6-27-09
We are fishing waters from 80 - 160 ft. We are getting fish from 40 ft.down to 70 ft.
We are using a mixture of spoons, spinnies, and flies.
Early in the morning, we are getting our fish on blues and later in the morning, they like greens and yellows.
Friday we had 2 fish in the 20 lb. class, so they are definitely getting our attention now!
We are getting some lake trout and steelhead mixed in with our salmon.
6-27-09
and we took 8 to 15 fish each trip during the week. At 40 to 45 foot,
the temperature drops about 5 to 7 degrees and the salmon and steelhead
are beginning to set up in this depth. There are still lake trout on the
bottom along with an occasional salmon, however most of the silver fish
are found suspended at this depth. The other good news is that the rocks
are producing some limit catches of perch in 65 foot of water.
Orange Corey, Big Dutchman, Craigs Christmas color patterns pulled
behind 200 and 300 foot of copper. On the bottom we are pulling metal
flashers and 11 in. white glow Pro Troll flashers with Rapture Green
Dude, Wild Fern and Speed Weed behind. Drop the downriggers and the
divers to the bottom and then raise them a couple of feet.
water out side the refuse area off the ball. You have to take the good
with the bad since you will catch golbies along with the perch, however
some of the perch were over 14 in in length.
email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.
6-23-09
but catching 90% lake trout. We fished from 50 foot of water out to 270
foot of water and the water temperature ranged from 55 degrees on the
surface to 41 degrees 120 foot down with no clear break. By Monday, the
surface temperature was 62 degrees with a beginning of a temperature
break at 35 foot but still 42 degrees 100 foot down. During the week we
caught 6 to 12 fish per trip with the most consistent depth being 90 to
110 foot of water with flashers and flies on the bottom and 400 and 300
foot of copper with large spoons.
(white/glow and silver green) with the Rapture Wild Fern trolling fly
which was run 105 foot down in 100 foot of water. We also caught fish
pulling a metal flasher with the Rapture Green Dude fly. The second most
productive method was 300 and 400 foot of copper with Stingray and
magnum Stinger lures (glow frog and orange corey). Another technique
that works for us was the 3 oz. and 4 oz.Stinger Dive Bomb that we added
to the 300 foot of copper to get it down to the depth that the 400 foot
of copper would run at.
catches in 55 foot of water. With the runoff of all the rain last week,
you need to get outside this muddy water which extends all the way out
to 50 foot and north of the Saugatuck channel.
being the 6 in large adults. With all the bait, I think it is only a
matter of time before the salmon stage in the 100 to 110 foot of water.
Contact me for information or charter information by email at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
6-14-09
We are using spoons:
Orange Crush, Green / Orange Crush, Blue Dolphins, and Hog Wilds.
We are getting good catches of mixed bags: Steelhead, Salmon, & Lake Trout.
With the weather finally getting warmer, we are finally seeing more tourists on our boardwalk, which is always good for business!
6-14-09
week fishing out in 240 to 270 foot of water and as the week progressed,
the number of fish seen and caught decreased from 8 to 12 fish per trip
to 3 to 6 fish per trip. By the week end we were fishing in 80 to 100
foot of water and and catching Lake Trout on the bottom with an
occasional Chinook's salmon 40 to 60 foot down.
(white glow and green glow) flasher with the Green Dude Rapture Trolling
fly behind. We dropped the downrigger just off the bottom and the wire
divers were run out 250 foot. There were also some lake trout taken on
metal flashers and Rapture Green Hypnotist fly. The salmon came mainly
on 300 ft of copper and 300 ft. of copper with a dive bomb with magnum
stingers and stingray lures (NBK and Green Dolphin).
I would expect to see the salmon stage in this depth soon. For
information and/or charter reservations, email captron@chartermichigan.com.
