Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Fourth of July Fishing Report
Fourth of July in Northern Michigan is living the dream. We will have fireworks and the fishing will be explosive also
Weather has been terible this week with cold weather and rain, but friday were back to summer. Houghton Lake has been hot for walleye with leeches working best. Also Saginaw Bay has been hot also for walleye.
Sturgeon Joe at Otsego Lake is saying the perch and walleye fishing has been fair on Otsego Lake with bass fishing great.
Dave at Four Season Party Store in Houghton Lake says off of Long Point the walleye bite is still super and the weather will be perfect for the holiday.
Saginaw Bay - Has very good walleye fishing in many areas including 28 feet of water near Buoys 1 and 2 and the Spark Plug, 6 to 8 feet off the Kawkawlin River, 8 to 10 feet off Finn Road, 7 to 14 feet on the Callahan Reef, 15 feet in the Slot between Quanicassee and Sand Point, and 8 feet of water along the edge of the weeds in Wildfowl Bay. You can catch walleye about anywhere you want to go. Not much at Caseville except for a couple pier anglers.
Mullett Lake -Walleye were hitting during the warmer weather and catch rates were good for those trolling jigs, crank baits, crawler harnesses or Hot-n-Tots. Northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass and even some trout were also caught.
Burt Lake - Walleye have been caught on stick baits and bottom bouncers. Some fish were taken high in the water column and others at 25 feet.
Lake Margrethe near the Grayling area is giving up fair to good catches of walleye in 15-18 feet of water. Live leeches and drift fishing seems to work well. Pan fish and blue gill are hitting in good numbers on wax worms, Chubby Jigs and live bait. Small mouth bass are biting in shallow waters on most inland lakes in Crawford County.
Higgins Lake -Some nice perch were caught on the west side of the lake near the Veterans Lodge when using minnows just past the drop-off. Smallmouth bass were caught between the table top and the north end of Treasure Island. Some nice rock bass have been also been caught. Lake trout were caught in 80 to 100 feet of water when trolling rapalas and body baits.
Houghton Lake - Bluegills are finally on the beds. Anglers are catching walleye, pike and bass in 4 to 8 feet of water near the weed beds and along the drop-offs.
Lake Charlevoix - Perch and rock bass have been seen near the docks in the main lake so now is a good time to take the kids fishing. Some pike and bass are there as well. Walleye fishing should still be good trolling alewife sized minnow plugs at night.
Lake Bellaire - Walleye pressure has remained steady. Evening and early morning were the best times to catch fish between 13 and 20 inches. Anglers are trolling a crawler harness and spoons or jigging with leeches in 10 to 50 feet of water in the northwest arm or near the Grass River. Bass anglers are casting top water lures, spinners, tube baits, stick baits or crawlers in 4 to 15 feet of water. Target the flats or the drop-offs. Some perch were found in 4 to 15 feet of water. Try minnows, leaf worms or a piece of crawler.
Lake Skegemog near Kalkaska is producing bass and pan fish on wax worms, night crawlers, sucker and perch minnows. Elk Rapids Dam has some nice blue gill fishing available. Guernsey Lake has decent trout activity.
Elk River - Smallmouth, freshwater drum, carp and suckers can be found between the dam and the mouth.
Boardman River - Carp, suckers, and rock bass are abundant just below the Union Street Dam. For the best smallmouth action, try crawlers or leeches near the mouth in the early morning.
Lake Leelanau - Bluegills are finally on their beds and bass fishing has picked up. Look for pike along the weed beds in shallow waters. Anglers are catching walleye and this is a good time of year to catch rock bass. Perch are biting on the south end
Long Lake by Traverse City has been super for walleye this week with leeches working best.
Lake Missaukee - Pan fishing improved and lots of pike have been caught with bass and walleye biting on leeches.
Portage Lake -The panfish action was a little slow however some nice bluegills and sunfish were found in about 15 feet of water. It looks like smallmouth bass are off the beds however some largemouth were starting to bed on the north and east side of the lake. Those trolling at night for walleye were taking a few fish on small rapalas and spoons. Northern pike have been caught on a crawler harness during the day.
Manistee -Catch rates were hit-or-miss. A few salmon were caught when trolling along the Shelf. Steelhead were caught on orange spoons near the surface.
Ludington - Boats fishing between the Bathhouse and Sable Point have found trout and salmon in 100 to 180 feet of water. Try green or blue spoons with green flies. A few fish were still hanging around the harbor.
Brevort Lake near Allenville and north of St. Ignace is producing walleye and anglers are doing well when they can get out. Wind, rain and chilly temperatures limited angling activity this week but the weekend is looking up.
Manistique anglers are dealing with chilly temperatures and rain this week, but when anglers can get out the fishing is good on Indian Lake for decent counts of walleye.
Little Bay De Noc -Even with the Mayfly hatch, walleye were caught and the better action was from Portage Point south to the Ford River. Anglers are trolling crank baits along the break in 17 to 25 feet of water. Fair to good action reported in 25 feet of water out from the Terrace Bay Inn when trolling crank baits or crawlers. Several nice perch were taken off the mouth if the Whitefish River in 8 to 13 feet of water. Good smallmouth action especially near the mouth of the Ford River in 4 to 12 feet of water. Chinook and steelhead were caught out by the Ford River buoy by those trolling spoons or fly’s about 20 feet off the bottom in waters 80 to 100 feet deep.
Big Bay De Noc -Walleye anglers are trolling crank baits or crawlers in 25 feet of water off Ansels Point. Anglers reported good smallmouth action along the head of the Bay and near Ogontz when casting crank baits, crawlers or tube baits in 4 to 12 feet of water. Lots of small perch were caught in Garden Bay. At Fairport, more anglers are showing up for salmon. Chinook and steelhead have been caught but the fish were scattered in waters up to 130 feet deep. Most are trolling spoons or artificial bait. Good smallmouth bass fishing around the Summer Islands.
