# Huron River Luck 11-3-07



## Fishslayer5789 (Mar 1, 2007)

RyGuy525 said:


> Well there are a fair amount of chrome that run the river. It doesn't matter if people keep them because it is a put and take fishery with very little natural reproduction. And Lake Erie steelies taste great as does every steelhead i have ever eaten. It sounds to me like your pissed because you dont have a clue how to fish it.


LOL


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## Queequeg (Aug 10, 2007)

It is not difficult to fish the Huron, casting spoons, hot n tots, and waxies under a bobber takes little talent. I prefer to catch them on a fly rod using streamers or nymphs.


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## RyGuy525 (Mar 17, 2005)

> QueequegIt is not difficult to fish the Huron, casting spoons, hot n tots, and waxies under a bobber takes little talent. I prefer to catch them on a fly rod using streamers or nymphs.


if it is so easy....THEN WHY CANT YOU CATCH THEM???


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## Queequeg (Aug 10, 2007)

I can and have caught fish there and I know there are some fish in the river. The point remains that it is not a very solid steel fishery. The amount of time I spend on that river doesn't produce what I would consider "good" fishing opportunities. One of the only reasons I go there is for the entertainment factor. I've never seen so much BS before while fishing (people getting in fights, drunks puking at the dam, locals netting shad and taking the home, snaggers ripping walleye in the spring and filleting them right there, etc). Every time I go there I know I'll see some yokel doing something ridiculous, and that is often more or as entertaining as chucking hardware at three fish on a pool. 

Enough said. The river has a very weak run and most anglers that I talk to agree. I'm tired of talking about that river.


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## sigman (Nov 2, 2006)

RyGuy525 said:


> if it is so easy....THEN WHY CANT YOU CATCH THEM???


:lol::lol:


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## dairy6 (Sep 26, 2003)

My buddy "Steelplugger", and I catch fish almost every time we fish the Huron. We even have had some double-digit days. Frankly, there are plenty of fish in the river and if you know, when, where and how to do it you will be pretty successful. To say that plugging requires no skill is complete bullcrap. We have been out and seen other pluggers catching nothing while we were cleaning up. Numerous times we have fished a hole after another boat that caught nothing only to catch 2-3 fish ourselves. You need to know what colors to use and when, how to approach certain runs, where to put the plugs, how fast to drop down ect. It all takes some planning and thinking. Just because you fly fish doesn't make you a better fisherman. Im a pretty successful fly fisherman but Im not afraid to change tactics when I need to. Regardless of what you think, I know that both techniques require some thought and technique. It took quite some time for us to get good at plugging but now its really paid off. I fish the Huron because it is close and gives me the chance to get out for a few hours without burning the whole day driving west. When I go there I want to catch fish and now I do. Basically, I have done my homework and it has paid off. If you want to catch fish here you need to get away from your holier than thou "I only fly-fish" attitude and try something new. You might find out its pretty fun. Believe me when that rod gets slammed by a little itty bitty 8-10 pound fish your heart gets going. 

Also, if your fishing by the dam quit wasting your time and get away from that zoo. There are plenty of good spots down stream. Better yet get a boat!

Also, I take a few fish home now and then and they taste fine. Again, if you do your homework and apply the correct techniques to cooking the fish you'll find they are pretty damn good. My last batch went in the smoker and they were out of this world!

So, that all being said get out your books and start doing your homework son! If you put in enough work maybe youll be able to catch something someday! Good Luck!


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## snowman11 (Nov 21, 2006)

Ok, what are "plugs" in re: steelhead on the huron?

Are we talking just random assortments of crankbaits? Or the pencil plugs that people use for walleye? Or....


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## Downriver Steel (Sep 15, 2005)

Typical Steelhead Plugs:

Hot n Tots, Willys Worms, Hot Shots, Brads Wiggler, Wiggle Warts, Flat Fish, and even some Shad Raps.


