# Higgins Lake Fall Trout



## Lund1800 (Feb 23, 2011)

Does anybody out there have any information on Higgins Lake? Is there a fall bite for rainbows and browns before ice-up?


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

They don't plant browns anymore, Rainbows yes


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## syonker (May 7, 2004)

The last brown plant was 15,000 back in 2011 according to the DNR fish stocking dbase.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Brown survival was dismal way before 2011, because of the smelt. I know of 2 caught last winter, old fish 23 and 27 lbs. 

Rainbows were in bad shape for years also, but there has been some improvement with the smelt gone. Last winter was the best in many years. Lakers and perch seem to be improving also.

I sure do miss those two fisheries. Hopefully they get back to the pre-smelt level in the future


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## Lund1800 (Feb 23, 2011)

swampbuck said:


> Brown survival was dismal way before 2011, because of the smelt. I know of 2 caught last winter, old fish 23 and 27 lbs.
> 
> Rainbows were in bad shape for years also, but there has been some improvement with the smelt gone. Last winter was the best in many years. Lakers and perch seem to be improving also.
> 
> I sure do miss those two fisheries. Hopefully they get back to the pre-smelt level in the future


Please explain the smelt situation. Did they die off? How did that effect the browns? Seems like good food for them...


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Don't know what happened to the smelt. I am sure there are still some, but not many. Personally I think the bottom of the food chain collapsed.


They affect other species in several ways, direct competition for zooplankton at early ages, and the effects of the thiamin inhibitor they produce in their body. They are also high in fat, junk food for fish basically. 

The lake went through a slow transformation from the time they appeared, every species was affected. The brown trout survival reached such a low point that they stopped planting them.

Hopefully the 30 year invasive nitemare is over.

To give you an example look at the changes that have occurred on Lake Huron before, during, and after the alewife period. We are just starting the recovery.....I hope


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## Lund1800 (Feb 23, 2011)

swampbuck said:


> Don't know what happened to the smelt. I am sure there are still some, but not many. Personally I think the bottom of the food chain collapsed.
> 
> 
> They affect other species in several ways, direct competition for zooplankton at early ages, and the effects of the thiamin inhibitor they produce in their body. They are also high in fat, junk food for fish basically.
> ...


Back in the 80's we used to catch 5-8lb browns off the dock in spring and fall using a minnow and slip sinker. I fish Higgins a few times during the summer with downriggers and get a few lake trout and caught one 23" Atlantic this year. But have not caught a brown in a long time. One other post said 15,000 planted in 2011 so there might be some small ones swimming around. I don't ice fish but I think that method is where most trout are caught in Higgins.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

You sure it was an Atlantic, they have not planted those since 91 or so. Another species I would like to see return !


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## Lund1800 (Feb 23, 2011)

swampbuck said:


> You sure it was an Atlantic, they have not planted those since 91 or so. Another species I would like to see return !


I thought it was because I was told they had planted Atlantics not long ago but that must have been false, and you are probably right. I had a picture of it but can't find it right now. It could have been a male brown trout from that plant in 2011 I guess, but it was really light colored with a slightly hooked jaw. Very few X's along the back. 

I've caught hundreds of steelhead offshore Lake Michigan and I know it wasn't a rainbow. Thanks for your insight.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

swampbuck said:


> Brown survival was dismal way before 2011, because of the smelt. I know of 2 caught last winter, old fish 23 and 27 lbs.
> 
> Rainbows were in bad shape for years also, but there has been some improvement with the smelt gone. Last winter was the best in many years. Lakers and perch seem to be improving also.
> 
> I sure do miss those two fisheries. Hopefully they get back to the pre-smelt level in the future


Weird, I wasn't aware that Smelt had any negative effects on predator fish. I know Alewives do, but not Smelt. I used to fish for Browns on lake Michigan piers, and a dead Smelt on the bottom was more effective than any other bait I tried. Way better than a live Alewife, which also worked well. But I know that Smelt are another invasive species of fish in our lakes. They have just been here for a long time. Tasty little buggers, too. 
Maybe the Browns declined when the Smelt started to decline @ Higgins Lake?


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Lund1800 said:


> Does anybody out there have any information on Higgins Lake? Is there a fall bite for rainbows and browns before ice-up?


I haven't heard on rainbows yet. As Swamp said, not many if any browns. Don't be afraid to troll shallow along the dropoff in North Basin. Gotta get there at first light though. Lakers come in chasing bait fish.


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Rapalas j11 size or smaller. Experiment with colors. A little orange don't hurt.


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

And don't be afraid to eat thos Higgins greasers! Great table fare IMO. Very mild taste compared to the rainbows IMO.


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## hueystoy (Feb 6, 2001)

Give me a call

Sent from my XT1080 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

The browns have been gone for many years. Sure a few made it, but It hasn't been like the 80's in at least 10-15 years. I remember those days well.

On a better note, caught quite a few gills this year. Barely eating size, but also little ones, so they are reproducing. Thats new ! Best perch in a long time also. AND I hope I don't regret this.... A few walleye have been caught, unfortunately not by me.

Lakers and rainbows were hot last winter but small. Pike numbers are increasing. Smallys as good as ever, Whitefish not so good lately.

That should pretty much get you up to speed, I really think thing are going to be great in the future. Love to see them bring back the Browns, Atlantic's, and Kokanee.

And like 2508 said, try the lakers, good eating......Rockys are great also


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## bigbuck (Mar 17, 2001)

Never heard of gills in Higgins lake. What area of the lake are you catching those in?


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

bigbuck said:


> Never heard of gills in Higgins lake. What area of the lake are you catching those in?



There has always been a very rare one. They are not rare now. We were getting them in 15-20 fow. And throwing them back. Little early to put much pressure on them.


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## cedarlkDJ (Sep 2, 2002)

It sounds like Gull Lk. down here went through the same scenario as Higgins. It used to be a superb rainbow fishery with a few browns. DNR decides to plant atlantics for brood stock. Fishing goes to crap, except for pike. They grew big and fat! They nixed the Atlantic experiment and started with rainbows, browns and smelt. The smelt exploded. A few rainbows, no more browns and the pike got fatter. Now theyre planting lakers and they seem to be doing good.


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## jasona44 (Oct 29, 2011)

swampbuck said:


> There has always been a very rare one. They are not rare now. We were getting them in 15-20 fow. And throwing them back. Little early to put much pressure on them.


As big and as deep as Higgins is, if bluegills take off, do you think they will be big? Like 10" and bigger? Would be nice to have a lake that produced hog sized gills!!

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## fishallday44 (Mar 4, 2009)

I've seen a few bluegills snorkeling in a few weed patches and canoeing the cut, not a lot of size to them. As for rainbows - i mainly fish higgins in the spring/summer months and caught a few nice ones this summer fishing for lakers - caught one over 80 feet deep in the south basin, maybe they learned to go deep for food. The picture is in another post. I saw a fish on the graph going crazy then the pole started bouncing like mad and it jumped 4 or 5 times. Hope they keep doing well, would add a whole new dimension to the fishery/trolling and they get big in higgins. I'm "young" to the higgins fishery but I was always envious of pictures of my uncles/grandpa with big rainbows/browns..

Back in the late 90's I would see fingerling brown/rainbow trout in the cut in May & June and I was always worried they couldn't get back into the lakes deeper water in the warmer months due to the dam, sometimes they have all of the water coming out of a 2 foot opening. A salmon would have trouble getting through..found a few gasping for oxygen in July/August that probably didn't make it.

I too am very glad to see the fishing improve on this awesome lake. Hoping I can get up there this winter.


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