# Grand River Lansing



## Benz (Sep 25, 2010)

Glad to here you got into some fish Burg. I fished it the last 2 days and got nothing but 2 catfish. My buddy was able to land 2 though. It's pretty crowded and not a lot of places to fish.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

What time did you get down there yesterday Benz?


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## kdogger (Jan 10, 2005)

Checked out Moores....nothing. Fished Brenke, ladder completely empty, not even one jumped at the falls. Fished 2 hours, no bites. Saw one lady get a hook up, not sure what it was. Saw 2 swirls that maybe could have been salmon.


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## Benz (Sep 25, 2010)

I fished Tuesday and Wednesday... Big ol goose egg for me. Buddy managed 2. Really boring fishing though. Pretty tight quarters and the current was so slow it felt like I was blue gill fishing in a pond. The coho are so small too... Didn't see anyone else land any fish. Did see Jim Bedford though! tossing spinners for about 10 min before he left.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Yeah for what ever reason it slowed WAYYY down over the last few days. On wed i thought it would be a really good day, light rain all day and overcast. All fish came early and way away from the crowd, fished as far down from the dam as i could go. Hoping this cold weather we have for the next few days will stap some more fish into coming up. Put 1 nice male on the stringer and boy did it taste good smoked. Looking forward to fishing it again next week!

Burgundy


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

Update on coho run for the Grand River today. We cleaned fish ladders on the Grand today from Grand Ledge down to 6th street. We didn't see many fish moving through Grand Ledge, Portland or Lyons. It is difficult to determine numbers of fish in these while cleaning due to ladder design. Weber did have several hundred fish using it this afternoon. Probably about 90% coho with a few steelhead and kings in the mix. Most of the coho were quite silver indicating a fresh run. Good luck out there.


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## jrv (Nov 11, 2008)

wilsonm said:


> Update on coho run for the Grand River today. We cleaned fish ladders on the Grand today from Grand Ledge down to 6th street. We didn't see many fish moving through Grand Ledge, Portland or Lyons. It is difficult to determine numbers of fish in these while cleaning due to ladder design. Weber did have several hundred fish using it this afternoon. Probably about 90% coho with a few steelhead and kings in the mix. Most of the coho were quite silver indicating a fresh run. Good luck out there.


Thanks 4 the update. Glad 2 hear there's more coming

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## BigMike82 (Oct 24, 2011)

So far Ive spent about 8 hours on the water chasing Coho, only to goose egg it. Ive had upwards of a dozen chase my spinner all the way to the bank, but they turn off before striking. Ive literally thrown every lure I own(spinner, spoon, jittrbug, plastics, tubes) at them, and can't get one of these SOB's to hook up. Ive had the most chases on my chartreuse green spinner. Ive been at Moores, at the point and at the boat launch. Had a buddy land a 6lb'r yesterday, and I myself caught 2 nice small mouth. Ive gone at night, at dawn and at dusk and at mid day, Ive even tried putting my hooks inside the belly of a dead salmon to try and hide my or any synthetic scents, and nothing... what to I have to do to get into one of these??? 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Mike


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## Wall I Chasr (Feb 15, 2012)

BigMike82 said:


> So far Ive spent about 8 hours on the water chasing Coho, only to goose egg it. Ive had upwards of a dozen chase my spinner all the way to the bank, but they turn off before striking. Ive literally thrown every lure I own(spinner, spoon, jittrbug, plastics, tubes) at them, and can't get one of these SOB's to hook up. Ive had the most chases on my chartreuse green spinner. Ive been at Moores, at the point and at the boat launch. Had a buddy land a 6lb'r yesterday, and I myself caught 2 nice small mouth. Ive gone at night, at dawn and at dusk and at mid day, Ive even tried putting my hooks inside the belly of a dead salmon to try and hide my or any synthetic scents, and nothing... what to I have to do to get into one of these???
> 
> Any help is greatly appreciated.
> 
> Mike


. Have you tried tuna fish oil for scent ?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BigMike82 (Oct 24, 2011)

No I havent, Ill give just about anything a shot. Ill take some of the fish oils tablets I give the dogs with me today when I go out in 30 minutes.


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## Benz (Sep 25, 2010)

break some eggs on the spinner! My buddy has gotten them on the retrieve with a jig and float with eggs


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## fishhuntsmoke (Jan 30, 2011)

The combination of many things here has these fish on and off bitey QUITE A BIT!! I've fished lots from Lansing up the past month and found lots of fish caught my fair share of limits now but had TO WORK at it. The fluctuation in water temp even a degree or three shuts the right off, I'm using gut so the best bites been early morn shut off every time around 10-11! But have had numerous landed n limits do their there, just gotta play the fisHinG Game!!  I have had a few on spinners but best bite on skein n bags!! Good luck out there! 

