Hey, Everybody.
Firstly, I want to thank all the guys who I've met recently both on the water and at the ramps this past week, for their kind words of thanks and support for my fishing reports and the posts I make on some fishing web sites. Sharing honest fishing techniques, lure choice's and location info like I do in these reports and on web boards I visit isn't always popular with the guys who think all fishing info should be kept secret. Its the support and thanks of strangers like yourselves that will keep me on course and continue doing what I do until I can't fish anymore myself. With that said heres the report.
The river fishery has finally broken loose. It seemed to start last Saturday the 4th, with the rains tapering off and the river flow rates down, the river had a chance to clear up quite a bit. The river is packed full of 2 to 3 inch shad, but like the last couple of years, catching a limit of keepers seems to be a matter of being in the right sections of the river at the right time. I personally fished the river twice in the last week and the catch to keep equation seems to be about 10 to 1. Yet some guys fishing in certain sections have caught all nice fish and very few throw backs. I'd let you all in on where these spots are, but they seem to change from day to day. My best advice would be to move around a lot if the fish are small in that particular section your fishing.
I tried night fishing one night on the river and we did pretty good. And virtually all the fish we caught were keepers. #14 Husky Jerks and #9 Shad Raps casted and/or trolled were the ticket for success. There are so many unexplored areas on the Saginaw River (from the mouth to the Tittabawassee) that this technique could and would work, it's scary. But I must say motoring and fishing the river at night, and parking at ramp sites with little of no light, can have it's consequences and should never be done alone. Otherwise, take it dead slow on the water and be extra careful off the water and in the parking lots that are located in certain cities and un-friendly areas.
As usual I've posted some pictures of my last 2 trips for your enjoyment. I'm still also booking both Saginaw and Tittabawassee River charter trips, for those of you wanting to learn the rivers and/or the techniques used on either. But as always, that's your own choices to make and always unconditional to my reports. And like always, Be safe, fish smart and tight lines. Capt. Dan.
