# Weekly Fishing Report for the State



## hangoo (Oct 3, 2001)

SOUTHEASTERN LOWER PENINSULA

Walleye fishing has slowed some in Lake Erie with light catches reported when fishing straight out of Sterling State Park and near West Sister Island, the weekly report said. Bright colored spoons on downriggers along with Hot-n-Tot's and harnesses have done well.

Anglers reported catching walleye out of Bolles Harbor and Luna Pier in 10 to 15 feet of water, using dark colored crank baits when the waters are cloudy. Light numbers of walleye have been caught east of Brest Bay in 25 to 27 feet of water and east of Stony Point in 22 to 28 feet of water.

Perch fishing has picked up but the fish remain small. Fair to good catches have been reported north of River Raisin, Turtle Island and in the shipping channel on crawler harnesses and minnows.

Light numbers of walleye have been caught in the Detroit River. Anglers have caught fish when trolling or jigging at the mouth of the river and Lake Erie. Walleye have been found at Buoys 79, 80, 81 and 91 when drifting with crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers. Fish also have been caught just north of Wyandotte near the Steel Plant.

In Lake St. Clair, anglers have caught walleye about 1 1/2 miles out from Metro Beach in 12 to 14 feet of water when drifting pearl and white crawler harnesses.

At the St. Clair Light, boat anglers fishing just north of the light in 13 to 16 feet of water have caught walleye and perch. Anglers have caught perch off the mouth of the Clinton River just off the end of South River Road when drifting with crawler harnesses in 7 to 10 feet of water.

Smallmouth bass have been active from 13 Mile Road down to 9 Mile Road. Anglers have worked the shore just north of the Coast Guard Station and near the sunken island in 5 to 7 feet of water, casting over the weeds with tubes and spinners.

In the north end of the lake, perch and walleye have been found near Grassy Island. The bass have moved to deeper waters near the St. Clair River channels. Most of the musky have been caught on the Canadian side of the lake near the Thymes River.

In Saginaw Bay, walleye fishing has been slow to fair. Anglers are reminded that only two lines may be used when fishing for walleye. Three lines can only be used when trolling for trout and salmon species, not walleye.

Fish have been caught in 18 to 22 feet of water off Linwood. When Hot-N-Tot's haven't working, slowing down and dragging crawler harnesses on the bottom has.

Perch fishing has been fair with some 8- to 10-inch fish caught in the middle of the bay near the Black Hole in 20 to 23 feet of water, and near Buoy 9 in 13 to 15 feet of water. Fair walleye fishing has been noted near Bay Port when fishing in the Slot in waters 15 feet deep. Off Sebewaing, walleye have been found in the Slot and off Fish Point.

At Port Austin, anglers have been catching walleye when trolling Hot-n-Tot's in 22 feet of water. At Harbor Beach, anglers have caught some brown trout when fishing straight east of the harbor in 55 to 65 feet of water and trolling bombers. Good numbers of chinook and lake trout have come from Port Hope when fishing near the bottom in 140 feet of water. Spoons in chrome and blue have worked best.

SOUTHWESTERN LOWER PENINSULA

Storm fronts have continued to hamper fishing conditions near New Buffalo, the DNR said. Few anglers have been going out searching for salmon as most have been seeking perch. The fish have been hard to find because of the storms and high winds mixing the waters. A few boats have managed to catch their limits. The better fishing has been in waters 40 to 50 feet deep.

At St. Joe, the trout and salmon fishing has been inconsistent. Some anglers have reported catching steelhead when trolling near the end of the piers. Chinook have been found when fishing 40 to 60 feet down in waters 70 to 100 feet deep. Pier anglers have found chinook and steelhead when using shrimp, orange colored spoons or body baits. Perch fishing has been spotty with most fish caught in 40 to 55 feet of water.

On the St. Joe River, anglers have reported good catches of bass and panfish above the Niles Dam on live bait. Fishing has remained slow between Buchanan and Berrien Springs for steelhead.

From South Haven to Holland, anglers have been catching chinook and lake trout when trolling in waters 80 to 150 feet deep. The chinook can be found about half way down while the lake trout remain near the bottom. High winds have kept the fish scattered in the water column, so anglers need to spend more time locating the fish. Perch have continued to be slow, with light catches reported in waters 30 to 50 feet deep.