6-10-09
Capt. Dan Tebo of D'Ann Marie Charters reports from Grand Haven:
6-3-09
The fishing continues to be good here in Grand Haven. We are catching fish in 150 ft. to 220 ft. of water. We are fishing 60 to 100 ft. down.
We are using lots of silver spinnies and flies.
Also good were a variety of blue spoons.
We used 300 copper and 450 copper this last week. (10 and 15 color lead core).
As evidence of the fishing here in our port, we just completed our Grand Haven Offshore Challenge this past weekend and an example of the fish caught is as follows:
In the Amateur Division: Team Double Down won the first place prize with 390.70 points over the two day event. Early Bird took the 2nd. place finish with 383.75 points. Early Bird had the largest catch on Day 1 - with 91.85 lbs., but Team Double Down had the largest catch on Day 2 - with 88.25 lbs. beating out Early Bird by a mere 6.95 lbs. to take the prize. Third Place went to City Fish with 366.80 points..
In the Pro Division, on Day 1 - Sea Flea came in with 92.30 lbs. On Day 2, Hit Man got 99.25 lbs. but it wasn't quite enough to overtake the lead from Sea Flea. So, Sea Flea took the first place prize with 419.30 points and Hit Man came in second with 408.20 points. In third place was Thunder Duck with 393.20 points.
So, the first three places in the Pro Division went to the "boys from Grand Haven". (There was a lot of celebrating on our dock afterwards.)
Big fish were hard to come by for both the pros and the amateurs. However, the biggest fish in the Amateur Division went to Team Mr. Fish with a 19.9 lb. King. The Pros Division team of Trout Scout landed a 19.6 King.
In the "333" the first three places went to: The Edge II with 47.75, Sea Flea with 45.95, and Blue Fairways with 44.35.
A good time was had by all the boaters and bystanders, as well, and tons of fish were donated to the Teen Challenge of Muskegon making this a very worthwhile event. Thanks to all who helped!
.
Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters reports from Holland:
6-1-09
Had to change fishing tactics last week as the fish scattered and were hard to find. By Friday, found the fish in the top 20 feet from 100 to 200 feet of water. Being that high, they weren’t showing up on the graph. On most days we had to cover lots of water to catch fish with few doubles, but steady action all day long. Board lines, dipsys & outriggers did most of the catching with small to medium size Dream Weaver spoons in gold or orange. 9 to 20 fish per trip, mostly 3 year old kings (6 to 13 lbs.) with a nice mix of steelhead & lake trout. Lack of 4 year old kings has been the only thing missing. Water temperature has been a flat 55 degrees from shore to over 200 feet of water.
The smaller bait fish are showing back up. Persistent westerly winds should regroup the fish and possibly drive them deeper. Fishing should remain good through mid June.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
5-31-09
Strong east winds has blown the warm water out and the lake has cooled
down to the low 50 degrees which quickly drops to the low 40 degrees as
you go down in the water column. As the water cooled, the bait scattered
and the fish followed. By the weekend you could catch a few fish in 70
foot, 100 foot, 130 foot, 160 foot, 180 foot and 200 foot however, not a
large number of fish at any one depth. In addition, the big Chinook
salmon that we had been taking have moved and most of the catch are in
the 6 to 10 pound range. It is almost like the mid June fishing
conditions. Fish are still being caught (9 to 14 fish per trip), however
they are a different age class of fish compared to what we caught the
beginning of the week.
Early in the week it was predominantly flashers and flies on 300 foot of
copper, divers and downriggers. The best combination was Hot Chip and
Pro Chip flashers (green glow, white glow, silver/green and silver) with
the Rapture trolling flies (last supper, Lakeshore green, green mirage).
By the weekend, most of fish were caught on stingray and magnum stinger
lures (Craig's X-mas, NBK, Green side glow, gold orange crush, orange
crush) on 100 foot, 150 foot and 200 foot of copper.
