# Clinton



## SEsteelheader (Mar 23, 2004)

Can someone tell me a spot to fish for steel in the clinton and is yates [cider mill even worth fishing for steel?? need info please


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## WANNABEFISHIN (Oct 26, 2004)

have seen guys pull a few just below the dam.I personally havent caught squat fishing yates or any were else on the clinton. I always see other people catch em keeps me going back dont know why. BRING ON THE ICE!!!!!!!!!!


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## Rocker53 (Jan 23, 2004)

I have tried fishing for steel and trout...and i've caught practically everything but steel and trout. Hats. Cans. a few bags and actually almost caught a tire til my line broke. While the trips i have taken were quite unsuccessful, i actually found some very good spots that, if the Clinton were like one of the northern rivers with the runs they get, it would almost guarentee a strike. However, the Clinton isn't up to those standards yet though i hope oneday, it gets a run that can rival the pressure we put on the stream. Anyway, the dam is alright, too many people fish there for me during the season and too many broken lines and garbage lying around. If i were you, i'd try by the hayloft, both above and below the bridge there are some very interesting spots that if they don't produce fish, at least you get a pretty picture. Any way good luck.


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## SEsteelheader (Mar 23, 2004)

Hayloft????????


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Dequindre Bridge


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## Kevin (Oct 4, 2000)

SEsteelheader, Hayloft is the big parking lot and Bar at Ryan road. There is a public access parking lot across the river, but not in the winter.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Let's be careful here and not get too specific.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Personally, I prefer staying in the lower reaches of the river, and I think it's a lot more productive in the winter.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Sorry guys

Amos you're right. I always get the two confused... DUH


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## SEsteelheader (Mar 23, 2004)

thanks ill take a trip just got my drivers liscense and am excited to catch my fist sw steel


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

Good luck advoiding all the ice in that river already:rant:


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

Yah c'mon guys..........lets be secretive about our hotspots........afterall not all of michigan knows about the mecca that is the Clinton River........ :lol: I always laugh when people try and moderate this river............2 million people live an hours drive from it and if only one person in every hundred knows about steelhead fishing the clinton.............then that means there are 20,000 people "in the know" on this river.........hahaha..........wow what a secret it is


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Spent a couple of hours in a favorite lower river haunt yesterday. There were only five other guys in that secret area of the river. I didn't know them and when I saw them in "My" hole I was heading on towards the next spot when they said, "nothing down there, there is still room in this area, come on down."  River was wide open where we were(no ice). One fish hooked, not by me, that came unbuttoned on the second jump.
BTW, it took a Firetiger 1/2 oz. Rattletrap. I am beginning to think I need to pack a whole backpack of of stuff to throw at those fish.:banghead3


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

> Yah c'mon guys..........lets be secretive about our hotspots........afterall not all of michigan knows about the mecca that is the Clinton River........ I always laugh when people try and moderate this river............2 million people live an hours drive from it and if only one person in every hundred knows about steelhead fishing the clinton.............then that means there are 20,000 people "in the know" on this river.........hahaha..........wow what a secret it is


Ok me being the outspoken one I am<Im jumping right on the bandwagon with this one.I think its a joke to try and moderate this river and its big secret.Im not saying we get exactly specific on every area known to catch steel from here but its a joke.Hush hush shhhhhh we are going to let some big cat out of the bag.
Talk about the huron is more wide open and yet this river is probaly in my opinon a much a better fishery for them.Its still within an hours drive of the metro detroit area but its access spots are more widely discussed on this forum than you can ever imagine.

I say whats good for the goose is good for the gander.Steve if you or others are going to tightly moderate the clinton river forum then do it with all the others.Tightly moderate the huron river forum and all other river forums as well.If not let this clinton river forum be let lose.
Just my 02 cents worth.


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

well said stinger..........well said


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

The upcoming thaw/runoff has me chomping at the bit..... I think tossing a body bait while soaking a big shiner under a bobber in the lower river could produce just about anything.


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## Connor4501 (Dec 15, 2003)

Very good signature, Esox...Except for "Legend of a Mind",there was not one hit on that Moody Blues album but it is always great headphone material...(In Search of the Lost Chord)...


