Now is the time for targeting enormous jumbo perch on several fisheries across the Midwest. Clam Pro Staff Angler, Jason Mitchell (Pictured in Photo) shares some of his wisdom.

By Jason Mitchell

Strong perch patterns occur across the board at late ice.  Typical locations include gravel and sand, subtle rolling structure that is connected to the shoreline is often productive.  During the late ice period, perch often move shallow and if there is atypical rule of thumb regarding shallow perch, it is that they are aggressive and on the move.  These fish run in packs and don’t stick around.  These nomads can be difficult to locate but when you find them, they often bite.  Some lakes turn on during the day when the sun pops out, other lakes are morning and evening bites where the bite peaks when the sun is on the horizon.  What is universal however is just how aggressive these fish get when you find them up shallow.

Each lake has a personality.  Leech Lake has really kicked in as a great winter late ice perch factory.  Many perch on Leech are coming off of large sand and sand grass flats where fish.  Mille Lacs, Winnebago and Lake Winnie are also top bets that see suicidal shallow bites on jumbo perch.  The Glacial Lakes of South Dakota is also noteworthy for enormous fish and Devils Lake, North Dakota is another top choice for true two pound giants. 

Drilling an insane amount of holes is one proven tactic for connecting with these here today, gone tomorrow nomads.  Finding fish means drilling and moving.  When scouting jumbo perch at late ice, a few refinements with tactics, gear and mentality can also help you tag more jumbos this season. 

Don’t be afraid to use larger spoons and swim lures in shallow water.  These fish are typically aggressive and they can see and feel larger profiles from further away. Once you call in a school of perch and they are stacked up vertically below you in an aggressive state of mind, they are typically going to take turns swinging at your bait. Chrome, gold and perch patterns are all top color producers but get in the mindset that big lures, plenty of flash calls in fish from afar and the more fish you have stacked underneath you, the better.  When we are in search mode, we often jig very aggressively in an effort to call in fish and we don’t slow or tone it down until several fish show up and stack below.  Get the fish wound up where they stack above each other vertically. 

On tougher bites where the bite hasn’t hit full force, treble hooks typically have a little better hooking percentage and is what I prefer until we hit the peak of the day. The peak of the day can vary but typically occurs when the fish are at their most active and aggressive levels,  That period of time when the fish are racing to you and chomp down on the lure, holding it.  These fish make you look good.  When you get on a torrid bite, exchange the treble hooks for larger single hooks as single hooks are much easier to unhook and speed up the down time between fish.  Remember that you can prolong this intense activity by just getting the fish unhooked fast and getting back down to the fish.  If the fish start to drift off or loose some of their intensity, a phenomenal tactic is to hook and hold a fish above the school.  This struggling fish will often pull more perch up off the bottom in an aggressive state of mind. 

Typically, the fish are not on a tear from sunrise to sunset.  There will often be a peak of activity.  On some lakes, sunrise or sunset is prime time.  Other lakes see a run during the middle of the day or mid morning and afternoon.  Once you get into the rhythm, you know when that prime time is going to be from recent experience. With that being said, you might have to coax the first few fish.  When we have to coax more reluctant fish, soft tips or spring bobbers shine for distinguishing not only light bites but also lets the fish hold the bait longer which seems to help with hook ups.  One of the most effective rod designs ever developed for this type of panfish bite is the Jason Mitchell Elite Series Meat Stick line up which features a feather light sanded glass tip that loads to a fast and abrupt back bone for better hook setting leverage.

Walleyes are often caught incidently when targeting perch and are a nice bonus. Note that on Devils Lake where the author has guided for several years, there is no closed walleye season.

Typically, no finesse is required once fish get wound up so light sensitive finesse rod tips or light line can cost you fish on a really hot bite.  On a hot bite, use a fast response high quality graphite rod (Jason Mitchell Elite Series 26 inch Perch) that has a quick tip for solid hook sets particularly when using spoons or swim lures.  Heavier line like Northland Tackle Bionic seven pound test really lets you windmill through schools of fish because you can lift big perch out of the ice hole right to your hand without worrying about line breakage.  Another tip is to fish high in the water to ring the dinner bell.  Lures silhouetted higher in the water column can be seen from further away and also seem to put off more flash which is crucial for calling in perch. Even in ten feet of water on clear lakes, don’t be afraid to fish five or more feet off the bottom  Fish can see the lure from further away and as fish rise up to greet you, they just seem to become more aggressive.  High fish often bite.   

Great tipping options include the classic pinched off minnow head but loading lots of spikes can also be effective.  In the Dakotas where legal, perch eyes might be one of the better baits because they are durable enough to catch several perch.  Other great options include pieces of soft plastic like Trigger X which has gotten so popular with the open water bass and walleye crowd.  Hook the bait however so not only does the bait stay on during aggressive jigging strokes but also so that the hook is exposed for good hook sets.  Trimming off the barb is another tip that can speed up unhooking fish.  Anglers also can bend out the barb slightly and when using spoons, perch will often come unbuttoned by just banging the fish on the ice which greatly speeds up the time to get back down at the fish. 

We are about to embark on one of the most productive periods of the entire ice period for anglers who love to target jumbo perch.  Several good fisheries are starting to kick into high gear right now and with a few adjustments, anglers can turn good days of perch fishing into great days of perch catching.

Editors Note: The author Jason Mitchell earned a reputation as a nationally recognized ice fishing guide for the Perch Patrol on Devils Lake.  Today, Mitchell hosts the television show, Jason Mitchell Outdoors which airs on FSN North at 9:00 am Sunday mornings.     

