Weekly Fishing Report
April 18, 2013
Weekly Fishing Tip: Getting ready for Michigan’s trout season opener
Michigan’s general trout season opener will be here soon (Saturday, April 27)! Are you ready to hit the water for some great fishing this spring? Check out the list below for some potential places to visit.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Most everyone is familiar with the “Holy Waters” of the Au Sable, Manistee and Pigeon rivers, but the Sturgeon River also offers great fishing. For lakes, there are several in Montmorency County that are great to try.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
The St. Joseph River proves to be a great destination, along with the Dowagiac Creek and the Dowagiac River. Many tributaries to the Grand River also support populations of brown trout.
Upper Peninsula
Try the lakes in Iron, Marquette, Alger, Luce and Schoolcraft counties or the Fox River system near Seney.
Don’t forget to brush up on all the rules and regulations related to inland trout and salmon fishing before you head out, available in the 2013 Michigan Fishing Guide.
Click on the links below to jump to the report section that interests you most:
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Upper Peninsula
Heavy rain has put a damper on fishing and more rain this week will lead to renewed flooding. Shore anglers will still need to use caution as banks and shorelines are saturated and unstable. Boats will need to watch for floating debris.
Lake Erie: Attention walleye anglers: the daily limit for walleye in Michigan waters from May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014 will remain six (6) fish. Rain and high winds have stained the lake. Catch rates were slow but those trolling in 14 to 19 feet of water in Brest Bay were marking a good number of fish. Those fishing in six to 12 feet of water around Turtle Island or 16 feet of water near the Dumping Grounds caught a few fish when jigging blade baits and hair jigs.
Detroit River: Walleye fishing was spotty with the muddy water. Handliners usually have better success in these conditions that those jigging.
Lake St. Clair: Is a muddy mess with all the wind and rain.
Lexington: Boats trolling in 12 to 20 feet of water caught chinook, coho and steelhead. It is easier to get a bigger boat out of Lexington than Port Sanilac because of sand near the launch ramp.
Port Sanilac: Is producing some steelhead and brown trout.
Harbor Beach: Pier anglers have caught a few brown trout.
Saginaw Bay: Few anglers were out because of rain and strong winds. Perch anglers were getting a few fish from the cut at the end of Palmer Road. Depending on the weather, anglers could be waiting another week for conditions to improve.
Saginaw River: Water levels are very high and fast as flood warnings continue. No one is fishing under these conditions. Let’s hope the water levels go down before the walleye opener next weekend.
St. Joseph: Boat fishing has been hampered by high wind and waves. Pier fishing was slow with a light number of coho, brown trout and whitefish caught by those using spawn on the bottom.
St. Joseph River: Had a lot steelhead moving through the Berrien Springs fish ladder.
South Haven: The few boats able to get out did not catch many fish. Pier anglers caught the occasional brown trout or whitefish on spawn.
Duck Lake: In Calhoun County was producing bluegill.
Gordon Lake: Is also producing a small number of bluegill and other panfish.
Holland: Boat anglers trolling along the shoreline have caught mostly brown trout and the occasional steelhead with spoons and body baits. Orange and gold were good colors. Pier anglers were using spawn.
Port Sheldon: Water levels at the boat launch were still low. While the mouth of Pigeon Lake is being dredged, water in the harbor is very muddy all the way out to 40 feet deep or more. Those trolling along the shoreline caught steelhead and brown trout on spoons or body baits in 30 to 40 feet of water.
Grand Haven: Pier anglers caught steelhead, brown trout and whitefish on spawn.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Water levels are high and the flow is extremely fast which makes it almost impossible to fish right now. Those shore fishing at Millennium Park have caught bluegill and crappie.
Grand River at Lansing: Some steelhead were caught at Moore’s Park. Try crawlers, spawn bags or wax worms under a float.
Muskrat Lake: Was producing some crappie for those fishing minnows and butter worms in the shallows.
Reeds Lake: Boat anglers caught crappie and bluegill in the channel.
Muskegon River: Has a good number of steelhead however water levels are high and stained. Most fish were caught up near Croton Dam.
Whitehall: Was producing good numbers of steelhead for those still-fishing with spawn. Brown trout were caught on orange and silver Cleo’s. Anglers have also caught some of the first walleye this spring when casting body baits.
Rogers City: Had very little activity. The few anglers that were out did not catch any fish. The ice is gone in the marina and out in the lake. All the docks are in at the launch sites but everything else is still closed. Be very careful fishing off the rocks around the break wall and marina. They are slippery because of ice and snow cover.
Ocqueoc River: Had plenty of anglers and they are getting fish. Most are drifting fresh spawn bags or flies and jigs. The deeper holes seem to be holding the most fish. Each day there seems to be more fish entering the river. The warm up this week could kick fishing into high gear.
Rockport: The docks were not in.
Thunder Bay River: Those fishing up to the Ninth Street Dam have caught steelhead on spawn, wax worms, flies or rubber eggs. Very few brown trout were caught. The docks are now in at the river launch but not in the marina. The cleaning station has not yet opened.
Harrisville: Had few anglers even though fish are in and around the harbor. Steelhead were trying to work their way up and walleye were reported along the outside wall. Spoons, body baits and floating spawn should all work well.
Au Sable River: Had increased flow as water levels were up. Fish are making their way from the mouth to the dam. Look for steelhead in the deeper holes when using spawn, spoons, body baits or flies.
Tawas: Pier anglers fishing large live minnows along the outside of the harbor got a few brown trout, lake trout and steelhead. A few perch were caught inside the harbor. Boats trolling off the mouth of the Tawas River were marking fish but not very many were caught.