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## tedshunter (Dec 27, 2004)

I agree I thought that's what these forums were for, to help us all get on fish or find new places to hunt.And besides guy's there are only a few places that you can access the clinton anyways(with waders) unless you know someone that lives on it.So to most locals the cat was out of the bag years ago,might as well let a few other fishermen get in on the action.Let's not be greedy there is plenty of game to go around.And one more thing your are not going to eat them anyway so they will be thrown back to fight another day.I will only keep one from that river just so I can get some fresh spawn to get me thru the season. I also heard that the steelhead have got past the dam at Yates in the past.If you just want to catch trout I personally like going farther upstream into Paint Creek I think it is much cleaner and it has better habitat for trout and it is also much easier to wade.


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

stinger63 said:


> Ok me being the outspoken one I am<Im jumping right on the bandwagon with this one.I think its a joke to try and moderate this river and its big secret.Im not saying we get exactly specific on every area known to catch steel from here but its a joke.Hush hush shhhhhh we are going to let some big cat out of the bag.
> Talk about the huron is more wide open and yet this river is probaly in my opinon a much a better fishery for them.Its still within an hours drive of the metro detroit area but its access spots are more widely discussed on this forum than you can ever imagine.
> 
> I say whats good for the goose is good for the gander.Steve if you or others are going to tightly moderate the clinton river forum then do it with all the others.Tightly moderate the huron river forum and all other river forums as well.If not let this clinton river forum be let lose.
> Just my 02 cents worth.


We are not trying to overmoderate anything here just keep it from becoming discussions about particular access points, holes, or streaches of the river.


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## MIbowhntr (Mar 23, 2003)

Last time I went to the clinton I saw 2 sixty year old men in an intense fist fight, dunking eachother and whatnot, of course about 20 yards from where I was fishing. It was hilarious yes. but im my opinion that river is a dump.


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## pikeslime (Jan 2, 2001)

The fist fight story reminded me of something nasty i saw in the area. I went to the mouth of the spillway several years ago on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I used to go there and cast for pike. When I got to the mouth where the seawall starts I noticed a big guy collecting his gear to leave. He was trying to stand up, but was far too tanked. There was another young guy there and we both told him to take a rest and not try and walk, but he insisted in slurred speach that he was leaving. He made another attempt at standing, fell over backward, and cracked the back of his head on one of the giant rocks that line the shore down there. The drunk is now out cold and blood immediately starts pouring out from his head onto the rock. The first thing i thought was, this guy could die. I'm no physics expert, but this guy had a whole lot of body weight creating a lot of force down when he fell. Some lady outside the apartments on the opposite side of the spillway witnessed what happened and asked if we needed an ambulance. I yelled back yes. The drunk regains consciousness and me and the other guy try to lift him off the rock. He was probably about 250-270lbs. You might guess what happens next...He hears the ambulance approaching and flips out. He starts cussing me out and he wants to kill me. Luckily, he could not walk. I told the guy i was just trying to help him out. I finally grabbed my stuff and walked back to the car. The ambulance patched him up and a police car came. I think they just took him to a payphone to call a ride. What a bummer.


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## Ed Michrina (Dec 25, 2002)

I'm not sure I would have posted such a specific location unless it could handle the fishing/traffic pressure. We have to remember 3/4 of our readers are not signed on as members. If I did have a small streem/canal or marina spot I would foward the info PM to any member that asked. -JMO- don't shoot me.


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## fish eater (Jan 4, 2005)

Ed Michrina said:


> I'm not sure I would have posted such a specific location unless it could handle the fishing/traffic pressure. We have to remember 3/4 of our readers are not signed on as members. If I did have a small streem/canal or marina spot I would foward the info PM to any member that asked. -JMO- don't shoot me.


Right on Ed. Excellent perspective. Nothing wrong with PM'ing amongst ourselves to share valuable info with responsible outdoorsman.


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

fish eater said:


> Right on Ed. Excellent perspective. Nothing wrong with PM'ing amongst ourselves to share valuable info with responsible outdoorsman.


Exactly!!!!!


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## chuckinduck (May 28, 2003)

So now we are only gonna share info with those we find worthy?