The post Run and Gun Perch Tactics at Late Ice appeared first on Out In Michigan.

First Ice is prime time for hitting untouched packs of jumbo perch in shallow water. For hole hopping outside, use the Jason Mitchell Elite Series Spring Bobber rod to distinguish light bites. Note the over sized loop used with this particular spring bobber design to make the spring more ice resistant.

We do much of our filming on late ice. We take a lot of our photos at late ice as well. The reason is simple, long relatively nice days on the ice where you can expect sweatshirt weather. When the sun begins to rot the ice, you can expect to get some work done if you are in the business filming television shows as you typically get good fishing and weather that doesn’t freeze fingertips and camera batteries. Like many of you however, I need to get on the ice long before late ice and in all reality, first ice is just as prime of an opportunity to catch fish but the conditions might not be so romantic.

The reality is that during that first ice period when we are walking on the first three inches of clear virgin ice making those very first footsteps, we are dealing also with some of the first real cold weather of the season. Balmy and sunshine doesn’t make ice. Chances are that we are fishing in bone chilling cold where the ice booms and moans through the night like a civil war battlefield. When I was younger, I was a pretty enthusiastic and ambitious angler who would typically find ice to fish and tolerated some fairly miserable conditions where I didn’t have the proper clothing and even chopped holes at times by pile driving holes with fence posts through a few inches of ice so there goes everything you ever heard about spooking fish at first ice. We fished in some miserable conditions and tolerated the uncomfortable of the situation because we wanted to fish so badly. I still have that passion but the gear has gotten so much better that I seldom experience any of that former misery anymore.When I am walking out on early ice that is less than six inches, I often simply walk to close by locations where I caught fish in the fall. Regardless of what species I am after, most of the fishing is relatively shallow and often close or in proximity to the shoreline contour. Don’t out think the fish as most places won’t get busy until you get at least six inches of ice so pull fish off the obvious spots first. Weeds like coontail are typically still green so nice weed bed edges are obviously good for just about all fish but for walleyes and perch, gently sloping sand shelves or gravel shorelines that drop off into deeper water can be dynamite. If there is any weed growth like some patches of broken down cabbage, chara or carpet weed, the spot can be even better. Flooded timber can also be good. Often during the early ice period, we often find walleye and perch together or crappies and bluegills together. Some stretches of shoreline or some parts of the shoreline structure however, will just have more activity. If you start seeing activity on your Vexilar, even just bait fish or invertebrates rising through the water column when the sun sets, you are getting close to the zone. Finding the general areas and depths typically doesn’t take long. Just remember to look at the big picture so that you can slow down when fishing through some spots. If you are after walleyes and catching a few perch, slow down as the walleyes are around. If you are after crappie and find pods of bluegills, slow down as the crappies are typically nearby.

Early ice is typically a time of the year when a person can walk out and expect to catch some fish. This time frame is typically one of the best times of the entire season to ice fish. There are a few unique challenges however to catching or finding fish at early ice. Like mentioned earlier, conditions are often brutal. The right clothing makes all the difference in the world for enjoying your time outside. There are a lot of really good cold weather suits out there and to be honest, some are actually too warm if you are moving or doing any activity at all. My favorite cold weather suit is the Ice Armor Grey Suit. With this particular suit, I have fished outside in thirty below temperatures all day and was comfortable but just as importantly, the suit is still comfortable when the temperature is thirty above. If you plan on walking on ice, get some ice cleats, or if your soles on your boots are thick enough, even tack a few drywall screws into your soles so that you have some traction. A tow rope that hooks up to your shoulders makes towing a sled or Fish Trap much easier. Clam manufactures both the Fish Traps and the tow ropes for serious ice anglers. Keep gear to a minimum when on foot for obvious reasons. If you are planning on really exploring the lake, the Clam Scout or Pro one man shelters are perfect because they are simple enough to still tow easily. These light weight shelters offer heavy duty protection from the elements when needed and there is plenty of room to store your gear. A bucket, Mora hand auger, small tackle pouch, a few of our Jason Mitchell Elite Series Rods, rod case along with a GPS and Vexilar round out all of the gear in my Trap.

When fishing outside in cold temperatures, braided line can often give you an advantage because ice build up can be shredded quickly off the line with a glove or mitten. Northland Bionic Ice Braid works extremely well for this application.

Unless I plan on doing a lot of sight fishing, I often like to fish outside and hole hop. I often just use the Fish Trap to haul my gear or I set up when I am tired and want a break or if I get on a really hot hole. With that being said, here are a few tips for fishing outside in cold temperatures. When the temperature is less than about ten degrees, I really like to fish with braided line when fishing outside. Many people make the mistake of thinking that braided line is no good when fishing outside in the cold because it typically absorbs water. Yes braid will ice up faster than mono but what I have found is that I can shred the ice off the line much easier by just running my mittens down the line and the line seems tougher in the cold. With mono, the ice just seems to slide down the line and you eventually have to put the line in your mouth to melt the ice off. Northland Tackle makes a Bionic Ice Braid that works extremely well. Ice on line however costs you fish because it is harder to distinguish bites especially when targeting panfish so be diligent about shredding the ice off the line. When it is so cold that I have to use choppers or gloves, our over sized spring bobbers that we designed for our twenty and twenty four inch Jason Mitchell Elite Series Spring Bobber rods save the day as this particular spring bobber rod gives you sensitivity in the cold and is fairly ice resistant.

