Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Free Fishing Weekend Report
It is Free fishing weekend so come on north and enjoy the warm weather this weekend. Michigan’s annual Summer Free Fishing Weekend will be observed this coming weekend, Saturday June 7th and Sunday June 8th. On these two days only, residents and non-residents alike can fish without a fishing license, though all other regulations that govern fishing in Michigan will still apply. This is a great opportunity to pass on Michigan’s fishing tradition to a new generation of anglers.
Little Bay De Noc - Those walleye fishing during the day have caught fish when trolling or drifting crawlers in 10 to 20 feet of water from Garth Point south to the Center Reef but the night anglers are doing much better on the break just south off Portage Point in 10 to 20 feet of water. Good smallmouth action near the mouth of the Day’s River in 6 to 12 feet of water. Perch were caught in the Narrows when jigging crawlers in 12 to 25 feet of water.
Brevoort Lake - Walleye are hitting on crawlers.
Skegemog Lake - Has excellent fishing as the Brown Drake hatch has started. Smallmouth bass are being targeted in the southern portion of the lake near the marshy area, the west side of the lake near the public access site, and near the Torch River. Try tube baits, crank baits, jigs, spinners, wax worms or crawlers in 12 to 18 feet of water. Rock bass have also been caught in 3 to 15 feet of water. Pike and a few muskie were caught when trolling near the marsh and the Narrows.
Big Glen Lake - Perch were hitting on wigglers and smallmouth bass on crawlers.
Around Grayling, The walleye are biting on Lake Margrethe with Pike fishing sporadic on inland lakes and river fishing is fair to good with live bait, Hendricksonâ??s, and flies.
Hamlin Lake - The crappie are moving out of the shallows. Some nice bluegills were caught near the drop-offs on the North Arm and walleye off Pete’s Bayou. The Bayou’s are starting to heat up and produce a good mix of panfish. Bullhead and panfish were caught at Victory Park. Largemouth bass fishing has been very good.fter dark. Bass anglers are finding beds off the points on the main lake.
Lake Charlevoix - Bass are being caught in shallow waters on the north end of the lake, and catch rates have been good. Lots of walleye have been seen under the boats and around the piers, so those trolling at night should start catching fish.
Saginaw Bay - Has excellent walleye fishing two to three miles off Gambil’s Marina, east of Linwood near the Spark Plug, 16 to 19 feet of water northeast of the Spark Plug, near the Callahan Reef, mouth of the Hot Ponds, and the Slot from Quanicassee to Fish Point. Crawler harnesses trolled off planer boards were the ticket at all of these locations..
Upper Herring Lake - Walleye have been caught when trolling during the day and early evening. Good numbers of both large and smallmouth bass have been caught when casting along the edge of the weedbeds and the drop offs.
Long Lake - The walleye are hitting on crawler harnesses after dark. Also Lake Leelanau has reported in with a good walleye bite
Portage Lake - Anglers are reporting excellent catches of large and smallmouth bass, rock bass and northern pike. Walleye are still being caught at night, but a few anglers have reported catching some smaller fish during the day when trolling.
Muskegon Lake - Perch have been caught in 20 to 30 feet of water. The northern pike action has been good. Crappie and bluegills can be found in waters 10 to 15 feet or deeper. Both the large and smallmouth bass fishing has been good. Some nice fish have been caught and released.
Whitehall - Has good walleye fishing off the pier. Most anglers are picking their spots before dark and fishing most of the night. A few salmon have been caught when trolling. The lake trout were found in shallow waters.
East & West Twin Lakes by Lewiston - Water temperatures are still a bit cold and because of it, only a couple walleye were caught when jigging with minnows, crawlers and leeches or trolling with crawler harnesses.
Houghton Lake - Bluegills are starting to move into the shallows, Also great walleye fishing this week, but many are short.
Tittabawassee River - The lower river continues to produce very good walleye fishing around the Center Road access site. A lot of smallmouth bass have been caught and released and a lot of white bass have been caught.
Lake Missaukee - Has good pike fishing. Look for bluegills on the beds.
Upper Peninsula:
By Copper Harbor, Lake Fanny Hooe is producing some good bass fishing. The splake action on Copper Harbor is also pretty good.
The smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Gogebic is good. The bass are hitting on spinner baits or leeches. Anglers on the lake are reeling in a few walleye.
Around Marquette, the king salmon fishing is fair on Lake Superior, outside the harbors, in water about 60 feet deep. The lake trout action on the big lake is spotty, at best.
In the Gladstone area, the perch fishing ranges from fair to good on Little Bay de Noc. The best area to drop a line in the water is along the â??narrowsâ?ť in water 35 to 40 feet deep. The walleye action is fair on the bay. Anglers are drifting or trolling with crawler harnesses. Along the Ford and Escanaba rivers anglers are catching a few bass using tube jigs or spinner baits.
