Perch fishing between the piers

April 21, 2009

Water temperature on Lake Michigan out of Saugatuck is 39 degrees so fishing continues to be slow for salmon, brown trout and steelhead, however the lake trout catch is very good. The problem is that lake trout season does not open until May 1, so it is catch and release. Some good news is that this past weekend, the perch fishing off the Holland pier and between the piers produced some limit catches. I would expect that even if the lake water temperature decreases with the present strong north west wind, the perch fishing should continue in the warmer river water.

Steelhead fishing on the Grand and Kalamazoo Rivers improved last week as the water levels declined and the clarity improved. Best method was spawn that was drifted through the spawning beds. There have also been some reports of some Brown Trout being caught on the Kalamazoo River by using spawn. The bad news is that with the rain Sunday and Monday, the river is on the rise (1 1/2 foot Sunday night) and will probably temporally slow the catch.

If you need information or want to book a fishing charter, email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.