Fishing Report

Nice salmon in 130 foot in Saugatuck (Jun-10-2012)

Some excellent catches this week. Lots of bait in the area near a good color change. Mix of kings (8-17 #), steelhead, and lake trout. Best fishing was 110-140 FOW, fishing 30-130 feet down. Best rigs were: silver orange or gold orange stingers on the high copper (200 ft), stingray UV dolphins on the deep copper (300 and 450 ft.), and flasher fly combos on the wire and riggers. Best combos were pearl fish scale/ purple no-see-um, and green/glow flashers with hypnotist, illusion, or wild fern flies. Some steelhead were caught around the piers and some perch were caught in 55-70 FOW.

Rough water slows Saugatuck Fishing (Jun-04-2012)

After getting blown off the lake on Friday and Saturday, we finally made it out on Sunday and fished in 3 to 5 foot seas. It took a while to find the fish in 200 to 210 foot of water, however we did catch a couple of nice chinook salmon (14 and 15 pounds), and a 8 pound steelhead as well as as a few smaller salmon and lake trout. The best lure was any green bladed flasher (green glow, green silver, green mountain dew) and green hypnotist fly. All the action was either on high divers at 150 foot out or on 450 foot copper. Not one hit on the downriggers or on any kind of spoon which was completely different from the Tuesday charter when most of the action was on small stingers. For charter information and reservations contact me at captron@chartermichigan.com.

Salmon in 90 foot of water (May-27-2012)

We set lines in 100 foot of water and had planned on working out to 140 to 180 foot of water since the fishing had been fairly good in that depth the last couple of days. When we got to 130 foot of water and had not lifted a rod and the boats that were already out in 200 foot of water reported very slow action, we turn back in and decided to fish the 90 foot depth we did well in the first part of the week. We started out slow with a couple of small lake trout and then another that had to be returned but then we started to catch some Chinook salmon in the upper part of the water column. The Chinook ranged from 10 to 14 pounds and a majority of them came in the top 50 foot. We ended up 12 for about 25 hits and we lost a lake trout at the net at the end of the trip that would have pushed 20 pounds. Downriggers at 80 foot with a 11 in silver Pro Chip UV flasher and a Rapture UV fly produced at least 5 hits and the other downriggers with metal dodgers and spin n glows on the bottom produced most of the lake trout hits. 150 and 200 foot copper with regular Stinger and Stingray lures (mixed veggie, coyote ugly, orange crush) and the 300 copper with silver flashers and green hypnotist flies are produced multiple times. The low wire dipsy divers at 150 foot with 11 in Pro Chip (silver/green and silver/mountain dew) with green hypnotist flies produced some nice salmon but the best diver was the high diver at 100 foot with a regular size NBK stinger and it got hit at least 6 times. There are some perch being caught out of Saugatuck. Wednesday evening we went out looking for perch and started drifting in 45 foot of water and moved on out to 75 foot of water. We found the perch in the 72 to 75 foot depth and during the approximate 1 hour of fishing we had left we caught and kept about 18 perch and tossed many under 6 in. back. For information about salmon and lake trout fishing email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.

Catch and Cook (May-25-2012)

Catch & Cook partnership launches for Michiganders and for CoHooker Charter clients. Anglers can set out on a charter boat in the morning and enjoy their fresh catch at a restaurant in the afternoon under a new program being launched prior to Memorial Day weekend in time for the start of the summer season. Called Catch & Cook, the program brings together the best of a Michigan day – time on the water, and time at the table with family and friends – while supporting local economies and Michigan businesses. Catch & Cook promotes and encourages creative, safe marketing of Michigan fish through a partnership between the charter fishing industry and local restaurants. “This program is a wonderful opportunity to promote the the state´s $3.7 billion recreational fishing industry and to boost Michigan jobs and Michigan businesses,” said Rodney Stokes, Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “The Great Lakes are a unique and extraordinary natural resource – Michigan’s defining resource. Providing one more opportunity for people to enjoy the lakes goes to the heart of who we are as a state.” “It creates an unforgettable experience for charter boat customers, generates new business for restaurants as it attracts new and repeat customers while promoting Michigan’s Great Lakes fishing and offering opportunities to sample high quality Michigan food products,” said Keith Creagh, Director, Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development. “Catch and Cook highlights all that makes us Pure Michigan. From lake to plate, consumers are experiencing the beauty of our Great Lakes and culminating it with a tasty sampling of our food and agricultural bounty. Pair fresh caught fish with a locally-grown side dish like asparagus or potatoes, and top it off with a Michigan wine or microbrew, and you have a great meal.” Participating charter operators will assure that fish are cleaned and iced properly and provide documentation of when the catch was made. It is recommended, but not required, that charter captains complete a food handlers class to ensure the safety of participating clients. "For charter captains Catch & Cook is a unique opportunity to enhance the charter fishing experience for customers while providing one more avenue for generating business,” said Capt. Denny Grinold, state and federal affairs officer for the Michigan Charter Boat Association. “We´re thrilled to be a part of this wonderful Michigan program." Any licensed restaurant can participate in Catch & Cook, provided the establishment has the equipment, facilities and space to prepare and serve cooked fish. Participating restaurants must be able to meet food law requirements, such as adequate space to process fish, and have the ability to prevent cross contamination between fish and other foods. In addition, the restaurants must be able to maintain product identity and custody. Restaurants have the right to refuse to serve fish if the restaurant believes the fish has not been properly handled. “Catch & Cook provides a unique way for Michigan´s restaurants to help create awareness about the outstanding food and dining opportunities in the state,” said Brian DeBano, president of the Michigan Restaurant Association. “The program not only allows restaurateurs to showcase their culinary skills, but they also can build relationships with local charter fishing boat operators and ultimately expand their customer base.” The program is a partnership among the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan Charter Boat Association and the Michigan Restaurant Association.

Perch fishing (May-24-2012)

Just a note to let you know that we did find some perch last night. We started fishing in 40 foot of water and moved out and finally found some fish in 72 to 75 foot of water south of the Saugatuck pier´s. Kept about 18 perch from 6 to 12 in and returned some smaller than 6 in. Once we found the fish we only had about 1 hour to fish and detecting a bite in 75 foot of water with a current flowing is difficult, however there are some nice perch in that area.