Fishing Report

Big lake trout and salmon showing up (Jul-11-2016)

July 11 Fishing Report

This past week produced some very good fishing between fronts that came in mid week and on the weekend. The creel consisted of mainly lake trout with a couple of steelhead and/or salmon thrown in each day with creel numbers of 10 to 20 fish per trip. On one of our multi boat charters, a boat boated a lake trout that pushed 30 pounds and there were also chinook salmon taken that pushed 25 pounds. Not a lot of salmon being caught, however there are some very good sized salmon out there. The lake trout are also very nice size, with the catches averaging about 10 pounds each.

We are fishing from 85 foot of water to 110 foot of water. The steelhead are hitting any spoons that are orange and silver and orange and red that are pulled on 5 color lead core and/or 100 foot of copper. There are also some steelhead taken on 3 color lead core with orange and red thin fins. The best rigs for the salmon continue to be the super slim coyote ugly and the bloody nose pulled on 200 and 250 foot of copper. The lake trout continue to hit the metal dodgers and spin n glos (white/pink, double trouble glow) and silver flashers with oceana flies. We are pulling them on low and high wire divers and on the downriggers on the bottom.

Boats that fished for perch reported very little success out of Saugatuck and Holland.

Pier fishing for steelhead has slowed now that the water has warmed back into the 60's.

The fishing should continue to improve as the lake's thermo layers set up. There have been very little bait found in the stomachs of the fish, however we are seeing more bait showing up in the 90 to 100 foot of water so as the bait shows up the salmon should follow. Check back next week and off and on during the week for updates. For more information or to book a fishing charter, email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.

July 3 Fishing Report (Jul-04-2016)

This past week we saw all types of weather conditions with 90 + degree conditions with no wind to a 55 degree day with 30 knot winds and 8 foot seas. We saw the water temperature go from the high 40's to the mid 60's and then to the mid 40's over night and now slowly increasing into the high 50's. During the week we began fishing in front the piers, then moved out to 90 foot of water, then back in front the piers and today we were back out in 80 foot of water. Needless to say, there was no consistancy to the week, however, the fishing was good with creel limits ranging from 2 to 10 fish per trip. The 2 fish catch does not sound very good however we had more than 10 steelhead on and fighting during the trip. If you fish steelhead you know that often you need three fish on to land one.

Around the piers the best lure for the steelhead continues to be Thin Fins (Silver, Gold/Red, Red/Black, Orange/Red) run on flat lines, 2 and 3 color lead core and on the downriggers.

When we moved back off shore, the Lake Trout came on chrome flashers and dodgers and with spin n glos (white and double trouble glow) pulled on the downriggers and dipsy divers on the bottom. We caught the steelhead on 100 and 150 foot copper with mixed veggie and orange crush spoons. The salmon came on 250 foot of copper and high divers at 150 foot with flashers and flies (blue bubble combo, chrome and oceana).

The steelhead fishing off of the Holland and Saugatuck piers has been very good with limit catches being common with the 50 degree water. Fishermen are using cooked shrimp with a slip bobber with early morning and late afternoon producing the best.

The forecast for this week is for very hot weather so we should see a increase in the water temperature. As the water warms we should see some thermo stratification take place with the development of the thermocline. What this means is we should see the fish begin to concentrate in a definite layer rather than being spread out all over the water column. Check back next week and see what happens.

For fishing information or to book a charter email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.

June 27 Fishing Report (Jun-28-2016)

Lake water temperature is beginning to warm and most of the fish have left the shallow waters around the piers. However we had another week of good fishing out of Holland and Saugatuck producing creel numbers of 9 – 12 consisting of lake trout and steelhead. The best fishing was in 70 to 110 foot of water with lake trout caught bouncing the bottom and the steelhead hitting at 20 to 50 foot down.

The best combination for the lake trout, continues to be metal Gold Star dodgers and silver spin doctors with spin n glos (yellow/silver, green/yellow and double trouble glow). These are run on the bottom on the downriggers and on the low wire divers. The steelhead were caught on the high divers (125 to 150 ft. out) with blue bubble flasher and flies and silver UV flashers and Oceana flies. We also caught steelhead on 100 copper and 250 copper with orange and green spotted super slim spoons.

I have not had any good reports on the perch fishing and the steelhead fishing off of the piers has slowed as the water warms.

The lake should continue to stratify by temperature and as it does we should find a concentrating of the bait fish and the lake trout and salmon should follow. Check back next week for the status of our changing Lake Michigan fishing.

June 22 Fishing Report (Jun-23-2016)

Fishing Report 6/20/16

Had a great day on the water w/ the Grotenhuis group.

Lake Michigan Surface temp was 58 degrees.

We set up in 75 fow straight out of holland.

We stayed in the 75-95 fow for the day and picked up 5 lake trout and 3 steelhead.

All but 2 lake trout had some good size to them.

Hot rigs for the day were:

1)DW-blue holo 8" spinny w/ BW poofster fly on a high diver 150 back

(Took multiple hits)

2)Stinger Super Slim/"Shrimp" on a 250 copper

3)DW-super slim/double orange crush-100 copper

4)DW-Chrome spin dr/Mt Dew spin n glo on a rigger 90 down

Also....Steelhead fishing off the Holland pier has been great lately with the cold water in tight.

Looks as though the steelhead are larger in size this year with a 20lb'r being taken on Saturday for one lucky kid.

Time to get a line wet!

Thanks again Ryan Grotenhuis, Russ Bartels, and the rest of the crew for a fun Monday morning w/CoHooker Charters.

See you guys again soon

June 20, 2016 Fishing Report (Jun-21-2016)

Notice: After the sale of the business and website, I have not posted fishing reports on the web site. I was notified by some people that read the posts that there were no new postings (even after I notified the new management that updated postings were not being done). As a result, since I am still doing the fishing and still running the charters, I will again start posting the fishing reports every week.

June 19 Fishing Report

This past week produced some very interesting and exciting fishing. The end of the week of the 5th produced some very strong north and northwest winds causing the water temperature to drop into the high 40's. The result of this drop was a movement of bait and fish to the warmer water around the piers. Monda we found and caught chinook salmon and steelhead in 15 foot of water and with east and north east winds during the week the water remained cold and the fish remained in front the piers.

At the same time there were some there were some good lake trout catches in the 90 to 100 foot of water.

The best lures for the steelhead were Thin Fins (orange, red, red/yellow) and Stingray lures (orange crush, orange/red, red/orange). These were pulled on flat lines, 2 color and 3 color lead core and on the down riggers. The Chinook salmon were caught on Sting Ray and magnum bloody nose spoons run on the downriggers and dipsy divers. The lake trout were caught on metal dodgers with spin n glos (green and yellow, silver and yellow, and glow).

When we finished the trip this Saturday, the water temperature was in the mid 60's and if it continues to increase (and with a south wind I see no reason it will not) the steelhead and salmon will move back out. As a result we will have to move off shore and search for them. Check back to see what next week brings.