Lastly, always keep safety in mind. Use a spud bar to check ice in front of you when walking on questionable ice. If water comes up the hole or the ice gets wet when you pound the spud bar down, back off the same route you came. Keep at least a couple of screwdrivers in your pockets to help pull you out if the worst happens. Put a cell phone in a waterproof bag and put that in your pocket. Wear an inflatable life jacket and avoid springs, muskrat huts, beaver lodges, feeder creeks and other moving water. If you do ever fall through, don’t panic and don’t worry about taking your boots or clothes off, you clothes will actually float for a while. Keep your head out of the water. I didn’t have screwdrivers or anything to grip the ice with one time when I fell in so I got out by laying on my back and kicking my feet until I got up on the ice far enough to roll over on my belly and crawled out. This sounds simple but getting out of the water is absolutely exhausting. Safety is nothing to compromise as falling through the ice is scary, dangerous and serious business. StrikeMaster actually makes a jacket that was designed for first ice safety with ice picks and cleats on the elbows. First ice is rewarding and productive but neither of that matters if you don’t use common sense and fish with safety in mind.

The post First Ice Tactics that Work By Jason Mitchell appeared first on Out In Michigan.

It’s that time of the year, there is way too much going on in the outdoors. The steelhead are starting to run, the ducks are migrating, the deer are getting close to rut, and perch fishing is in full swing. But it also means that it is soon time to fish for Walleye from the beaches and pier heads at night.
There is something very cool about a cool fall night and catching eyes from shore. It’s a fairly easy form of fishing that everyone can do no matter your budget. This opportunity is played out on many inland lakes also, not just the great lakes. All you need is a medium power rod filled up with some braid or mono, a handful of stick baits and maybe some waders.

What you are looking for in this style of fishing is where some deep water comes into the shallows within casting distance of shore or some place where you wade out to a breakline. During this time of year, Walleye will work balls of bait up against these breaklines or piers, then the walleyes will harass these shiners, shad, alewife until they are fat and happy.

When it comes to baits for this type of fishing its pretty straight forward. You can almost never go wrong with a stick bait. The only thing you have to figure out is what type of action the walleye are looking for. When I go I carry three basic types of stick baits: floaters, slashers and suspending. All three of these types give you the option of matching the walleyes’ mood. Below is a list of some of the basic options out there:

• 
• Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogue
• Bomber Long A
• Rapala Husky Jerk
• Rapala Original
• Rapala X-rap
• Bomber Jointed Long A
• Rapala Jointed

These basic baits should be able to catch you fish most nights. But there are some times that baits such as Rattle Traps or Shad Raps can really shine. Another option is also the Countdown from Rapala, it works great when you are fishing piers that have very deep water around them.
The next thing to think about is colors, you can make this as hard or simple has you like. I carry anywhere from 6 to 12 basic colors with me. White, Perch, Fire-tiger, Smelt, Orange, and Shiner type colors. Below are some of my favorite baits and colors.

Also, don’t forget the headlamp that way you can tie knots if need be while you’re out fishing. Also anytime there is some extra ambient light nearby focus on those areas. The minnows will be drawn to the light and the walleye will be on the edges of those areas.

The post Casting for Night time Eyes! appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Lake trout season on the waters of Lake Huron and northern Lake Michigan will close on September 30th. The waters of Lake Michigan between Arcadia and New Buffalo will remain open until October 31st for lake trout. Salmon are running in pretty much all of the rivers. Anglers are reminded that snagging is unlawful.

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Weather permitting, anglers are getting out and targeting perch in 20 to 25 feet of water between Brest Bay and the River Raisin Buoys.

Detroit River: Angler success has been slow. Light numbers of perch have been caught but the fish were small.

Huron River: Was producing some perch at the mouth.

Lexington: Pier anglers are catching some steelhead, the occasional brown trout and chinook salmon early in the morning before dawn or at night when casting spoons or rapalas. Hot colors were orange and gold, silver with green or blue.

Port Sanilac: Pier anglers are catching brown trout on small spoons. A couple steelhead and salmon were also caught.

Harbor Beach: Rough water has slowed the bite however the fish will start hitting again once the lake settles down. Trout fishing is slow to fair. Try straight out and north of the harbor with downriggers and spoons set 50 to 120 feet down or using dodgers with spin-glows or flies just off the bottom in 120 feet of water. For steelhead, try color lines in the early morning. Use bright colored small or medium spoons and start in 70 feet of water and work your way out while targeting the top 20 to 60 feet. A few salmon were caught in 70 to 190 feet of water. Walleye fishing is still very slow. Perch anglers are fishing inside the harbor and along the channel.

Grindstone City: Those trolling in 120 to 140 feet of water were taking limits of bigger lake trout.

Saginaw Bay: The best perch reports are off Linwood in 17 feet of water, west of Spoils Island in 21 feet of water and near Buoy 22. The occasional walleye was also caught off Spoils Island. Boat anglers from the east side of the bay are crossing the Bar and perch fishing off Au Gres or along the shipping channel. Bluegills and crappie have been caught in the marina basins. Not many perch are showing up in the local rivers or cuts but it is still early as the near shore perch fishing usually improves in late October and November. Not much to report outside the thumb.

Sebewaing River: A few small perch are showing up.

Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph:

Pier fishing was slow but a few salmon were caught. Boat anglers trolling the mouth of the river are catching fish and those heading out to waters 120 to 140 feet deep were taking good numbers of smaller chinook salmon.

St. Joseph River: Has a good number of chinook and coho in the river. Try early morning and late evening or try fishing the deeper holes.

South Haven: Has a good number of chinook and coho in the river. Try early morning and late evening or try fishing the deeper holes.

Kalamazoo River: Anglers are still catching steelhead at the Allegan Dam. Chinook and coho salmon are starting to show up as well, with limit catches reported.

