DNR fish report: Catch and keep bass season set to open Saturday

[Skunk]

DNR fish report: Catch and keep bass season set to open Saturday

By the The Associated Press, found at Mlive.com

Published: Thursday, June 17, 2010, 2:00 PM

LANSING -- Saturday is the opening day of the catch and keep bass season on the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River, the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment said Wednesday in its weekly fishing report.

Walleye and bass fishing have been good, and post spawn bluegills are moving to deeper water, the agency says.

SOUTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Lake Erie: Fishing remains hit-or-miss. Walleye were found in 25 feet of water near the Fermi Power Plant. Try crawlers or spoons. Those trolling have also caught white bass, freshwater drum, and catfish. Fishing near Bolles Harbor has slowed in recent days however good reports were coming further south near Turtle Island.

River Raisin: Those shore fishing caught catfish and white bass.

Huron River: Still has fair to good numbers of smallmouth bass being caught.

Lake St. Clair: Is producing some large muskie. Boat anglers were trolling plugs just behind the boat in the prop wash. The bass opener looks to be a good one.

St. Clair River: Walleye were moving up towards Port Huron.

Lexington: Lake trout and salmon are coming from 60 to 70 feet of water. Nice perch were caught in the weed beds about six miles south of town. There will be some sorting to do however the average catch was 20 to 25 nice fish per boat.

Port Sanilac: Few anglers were out however some lake trout were caught.

Port Austin: The boat launch is closed for renovations.

Harbor Beach: Lake trout fishing is good straight out, north or south of the harbor for those using dodgers or spin glows right on the bottom.

Try medium or large spoons off downriggers in 80 to 130 feet of water. Steelhead were caught on offshore boards with 5 and 10 color lead lines and bright colored spoons. Lake trout and pink salmon are making up most of the catch in 70 to 100 feet of water. For walleye, try the north wall in the early morning or late evening. Boats are trolling crawler harnesses. Perch fishing was still slow. Bass and pike were caught inside the harbor and close to shore when casting small body baits or spoons.

Grindstone City: Those trolling are getting walleye in 40 feet of water and lake trout out deeper. Shore anglers are catching smallmouth bass in the harbor.

Saginaw Bay: Fishing has been up and down with the weather. Popular sites with boat anglers were 20 to 25 feet of water near the Spark Plug, 12 feet of water near the Callahan Reef, 14 to 18 feet of water near the Slot off Quanicassee and northeast to the outside of the islands. Crawler harnesses worked best in shallow waters while both harnesses and Hot-n-Tots were used in deep water. Good colors were pink, purple, blue, silver, red and copper. Walleye anglers have also caught freshwater drum, catfish, white perch, white bass and yellow perch. Catfish were caught near the cuts and the mouth of the Quanicassee River and the Sebewaing River.

Saginaw River: Good numbers of walleye are still being caught on jigs with crawlers from the mouth upstream to the Independence Bridge. This is a good fall-back option if the bay is too rough for comfort.

SOUTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
St. Joseph: Boat anglers trolling in 150 to 200 feet of water have caught trout and salmon. Pier fishing was slow and not much happening in regards to perch.

St. Joseph River: With high water levels and low visibility, fishing was slow. Shore anglers caught smallmouth on crank baits. Panfish were caught on live baits.
Big Paw Paw Lake: Was producing some pike.

South Haven: Trout and salmon have been caught in 80 to 120 feet of water when trolling. Perch and pier fishing were slow.

Kalamazoo River: Is producing some walleye and bass.

Grand River at Grand Rapids: Water levels are high and muddy. Not many were fishing however those chasing catfish have done well with cut bait, crawlers and large minnows. Some large flatheads have been caught. Those fishing Millennium Park were still taking a fair to good number of bluegills, bass and crappie.

Grand River at Lansing: Moore’s Park Dam was to high and muddy to fish as of this report. The North Lansing Dam was good for smallmouth bass and big carp.
Riverfront Park was good for catfish and carp. The Smithville Dam in Eaton Rapids was good for smallmouth bass. Pike and catfish were caught near Lyons.

Lake Lansing: Is producing some bluegill. Those trolling along the weedbeds have caught a few pike on large minnows or body baits.

Lake Ovid: Those trolling have caught some nice muskie on large crank baits or large minnows. The lake also holds some big catfish. Try crawlers or large minnows.

Morrison Lake: Bluegill and crappie have been caught in deeper waters.
Try 6 to 10 feet with red worms, wax worms or small twister tail grubs on a jig.
Whitehall: Boats reported slow fishing. A couple steelhead were caught off the pier. Water around the pier was a bit cooler and there were a lot of alewife in close. Fish were caught on Cleo’s or alewife.

NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Rogers City: Better areas to drop a line were Forty Mile Point, Seagull Point, Adams Point and the State Park. Be sure to watch for commercial fishing nets placed between the State Park and Forty Mile Point. Most of the nets were deeper than 55 feet of water and most boats were fishing the top 45 feet of waters 50 to 80 feet deep. Use downriggers set 25 to 45 feet along with 1-5 colors of lead core off planer boards. A bug hatch was underway which provided good fishing for steelhead. Try orange, green, blue, chartreuse and silver spoons.

Presque Isle: A good mix of fish have been caught around the areas of structure straight out from the port, near Stoneport and between the two lights.

Rockport: Lake trout were right on the bottom in waters 100 to 125 feet deep. Spoons worked well. No Atlantic salmon to report this week.

Alpena: Boaters are fishing out from the launch, around Grass Island, and Sulfur Island. Night anglers were bringing in fish however the bite did slow. Try 15 feet of water with crawler harnesses or perch style body baits. Bass and pike were caught south of the port in Squaw Bay.

Thunder Bay River: Walleye anglers were successful when trolling or drifting crawler harnesses. Some nice bass have been caught off the Ninth Street Bridge.
Hubbard Lake: Walleye fishing was fair but bass fishing was very good.

Harrisville: Lake trout have moved into deeper water 80 to 100 feet deep. Spoons and body baits have worked well in silver, orange and silver or blue and silver. Walleye are being caught just outside the harbor and north to Sturgeon Point in 20 to 40 feet of water. Body baits were the most productive.

Oscoda: Lake trout will be found in 80 to 100 feet of water while steelhead were near the surface in 60 feet of water. Lake trout are suspended 10 to 20 feet off the bottom and hitting on spoons.

Au Sable River: Bass are biting well in Iosco County and trout fishing was good near Mio. Walleye fishing has picked up for those using crawlers or leeches.
Higgins Lake: Rain and strong winds have limited fishing opportunities. Anglers are going out when the weather breaks and fishing for smallmouth bass with crawlers or leeches. Rock bass were also caught on crawlers.

Houghton Lake: Walleye, bluegills and sunfish have been caught on leeches when fishing along the edge of the weedbeds.

Tawas: Walleye anglers did well when trolling crawler harnesses in 20 to 40 feet of water off Tawas Point and around Buoy No. 2. Bass anglers did well for smallmouth when sight fishing. Pier fishing was slow with only a few bass and panfish caught.

Au Gres: Those trolling caught limits of walleye when the weather cooperated otherwise it was hit-or-miss. The best fishing was down toward Pointe Au Gres in 30 to 40 feet of water. Good numbers of freshwater drum and catfish along with the occasional walleye have been caught.

Au Gres River: Catfish were caught down at the mouth.

NORTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Bear River: Had lots of angler activity with rock bass and smallmouth bass being caught on crawlers. Most of the smallmouth bass were undersize.

Petoskey: Lake trout have been caught in Little Traverse Bay when trolling spoons. A couple whitefish along with a steelhead have also been caught. Bass fishing has picked up with some nice fish caught on tube baits.

Charlevoix: Anglers caught a good number of chinook between the Red Can, Fisherman’s Island and Nine Mile Point when using spoons. Even with all the salmon reported, more lake trout were still being caught. A few bass were taken in the shallows near the cement plant and the Pine River channel when using live or artificial crawlers. Walleye anglers are trying but no fish to report yet.

Torch Lake: Is producing some nice trout.

Lake Skegemog: Muskie fishing is picking up.

Traverse City: Heavy rains have depleted fishing success in both the East Bay and the West Bay. Anglers were still fishing however fewer fish were caught.

Frankfort: Reported good catches both north to the point and south to the Herring Hole. Boats are trolling 45 to 65 feet down in waters 80 to 150 feet deep with orange spoons. For lake trout, fish closer to the bottom. With the mayfly hatch in full swing, steelhead were caught higher in the water column.

Onekama: Anglers are fishing straight out from the lighthouse in 150 to 180 feet of water with lures 10 feet above or below the temperature break. Spoons worked best. Dredging operations are still underway so anglers need to use caution in the channel and watch for workers in the area.

Portage Lake: The mayfly hatch has peaked so anglers were having a hard time. Largemouth bass are hitting along the weedbeds and around the docks.

Lake Missaukee: Was producing some nice bluegill along the west side of the lake.
Lake Cadillac: The bigger bluegills have moved out to deeper waters. Crappie were scattered but found near the city dock in the early morning or evening. Lots of small pike were caught but those fishing deeper found bigger fish.