The Grand River from Grand Rapids to Lansing has produced some excellent catches of large catfish. Anglers have used crayfish, shrimp or leeches. Good catches of walleye and panfish have been reported when fishing the deeper holes. Anglers have been floating crawlers for walleye.

A few brown trout and smallmouth bass have been caught in Fish Creek and Prairie Creek using small spinners and worms. Fishing on the inland lakes has been fair to good. Anglers have used crickets and leeches to catch the bluegill which seem to be in deeper waters at least 8 to 10 feet deep. The bass have remained active in deeper waters as well and have hit a variety of lures.

At Muskegon, anglers have caught fair to good numbers of chinook salmon when fishing in the early mornings or late evenings. Most of the fish caught have come in 70 to 140 feet of water when fishing down 60 to 80 feet with many fish coming on dodger/fly combinations in shades of green.

A variety of spoons, including blue and green Dolphins also have been working well. Steelhead have been found south of the port, while the chinook and coho have been found straight out or to the north. Walleye have been found in the Lower Muskegon River near US-31 when fishing the deep holes.

In Muskegon Lake, walleye have been found near the weed line on the north shore of the lake in 12 to 14 feet of water. Most have been trolling or drifting with crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers.

NORTHEASTERN LOWER PENINSULA

The fishing has gotten better near Rogers City but anglers have been fighting the wind and waves to catch them, the DNR reported. The better catches have come when fishing straight out and north of the harbor with downriggers set 50 to 80 feet down in waters 70 to 120 feet deep.

At Presque Isle, anglers have caught fish near the big lighthouse and south down around Stoneport. Some good catches have been reported straight out from "the can."

Temperature breaks have been in waters 80 to 120 feet deep.

Good fishing has continued from Rockport to Alpena even with end of the Brown Trout Festival. Chinook salmon has been found when fishing down 65 to 75 feet in waters 80 to 125 feet deep with dodger and squid combinations. Anglers should start in shallow waters 30 to 40 feet deep in the mornings and move out as the day gets warmer.

Good numbers of brown trout have been caught in the Thunder Bay River. There has been good walleye fishing at night when drifting crawlers.

From Harrisville to Oscoda, anglers have been catching chinook, lake trout, steelhead and brown trout when trolling in waters 60 to 90 feet deep on spoons in the colors of green, white, black and watermelon. Pier anglers have continued to catch smallmouth, catfish, walleye and drum.

The Trico-fly hatch has started on the Upper and North Branch of the AuSable River, providing some very good trout fishing. Inland lakes in the area have provided some good action for bluegill and walleye.

At Tawas, a few salmon have been caught in 35 to 45 feet of water. Walleye anglers have been trolling body baits in 30 to 45 feet of water near Buoy 2. Those trolling have found some northern pike along the edge of the weed beds off Jerry's Marina. Pier anglers have caught a few small perch and an occasional northern pike on minnows.

At AuGres, walleye fishing has been good one day and off the next. Some anglers have reported some good catches of yellow perch in waters 15 to 25 feet deep off Point AuGres. Most of the perch have been running on the small side 6 to 8 inches. Shore anglers have been taking catfish when fishing at the mouth of the AuGres River with live bait. 

NORTHWESTERN LOWER PENINSULA

Light numbers of lake trout have been caught when fishing near Charlevoix, according to the weekly report. Anglers have been close to the bottom in waters 80 to 120 feet deep.

Near Petoskey, light numbers of chinook salmon have started showing up in the bay, but anglers are working to catch them.

On the inland waters, light catches of walleye have been reported in Lake Charlevoix. Fair numbers of northern pike have been caught in Douglas Lake when trolling or using large minnows with a bobber. Slow fishing was reported on Burt, Pickerel and Crooked Lakes.

Closer to Traverse City, salmon fishing has continued to be slow in the West Bay as there seems to be more pleasure boaters than fishing boats. A few lake trout have been caught near the bottom in 70 to 100 feet of water with cowbells, peanuts and spin-glows, but many of the fish are sub-legal.

