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DNR: Fishing season nears Sept. 30 close in some rivers, streams
9/26/2007, 8:27
p.m. ET
The Associated Press
(AP) — All Type 1 and Type 2 rivers and streams, along with Type A and Type D
inland trout lakes, will close to fishing on Sept. 30, the Michigan
Department of Resources said Wednesday in its weekly fishing report. Lake
trout season in the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron will also close on
Sept. 30. It is unlawful to snag fish or retain a fish not hooked in the
mouth.
SOUTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Lake Erie: Perch anglers were catching an average of 10 fish per trip near
Buoys 1 and 2, the E-Buoy and near the Sputnik. Most are using perch rigs and
minnows right off the bottom in waters 14 to 23 feet deep. A few walleye were
caught on crawler harnesses. Channel Cats were caught in the Hot Ponds, which
are located near Consumers Energy.
Huron River: With the cold front, steelhead could be in by the weekend. A few
walleye can still be found near the dam. Bluegills are hitting on wax worms
and bass on crawlers.
Lake St. Clair: Bass fishing has been good. Those able to locate schools of
baitfish have caught more fish. Perch have been caught off the 400 Club when
using shiners just off the bottom.
Lexington: Salmon along with a few pike have been caught in the harbor. Most
anglers are casting, but a few are trying spawn under a bobber.
Port Sanilac: Salmon are being taken in the harbor. Perch fishing is still
good, but not many anglers are targeting them. Fish were taken in 25 to 30
feet of water and limit catches were reported.
Grindstone City: Good numbers of lake trout were caught in 90 to 105 feet of
water. Anglers are reminded that the lake trout season on Lake Huron will
close on Sept. 30.
Port Austin: Salmon are being caught off the pier on a daily basis by those
casting spoons or bodybaits early in the morning or the last hour of
daylight. Lake trout fishing has been very good when trolling in deeper
waters.
Saginaw Bay: Perch fishing has improved as water temperatures cool. Fish were
caught along the shipping channel from the mouth of the Saginaw River all the
way out to Buoys 11 and 12. Some nice 9- to 12-inch fish were caught. Perch
were also taken in 18 feet of water north of the Black Hole and off Linwood
Marina. Channel cats have been caught near the Hot Ponds.
SOUTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
St. Joseph: Salmon and trout fishing have been slow. Perch fishing was
spotty.
St. Joseph River: The chinook run is winding down and the fish are turning
dark. Boats are trolling from the mouth to the Berrien Springs Dam. Shore
anglers are catching fish at the dam. A couple steelhead were caught, but the
bite was slow.
South Haven: Light numbers of perch were caught in 50 to 60 feet of water
south of the piers. Salmon fishing was slow.
Kalamazoo River: Salmon are starting to show up at the Allegan Dam, but
better fishing has been reported in the lower river and the harbor.
Smallmouth bass are still hitting and some nice bluegills have been caught.
Grand Haven: A fresh run of chinook salmon have moved in around the pier
heads. Boats are trolling J-plugs or fly combos. Pier anglers have caught
fish when casting spoons. No perch to report.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: The best action continues to be between 4 a.m.
and 9 a.m., when fishing up near the Sixth Street Dam. Salmon, brown trout
and only a couple steelhead have been caught drifting flies or spawn. Salmon
can be found on the gravel between Bridge Street and Fulton Street where
anglers are casting spinners, Hot-n-Tot's, or spoons with red hooks. Walleye
along with plenty of catfish are still being caught. Bluegills and crappie
have been caught at Riverside Park.
Grand River at Lansing: A few salmon were caught below the North Lansing Dam
and where the Grand River meets the Red Cedar River. Walleye and catfish,
along with some very aggressive bluegills, have been caught over at Moore's
Park. Some big bullheads were caught in south Lansing when fishing near the
Waverly Road Bridge. Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge has good smallmouth bass
fishing when using chartreuse spinners or tube baits.
Muskegon: A fresh run of chinook salmon has moved in around the pierheads.
Boat anglers looking for steelhead have been trolling out in deeper waters.
Pier anglers have caught fish on spoons and spawn. No perch to report.
Muskegon River: Anglers are fishing the lower river and the mouth but catch
rates were slow.
NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Rogers City: All the action has been around Swan Bay when shallow water
fishing with boards and J-plugs, bombers or spoons. Good colors have been
pearl, green, blue, purple or anything that glows early and late. Boats
anchored in the bay reported limited success. There are plenty of fish, but
they spook easily in shallow waters. No fish are running in the river. No
salmon to report in the harbor, but look for walleye as there are a lot of
minnows in the area.
Rockport: No salmon in the harbor. Most of the local small streams in the
area are still waiting for the salmon to come in.
Thunder Bay River: Continues to produce fair to good salmon action between
the mouth and the Ninth Street Dam.
Harrisville: Lake trout season on the waters of Lake Huron will close on
Sept. 30. Any fish caught after that date must be released immediately. A few
8- to 12-pound chinook were taken in the marina when trolling silver J-plugs.
Those trolling outside the marina have caught walleye and pike.
Oscoda: Boat anglers trolling in 10 to 25 feet of water off the mouth of the
Au Sable River have caught a few salmon on spoons, rapalas and J-plugs. Pier
anglers casting spoons and small Cleo's have caught some fish. Smallmouth
bass were hitting off the end of the pier.
Tawas: Boat anglers have caught a few salmon, brown trout and walleye when
trolling in 35 to 60 feet of water. Pier anglers are starting to catch
chinook when casting spoons or J-plugs. Perch fishing was slow.
Au Gres: Perch fishing continues to improve in 35 to 47 feet of water along
the shipping channel. Many boats are going straight off the mouth of the Au
Gres River, and some are running a bit north of the Gravelly Shoals Light.
Au Gres River: A few chinook were caught in the lower river when trolling
J-plugs. Off the East Branch, they are taking salmon in the surf and in the
lower end of Whitney Drain. Various methods include still-fishing, drifting
spawn, or casting a variety of spoons and bodybaits. Bright colors are best.
A pink salmon was caught at the Singing Bridge which is very unusual this far
south.
Higgins Lake: Lake trout are still being caught when trolling cowbells,
bodybaits, or live bait in waters 80 to 100 feet deep. Brown trout and
rainbow trout were hitting 20 to 40 feet down in waters 80 to 100 feet deep.
Boats are trolling bodybaits or spoons.
Houghton Lake: Those still fishing are catching fish in 8 to 10 feet of water
along the edge of the weeds. They have caught walleye, bluegills, crappie and
pike.
NORTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Petoskey: There are still plenty of silver fish in deep waters 100 to 110
feet deep, but the bite has been slow. Small boats trolling and casting body
baits around the marina have caught a few fish early or late in the day.
Charlevoix: Salmon were caught near the Cement Plant when using spawn.
Lake Charlevoix: Perch continue to bite well, but plan on sorting out the
small ones.
Thumb Lake (Lake Louise): Anglers have been targeting bass over the last
week. Fish ranging from 14 to 16 inches have been caught using spinners,
tubes, poppers, rapalas and crawlers.
Traverse City: In the East Bay, salmon fishing has been very good from the
Bluffs to the south end of the Bay when trolling spoons, J-plugs, Hootchie
Mama's and flies. Limit catches were reported. Pier anglers have done well
when casting spoons or bodybaits. Whitefish action was slow but those willing
to put in the time have caught fish. Chinook and steelhead have been caught
off the mouth of Mitchell Creek. In the West Bay, good salmon fishing off the
mouth of the Boardman River. Steelhead are also starting to show up. Lake
trout were caught near the gravel pit.
Long Lake: Fishing slowed as the lake has turned over. Walleye were caught on
leeches in 10 to 20 feet of water around the islands and off the points. Many
were undersize, but some keepers were reported. Perch are hitting on minnows
and wigglers in 30 feet of water. Excellent smallmouth bass fishing was
reported around the islands. Some trophy largemouth were caught in the
shallows.
Frankfort: The better fishing has been off the Elberta Wall, or when
anchoring in front of the marina. Boats trolling in front of the piers or in
60 to 80 feet of water from the harbor up to Point Betsie have caught a mixed
bag of dark and chrome colored fish. Try J-plugs and flies in white, blue,
green, pink or glow.