Manistee: Boat anglers are catching salmon in and around the harbor in the early morning when using glow spoons. Once the sun comes up, boats are heading out to waters 100 to 200 feet deep. Pier anglers have caught trout and salmon when casting spoons or using live bait.

Ludington: Anglers have started catching bigger salmon when trolling in 100 to 200 feet of water off Big Sable Point. Try green spoons or flies 50 to 100 feet down. Pier anglers have also caught fish in the early morning.

UPPER PENINSULA
Black River Harbor: Chinook and coho have been caught close to shore. Try 12 to 20 feet down in waters 35 to 55 feet deep. No lake trout report this week.

Ontonagon: Wind, rain, and fog has made fishing difficult. Those able to get out did catch coho and lake trout. Coho were taken a few feet off the bottom in 45 to 65 feet of water and the lake trout were 2 to 4 feet off the bottom in 100 feet of water. There is a well defined mud line in the lake right now so working the edge should produce some fish. Walleye fishing slowed with the onset of muddy water.

Lake Gogebic: Does have walleye and catch rates should only improve.

Keweenaw Bay: Anglers jigging for lake trout found fish in 220 to 270 feet of water out from Big Louie’s Point and near the 7 Mile Reef. Off Gay Point and Hermits Cove, lake trout were found in 135 to 165 feet of water. At the South Portage Entry, good catches of lake trout were reported in 30 to 70 feet of water along Farmers Reef, Big Reef, Newton’s Reef and the Mud Banks. Spoons worked best.

Marquette: Bad weather made for slow fishing. A few lake trout along with occasional coho were caught in the lower harbor near the Carp River. Water temperatures were in the mid to upper 40’s.

Little Bay De Noc: Night anglers were taking the better catches of walleye. Most are trolling crank baits or crawler harnesses along the weeds in 8 to 15 feet of water from the Center Reef and north. Off the Ford River, some large walleye were caught out in the “Fingers” in 10 to 14 feet of water. Fair to good perch fishing north of Butler Island when still-fishing with minnows in 6 to 13 feet of water.

Escanaba River: Had fair to good walleye catches for those jigging or drifting crawlers in 10 to 20 feet of water.

Big Bay De Noc: Had fair to good walleye fishing. Those trolling in the evening caught fish from Kates Bay south to Garden Bluff when trolling crawlers or crank baits in 16 to 22 feet of water. The bay had several large mayfly hatches so many were trolling along the so called “bug lines”. The purple lightening harness was the hot bait. Smallmouth bass action was still good. Try off Ogontz in 8 to 12 feet of water or Porcupine Point and Kates Bay in 12 to 16 feet of water with tube baits, crank baits, crawlers or leeches. Off Fairport, anglers marked good numbers of baitfish and catch rates were picking up. Try 40 to 80 feet down in waters 50 to 120 feet deep.

Indian Lake: Has been experiencing a mayfly hatch. Smaller walleye were caught on harnesses with crawlers and leeches along the west shore and the north end of the lake. Some were fishing the rock pike in the middle of the lake but smaller walleye were caught. Anglers were trolling small rapalas a little faster than usual. Lots of small perch along with a few keepers were caught in front of the State Park. Try different colored jigs with minnows or crawlers. Pike and herring were caught by those trolling however most were small.

Manistique River: Was producing some walleye.

Au Train: Anglers reported good catches of lake trout averaging 3 to 10 pounds. Try north of Au Train Island in 140 to 180 feet of water.

Munising: Few boats have been out. Shore anglers have seen a marginal increase in activity with a few perch caught however catch rates for splake were not good.

Grand Marais: Pier anglers reported slower catch rates for whitefish, might be due to the weather. They are using a single egg. Some have caught coho.

St. Mary’s River: Northern pike and walleye action were good in Brimley Bay when trolling crank baits in 6 to 9 feet of water. Whitefish were caught near Sault Ste. Marie at the Cloverland Electric Plant. Try wax worms just off the bottom.

De Tour: Boats were still trolling both sides of the shipping channel to the No. 3 can and three miles south of the lighthouse to the area known as The Humps’ for lake trout and salmon. Fish were hitting high on orange or green and silver spoons. At Drummond Island, anglers were fishing near the Yacht Club for herring. Try red, pink, or green teardrops with a wax worm.

Cedarville and Hessel: Northern pike are fair off the Hessel Marina pier and in the bay. Anglers are trolling, casting or still-fishing with minnows. With the early mayfly hatches this year, lake herring are present. Those trolling in 6 to 8 feet of water in Cedarville Bay and Musky Bay have caught some nice perch.

St. Ignace: Boats trolling 50 feet down in waters 80 to 100 feet deep have caught chinook and Atlantic salmon on spoons.

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2010/06/dnr_fish_report_catch_and_keep.html