Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Otter in My Pond Today
I was trying to get a few photos of green heron and had this otter sneak in the pond for a few minutes. Love watching them put hope they stay out of my minnow tanks.
The perch have moves out of Ludington this weekend with the south winds, but with north winds the next few days they should show back up.
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL
FROM PILGRIM VILLAGE FISHING SHOP
The lakes are calming down. The numbers of boaters and fishermen have decreased with school starting. Although fishing is still descent, many have turned their attention to catching salmon on Lake Michigan or the Manistee River.
Crappie fishing is good, especially on the east side of Lake Cadillac. This has been the hot spot most of the summer. Limits of 8 to 10 inch specks are common. Big rock bass and bluegills are coming from this deeper side of the lake.
Surface water temperatures on both lakes are over 70 degrees.
Panfishing on Lake Mitchell has picked up. Mixed catches of gills, sunfish and crappie are coming from the west side, especially the mouths of the coves. Work the cabbage beds.
Few have been targeting bass or pike. Most caught have been accidental catches while fishing for panfish. Spinner baits are your best bet for pike. Bass are eating senkos, tubes or jigs. No one bait is hotter then another. As the lakes cool down the bass and pike will become more aggressive. Marianne Gay from Eaton Rapids caught her pike while fishing in Cadillac.
It is well known that all the ports along the Lake Michigan shoreline are catching salmon. Big salmon! Charter captains can almost guarantee catches. The piers are also hot. From Manistee to Frankfort pier fishermen are casting Cleoâ??s, Kastmasters, and K.O. Wobblers or using alewives along the pier heads.
The Manistee River has also begun for salmon. Lots of snags, but the numbers of fish are increasing daily. Nice chrome fresh salmon. Most guides and river rats are casting Thundersticks. Fire tiger is the most popular color. Theyâ??re up to Tippy Dam but accesses down river, like High Bridge, Pine Creek and Rainbow Bend have better numbers. Pictured is an example of an August Chinook caught from the Manistee River.