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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Went 1 for 3 yesterday. All on bobber and bags. Stayed away from the dam again and did better than most.


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## msujohn1501 (Aug 6, 2005)

Heading over to one of the local dams for coho tomorrow. I'll be swinging streamers and back up with spawn. Will post pics tomorrow.


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## msujohn1501 (Aug 6, 2005)

Got out to the dam around 630 this morning. No rain, really low water, not much of anything going on. I moved east to a trib and saw quite a few fish moving around and tails breaking the top of the water. Again very low water. Had one hook up on a pink and purple streamer, but he was off as fast as he was on. The rain came, the temps continued to drop so I took off. Great fun, no fish. Hope to get out once more this season.

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## steely74 (Feb 9, 2010)

Benz said:


> The best part about fishing is the journey. Finding the good spots and the bad. Building up a knowledge of where to fish and what works and most importantly why it worked. Being able to combine your successes and failures and become a better fishman is the key. Then you are rewarded with success some time but it's never for sure. I would suggest the trout pond at the fishing show if that's too much work..
> </rant>


So far this may be my favorite post of the year! :coolgleam

Everyone wants instant gratification and depend on other fisherman to help them catch fish.


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Any chance the river will get any more fish with all the rain we have had?


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## slowpaya (Oct 23, 2011)

yes,more coming


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

I posted this same message on the other Grand River thread. We cleaned ladders today on the Grand. A worker from the treatment plant at Grand Ledge said that there were a lot of fish in the ladder this morning. Weber had a large number of fish in it today, probably even more than we saw last week which was pretty substantial. Probably about 90% coho and 10% steelhead. The majority of the cohos were still pretty silver. Fishing pressure pretty much absent this afternoon except 6th Street, which had about 25 people fishing. Good luck everybody.

Mike
MDNR Fisheries


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## MickL (Dec 16, 2003)

> Weber (ladder) had a large number of fish in it today.......


I'm wondering how easy or difficult it is for fisherman (not for people who have access to the ladder like you do) to see fish in the Weber ladder. I was there at 8:30 am yesterday. I stood near the lower end of the ladder and stared up into it for about 1 minute and saw no fish moving up from one step to the next. 

I believe you when you say it had many fish. I am just trying to understand why I saw none. Maybe fish can move through there without breaking the surface of the water....... maybe I was there at a different time of day than you were...... maybe I needed to observe for longer than one minute..... maybe I should stand in a different spot or look at a different spot........ maybe I need to see my eye doctor for new glasses:lol:.

Anyway, I had fun. Nobody else fishing that side of the dam and even caught 1 small steelhead... a 14 incher....... and yes it was a steelhead (or trout) not a coho jack... had white mouth and rows of spots thru the entire tail.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

MickL said:


> I'm wondering how easy or difficult it is for fisherman (not for people who have access to the ladder like you do) to see fish in the Weber ladder. I was there at 8:30 am yesterday. I stood near the lower end of the ladder and stared up into it for about 1 minute and saw no fish moving up from one step to the next.
> 
> I believe you when you say it had many fish. I am just trying to understand why I saw none. Maybe fish can move through there without breaking the surface of the water....... maybe I was there at a different time of day than you were...... maybe I needed to observe for longer than one minute..... maybe I should stand in a different spot or look at a different spot........ maybe I need to see my eye doctor for new glasses:lol:.
> 
> ...


When we clean ladders we close them down at the upper end and the water starts draining from each well starting with the upper wells. We usually will put a blocking screen in one of the wells to gauge the number and species of fish in the ladder at a given point in time. This info gives us some idea of the size of the run in spring or fall. Jay or I post this info on this site to give fishermen a pretty accurate account of the run at the ladders on a given day. Weber also has a viewing chamber that we use to record fish passage numbers. This data is tabulated at a latter date. Lyons, Portland and Grand Ledge ladders are designed differently so it is harder to gauge fish numbers in the ladder when we shut them down to clean. Getting back to Weber ladder, the fish can be seen as they go from well to well, especially from the midpoint of the ladder up. They will usually break the surface to go from well to well. They may use the weep holes more on the lower end of the ladder. If this is the case, you wouldn't see much because they are 7 feet under water. You just have to be there at the right time and watch for a while. Yesterday they could be seen topping all the upper wells in the afternoon. In any case, this has been an exceptionally large run of cohos this year.


Mike


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## MickL (Dec 16, 2003)

Thanks for the info Mike.... very interesting stuff that I didn't know. Next time I'm at Weber looking for fish I will stand and look closer to the upper end of the ladder.
Mick


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