This week was a week of opposites. Monday and Tuesday we had cold water and the fish moved into 15 to 25 foot of water and we had limit catches of chinook, coho and steelhead. Wednesday, the water warmed and the fish moved and fishing was tough with catches of 4 to 8 fish per boat. Thursday we found the fish in 130 to 150 foot of water and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday we had limit catches of 18 to 28 fish in 120 to 200 foot of water. Fishing could not get much better than we had out in the deep water. These catches consisted of chinook, coho and lake trout with an occasional steelhead. Monday through Thursday produced limit catches of perch in 15 to 20 foot of water and then as the water warmed, the perch moved out to 40 and 50 foot.
In front the piers, in the shallow water, the fish hit primarily j-plugs and silver horde plugs (silver, silver orange, green glow). The plugs were run on downriggers, 3 color lead core and slide divers. In the deep, water the best method was, once again, flashers and flies and plugs on the copper line. The best combination was silver. moutain dew and white glow echip and other flashers with Rapture last supper and green noseeum flies. The flashers and flies were run on downriggers, divers and 300 copper.
Fishing at this time is good and as long as we keep the bait out in the deep water, we should hold our salmon. If the water turns over and cools off, we should get another surge of salmon to the piers. Check back next week and see what happens. For information and charter reservations, email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.