Grand River at Grand Rapids: Salmon have been caught up near the Sixth Street Dam. Anglers are using bottom bouncers with spawn bags or spinners. The fish are averaging 12 to 15 pounds. The occasional steelhead was also caught.

Grand River at Lansing: Is also producing some salmon with fish caught at Moore’s Park, the North Lansing Dam and the point where the Grand meets the Red Cedar River. Orange spinners were the hot bait. The fish are averaging 6 to 8 pounds.

Morrison Lake: Was producing some crappie. Try wax worms or minnows.

Muskegon River: Has a good number of salmon in the river. Some limit catches of walleye were taken in the backwaters.

White River: Is producing some salmon for those using spawn or small spoons.

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Rogers City: There seems to be a lot of fish hanging in and around Swan Bay as boat anglers reported seeing lots of fish jumping. Anglers are fishing anywhere from 8 to 70 feet of water. Those in shallow waters are using planer boards and high-lining bombers and J-plugs. Pearl was the hot color. For deeper waters, fish halfway down with spoons, J-plugs, attractors, squid and flies. Good colors were green, blue, orange, pink, yellow and silver. Those fishing north towards Forty Mile Point caught some nice younger fish.

Presque Isle: Silver fish should still be around and caught on occasion with lake trout and steelhead. Try north of the big lighthouse off Black Point while fishing just above the temperature break in 45 to 70 feet of water. The big thing right now is to look for baitfish as the younger fish are on a feeding frenzy as they prepare for winter.

Rockport: Few boats were out however those braving the elements did manage to catch one chinook and one walleye. For walleye, anglers are trolling crawler harnesses or reef runners in 20 to 30 feet of water towards Middle Island.

Thunder Bay River: Has fair to good numbers of salmon. Those using spawn up near the dam have caught fish.

Harrisville: Salmon activity has started but most anglers were fishing inside the harbor because the lake was too rough. Some were fishing 15 to 45 feet of water with spoons, body baits, J-plugs, flat fish, little Cleo’s, and wobblers. Hot colors were blue and silver, orange and silver or anything that glows. Use spawn under a bobber inside the harbor. The fish were healthy and weighed 8 to 20 pounds.

Oscoda: Pier anglers are casting spoons but those fishing upstream did better with spawn.

Au Sable River: A few salmon are making their way up the river but the run in general is a bit slow. Fish were caught down near the mouth in the early morning and late evening.

Tawas: Pier anglers are getting some perch early in the morning however they are sorting out the small ones. Smallmouth bass and rock bass were also caught. Boat anglers caught perch in 18 feet of water near Buoy 4 or 35 feet of water near Buoy 2. Shore anglers casting near the mouth of the river caught some chinook salmon when casting spoons or rapalas.

Au Gres: Perch fishing remains good but spotty. You have to be in the right spot, or move around to find an active school of fish. Sometimes it pays to get away from the pack of boats. Perch are being caught between Point Lookout and Pointe Au Gres in 27 to 35 feet of water which means the fish have moved a little closer to shore.
Northwest Lower Peninsula

Petoskey: Salmon fishing fair to good. Boat anglers are trolling in 20 to 100 feet of water and picking up chinook and coho on plugs, flasher/fly combos and reef runners. Those fishing from the piers and docks caught fish on body baits or when floating spawn under a bobber.

Bear River: Salmon are moving in and out of the river as water levels were low and clear. Recent rain should bring some fish back in.

Charlevoix: Salmon action was good when fishing in 20 to 100 feet of water out from the Cement Plant. Boat anglers are trolling rapalas, thundersticks, and plugs while shore anglers are using glow spoons or spawn.

Traverse City: Lake trout have been caught in the East Bay by those jigging. Anglers are waiting for perch and whitefish but no catches to report. In the West Bay, good numbers of lake trout have been caught by those jigging Swedish pimples or trolling green and blue spoons.

Boardman River: Is full of fish so angler activity has increased. Fish are hitting spawn under a bobber in the early morning or late evening.

Platte River: Fish have been passed at the lower weir however there is not a large number of fish in the river right now. Hatchery staff are expecting another big run when the temperatures drop and the winds swing around to the north, northeast.

Frankfort: Pier anglers are catching chinook salmon but many have already turned dark. Boat anglers are doing well just south of the port when trolling 25 to 40 feet down in 220 to 250 feet of water. Three year old chinook, some coho, lake trout and steelhead were also caught.

Betsie River: Chinook have been caught throughout the river on spawn and Cleo’s. Some of the 4 year olds are really dark but still putting up a good fight.

Portage Lake: With the drop in water temperature the smallmouth bass are starting to move to the drop offs. Some nice fish were caught off the point and near the launch area. Some are targeting perch but catch rates were slow.

Onekama: Fish have been caught straight out from the lighthouse in 220 to 250 feet of water. The fish are moving and most hits are coming with no reading on the fish finder. They are hitting spoons in the early morning and meat rigs after daybreak.

Lake Cadillac: Is producing pike and bass for those fishing close to shore along the weed beds. Panfish action was slow.

Manistee: A few mature salmon have been caught on flies and plugs in the harbor and around the piers. Younger salmon have been caught offshore when trolling small orange or green spoons. Pier anglers caught a few chinook on glow spoons.

Manistee River: Has a good number of salmon in the river with lots of angler activity up near Tippy Dam.

Ludington: Salmon fishing around the piers has slowed so boat anglers are heading out to waters 40 to 80 feet deep and running small spoons. Surfcasting off the Ludington State Park was slow.

 Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay: There are a few salmon and brown trout showing up in the rivers around the bay. In Traverse Bay, fishing was spotty with a few chinook and coho taken by those trolling in 40 to 50 feet of water off the Buffalo Reef. Those trolling off Big Louie’s and Gay Point caught fish when trolling spoons in 130 to 185 feet of water. The bigger fish were caught by those jigging in 170 feet of water.

Marquette: Lake trout action was fair with most anglers picking up two to five fish that averaged three to five pounds. The better fishing remains north of the White Rocks to Little Presque Isle and the Clay Banks in 100 to 140 feet of water.

Carp River: Coho and chinook action were slow.

Menominee: Walleye anglers are catching some fish near Green Island when jigging minnows or trolling crawler harnesses or stick baits. Some are also trolling the drop-off along the Wisconsin shoreline.

Menominee River: The Boom Landing launch, restrooms and cleaning station in Marinette are closed for the season. Those trolling the deeper holes have caught smallmouth bass, pike, and a few walleye on crawler harnesses, rapalas and crank baits. The area upstream of Boom Landing and the Mystery Ship Launch produced the most catches. Perch were caught at the marina and off the breakwall. Early morning and late evening produced the bigger fish. Anglers are reminded that the sturgeon season is catch-and-release only from the mouth upstream to the first dam.

Little Bay De Noc: A few walleye were caught between the Black Bottom and the Narrows when trolling or drifting crawlers in 15 to 25 feet of water. Fish were marked near Round Island but few were caught. Perch fishing was fair off the Center Reef in 20 feet of water or Gladstone in 20 to 30 feet of water. Both are using crawlers or minnows. Smallmouth bass were caught when casting tube baits or crank baits in 10 to 20 feet of water off Hunters Point and Farmers Dock.

Ford River: A few salmon have been caught at the mouth when casting spoons, crank baits or spinners.

Big Bay De Noc: The smallmouth bass are still a bit north of Snake Island and not quite staged for the fall fishing. Try between Kate’s Bay and Garden Bluff in waters 4 to 15 feet deep.

Munising: Boat anglers are now focused on coho salmon and the better fishing seems to be in the early morning in 20 to 50 feet of water when trolling dodgers, flies and spoons. Some caught the occasional pink salmon. Pier anglers caught splake and coho when using spoons, spinners or spawn.

Grand Marais: Lake trout fishing was slow and those trolling caught coho and pike. No reports of any steelhead in the bay yet. Pier and shore fishing was slow.

Manistique: Chinook salmon are being caught near the mouth of the river and just past the breakwall by boat anglers trolling small spoons or rapalas. No steelhead or brown trout were taken but some walleye were caught.

Manistique River: Anglers wading at the first dam are targeting chinook but the fish are starting to turn color.

St. Mary’s River: A few walleye were caught on the southeast side of Sugar Island in Sault Ste. Marie. Anglers are trolling bottom bouncers with crawler harnesses. Walleye were also caught down in Raber Bay, around Lime Island and Munuscong Lake. Hot colors were orange and black or chartreuse and purple.

Detour: Fishing was slow for perch, walleye and pike. Salmon and trout are still present when trolling the shipping channel to the #3 green can and the lighthouse area, but watch for the gill nets. Orange and yellow spoons worked best.

Cedarville and Hessel: A few perch were caught in Cedarville Bay, Middle Entrance, Musky Bay, the north end of Snows Channel and off the Hessel Pier in 8 to 10 feet of water with crawlers or minnows. Smallmouth bass opportunities have picked up so try fishing the rocky points off Hessel Bay, Musky Bay and Snows Channel.

Carp River: A handful of salmon have made their way upstream to the Mackinac Bridge Trail and the McDonald Rapids. Try small Cleo’s in green and white or orange with black dots.

St. Ignace: Boats are targeting chinook, lake trout and steelhead off the Coast Guard Station and the Edison Plant when fishing high in the water column with silver and green or gold and green J-plugs and fire-tiger spoons. Pink and chinook salmon are at the mouth of the Carp River but anglers need to use caution and watch for gill nets in the area.

The post Weekly Fishing Report September 22nd appeared first on Out In Michigan.

Right now, Lake Erie is seeing another large Blue-Green algae bloom. Which isn’t good for the lake to have such large blooms, but there is still plenty of good fishing to be had despite the bloom.

My day started with meeting Captain Andrew Oleksiak of Walleye Capital Charters at Jeff’s Bait & Tackle by Sterling State Park. After loading up on crawlers and ice for the coolers we hopped in the truck and headed over to the launch.

The weather man was calling for an easterly wind again for the millionth time this year. We just can’t seem to buy west winds this year. East winds on Lake Erie means rough water for us here on the western basin. We made our way down the channel with high hopes of catching a fast limit and maybe chasing yellow perch for a little bit after catching our walleyes. As we made the turn, we could see that the old bath tub was already splashing about. We were met with waves in the 2 to 3 foot range with a few surprising sets of 5 footers here and there.

We started our day where Capt. Andrew pulled limits just a few days before on his charter. We quickly setup on his waypoints, and got the first hit in mere minutes of placing the last board in the water. The fish ended up being the first of two Channel Catfish we would catch in this area. Toward the end of our first pass through the area we picked up two small walleye that just edged over the 15 inch mark.

We didn’t see too much on the graph on the first pass, but we thought we would give it one more try and see if we couldn’t find a few more eyes. The second pass yielded nothing for us, not even a white perch. After quick conversation we decide to head north to an area that has produced well this year and in years past.

The area we were planning on fishing had a few boats around but most of them where anchored up looking for perch. After making a quick pass through some old waypoints and looking at the graph, we motored up-wind after liking what we saw. Lots of bait fish and lots of good marks.

