# Casting belleville dam



## andy capp (Aug 14, 2002)

Was there this morning while waiting for somebody, Anyone ever catch anything casting the open water there?


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## shametamer (Jul 22, 2001)

above or below?.....certainly nuttin like a number of the pics u have in your photos here! there are a couple of guys that utilize frenchmans landing pier ne side of dam and do ok.


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## andy capp (Aug 14, 2002)

Below is what I was talkin


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## ZobZob (Oct 27, 2002)

I have fished approx. a dozen times and have caught a small walleye (maybe 12"), a smallmouth of about 10" and had another fish hit my twister. I've tried spawn, flies, the whole nine yards and haven't caught any lake run visitors. I've seen people catch carp and panfish but that's about it. It's not a very productive spot UNLESS maybe I just suck at fishing :lol: 

Zob


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## Connor4501 (Dec 15, 2003)

The Ford Lake Dam has much better potential during warmups like this...


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## stinger63 (Nov 25, 2003)

> UNLESS maybe I just suck at fishing


Dude how can you say that?You outfished everyone yesterday :lol:


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## ZobZob (Oct 27, 2002)

Yep, I fish way too much to be in the suck category but I don't think of myself as Babe Winkleman or anything.

Anyhow, the fishing stinks below the dam... I never seem to catch anything nor does anyone else fishing down there. Maybe I need to explore more further downstream. I do much better on Belleville Lake.

Zob


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## MAttt (Dec 15, 2004)

The river below the dam used to be a great smallmouth fishery before someone built the Muskie ladder down in flatrock. Used to do good on steelhead also before that ladder was built. The steelhead never had a problem jumping the dam in flatrock in the spring but the great lakes muskies could never do it. The flatrock dam looks big but is not high enough to stop a steelhead. The guys who do the survey are always amazed at the amount of Great lakes muskies that pass thru it.

If you go in April down by the belleville dam and from on top of the railroad tracks, looking in the southwest corner you will see the steelhead on their beds along with the muskies on the attack. I have also seen the muskies enter the 2 small feeder creeks that are within a mile of the dam and they use them for spawning. The steelhead used to use those feeder creeks for spawning but don't stand a chance now.

I know a gentlemen that lives on the river who no longers fishes it due to
the decimation of the fishery due to the muskies.

No, you don't suck at fishing but the fishladder does.
The Dnr should shut it down as a good idea that didn't work.
The bottom of the Ford lake dam is a much better bet now.

*The fishladder is a failed project that has hurt the natural fishery*
*of the river and the steelhead success rate has actually decreased*
*since it was put on line in April 1997 IMAO.*


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## ZobZob (Oct 27, 2002)

Yeah, I was just being sarcastic. I do well (in my opinion) on many other rivers on the SW and NW side of the state.

Zob


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## Woolybugger (Feb 26, 2001)

MAttt,

That's an interesting point. Never thought about it but it may be true. I have seen and heard about people pulling huge muskies from below the dam, especially in recent years. I have also heard many of the stories of the huge salmon below the dam when the DNR use to stock salmon and before the ladder was put up. Good points and something the DNR should look in to.


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