We have had the 4th week in a row of limit or near limit catches of chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead and lake trout. This is not the "normal" fishing result for July but it more resembles our August fishing. The fish are found anywhere from 60 foot to 150 foot of water, however the best depth for us has been the 90 to 115 foot range. The chinook salmon are running from 12 to 20 pounds with steelhead and lake trout weighing in from 6 to 14 pounds. We are also getting a mix of coho in the creel from 4 to 8 pounds.
The best methods continue to be the dipsy divers at 200 foot and 100 foot out with flashers and flies. Once again, on the high divers we have the Pro Troll white glow mountain dew on one side and a blue bubble on the other and white fish scale on one low diver and a UV mixed veggie on the other. On all the flashers we are pulling either the glow hypnotist or green no see um flies. Down riggers are run at 85 foot 50 foot and 60 foot down with flashers and flies on all of them. The best combination was the 11 in Pro Troll white blade glow with a hypnotist fly on the middle downrigger and the white double glow with the hypnotist on the 50 foot rigger. The copper varied from day to day with 150 foot of copper with a stingray glow back mixed veggie and a green splatter back Silver Horde plug and the 200 foot and 300 foot copper with a variety of flashers (silver and white blades and green flies.
Perch fishing has been slow the first part of the week,however there were some good reports in 30 to 40 foot of water 10 miles south of Saugatuck. One boat reported 80 to 100 perch on Friday and another caught 30 by 10 AM on Sunday and they were running 10 to 13 in.
For more information and/or charter reservations, email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.