So we setup again and started our first pass in this area. It started out really slow with two short strikes and one lost at the boat. Then like magic we hit a sweet spot and put 4 fish in the boat. All the fish came up high on our outside and the middle board on my side. The fish seemed to be 10 to 18 feet down from the surface. This basically put them right under the algae bloom which goes 6 to 10 ft down… Then it went quiet. So we picked up and setup for another pass.

The second pass met us with enough takes to finish up our limit for the day, but short fish and fish just simply coming unbuttoned kept us 4 fish shy of our limit. So we cut the pass a little shorter than the previous one and headed back upwind for our third pass. This time we moved four of our six rods to the what seemed to be the “sweet spot” and also raised are deep lines up a few feet.

All we needed was four more bites and we were able to get them all in 20 or 30 minutes on that last pass to end our day. We trolled 1 oz. inline weights at 1 to 1.3 mph with a crawler harness in tow. The hottest color seemed to be a metallic blue-tiger pattern on a silver blade. That color alone took about two-thirds of our fish. The other third came on Capt. Andrews super secret color. That color is his bread and butter color, but for you to learn what that color is you will have to book a charter with him to find out.

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Capt. Robertson spends about 95% of his time trolling with the waves. “Going against the waves most times will cause lures to run improperly and make depth and speed control difficult,” Capt. Robertson says. He also added that times you may have to change things due to current going at a different direction than what the waves are traveling at. Thankfully there are some great new motors out there today to help you handle everything the big water can throw at you,.

Photo by: www.fishingclub.com

Usually most walleye anglers have up to two motor options on their boat. The first option is the big motor, i.e. your main motor. The second is the kicker motor, which is a small 15 hp or less motor used to push the boat at slower speeds. A third option and newest that is now being deployed is high power electric bow mount trolling motors. These new trolling motors have some options that make life super easy. Minn-Kota has come out with the I-pilot system. With this system you are able to be in the back of the boat and still steer the boat thanks to a hand-held control. This system also has a built in GPS system that you can set a heading into it and forget about, and it will drive the boat for you and keep you on the heading you have set. Then all you have to do is adjust your speed to what the fish want.

If it gets too rough out there and you start losing speed, or if you want to reduce the stress on your batteries you can put down your kicker motor. Lock the kicker motor straight and use it to push the boat and let the electric steer the boat for you. Capt. Robertson uses this a lot, “I typically use my Minn-Kota I pilot 99% of the time. This gives me enough to troll all day when going up to 1.5 mph. If I need more speed I use my Mercury Pro-Kicker for thrust and use the I-Pilot for steering.”

Another nice bonus of using the electric instead of a gas motor most of the time is noise. You will slip over the fish quieter, which in turn, could mean more fish in the boat for you. Also, going stealth will help you catch those walleye that are riding really high that many anglers miss and never know they are there.

Having all these options in motors may not be in your budget. So say you only have your main motor, and no matter what you can’t get it to go slow enough by itself. Well there is a few things you can try to help you out. One way is by running drift socks off the boat to slow you down, either one large one out the back or two smaller ones off the sides. This does have some draw backs; if you choose to go with one off the back, it is in the way when landing fish. Also, make sure if you do go with a drift sock to slow yourself down that you don’t leave them in the water if you pick up to move to a new area, it can cause some damage to you and your boat.

There is no golden rule on speed. The speed that catches fish can change by the month, week, day and even the hour. So it is important to keep in mind to play with your speed, if you’re not catching fish. Generally though, the colder the water the slower you need to go; conversely, the warmer the water the faster you will need to go. Most people troll spinners from 0.7 mph all the way up to 2.1 mph. Anything above and below these speeds you tend to have trouble getting many of the blades to run right or the live bait can not stay on the hook. Just remember: trolling is a constant experiment of trial and error until you hook up. The more time you spend on the water doing this the better you will get.

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Capt Roberson Doing what he does best!

But the bread and butter blade style for most walleye anglers on the Great Lakes is the Colorado blade in a size 5, but number 4 and 6 Colorado’s are also very popular choices. Blades as large as number 8 are used routinely by serious anglers, including tournament guys looking to catch the eye of the largest walleyes in the system.

The color combination an angler could come up with is only limited by their imagination. Color can and does matter at times, but all too often fishermen focus way too much on color and not enough time on getting the rig in the strike zone of the walleye. This is the single most important thing to remember and master when it comes to getting bit while trolling spinner rigs.

Luckily these days we have about as many ways to get the lure down as there are blade types, but we are going to stick to the basics and the most popular methods here.

There are three basic ways of getting the harness down: snap weights, in-line weights and bottom bouncers. Bottom Bouncers are used for trolling along the bottom like their name implies, but to reach the most active fish in the system you have to fish high. When walleyes are up in the water column they are doing one thing and one thing only, and that’s feeding. So, these fish will be your most aggressive fish in that area, and that is where understanding and mastering snap and in-line weights come into play.

Snap Weight

Off Shore Tackle Pro Snap Weights

A snap weight is a weight that is attached to a clip like those from Offshore Tackle (OR16) that get placed further up the line than what an inline weight would be placed. Robertson says snap weights shine in rough conditions as they tend to surge less with the weight being farther from the lure itself… they are also very good in very clear water because the weight and lure are farther apart. The disadvantage is that the system puts a lot more angles in the system…the angles from board to snap weight and the angle from the snap weight to the lure. This can make hookups and depth control more difficult.