Northwest:
In the Alanson area, the walleye fishing is fair on Crooked Lake. Leeches are working well as bait. Anglers on Burt Lake are catching a few trout, trolling with body baits.
Out of the Boyne City area, the bass and walleye fishing is good on both Charlevoix and Walloon lakes.
By Traverse City, the lake trout fishing is very good on the Grand Traverse bays, in water 20 to 60 feet deep.
Around Frankfort, the perch action is fair on Crystal Lake. Wigglers are working well as bait. The bass fishing is good on some of the smaller lakes in the area. The trout fishing along the Betsie River is slow.
The walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on Portage Lake near Manistee. Anglers are trolling, using Rapalas. The panfish and bass action is good on many of the smaller inland lakes.
Anglers on Manistee Lake near Kalkaska are catching good numbers of walleye. The smallmouth bass action is good on some of the smaller inland lakes in the area. Along the Boardman River, on sunny days, the brown trout action is pretty good.
Anglers on Otsego and Bradford lakes near Gaylord are finding some very good bass action. Fly-fishermen are enjoying some very good trout fishing on sections of the Au Sable, Black, Pigeon, Sturgeon and Manistee rivers.
And at Cadillac, the crappie fishing is good on Lake Cadillac in water up to six feet deep. Anglers on Lake Mitchell are catching good numbers of bass, bluegills and panfish.
West:
Anglers on the upper end of Hamlin Lake near Ludington are reeling in good numbers of bluegills and bass. The gills are hitting on worms and crawlers, the bass prefer artificial baits. Out on Lake Michigan, the king salmon and lake trout fishing is fair.
Out of the Muskegon area, the salmon, steelhead and perch fishing is good on Lake Michigan. The best fishing is found south of Muskegon. On Muskegon Lake, the bass, bluegill and walleye fishing ranges from fair to good.
Chippewa Lake is producing some good pike and walleye fishing. Afternoons are the best time to be out, and crawlers are working well as bait.
By Baldwin, the bluegill fishing is good on most of the inland lakes. The gills are hitting on both leaf worms and waxworms. Anglers along the Pere Marquette River are reeling in fair to good numbers of brown trout.
Southwest:
Lake Michigan out of the Holland area is producing some good salmon fishing. The fish are found in the top 60 feet of water that is up to 210 feet deep. The catfish are biting pretty good on Lake Macatawa. Anglers along the Kalamazoo River are catching good numbers of walleye.
In the Benton Harbor area, the salmon fishing is good on Lake Michigan. Anglers are trolling in water about 200 feet deep.
Out of the New Buffalo area, the salmon and steelhead action is good on Lake Michigan.
By Kalamazoo, the crappie fishing is excellent on Pine Lake. Red worms are working well as bait. Anglers on Gull Lake are catching good numbers of bass, bluegills and catfish. On Austin Lake, anglers are reeling in a few perch. And along the Kalamazoo River, the smallmouth bass and walleye action is good.
And at Three Rivers, the bluegill and crappie action is good on many of the local inland lakes. The preferred baits are minnows and waxworms.
Northeast:
Around Alpena, the walleye fishing is fair on Thunder Bay, near the reefs. Evenings are the best time to be out. Anglers on Long Lake are reeling in a few smallmouth bass.
Out of the Oscoda area, the bass and pike fishing ranges from fair to good on Foote Dam Pond. Anglers on Cooke Dam Pond are catching a few smallmouth bass and perch. Van Etten Lake is producing some very good perch fishing. Both minnows and waxworms are working well as bait. Anglers along the Au Sable River are catching a few perch and walleye.
In the Grayling area, the smallmouth bass fishing ranges from good to very good on both Margrethe and Section One lakes. Lake Margrethe is also producing some fair walleye fishing. The marble eyes are hitting on live leeches and Rapalas. Higgins Lake is a good spot to go to catch some smallmouth bass. Crawlers and leeches are both working well as bait.
Anglers on Houghton Lake are catching good numbers of walleye, using crank baits and Rapalas. The bass fishing on the lake is very good. The pike action is good, however, a lot of the northerns being caught are on the small side. The bluegill and crappie fishing on the lake is fair.
And at Au Gres, the walleye fishing is good on Saginaw Bay, in water about 30 feet deep. Anglers are trolling using bottom bouncers with crawlers.
East:
The walleye action is steady on Saginaw Bay near Linwood. Try using a crawler harness or bottom bouncer in water 14 to 17 feet deep.
In the Bay City area, the walleye fishing is very good on Saginaw Bay. Crawlers are the preferred bait. The carp are moving in close to shore, providing bow anglers with a few opportunities.