The only consistent thing about fishing this week was inconsistentcy. One day we caught fish in 20 foot of water and the next day we had to move out to 90 foot then a couple of days in 130 foot, next to 180 foot and then 220 foot followed by a day back in front the piers. The warm water moved in and the fish are scattered form the piers to 240 foot of water with boats catching a few fish in any and all of the depths each day. The catch consisted of chinook (up to 18 pounds) , lake trout (up to 22 pounds), steelhead (up to 15 pounds) and a few coho. There were a couple of days in which we took 12 and 14 lake trout and consider the fact that a couple of years ago we did not catch 20 lake trout all year.
Good news for the perch fisherman. The last 4 days produced limit catches of perch in 14 to 30 foot of water south and north of the Saugatuck piers.
The best fishing methods changed form day to day with Silver Horde plugs and Stingray spoons working well around the piers. As we moved off shore, the Pro Chip and Hot Chip flashers (green glow, white glow, silver) and Rapture flies (green dude, green hypnotist, last supper) produced very well behind divers, downriggers and 300 foot of copper. One day the green flashers produced and the next day it was silver and then the next day was all white glow.
The salmon are ready to run the river and are waiting for cold water. Some can be found and caught in front the piers every day regardless of the water temperature, however there are not large numbers staging there at this time. Check back and find out what happens when the water cools. For information and charter reservations email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.