Inline Weights

Bass Pro Inline Weights

This weight system is deployed 3 to 6 feet from the business end of the spinner rig. Its job is the same as the snap weight, it gets the lure down into the water column. In-lines are the easiest delivery system to use, there is no need to remove it as you bring the fish in like you would have to do with snap weights. Maybe the only thing difficult is learning your own personal dive curve. Different speeds and weights sizes…. trial and error and time on the water is required to fine tune your presentation.Some people use the general rule of a 1oz weight will run about a foot down for ever foot back when ran at 1 mph.

For both of these systems though there is a little help in figuring out just where that weight is running. Author Mark Romanck & Dr. Steven Holt have helped to really shorten the learning curve and get you closer to know exactly where your spinner rig is at. Precision Trolling “The Trollers Bible” is the name of the book. The book now is coming in two different editions the “Pro” and the “Big Water”. The info in these books gives you a little short cut to a lifetime of fishing knowledge. If you want to step up your game trolling track down these books, they are ran in limited numbers every year so they sell out quick every year it seems.

Also see:

Trolling Spinners – Part 1 Rods, Reels and Line

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At about 7 o’clock A.M. John launched his 18ft Crestliner Sportsman into the Trenton Channel from Elizabeth Park in Trenton, MI. John had a short boat ride to the spot Alex told him to fish. For 2 hours he fished, without a single bite. “ I was watching boats all around me net fish here and there I was still empty handed, I knew the fish were here and was determined to catch a walleye that morning ”

John made several drift down the river in the area his buddy told him to fish, but with no luck. At about 9:30am, he decided to try fishing in 10ft of water. Only 10 minutes into his 1^st drift after he moved, and John’s felt a tug on his St. Croix spinning rod. He set the hook, and the rod immediately doubled over. “The weight on the other end of the line was heavy! It was if I was pulling a log off the bottom.”

Since he was in such shallow water he peered over the side of the boat he couldn’t believe his eyes, at the end of his line was the largest walleye he had ever seen. The fish made several fast hard runs testing his light 8 lb Flame Green Fireline and 10 lb vanish leader. “When the fish came to the surface we met eye to eye. She took off…all I could do was hold my rod tip straight to the water hoping my line would hold the fish.”

After a few hard runs from this Trenton channel monster, it was time to get her in the boat. At this point Johns heart was doing back flips in his chest. He was going to have to net this fish all by himself. Now if you have ever tried netting a fish by yourself you know just how hard and how many things can go wrong in those last few seconds. All you can hope for is that the fish is tired enough to slide right in to the net. Lucky for John that is just what happen.“I held the net in front of her, pulled her head into the net and kept pulling until the tail was almost in and then scooped. She was in the net!“

The fish was in the net and it soon made it into the boat. John just sat there looking over his massive catch. He was shaking, trying to clam his heart rate down. He knew he had to get the fish on a scale to see just how big the fish really was. Luckily a boat near by had a scale and saw the catch. The anglers let him use the scale. John was thinking the fish weighted around 12 or 13lbs. But when he lifted the fish up he got a big surprise. “We were in amazement the fish was tipping between 15 and 16 lbs. Wow I thought to myself. It was then when I knew I had to have this river monster officially weighed. “

The anglers in the boat told him to head on over to Bottom Line Bait and Tackle in Gibraltar, MI. They have a certified scale. So right then, John ended his day of fishing and headed back to the ramp.

When he got to the shop everyone was gathering around trying to get a look at the fish. People where taking pictures left and right of this monster eye. When the fish was placed on the scale, it stopped at 15.9lbs! According to the Michigan DNR Master Angler records (compiled since 1994) this fish will fall into the number 2 slot in the data base for the Detroit River. A fish of this size hasn’t been recorded for the Detroit River since 2002 when William Willoughby of Eaton Rapids caught one that weighted 15.25lbs. The largest fish in the database for the river was caught in 1996 by Richard Foster of Lansing and that fished weighted in at 16.12lbs.

This fish is truly massive. This fish might also be a sign of new wave of giant walleye being caught in the area. Could a new state record walleye be caught this year on Lake Eire? Somethings I am hearing from DNR workers is that they wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the state records fall in the next few years. The super class of fish (2003 year class) are reaching there prime size right now. Throw in the massive shad boom we had last year and you got a receipt for some heavy fish this year.

John plans on getting this fish mounted. The fish was caught on a 1/2oz Northland Gumball jig in Orange and Black. It was tipped with a 4 inch Smelt colored Gulp Minnow.

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Choosing a Motor

Choosing the right motor is very critical. Whatever your budget is make sure you get the strongest your money can buy. Another thing to think about is how the motor’s controlled. In years past a cable driven bow mount trolling motor was a staple of many diehard river rats, but new motors like the Minn-Kota Terrova is starting to change things.

“If all you did was fish rivers, using a cable drive motor is best, as it allows for the fastest corrections. The innovations in the Terrova such as a larger foot pedal (easier to use with boots) and auto pilot feature make it a much more viable option for those that want a trolling motor to both jig with and use to open water troll. The steering speed is faster than those units in the past. “ – Captain Ross Robertson

Captain Ross Robertson with a nice Detroit River Eye

The other part of this equation is batteries, make sure you have enough juice to fish. Trolling motors come in three different volts: 12, 24, and 36. For heavy boats you need a 36 volt system. Lighter boats should have at least a 24 volt system. A good rule of thumb for deep V’s 12′ to 16′ a 12 volt system and 45″ to 54″ shaft, 16′ to 19′ a 24 Volt System and 54″ to 60″ shaft, 19′ to 22′ a 36 volt system and 60′ to 70′ shaft.If your under powered it becomes much harder on batteries and some days it just doesn’t cut it. So make sure you have the right amount and size battery for the motor you choose t o go with. There is nothing worse than to be on fish and suddenly not have the power to fish them. Captain Ross Robertson uses Optima D31M b atte ries which is a 31 series size deep cycle battery“The differenc e with Optim a is that the overall size is smaller than other 31 series batteries. This is a big a dvantage when trying to squeeze an extra battery into a compartment. They give me a lot more power and recover quickly on the charger.”

