11 lb. 33" hen last April 29th downtown on spawn. He caught it driftfishing on 6lb. line. Check it out if you don't believe.....it's in the master angler awards section of the DNR's website. It was the 3rd biggest steelhead caught in the state last year. The first two were lake fish from Lake Michigan caught on spoons. They measured 19.19 lbs., and 18.06 lbs. So i'd say the 20lb. and 40" was exaggerated a little. Props out to him he deserved it. I don't know of any other guy that fishes that river as hard as him except for a few other guys!!! And they all fish with him!!! Tight lines.....


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## Krull (Mar 29, 2005)

JZ- that is a beauty. Biggest one I personally saw caught and weighed was a buddy of mine got a 15 LB buck drop back fishing hot n tots almost 10 years ago, early April. It was bright red in color, I will never forget that fish.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Hey jayzbird, I don't believe you ! No, just kidding. That must have been one FAT hennie, 33" and 17lbs! I fish her pretty hard, but not really this season, I got tired of working prime winter holes, and blanking. I probably should start fishing low more, I rarely fish the mouth or the holes up the first mile or two, some good water there. Does he fish from a boat?


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## jayzbird (May 19, 2005)

ausable_steelhead said:


> Hey jayzbird, I don't believe you ! No, just kidding. That must have been one FAT hennie, 33" and 17lbs! I fish her pretty hard, but not really this season, I got tired of working prime winter holes, and blanking. I probably should start fishing low more, I rarely fish the mouth or the holes up the first mile or two, some good water there. Does he fish from a boat?


Actually he caught the fish wading. He does fish from a boat ocassionally, but also does alot of wading. I wasn't there to see him land it. He showed me the master angler certificate last weekend at my brothers house. I also know he landed over a 15 lb. buck the year before, but i'm not sure when or where he caught it on the river. He has the knack of a landin the big ones for sure!!!:SHOCKED: I'm headed up this weekend to do some turkey huntin and will be on the river in the afternoon/evenings, i'm sure i'll run into him, and i'll ask.


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## chrome_steelhead (Mar 21, 2006)

probably also snags the salmon out of thier in Mid september, too:rant:


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