There were some perch caught in 70 foot of water this past week and we
did see some school of perch in 40 foot and 60 foot of water as we ran
in and out. I think that if someone did some drifting you could locate
some decent perch in the deeper water. In addition, walleye are still
being caught in the Kalamazoo River, however this has also slowed some
what.
If we get some south winds and currents, we should see the bait start to
re-stage in the 100 to 130 foot range and possibly in front the piers.
If the bait shows, the salmon and steelhead will follow. For information
and charter reservations, email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.
Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters reports from
5-27-09
Excellent fishing for most of last week. 12 to 20 fish per trip, until Saturday afternoon when the fish seemed to scatter. Still catching mostly kings with a nice mix of coho, steelhead & lake trout. Best fishing was in 110 to 140 feet of water and another school in 175 to 220 FOW with a nice temperature break (55 down to 46). Best baits continued to be magnum Silver Streak spoons for the bigger kings between 60 & 100 feet down and regular size Dream Weaver spoons above 40 feet. Best colors were blue and green deep, orange & red up high. Also took some fish on full color lead core. I heard that some boats were catching fish with flies/dodgers. I tried one on Sunday with poor results.
The bait fish are not as plentiful now as they were last week. We are seeing lots of alewives in the channel. It appears they are starting to spawn a little early this year. Recent/current Easterly winds and the lack of bait fish seem to have scattered the fish. Hopefully, after this mid-week storms move through the fish will regroup.
Capt. Rod Englesman from Profishient Charters reports from Holland:
5-27-09
Holland fishing continues strong with a mixed bag catch of kings, lake
trout and steelhead. Catches continue between 15-25 fish per trip with
a smaller average size fish than previous weeks. The fish are
scattering offshore between 140 and 200 fow. The lake rolled over on
memorial day pushing bait into the harbors and pushing the green water
out bringing in cold water. Closer depths should setup again by this
weekend with continued strong fishing. Spoons are working very well
now, along with a few flasher fly setups.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
trout and steelhead making up the creel. Catches of 10 to 20 fish per
trip were common. During the week, we fished from 90 foot of water all
the way out to 220 foot of water with the most productive being 120 to
130 foot early in the week and 180 to 220 foot by Sunday. The water
continued to change during the week in temperature and color and as a
result the fish moved to wherever the break was that day. With the
north and northeast winds toward the end of the week, the fish tended to
be more scattered than in the early part of the week.
copper with stingray spoons in the copper orange Cory, green machine,
NBK, gold orange crush, gold Craig’s X-mas and Craig’s X-mas color
combinations. The downriggers were run from 40 to 80 foot down and the
best bait was the green double glow Hot Chip and the Rapture Lakeshore
green fly. Other flasher and fly combinations worked but not
consistently. By Sunday, the magnum blue dolphin and magnum lemon ice
produced well on the divers and copper line.
with some kings and Coho mixed in. The water out in this depth was in
the low 40 degrees and the fish were in the top 30 foot with the regular
size stinger reverse Crag’s x-mas, double orange crush and mixed veggie
combinations.
should continue to move both in and out and vertically. For fishing
information or charter reservations email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com <mailto:captron@chartermichigan.com>.
Capt. Rod Englesman from Profishient Charters reports from Holland:
5-21-09
Excellent catches from Holland Michigan, limits are the norm for the
past two weeks. Big kings from 12-20lbs fishing 50-70 down from
100-170 FOW. Michigan Stinger Stingrays in NBK, Magnum Silver Streaks
in Orange Chilly Willy, and Mag Dreamweaver spoons are doing the damage
on divers, riggers and super-copper rigs. Baitfish are at the piers
and the fish are strung out from north to south in the cold water..
Captain John Milbourne of Michigan Sport Fishing Charters reports from St. Joseph:
5-20-09
Fishing out of the port of St. Joseph this spring has been great. Many king salmon in the mid teens and coho in the 3-5 pound class as bait seams to be very plentiful this year. Last Sunday we boated a great lakes grand slam, Kings, coho, Lake trout, steelhead and a beautiful brown trout. Fishing should remain steady for the weeks to come.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
May 17, 2009
This past week was another very good week of fishing out of Saugatuck
with a mixed bag of Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead and lake trout.