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## five more casts (Mar 20, 2003)

Dairy6...... I have a 14 ft. aluminum boat with a 15 hp. shortshaft evinrude that's perfect on the big manistee. will that motor be ok if I drop in at the dnr ramp below telegraph? I've fished by wading downstream from there but never by boat. I expect more wood and narrower runs compared to the BM. I know it's up to me to explore the river but I'd like to try it come december when fishing pressure is light. just have to be careful as with anywhere else. I pretty much run willy worms but they're getting harder to find since going out of production. anything gold seems to work the best up north. plus, we use the one-hook system to avoid snagging up. Dave


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## Huron River Dan (Apr 16, 2001)

So if everyone would quit coming here and wasting their time it would be fine...LOL Flyfishing for Steel on the Huron can be tough, or it can be great! If you're limiting yourself to the Park; you're limiting yourself, go explore. 

Dan


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## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

Like said before, I've had horrible luck on the Huron. It's probably me...but I have no idea why. I haven't landed a steelhead there in more than 3 years. It has come to a point where I've just given up.

It would save me a lot of time if I were able to unlock those dark secrets of fishing the Huron...


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## dobes (Feb 16, 2007)

First I'll say Q is way overexagerrating the way things go down at the huron . Its not a bad fishery and it souds like he is more jealous than anything . _Stay away if you dont like it ! _Ive been catchin steelies there for 15 yrs . I have 5 now this fall and usually pull 20 or so a year . I found that every year has been getting a little better . I have started catching alot more big fish with both pec fins , which means they are not planted fish . I find that every year I am getting more fish and more "unclipped" fish . This shows that no matter how many fish are caught and kept the numbers are going up every year . It seems that the people that complain the most are the ones who catch nothing due to impatience or lack of knowledge . Find one or the other and you will catch fish on the huron , not every trip , but most. happy fishin


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## Downriver Steel (Sep 15, 2005)

I am not 100% positive but I do not think that the DNR clips all of the planted fish. It gets so warm in the summer that natural reproduction is not all that likely. There may be a little natural return if any but it is surely little. Check the DNR site on the plants. They list what is clipped and what is not. Realize that fish also sometimes lose their way so getting some Ohio fish is possible. I have caught Wisconsin fin clips on the west side streams. Just some food for thought!


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I agree that the Huron gets WAY too warm in Summer to allow the parr to stay in the river for at least a year before they smolt - which is what Steelhead need to do to have viable natural reproduction. I would guess that if someone is catching unclipped fish in the Huron, that they probably strayed from Ohio, or PA, or Canadia; where the hatchery fish are not clipped. The MIDNR stopped clipping planted Steelhead, to save money. 

I live close to the Huron, but only fish it when I really need to get out, and don't have the luxury of time to go somewhere better. I have caught a few Steelhead there, but not many for the amount of time I have fished it. Going to a park where 300 people will come to fish on a busy weekend day, to fish for the 12 fish that might get caught on a "good day" is not my idea of a great time. But if those 300 people enjoy it, who am I to tell them they are wrong? :lol:


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## dobes (Feb 16, 2007)

I have to say that half the time there is really no one at the river . 10 - 15 people if that . Also I have fished this river for many years with alot of success . If you take the time to learn the river and find the holes than you should hook fish just about every trip . I notice alot of guys saying they dont catch much down there and those are the same ones saying how bad the huron is . I personnally love that river and all it has to offer . I have no problem pulling chrome out of there . Also I have to absolutly disagree on the topic of fish reproducing . If I catch a non clipped fish , that shows the dnr planting efforts are working . How can anyone say that the fish that spawn in the huron dont come back along with their offspring . Isnt that the point of stocking the river ? so that we have a better fishery in years to come ? The unclipped fish are ABSOLUTELY the offspring of past years fish . Yeah you might get a few fish from ohio waters but most are from the dnr planting efforts . If the river dont allow steel to reproduce and "make more fish" than what would be the point of stocking it . There would be no point . Most fish go back to the same river they were born in , salmon for example . I see first hand every year that there is more and more fish running in that river . It is because the fish spawn and more and more fry are surviving to adulthood . Stocking works and has given us a better fishery because of it . The river is not to warm for fry to survive .