Grand Marais - Whitefish action was hit-or-miss but catch rates for lake trout were good with limit catches taken in the early morning or late at night in waters 90 to 290 feet deep.
Cedarville and Hessel -Fishing for northern pike continues to be excellent for those casting in 4 to 12 feet of water or those still-fishing with chubs. Yellow perch are starting to hit on crab tails or minnows in Cedarville Bay. For herring, some limit catches were taken in McKay Bay when using wax worm in 7 to 12 feet of water. As the fish continue to come in, try the east end of the Moscoe Channel.
Northwest:
Near the Alanson area Burt and Crooked lakes are producing some fish after dark and in the early morning hours with pike hitting in good numbers. Minnows seem to be working on pike for anglers fishing on Douglas Lake.
Long Lake in the Traverse City area continues to be a good source for walleye.
Anglers fishing in Frankfort are doing well with the river bustling. Crystal, Duck and Loon lakes are giving up plenty of pan fish and bass. Drake and Hex hatch is taking place. Salmon seemed to have moved in from 20 miles out to about five miles. The Alewives have also moved in.
Skegemog Lake near Kalkaska is giving up good numbers of small mouth bass and trout activity is decent. Blue gill are starting to move on to their beds. Popular baits include flies, flatfish for trout and small mouth bass.
Fishing continues to be very good around the Gaylord area. The Black, Manistee and Sturgeon rivers are giving up nice numbers of Brook trout as well as the upper Pigeon near the impoundment area. The Hex hatch is moving north. During the day anglers will find Sulfur, Drake and Caddis hatches while the evening Hexogenia hatches.
In the Cadillac area anglers are doing well despite rain and cooler temperatures this week. Pike and bass are consistent on both Mitchell and Cadillac lakes. On the west side of Lake Mitchell the walleye are hitting in good numbers on leeches and crawlers. Also crappie action is good on the south side in 12-15 feet of water using little minnows and beetle spinners. On both lakes sunfish and blue gill are starting to bed.
Upper Peninsula:
Lake Gogebic has a Mayfly hatch taking place and fish are suspended off the bottom. Try using slip bobbers with Rapalas. Perch seem to be active in the weed beds.
As the weather improves so does the fishing in the Lâ??Anse area and anglers can expect good fishing opportunities for the holiday weekend. Crappie and blue gill are just starting to bed and anglers are working hard for salmon. Lake trout activity is good and pan fish is also decent. Worms and wax worms are working well on the majority of inland lakes.
Escanaba fishing has been quiet this week, however by the weekend the action will start booming as better weather moves in. Pike activity is on the rise, particularly in the weeds and when anglers use spinner and crank baits.
Rain and wind has plagued the area all week so anglers are really looking forward to nice weather over the weekend. A few bass and walleye are hitting in the Manistique River on stick baits and crawler harnesses. Lake Michigan is giving up a few salmon and activity is on the rise, most salmon have been caught closer to Fairport. Indian Lake has been slow overall.
Fishing activity has improved around the Sault Ste. Marie area. Whitefish and Atlantic salmon can be caught behind the Power House and near the ferry docks. Spoons, flies and Rapalas seem to work well. Walleye is rated fair and often times hit or miss, the fish seem to be going deeper. Try crawler harnesses and crawlers.
Near the Munuscong Bay area Raber Bay and the St. Maryâ??s River is giving up walleye and pike on hard baits and crawler harnesses. Bass are biting on everything. Off of Cedarville herring activity is good when using tear drops and wax worms. Pike are also biting in good numbers. Lake trout, Atlantic salmon and a few King salmon are hitting off of Detour.
Drummond Island anglers dealt with rain and cool temperatures this week and overall slow fishing. The weekend forecast is expected to bring warmer temperatures and much better angling activity.
St. Ignace anglers fishing Brevort Lake are finding a few walleye and the pan fish are moving on to their beds.
Northeast:
Angling activity has been busy in the Oscoda area, thanks to good weather and an influx of out-of-state visitors. Steelhead and sucker runs are pretty much done for the season, with some catfish and walleyes to appear in the Au Sable River. Cooke and Foote Dam ponds continue to see blue gills on their beds this week. Minnows, crawlers, leeches and wax worms are the baits of choice. Van Etten Lake once again has some decent pike and perch fishing. Local waterways overall have produced a small salmon run but better numbers of lake trout.
The Hex Flies are in full swing in Grayling, and thatâ??s great news along the Manistee and Au Sable rivers. Brook and brown trout fishing is rated good to great this week. Walleye activity has picked up on Lake Margrethe, while the crappie run is holding its own on Manistee Lake. Anglers in the market for bass are finding varying numbers on Brighton, Glory, Section 1 and Bear lakes. Scattered trout fishing is reported in Bear Lake while the shallow ends of all inland waters are giving up good numbers of blue gills.
Spawning is behind schedule on Higgins Lake where male perch are more abundant in 10 feet of water. A variety of bass have a taste for crawlers and leeches at North and South Sunken islands. Rock bass and small mouth bass are popular there as we head into the weekend.
On Higgins Lake the lake trout are active in 90 to 130 feet of water. Anglers are getting good results using jigs and Swedish Pimples.
Fishing activity has been slow the last few days in Au Gres due to cloudy, cool and windy conditions, but better weather is in the forecast for the weekend. Heading out along the Rifle River and into Saginaw Bay, decent amounts of walleye are being reeled in. Anglers are using crawler harnesses, inline sinkers, weighted lures, as well as bottom bouncers with body baits.