Most of the fish have been caught from Greilickville down to Traverse City and around the Old Mission Peninsula. Very few anglers have been fishing in the East Bay. An occasional chinook salmon has been, but the better run of fish still is at least a week or two away.

Better fishing has been from the Center Road boat launch off Old Mission Peninsula toward Acme. At Elk Rapids, some smallmouth bass have been caught in the Elk River near the dam on leeches and crawlers. A few walleye have been caught near the dam on crawlers.

At Manistee, the big kings have started showing up. The action should pick up more in the next week or two. When the weather permits, anglers have been trolling in waters 80 to 150 feet deep with fish catchers and flies.

A light number of chinook have started to run in the rivers. Good numbers of summer steelhead have run in the Manistee River, with some limit catches reported near Tippy Dam.

At Ludington, anglers have continued to troll near Big Sable Point as the fishing continues to improve in waters 70 to 150 feet deep. Dodger and fly combinations have seemed to work best in the colors of green, silver and pearl.

A few salmon have been caught in Pere Marquette Lake when trolling with j-plugs. In the Pere Marquette River, some salmon along with good numbers of steelhead have been caught by those drifting crawlers above the Indian Bridge near Custer. Fishing on the inland lakes has continued to be fair to good with bluegill hitting in Hamlin Lake and walleye hitting on crawler harnesses in Lower Hamlin Lake.

UPPER PENINSULA

There have been few reports around Keweenaw Bay, the DNR said. Fishing has continued to be slow as anglers have not had much luck when trolling for salmon or jigging for lake trout. Light numbers of perch have been caught in the early morning hours.

In Traverse Bay, anglers have caught some lake trout when jigging in 165 to 240 feet of water or trolling in 80 to 180 feet of water.

Near Marquette, boat anglers have continued to take lake trout with some limit catches still reported. Anglers have been fishing the area north of Presque Island Point in waters 100 to 200 feet deep. Most of the lake trout have been running on the small side. Some 6 to 8 pound fish have been caught.

Strong winds have limited the fishing from Munising to AuTrain but some anglers have caught lake trout near the bottom.

In Green Bay off Menominee, angler pressure has picked back up as the salmon have moved into waters 50 to 60 feet deep. Most fish have been caught west of Chambers Island and northwest of Green Island when trolling blue on silver spoons.

Excellent catfish and smallmouth bass fishing is taking place in the Lower Menominee River from Stephenson Island upstream to the First Dam. Some walleye have been caught by both shore and boat anglers.

In the Cedar River, fair catches of smallmouth bass have been reported from the mouth upstream to the First Rapids. In the Bay off the Cedar River, weather has kept most of the boat anglers close to shore. Salmon catches have come slowly in the area of the Whaleback Shoal and off the mouth of the Cedar River in 45 to 60 feet of water.

Slow fishing has been reported in both Little and Big Bay De Noc. Strong winds have kept anglers off the bays. A few walleye and northern pike have been caught near Escanaba.

Fair catches have been reported near Kipling in 8 to 16 feet of water when drifting crawlers. Light numbers of smallmouth bass have been caught in Big Bay near Ogontz when casting spinners and crank baits in 6 to 8 feet of water.

Salmon still have been found all around the islands just out from Fairport when trolling 30 to 40 feet down in waters 60 to 90 feet deep. Most fish have been in the 10-pound range with an occasional larger fish caught.

Near Sault Ste. Marie, very good fishing for atlantic salmon has been reported in the St. Mary's River. The caddis fly hatch has just started, so fishing has slowed some, but should resume in the next week or two.

Most fish have been caught around the Edison Power Plant on flies. Walleye have been caught in the upper river, on the north side of Sugar Island, and near the Edison Power Plant. Crawler harnesses and minnows have worked well.

At DeTour, anglers have been taking limit catches of salmon in 60 to 70 feet of water. At St. Ignace, the salmon are in 55 to 65 feet of water and hitting on the gold colored watermelon spoons. Walleye continue to bite near the mouth of the Pine River.

Near Cedarville and Hessel, anglers have caught salmon in 60 feet of water or less, with the better fishing reported during the evening hours. A few anglers have still taken some lake herring, but most have been seeking salmon. Some perch have been caught in Cedarville Bay and the Moscoe Channel.


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