Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Not much fishing going on
This photo was shot on Mackinaw Island
Too much wind and rain this week so very little fishing except river fishing has been great.
AAA Fishing Report
Upper Peninsula:
AAA Tip: The Ford River public boating access site in Delta County has reopened. The Manistique Lake boating access site will close October 6-27 for repair and dredging.
Around the Hessel and Cedarville area the perch are biting big time. Fishing throughout the Les Cheneaux Islands is very good.
Manistique River is giving up plenty of Pinks and Kings using spawn eggs.
The St. Maryâ??s River in Sault Ste. Marie is giving up good catches of Pink salmon on Swedish Pimples and Kings casting spoons.
In the Munuscong area the St. Maryâ??s River is producing good catches of walleye and perch on crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers.
Off of Drummond Island anglers are doing well on Scott and Maxton bays for perch hitting on perch minnows. Only a few bass are biting.
Brevort Lake near St. Ignace is producing good quantities of walleye on crawler harnesses.The Carp River is providing good fishing conditions for anglers using little Cleoâ??s and spawn bags for ample counts of Pink Salmon.
Lake Gogebic near Bergland is producing good numbers of walleye on minnows. Best bet is near the shoreline and weed beds. In the evening hours walleye are active off the docks in 12-feet of water. A few perch are biting on night crawlers on Lake Gogebic.
Good action in Escanaba on Little Bay De Noc where walleye are hitting on crawler harnesses in 15-40 feet of water off the bottom. Pike activity is good around the weed beds on Little Bay De Noc using spinner baits. Salmon are hitting on Rapalas near the mouth of the Ford River.
North West
AAA Tip: The Glen Lake boating access is closed now through October 8 for dredging.
Salmon rules around Boyne City where everything else is on hold. Anglers are finding great salmon fishing on the Boyne, Jordan, and Bear rivers, as well as around Medusa Creek and off the piers of Lake Charlevoix and off the piers of Petoskey. Best results are found when casting with spoons, or using spawn and Rapalas.
Traverse City anglers are doing well with wigglers on most inland lakes for perch. Salmon are still active in the Boardman River and whitefish are in hitting on East Traverse Bay, while perch are active in the West Bay. Water is still 65 degrees in 110 feet of water and anglers are going out to 300-350 feet to find cooler water.
Crystal Lake in Frankfort as well as other inland lakes in the area is giving up good counts of perch and pan fish. Spawn and spoons seem to be working on salmon near the mouth of the Platt River. The weather is changing rapidly and another salmon run is expected soon.
Around the Manistee area, the Tippy Dam, Big Manistee Lake and Big Manistee River are all producing very nice catches of King Salmon. Anglers are finding good results while jigging or casting with Deep Jr. Thunder Sticks. Lake Michigan is sluggish for salmon this week due to warm water temperatures hovering at 66 degrees.
Lake Margrethe near Kalkaska is producing decent walleye. Blue gill are active on most inland lakes when using wax worms with a tear drop. Brook trout are doing well on the Manistee River and salmon are running on Boyne River where anglers are getting good results with Rapalas and stick baits.
Gaylord anglers are finding plenty of action for salmon on the Jordan, Boyne and Bear rivers using spawn and fly patterns. The regular trout season closed as of Sept. 30. Lake fishing is good for a variety of species on Otsego, Lake Michigan and Twin Lakes. Crawler harnesses and crank baits are working well.
In the Cadillac area, blue gill are biting on wax worms, crickets and leaf worms, and crappie are hitting on small minnows out of both Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell. A few perch are starting to show up as the waters cool down, and the pike and walleye are picking up for the fall feed.
West:
Hot, hot, hot salmon fishing taking place in Baldwin. The Pere Marquette, Big Manistee and lower Manistee rivers are all producing excellent catches of salmon. Salmon are ranging between 20-40 pounds with the average 25 pounds. Water levels are down, water is clear and anglers are using nymph patterns, and spawn. The rivers have a good variety of fish with plenty of Coho and steelhead in the mix. Wolf Lake is sluggish at this time. Blue gill are slow due to cooler weather. Lake Michigan is giving up a few salmon when dragging flashers or Hot-N-Tots.
Good angling action around Ludington for salmon. The Pere Marquette River is good near the Ludington State Park using spawn. Anglers are casting with spoons off the break wall and near the piers for some good salmon catches. Steelhead also found in the same locations. Most inland lakes are producing good numbers of pan fish and bass on crickets and crawlers.
Near Muskegon perch action has picked up on Lake Michigan in 50-feet of water and anglers are doing well using minnows. Lake Michigan is also providing nice salmon catches in deeper waters 50-200 feet and fishing 42-82 feet down with spoons. Kings, Coho and steelhead are biting. Muskegon Lake is decent for blue gill off the weed beds.
Northeast:
Overall fishing is very good for the entire northeast area. Cheboygan River is seeing a new run of Chinook salmon. Nice silver fish have pushed in and fishing should be very good for the next 10 days. One angler took in five fish in five casts with skein eggs below a bobber in one hour of fishing. A nice variety of small male Coho Jacks and females in the 15-20 pound range, as well as mid-teen males in the mix. Casting is producing fish at dawn, dusk, and night and eggs produce any hour of the day. Burt Lake is producing nice perch on the southern end off of Indian River. Perch minnows are available in good supply now and fishing should be excellent through ice up. Pike are on a fall bite for a majority of the lakes in the northeast, and smallmouth bass are also fattening up before winter.
Around Oscoda the salmon are in the AuSable River but not spawning as of today. Cooler weather is moving in and by the weekend salmon fishing should be outstanding. Anglers are using little Cleoâ??s, Panther Martin Spinners, spawn, flies, and spoons with good results. Above the Dam, fishing has slowed but some walleye, pike and bass are hitting on night crawlers on Foote and Cooke Dam ponds.
Grayling anglers are finding some good action for brook trout on most of the rivers when using crawlers. Lake Margrethe is fair for perch on minnows and is slow to fair for walleye right now.
Houghton Lake is producing good counts of walleye and pike, some crappie, and a few perch. Best location is Muddy Bay in 8-feet of water and around the weed lines. Popular baits include crawlers, crawler harnesses, Hot-N-Tots, and beetle spins. The blue gill fishing is sluggish this week.
Anglers fishing on Higgins Lake will find that jigging with minnows for lake trout is a good bet. Perch are biting on Swedish Pimples.
Au Gres anglers are using minnows for fair catches of perch, some anglers are limiting out. Salmon are on the move up the river and anglers are getting a few by casting Cleoâ??s and a variety of colored spoons.
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