The Chinook salmon are running in the mid to high teens in weight, with
the largest taken this past week going just over 18 pounds. During the
week we caught from 12 to 20 fish per trip with 75% being Chinook
salmon. The fish are located in to general areas, 85 to 130 foot of
water and out in 160 to 180 foot of water. Most of our fishing was in
the inside depth with 110 to 120 foot being the most productive.
Early in the week most of the fish were caught on 5 color lead core, 100
ft. 150 ft and 200 ft. of copper with Stingray lures and magnum Stinger
lures. The best color combination was mixed veggie, freakin veggie,
coyote ugly, NBK and the reverse Christmas. By the end of the week the
best method were the wire slide divers at 100ft and 200 ft. and the
downriggers at 50 to 85 foot. On these we pulled flashers and flies in
a variety of color combinations. The best colors flashers consisted of
Hotchip and Prochip 8 in flashers in the white/glow, green/glow, silver
green tape and silver chartreuse tape. The best flies were the Rapture
Tolling flies in the green hypnotist, last supper and purple mirage
colors.
Early in the week the perch fishing out of Port Sheldon was still
producing limit catches, however the winds this weekend may have
prevented anchoring for perch. The walleye fishing in the Kalamazoo
River was a littile slow, however I did get a report of one walleye that
was over 16 pounds. I did not see it however a reliable source said it
was the largest he had seen.
The good fishing should continue as long as the bait is in the area and
we do not see any drastic changes in the water temperature. For
information and or charter reservations, contact me at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters reports from Holland:
5-16-09
The fish are here in force! Yesterday’s limit catch consisted of mostly king salmon with a nice mix of coho, steelhead & lake trout. The kings are a little bigger this year with some a little over 20 lbs. Best fishing in 80 to 140 feet of water using magnum Silver Streak spoons for the bigger kings between 60 & 80 feet down and regular size Dream Weaver spoons above 40 feet. Color doesn’t seem to matter as green, blue, orange & red all took fish. Lead core and copper lines will also catch fish, but I prefer to keep it simple, (less tangles) using dipsys, outriggers & 2 oz. board lines to catch the higher fish. 10 of the 12 rods took fish. Averaged over 4 fish/hour in the morning.
The next 2-3 weeks of fishing should continue to be outstanding as long as the weather/winds cooperate. Had to cancel today’s trip due to high winds. Look for the fish to somewhat scatter out to 200 feet depending on winds & water temperature. Also, more steelhead should continue to return from the rivers.
Capt. Russ Clark of Sea Hawk Charters reports from
Fishing has been outstanding out of
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
5-10-09
Finally, some good consistent fishing though the whole week with catches
consisting of a mixed bag of 12 to 22 fish per trip. The catches
consisted of Chinook salmon in the mid to high teens, lake trout, a few
coho and some steelhead. The salmon, both Chinook and coho are averaging
a couple of pounds heavier than in past years. We started fishing in
110 to 120 foot of water early in the week and by Sunday we were in 60
to 80 foot of water. Reports on the perch are still good with good
catches in 60 foot of water off of Port Sheldon and some spotty success
off of Saugatuck in 40 foot of water.
If you are going out into the Big Lake, fish the downriggers from 50
foot to the bottom and 75 copper, 200 copper and 300 copper behind the
boards. Our best success during the week was magnum stingers and
stingray lures on all copper and downriggers in green/glow, green/blue
and green/black combinations. Slide divers 100 and 120 foot out with
pro chip and hot chip flashers (green/glow, white/glow and silver) with
green hypnotist rapture tolling flies produced some nice fish.