Au Gres River: There was a small smelt run near the Singing Bridge. Dippers should not expect to get a lot, but they might get enough for a couple meals.
Rifle River: Had very high water levels.
It looks like ice fishing is pretty much done as rain and warmer temperatures pick away at any remaining ice. Rivers and streams are at or near flood stage.
Traverse City: Few boats have been out on either bay. Catch rates for cisco were good in 60 feet of water. Some also caught the occasional lake trout. Pier fishing was slow. Shore anglers caught steelhead on spawn bags.
Elk River: Steelhead fishing has been hit-or-miss. Some did well when drifting jigs tipped with wax worms while others caught fish on spawn bags.
Boardman River: Steelhead fishing has been relatively slow but a few fish were caught on a jig and wax worm or spawn bags.
Frankfort: Boat anglers trolling both inside and outside the breakwalls have caught a few brown trout on spoons or black and silver body baits.
Betsie River: Had reports of several steelhead passing over the Homestead Dam and steady movement upstream.
Portage Lake: Is ice free. The boat launches are accessible however the docks are not in so launching a bigger boat might be a problem.
Manistee: All the docks are in at the First Street launch and the new fish cleaning station is under construction. Boats trolling along the shoreline caught brown trout on body baits. Orange and yellow were good colors. Pier anglers caught steelhead and brown trout on spawn. Fishing was better when there was a good chop on the lake.
Manistee River: Steelhead were caught up near Tippy Dam. High water levels make fishing a little more difficult.
Lake Cadillac: Is opening up as rain and warmer temperatures take their toll on the remaining ice.
Lake Mitchell: Was still ice covered but the shorelines were starting to open up. Anglers are now waiting for open water fishing.
Ludington: Has one dock in at the Loomis Street launch. Pier anglers using spawn are catching light numbers of steelhead and brown trout. Those out trolling found brown trout along the shoreline and around the piers. Try orange, blue or yellow body baits.
Pentwater: Pier and channel anglers have caught steelhead on spawn. A few boats trolling the shoreline managed to catch some brown trout.
Keweenaw Bay: Those lake trout fishing are putting in a lot of time but catch rates were very slow. Those fishing out from the Falls River and Perch Corner in L’Anse said the bite was slow for salmon, trout and whitefish. The only good thing is smelt fishing. Anglers have done well between Baraga and Bucks Marina.
Falls River: Has trout however the water is cold and the bite is slow.
Marquette: Gusty northeast winds blew pack ice into the shoreline and the mouth of the Carp River. Those fishing the “Bubblers” had mixed results for coho. A few limit catches were taken in the early morning when using jigs tipped with crawlers or cut bait. Only the launches in the Upper Harbor are snow free.
Carp River: Catch rates were slow but a couple steelhead were caught on spawn or small crank baits.
Cedar River: Still had solid ice at the boat launch, down to the mouth and up to the first rapids until it starts to open up. The water at the rapids is high and too fast to wade. There were no signs of steelhead.
Menominee River: The storm blew ice back in the river upstream of the mouth. Anglers can launch at Boom Landing but will have a hard time getting to the mouth. Those jigging minnows near Boom Landing did catch some walleye, pike and whitefish. Those launching at Stephenson Island caught a few walleye and brown trout. Anglers walleye fishing off the Cat Walk did better at night but a couple brown trout were caught in the morning. Most are casting rapalas. Some are wading on both the Michigan and Wisconsin side near the Hattie Street Dam.
Little Bay De Noc: While the bay still has ice, weak spots are popping up every day so use caution. The edges are starting to show signs of spring melt. Heavy wet snow made for difficult travel once again. Perch anglers were north of the “Narrows” and near Brach’s Cabins. Deeper water was better although fish were caught in all areas including 18 to 40 feet of water. Try minnows, wigglers or mousies. Rivers in the area are starting to open up. The Ford River is completely open, the Escanaba River up the first dam is open and the Days River is 75% open.
Big Bay De Noc: Had a few anglers catch perch in 14 feet of water near the mouth of Garden Bay. The ice here is starting to melt so getting on at the Garden Launch has been difficult. Travel worsened after the recent snowfall.
Au Train: Had light fishing pressure after the winter storm left another six to 10 inches of snow. The bay remains iced in. Those fishing off the mouth of the Rock River for salmon and steelhead had no luck. The river itself is open. No one fishing off Brownstone as the launch still had between two and three feet of snow.
Munising: Still had fishable ice throughout the bay and most areas still had one or two feet of packed snow and ice. Exercise caution near the Anna River mouth as strong currents have eaten away at surrounding ice. Catch rates for coho were poor. A few whitefish were caught in shallow waters. Try a single egg or wax worm. A few small perch were caught at Sand Point. Try a jig and wax worm halfway down for smelt. Small boats were coho fishing in Trout Bay.
Grand Marias: Half of the bay has open water but the boat launch remains iced in. The lower parking area near the pier has been plowed however the pier is snow covered. The upper parking lot is partially opened but has construction equipment and debris present. There is open water between the pier and breakwall with large amounts of pack ice that will shift depending on wind conditions.
Albany Creek: The access is snowed in but a few anglers were hiking down to Lake Huron and casting spawn or spinners near the rocks.
Cedarville and Hessel: Anglers are perch fishing in five to eight feet of water along the east end of Hessel Bay but more fish were caught in Musky Bay. Try 10 feet of water or more with minnows, wax worms or wigglers.
Carp River: Those fishing near the mouth have caught steelhead on spawn. The access site is still snowed in; four wheel drive is a must.
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