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

dobes said:


> . The river is not to warm for fry to survive .


Some may survive, but very, very few. Even in rivers like the Manistee which stay cooler than the Huron during the summer, few steelhead actually survive their 1st summer in the river. A few do, they are either lucky enough to find a spring or a coldwater creek to make it through.



dobes said:


> If the river dont allow steel to reproduce and "make more fish" than what would be the point of stocking it . There would be no point . .


For recreation, they do it all over the state. Many rivers are planted with either steelhead or trout with no expectation of them ever reproducing. 

Your ideas are way off, and lack facts.


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## SurfDog (Jul 12, 2005)

dobes said:


> I have to say that half the time there is really no one at the river . 10 - 15 people if that . Also I have fished this river for many years with alot of success . If you take the time to learn the river and find the holes than you should hook fish just about every trip . I notice alot of guys saying they dont catch much down there and those are the same ones saying how bad the huron is . I personnally love that river and all it has to offer . I have no problem pulling chrome out of there . Also I have to absolutly disagree on the topic of fish reproducing . If I catch a non clipped fish , that shows the dnr planting efforts are working . How can anyone say that the fish that spawn in the huron dont come back along with their offspring . Isnt that the point of stocking the river ? so that we have a better fishery in years to come ? The unclipped fish are ABSOLUTELY the offspring of past years fish . Yeah you might get a few fish from ohio waters but most are from the dnr planting efforts . If the river dont allow steel to reproduce and "make more fish" than what would be the point of stocking it . There would be no point . Most fish go back to the same river they were born in , salmon for example . I see first hand every year that there is more and more fish running in that river . It is because the fish spawn and more and more fry are surviving to adulthood . Stocking works and has given us a better fishery because of it . The river is not to warm for fry to survive .


 
hence the term 'put and take' fishery....the DNR put's them..fisherman take them. The DNR plants to supplement the poor or total lack of reproduction.

In that line of thinking, why would the DNR plant salmon in a port that has no stream for reproduction? The salmon return to the harbors, but can not spawn.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

SurfDog said:


> hence the term 'put and take' fishery....the DNR put's them..fisherman take them. The DNR plants to supplement the poor or total lack of reproduction.
> 
> In that line of thinking, why would the DNR plant salmon in a port that has no stream for reproduction? The salmon return to the harbors, but can not spawn.


Cause we pay for it is why.And thats what they do.BTW there is no way for any new steel to get into the Huron atm anyways.Zero water at the mouth.Wind blew out what little water we had out .Mich


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

There is probaly no reproduction of steelhead or salmon in the Huron river.Summer water temps and too much silting would make any eggs laid and hatching difficult if not impossible for survival.Even though these fish to come back to the river since they were planted there not all fish that come to this river are planted there.Salmon and steelhead are andromous fish,I think I spelled that correctly) which meens that they will find any stream that has flowing water which may offer a place to spawn.These fish will go through the nesting and egg laying process if conditions are good enough for doing so but unless there is a cold water spring in a smaller tributary that keeps the water cold enough for hatchlings to survive or little to no siltation which smothers the eggs there is no natural reproduction of these fish in this river.The reason why the DNR stocks this river with these fish is to give Detroit Urbanites a place to fish that dont have an oppurtunity to drive hundreds of miles north to where Prime steelhead rivers are located.The same can be said about the Clinton river.


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## back2spool (May 7, 2005)

Just a note:

I have caught Steelhead Smolt in the Clinton in the dead of summer (but it may have been near a spring or coldwater input I was unaware of)...

ALSO, I was glad this thread turned constructive instead of ripping people as it seemed to be headed that way...