Face your adversity

Mark Martin

When you’re on the water there is many factors that will affect staying vertical while jigging. You have to stay vertical. If you can’t stay vertical you will lose jigs on snags all day. You can’t catch fish if you don’t have lines in the water.

On calm days the strongest adversity is the current. In the river, the surface current is faster then what the bottom current is at your jig. This is where you want to kick your motor on and point the bow upstream. You want to match the speed of your boats drift with that of the jig. This is know has slipping the current.

On days that the wind is blowing you have to adjust your boats position to compensate for how the wind is pushing you. You may have to point the bow into the wind no matter its direction. Always do what you have to do to follow your jig downstream.

“Sometimes the wind is blowing upstream so hard that you literally have to pull yourself downstream into the wind and with the current to maintain vertical presentation.“ – Mark Martin

“Chase the jig – use the bow mount to basically chase your jig. You motor in the direction of your jig, this will allow you to stay vertical. “ – Captain Ross Robertson

Importance of Electronics

Screen Shot of a Humminbird 1198

This is something fisherman forget about. Good electronics will allow you to read the bottom and pick out fish holding tight to the bottom. You may even be able to see a fish rise off the bottom and hit your jig. Units now days have larger screens and display more info than ever before. Being able to see more of what is around you will really help you find and stay on fish. “Being off 20 ft can be the difference between nirvana and an empty box…My Humminbird 1198 allows me to see more of the river and make setting up the drift much easier. “ – Captain Ross Robertson

Fish Locations

Understanding how fish move and position themselves in a river is very important. Any thing that changes the flow of the current will attract fish. Also the amount of current can also affect the depth you will find them in. Understanding how current moves around objects in the water is key. Mark Martin uses his Lowrance HDS10 with bottom scan to locate fish. “Knowing the conditions will help narrow your search time, high water pushes fish closer to the banks and current breaks and sometimes into the marinas and backwater areas, normal conditions you look at the edges, front and back of holes, current breaks such as bridge abutment’s, logs, piling’s, islands, rock piles, seawalls, mud lines, small depressions or cuts with shallow water around them.”

So now that you know what rods, reels, line, and lures to use, and you understand staying vertical through proper boat control, get out there and fish, the bite is on in the Detroit River now. A recent MWC event had a team weigh in over 43 lbs of fish for only 5 fish. That is over an 8lb avg per fish! There was even a 15.9lb walleye caught just last week, full story to come on this fish soon.

Captain Robertson has been featured in magazines such as In-fisherman, Walleye In-Sider, FLW Outdoors, Outfitter Journal, as well as many newspaper and other national publications. He specializes in two person educational trips and trophy walleye.  Aside from averaging more than 100 walleyes over 10lbs per year, a 15lb walleye and 8lb smallie were caught last year.   www.bigwaterfishing,com

Part 1 – Detroit River Eyes – Part 1 Rod, Reel and Line

Part 2 – Detroit River Walleye Part 2 – Jigs and Jigging with Mark Martin

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“It’s extremely disappointing not to get our teams out on the water today, especially given the fantastic bite on the river,” said MWC executive director Dan Johnson. “Our on-site tournament director Dan Palmer and local site coordinator Danny Bloxem reviewed all the options and we had no choice but to call the tournament. We are already working with our Angler Advisory Panel members to schedule a bad-weather day for our return to this great destination in 2012. We thank all of our MWC anglers for fishing this tournament with us, and the Downriver Walleye Federation volunteers for making it possible.”

Day One results become final results, making Greg Bliznik and Keith Greear, both of Brownstown, Michigan, the tournament winners with 43.49 pounds. Jeff Vereeke of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Joe Lockman of Middleville, Michigan, finished in second with 41.85 pounds.

First place pays $16,350 and the event pays out to 22nd place at $750. Total cash purse is $58,240. Plus, sponsor contingencies from Cabela’s, Ranger Boats, Lowrance, Berkley, Worldwide Marine Insurance, U2/The Oxygenator add thousands more to the total. Sitting at $4,910, the anglers’ Big Fish Pot will be awarded to the three Day One big-fish winners. An awards ceremony is planned for 8 a.m. at the MWC stage in Elizabeth Park. More details and a full press release to follow.

This is the first stop on the MWC East Division’s 2011 season. The remaining Eastern schedule includes Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio, May 20-22, and the St. Mary’s River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 26-28. The MWC’s 2011 trail is comprised of nine qualifiers in three divisions. Anglers fishing at least three events (from any division) accumulate points toward a berth in the no-entry-fee, $100,000 Cabela’s MWC World Walleye Championship; teams fishing four events are in the running for overall MWC Team of the Year honors and a $13,000 cash prize.

Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter for hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, is entering its tenth season as title sponsor of the MWC. Official sponsors include: Berkley Gulp!, Ranger Boats, Mercury, MotorGuide, Lowrance, Fishouflage, Versus (Vs.) Television Network and North American Fishing Club. Associate Sponsors include: Berkley Trilene, Energizer, O2 Marine Technologies, Northland Fishing Tackle, Ryjus, Reflections, Worldwide Marine Insurance, The Walleye Federation, Sea Grant and Wildlife Forever. Now heading into its 27th season, the Cabela’s MWC is the oldest team circuit in walleye fishing.

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