February 24th, 2012

FISHING

The calendar says "winter", but the fish are definitely thinking SPRING!  There are good runs of steelhead in all of the area rivers, with specific reports coming from the Muskegon, the White, and the Grand.  Fish are being caught on bobber/jig/waxworm rigs, or drifting spawn.  Some fish are also coming on crankbaits like Wiggle-Warts and Hot-N-Tots.  Anchor above a deeper hole, and drop these lures back behind your boat, then close the bail and let the current give them a lazy, swimming action.  After a few minutes, drop them back another 10 feet...and so on...until the entire hole is covered.

Walleye fishing is starting to pick up as their spawning run draws near.  The Grand River in Grand Rapids is producing walleye to fishermen using crankbaits, or bouncing twister-tail jigs along in the current.  In Muskegon Lake, walleye are starting to be caught while slow trolling deep-diving crankbaits in 20-30 feet of water at the mouth of the Muskegon River.  There is also a hot-water discharge in this area that regularly produces pike and bass.

While ice fishing is leaving much to be desires, some of the open lakes are providing some great panfish opportunities for those willing to brave the cold weather.  Perch are being caught from many of the bridges that span area lakes and bayous.  The bridges at Smith's Bayou and Petty's Bayou (Spring Lake), and Stern's Bayou are all producing good catches of perch for those using minnows, worms, wigglers, or cut-bait (pieces of perch that you've already caught...particularly tail pieces, and eyes).  Reports indicate that the fish are of good size and limits are being caught.

If you're going to chase perch, consider a slick rig that a neighbor shared with me.  In most ways, it's like a regular perch-rig, with two dropper lines.  The trick is the addition of sequins above each hook.  They provide amazing flash at the slightest motion, and I've used this rig to outfish other perch guys near my by as much as 10 fish to their 1.  Here's a diagram of this rig.  For more amazing rigs like this one, purchase one of our "LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF FISHING RIGS".

January 9th, 2012

FISHING

A snowless Christmas may not be what most people dream of, but the amazing fishing opportunities provided by this unusually warm winter should have fishermen local fishermen very excited!  On waters like Lake Macatawa, Muskegon Lake, and White Lake, ice has not yet formed and fishermen are enjoying some very good open-water fishing.  Perch are being caught in all three of these lakes on wiglers and minnows.  Walleye are also being caught in good numbers, with much of the action happening right below the schools of perch.

On the rivers, steelhead are very active, and can be caught on spawn sacks, crankbaits, spinners, or a jig and wax worm suspended below a bobber.  On the Muskegon River, action has been hot in the Newago area.  The White River has been particularly good for steelhead between Pines Point Campground and the Happy Mohawk Canoe Livery.  On the Grand River, 6^th Street dam is the place to be.  Steelhead can also be found in some of the smaller rivers, such as the Rouge in Rockford.

On the big lake, fishermen brave enough to endure the cold have been catching steelhead, brown trout, salmon, and even lake trout.  Focus on trolling in 12-15 feet of water, with lures running 2-3 feet above the bottom.  Smaller trolling spoons have worked well, with natural colors like rainbow trout, gold, silver doing well.  Stick baits have also caught a number of fish, with black/gold, black/silver, rainbow, and firetiger being the most effective patterns.

Based on these reports, I’m already considering unpacking my gear and un-winterizing my boat to take advantage of some of these truly rare January fishing opportunities!

November 18th

FISHING

Have you’ve ever had someone say, “You should have been here yesterday!”  If you have, than you know the frustration of hearing about a fish run or a hot bite after the fact.  Well that’s not the case for this week’s fishing report.  A fun and awesome fishing opportunity is just beginning, and will run for the next two weeks.  If you’ve never tried late season jigging for whitefish in the Muskegon Channel, you need to commit an evening or two and give this a try.  The key areas are near the Coast Guard station and around the Silversides submarine on the south side of the Muskegon Channel, where Muskegon Lake connects with Lake Michigan.  Fishermen begin arriving around dark, and often stay past 10pm.  The lure of choice is a 2/5 – 3/4 ounce jigging spoon, with Swedish Pimples and Hopkins spoons in glow patterns being most popular.  This is an easy access fishing opportunity and works great for kids, as long as they are dressed warmly.  For more info on this fishing opportunity, check out our article on nighttime white fish at www.freewaterexperience.com/storage/Whites at Night.pdf

The area piers are also producing some steelhead and whitefish for those braving the cold wind and waves.  Use spawn sacks for steelhead, or a single salmon egg (boiled) for whitefish.  Steelhead are also being caught in the Grand River near the 6^th Street Dam in Grand Rapids.  Again, spawn sacks or flies are accounting for most of the fish caught.

With cold weather and snow just around the corner, bass fishing is probably the last thing on your mind, but don’t miss out on some amazing smallmouth fishing that’s happening on area rivers.  Just last week, we landed over a dozen smallies and lost a 38 inch musky on the Flat river, as we tossed jigs below a dam.  Another friend caught over two dozen smallmouth while casting Hot-N-Tots on the Grand River.  The weather may be cold, but even at the end of November, the fishing can still be hot!  Hope to see you out on the water!