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

stinger63 said:


> There is probaly no reproduction of steelhead or salmon in the Huron river.Summer water temps and too much silting would make any eggs laid and hatching difficult if not impossible for survival.Even though these fish to come back to the river since they were planted there not all fish that come to this river are planted there.Salmon and steelhead are andromous fish,I think I spelled that correctly) which meens that they will find any stream that has flowing water which may offer a place to spawn.These fish will go through the nesting and egg laying process if conditions are good enough for doing so but unless there is a cold water spring in a smaller tributary that keeps the water cold enough for hatchlings to survive or little to no siltation which smothers the eggs there is no natural reproduction of these fish in this river.The reason why the DNR stocks this river with these fish is to give Detroit Urbanites a place to fish that dont have an oppurtunity to drive hundreds of miles north to where Prime steelhead rivers are located.The same can be said about the Clinton river.


 Hate to tell ya but your wrong about the Huron and the Steel reproduction.We trap bait fish all yr and you be surprised.I know it not like the nothern rivers but they do in the Huron.Mich


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

Michigander1 said:


> Hate to tell ya but your wrong about the Huron and the Steel reproduction.We trap bait fish all yr and you be surprised.I know it not like the nothern rivers but they do in the Huron.Mich


I dont think Im wrong down below I described conditions that would be conclusive for reproduction to occur

These fish will go through the nesting and egg laying process if conditions are good enough for doing so but unless there is a cold water spring in a smaller tributary that keeps the water cold enough for hatchlings to survive or little to no siltation which smothers the eggs there is no natural reproduction of these fish in this river.

Also Juvinile steelhead must have 50* something water temps and live the 1st year of their lives in the river where they are born.So I presume that when you capture bait fish you are also capturing juvinle steelhead par?So once again check your facts on this,these juviniles if they are indeed steelhead would need up to a year of at least of these kinda water temps to survive as adults.With the exception as wrote and quoted above you are not going to find these kinda conditions on the Huron because I know for fact that water temps reach into the high 70*s and 80* temp range.I think but Im not sure that there is some spring fed cool water tribs somewhere on that river?I dunno because I havent fished every inch of this river to know.Maybe someone more familar with this stream can be informitive on if there is any.Another thought to ponder is that this stream in no way pristine enough for juvinle trout or steelhead par to survive into adulthood.There thousand of gallons of raw sewage and other polutants that enter this river everytime that there is very heavy rainfall.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

stinger63 said:


> I dont think Im wrong down below I described conditions that would be conclusive for reproduction to occur
> 
> These fish will go through the nesting and egg laying process if conditions are good enough for doing so but unless there is a cold water spring in a smaller tributary that keeps the water cold enough for hatchlings to survive or little to no siltation which smothers the eggs there is no natural reproduction of these fish in this river.
> 
> Also Juvinile steelhead must have 50* something water temps and live the 1st year of their lives in the river where they are born.So I presume that when you capture bait fish you are also capturing juvinle steelhead par?So once again check your facts on this,these juviniles if they are indeed steelhead would need up to a year of at least of these kinda water temps to survive as adults.With the exception as wrote and quoted above you are not going to find these kinda conditions on the Huron because I know for fact that water temps reach into the high 70*s and 80* temp range.I think but Im not sure that there is some spring fed cool water tribs somewhere on that river?I dunno because I havent fished every inch of this river to know.Maybe someone more familar with this stream can be informitive on if there is any.


 Must be some natural springs then.Then again i do live on the river,Mich


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## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

back2spool said:


> Just a note:
> 
> I have caught Steelhead Smolt in the Clinton in the dead of summer (but it may have been near a spring or coldwater input I was unaware of)...
> 
> ALSO, I was glad this thread turned constructive instead of ripping people as it seemed to be headed that way...


 
I second that. I have caught steelhead smolt and smaller steelhead under 12"s in the middle of summer fishing with corn for carp at Flat Rock.


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