Betsie River: Though catch rates have started to slow, fish are still being
caught from River Road up to the Homestead Dam. The fish here are fairly
dark.
Onekama: Trout and salmon catches are starting to slow but a few chrome fish
have still been caught on the north end of the Barrel and along the Shelf.
Pier anglers have caught a few salmon and pike when casting spoons.
Portage Lake: On days when it has been too rough to fish Lake Michigan, a few
chinook, coho, and the occasional steelhead were caught when trolling near
the Inn. The salmon caught were dark in color. Catch rates for panfish have
started to pick up with some big bluegills and sunfish caught in 30 feet of
water. Pike and walleye were caught when trolling crawler harnesses along the
weedbeds. Perch were caught in front of the channel.
Manistee: Boat anglers caught fish when trolling in 40 feet of water in the
harbor. Those trolling out on the Shelf have caught chinook, coho and
steelhead when using J-plugs and flies. Pier anglers have caught chinook
along with the occasional steelhead.
Manistee Lake: Anglers had good luck when using spawn or trolling with
J-plugs or stick baits.
Manistee River: Salmon fishing in the lower river has been very good. More
fish will be showing up in the gravel within the next week or so, especially
if the weather stays cool. The peak of the run has not yet occurred.
Lake Cadillac: Has been very good for largemouth and smallmouth bass,
northern pike, and panfish.
Lake Mitchell: Is also providing some good late season bass and pike fishing.
Ludington: Boat anglers are catching chinook and coho in shallow waters 10 to
50 feet deep. Those going out to waters 100 to 150 feet deep have also caught
chinook, coho and steelhead when trolling J-plugs, spoons and flies. Anglers
have caught salmon when casting spawn off both piers while the shore anglers
have also done well when casting spawn up at the State Park.
Pere Marquette Lake: Salmon have been caught on stick baits.
Pere Marquette River: Salmon fishing should only get better as there are
quite a few fish in the lower river. The peak of the run has not occurred
yet.
UPPER PENINSULA
Portage Lake: Fishing has been very slow with only one walleye and a couple
sunfish caught. Not many anglers have been out.
Little Bay De Noc: Had fair to good walleye fishing around the Black Bottom
when trolling or drifting crawlers right on the bottom in 14 to 20 feet of
water. Walleye measuring 24 to 28 inches were caught off Portage Point when
using crawlers or crankbaits 15 to 25 feet down. Small perch were caught east
of Butler Island.
Ford River: Shore anglers near the mouth have caught a few salmon when
casting spoons or crankbaits.
Big Bay De Noc: Pretty much everyone here is fishing for smallmouth bass.
Most are drifting from Snake Island down to Fayette Harbor.
Marquette: Lake trout have been caught in 140 to 170 feet of water north of
the white rocks, in the Lower Harbor and near the Sand Hole.
Dead River: Chinook, coho and now pink salmon are being caught. The run is
just starting to pick up speed and could peak in the next week or two.
Carp River: The run has started with chinook, coho and pink salmon being
caught.
Chocolay River: Anglers are catching pink salmon.
Au Train Lake: Pike fishing has picked up but not much else is going on.
Munising: A few coho and splake were caught when trolling spoons or spawn off
the mouth of the Anna River. One steelhead was also caught.
De Tour: Limited numbers of chinook, coho and pink salmon were caught along
both sides of the channel. Those going out to the lighthouse are using blue,
yellow and white spoons.
Drummond Island: For perch, try minnows in 12 feet of water around Ashman
Island. Northern pike have been caught in Scott's Bay when fishing around
Grape Island. Use red eye lures just off the weedbeds in 8 to 10 feet of
water.
Cedarville and Hessel: Perch have been caught in 10 to 15 feet of water in
Government Bay. Smaller fish were caught in the east end of Hessel Bay and in
Musky Bay. Most are trolling or casting with minnows along the weedbeds.
Splake and smallmouth bass were caught near the rocky points. Salmon activity
has picked up in Hessel Bay. No activity in the rivers yet.
St. Ignace: Those fishing off the city launch are catching a few chinook
salmon when casting off the breakwater rocks. Fish were caught on green and
white Cleo's or silver J-plugs. Salmon action in the local rivers has been
slow. |
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