September 24th

FISHING

While some boats are still finding fish out on the big lake in 100-200 feet of water, the real action is now in the rivers.  The White River near Hesperia, the Muskegon River near Newaygo, and the Grand River at the 6th Street dam in Grand Rapids are all great places to chase after monster king salmon during their spawning run.  While a lot of people fish the 6th Street dam, this is serious shoulder-to-shoulder combat fishing.  My preference is smaller waters with less people, so I hit the White River several times around the end of September.  I usually arrive while it's still dark, so I can be first to the spots that I want, and also so I don't miss a moment of the insane action that the fall salmon run brings.  My weapon of choice is a fly rod with either an egg-sucking leach pattern, or a spawn sack fly.  This set-up is perfect for picking off fish as they move up shallow rapids.  My best rig is a #4 bait-holder hook with an orange pipe-cleaner wrapped around it.  This "sinking spawn fly" works as well as anything I've used.  Place a small split-shot about a foot up the line, and finish things off with a small strike indicator, and you've got the rig that's caught me hundreds of salmon over the past decade.  You can use spinning gear too, but it's much more efficient to make repeated flips with a fly rod.  As the morning moves on and the fish leave the shallows for deeper holes, tossing spinners, spoons, or crankbaits on a spinning rod can be a great way to keep the action coming.  This fishing just started to get really good about a week ago, and should stay excellent for the next few weeks.  

Bluegill fishing in the area bayous should also be very good right now.  Millhouse, Pottawatomi, Sterns, and Bruce's bayous should all have a lot of bluegills and other panfish in them.  Focus on weedy waters from 3-6 feet deep, with crawlers or wax worms suspended just below a small bobber.  Move around a lot until you find fish, then settle in for a while.  The fish tend to bite as well in the afternoon as they do in the morning, so this is your chance to catch limits of panfish after work or school.  This is a great time to bring smaller kids as the fishing is steady and there are a lot of fish to catch.  While you're there, make a few casts with a white spinnerbait or a small crankbait to connect with some of the roaming bass that follow these schools of bluegills.  You can also put a small chub or perch beneath a bobber and with luck, hook up with a pike too.  This bluegill bite should last well into October, so make sure to get out and enjoy it!

HUNTING

Our early doe season is done and I managed to take two does in that short weekend.  This coming weekend is the youth hunt, so if you've got older kids or teens (age 11-16) who have an interest in hunting, this is their chance to get at the deer before the bow hunters hit their tree stands in October.  If you're going to spend much time in the woods, make sure to pick up a turkey tag too.  I can't count how many times I've had a flock of turkeys walk under me while I'm waiting for deer to come by.  Might as well take one and stock up your freezer for Thanksgiving early.

Check your hunting guide for all of the different seasons that are opening up...from squirrels and woodcocks to ducks and deer, it's time to get out and enjoy all of the opportunities that fall brings.  You can see all of the various seasons at this DNR site:  http://www.michigan.gov/images/dnr/Hunting_Seasons_and_Bag_Limits_table_361388_7.png

September 12th

FISHING

Wow, a lot can happen in a week.  A cold spell over Labor Day weekend brought in a huge run of massive, 4-year old kings.  They came into the pier heads, then headed up the Grand River.  Fishing was amazing, and these fish are running bigger than they have in years.  We're handling a lot of fish over 20 pounds...it's been awesome!  A lot of boats have been focussing on the waters in front of the piers, and between the piers, but there are a couple of places up the river in downtown Grand Haven that definitely demand your attention.  One spot is right at the mouth of the Coast Guard Station.  This is a deep hole and usually holds a lot of salmon for a few days when they start their run upstream.  The other spot is the stretch of water between the bleachers and the power plant.  Specifically, right in front of the power plant's water discharge at the end of Linear Park.  Watch your fish finder, and you'll see a massive pack of fish holding around that flowing water.  They are looking for current to move up into, and for a few days, the water discharge will fool many fish and hold them.  Troll through this area again and again with a variety of small J-plugs and hold on.  You'll see a lot of "bumps" as your cannon ball actually hits fish, or as they take an angry swipe at your lure.  When you do hook up, get ready for some of the most intense fights in all of freshwater fishing.  These fish are amazingly strong, and when you hook them, there's only 40 feet of line between you and the fish...the fights are explosive.

Watch the rivers in our area.  There are already salmon showing up at the 6th Street Dam in Grand Rapids, and fish are arleady beginning to appear on the Muskegon and White Rivers.  This is just going to get better and better as October approaches.  Spinners and spawn sacks are accounting for most fish right now, but when more fish come into the shallow rivers, it's time to pull out the fly rod and go to work...we'll talk more about that later.

There's not much to say about bass, bluegills, pike, and other species in the area lakes and rivers...they are starting to become more active as water temperatures begin to drop.  Fishing is fair, but once we get into October, things will really pick up.

HUNTING

Our first chance to put some venison in the freezer is coming up this Thursday.  It's the "antlerless firearm on private land" season.  Remember that you can use your bows and crossbows during this season.  Make sure that you have a doe tag and that you're wearing orange (us bow hunters sometimes forget that little detail).  This is a great time to take a doe, as bucks are not really following them yet.  You probably won't mess up your chance at a trophy later in the season by taking a doe right now.

One special reminder:  We're going to be collecting venison for out "Hard Time Hunters" program.  If you'd like to make a donation, send us an email or give us a call and we'll tell you how to do that.  Donations go to families in the Tri-Cities area who need a little extra food in the fridge and on the table.  It's a great reason to bag that extra doe this fall!