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## Ed Michrina (Dec 25, 2002)

Chuck your a member, that also helps others out. feel free to give me a pm anytime you want. I'll try and put you in my best spots ( you'll prob see me there) It's more about the 75% of the people that don't sign on and give any advice. (even a bad fishing report is a report) and the fact that some areas can handle the whole net-- members or not and some can't. Heck I got 6000 views on the genos jumbos post but btw. the dnr ramps/geno's and metro. the parking and fish could handle it. That all It's not a big hush hush thing.


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## stelmon (Sep 21, 2000)

Ed Michrina said:


> and the fact that some areas can handle the whole net-- members or not and some can't.


and imo the clinton is one that CAN'T. I know, i know I am a selfish person that doesn't give a rip about other but if you really knew me you would disagree. The clinton is a very fragile stream believe it or not. I am not trying to keep it just for myself but I don't want to see it over ran with people. The Clinton is within miles of hundreds of thousands of people. I could just imagine someone posting a limit of steelhead on here and everyone on this site being down there the next day. This site has HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people viewing it. It's not just a few people who would start fishing the clinton, it would be tons. It different if you would PM people. You see a post of someone getting one steelie on in the clinton and the next day the parkin lot if full. Why might that be?? Because when you hear this everyone thinks yates, yates, yates and the steelhead are there. The clinton is no Pere marquette where there is an acess every 2-10 miles. A ton of the clinton is private that you CAN'T FISH there. Believe me if you want to, but me along with many other people have seen it before. I have been down on the clinton 7 out of the last 10 days and fish some other area along with that. The parking lots haven't been full which has made fishing much more enjoyable for me along with OTHERS. Of coarse I have been fishing with the temps are only 20 degreese and no one cares to get cold. I gaurantee if anyone posted something about a fish being caught the parking lot would be full.

As a fly dunker I ran into the other day said after I told him about my "hook ups," "that's the clinton for ya and it sucks."

Btw, this site is an amazing tool. You don't need no report to go down to the clinton and have some fun. You may hear of several fish being caught down on the clinton and then go and get nothing. Then you wonder where alll the fish are. Study peoples post on the site and ask question of what people are catchin fish on. Talk to people on the streams you are fishing and what are they having the best of luck. Talk to buddies who fish certain rivers and find out whats your best bets are. See, you don't need no report on the internet to find out whether the fish are in any river or not. Go fishing just to have fun other then to catch fish. Provide something different that the fish haven't seen and you might have some luck. This well help your fishing alot. It did with me! I read about a technique a friend of mine used and hammered the steelhead on a total oppisite stream on the other side of the state a few weeks later. I hadn't even heard any reports on that stream but that wasn't going to stop me. So I want to thank all those people who are like Kingfisher2, shoeman, nothern_outdoorsman, quest32a, northern_outdoorsman, ausable_steelhead, mitch, [email protected], mechanical head and others who have made me a much better fisherman. Not by posting there hot spots on certain rivers but the techniques and ideas to catch some steelhead. So yes, this site is here to share information, but it doesn't have to be information saying the FISH ARE HERE or there not here. 

Now I am no expert on steelhead but reading, studying post and talking to fellow MS members through PM's have made me a better fisherman on what ever river I fish and I can gaurantee it will help other people. 

Of coarse this is just my .02 cents and I know I will get rip on one way or another like I do in every clinton river thread. You know what though, I don't care because I am heading NW tomarrow and will be within a few hours of the best stream in the state. You guys can have the clinton along with the hundreds of other thousands anglers in SE michigan:lol: I'll be back at it though later in the year.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Dan,

Although I can appreciate your convictions on keeping the posts on the Clinton to a minimum, I hardly blame this forum for its exposure. It's been a beehive ever since I can remember and that's long before you were born. The sucker run would find guys shoulder-to-shoulder on both sides of the river. As far the steelhead, sure that's close to home fun, but does anyone really keep the fish? After all it does run through a Toxic Wasteland. Personally I don't see the attraction. Even on a busy day the Clinton's pressure is dwarfed by all the creeks in PA, Tippy, Highbanks and the Bug Water of the PM. I've seen 200 cars parked along Green Cottage. Never seen that at Yates and the Loft. There are many small rivers in our State that need protection from the crowds do to limited parking, lack of holes, disgruntled landowners and unstable banks. The Clinton isn't even on the long list. 

Srry..

Other than that, how in the hell are ya? 

:lol:


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

> ite has HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people viewing it. It


 Um I'd like to say that is true but we are not quite there yet


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