Fishing in the Kalamazoo River is still slow for steelhead, however
there are a few walleye being caught by drifting from the bridge into
Kalamazoo Lake and by trolling between the piers.
It looks like our spring fishing is here to stay and it should only get
better as more bait shows up.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
4-27-09
The walleye season opened this past weekend however the weather did not
cooperate. Winds of 30 mph and rain on Saturday forced walleye
fisherman into protected areas of the river and then by Sunday the
Kalamazoo River was muddy due to the 2 in of rain and had risen 12 in.
There were a few walleye caught on Saturday but I did not hear of any
caught on Sunday.
The report on Lake Michigan is improving with the water beginning to
warm and a few bait fish starting to show up. The wind has slowed
fishing action, however when the weather cooperates, there have been
good catches of Lake Trout and a few salmon reported. The temperature
ranges from 44 to 49 degrees in 40 to 90 foot of water. Fish the top 35
foot of water in this depth. Full core and half core of lead core line
with Stingers and Stingray lures and flat lines with green and red/gold
thin fins produced well. Also Slide divers with ProTrol blue bubble and
mountain dew flashers and Rapture Blue Hypnotist and Sour Apple flies
produced well.
With the warming of the water and the appearance of the bait, hour
fishing should improve and the salmon should follow the bait in. For
information or if you would like to book a charter, email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
Water temperature on
fishing continues to be slow for salmon, brown trout and steelhead,
however the lake trout catch is very good. The problem is that lake
trout season does not open until May 1, so it is catch and release. Some
good news is that this past weekend, the perch fishing off the
pier and between the piers produced some limit catches. I would expect
that even if the lake water temperature decreases with the present
strong
river water.
Steelhead fishing on the Grand and
as the water levels declined and the clarity improved. Best method was
spawn that was drifted through the spawning beds. There have also been
some reports of some Brown Trout being caught on the
using spawn. The bad news is that with the rain Sunday and Monday, the
river is on the rise (1 1/2 foot Sunday night) and will probably
temporally slow the catch.
If you need information or want to book a fishing charter, email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
4-16-09 High water on the river and cold water on the lake has kept the fishing
slow at this point. The steelhead are on the beds in the Kalamazoo
River and in the St. Joe River, however the water is still high (but
receding) which makes the fishing tough. The most productive method is
back rolling spawn along the bottom into the bedding area.
On the lake, the water is still 38 degrees and with the NE, E and SE
winds will not warm up very fast. Most of creel consists of Lake Trout
(which, with the season closed, need to be returned). There are an
occasional chinook and brown trout showing up, however not very many at
this point in time. The good news is that the coho that are being
caught in the warmer southern basin are running 4 to 6 pounds instead of
the 2 to 4 pounds that they ordinarily weigh. This should mean that
when the coho migrate up to us in the next couple of weeks, they should
be a good size. Hopefully, the chinook will also show this increase in
size.
04/13/2009
Capt. Russ Clark of Sea Hawk Charters reports from St. Joseph, Michigan - Lake Michigan fishing is heating up.
Fishing on Lake Michigan has been excellent, when the weather cooperates. Limit catches of Coho salmon with a few Browns and Steelhead mixed in. Also a few Kings are starting to show up as well.
10-6-08
Report from Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters out of Holland:
Not much new to report this week as we only had 1 trip on Saturday. We did find some 4 year old kings around 110 feet of water. Surprisingly, they were still in good shape. After picking up 3 fish during first light, we moved out to target the steelhead. Ended up with a nice catch of 15 fish, 8 steelhead, 5 kings, & 2 lake trout (Threw back). Good action, but hits/hour was down a little from last week. The weather was excellent, so calm in fact we were able to see numerous steelhead chasing schools of small minnows on the surface. Downriggers set at 120, 100 & 60 feet caught most of the salmon & lake trout, while the fourth downrigger at 20 feet and the rest of the high lines worked for the steelhead.
Best baits continued to be small & medium spoons for the steelhead (NK28, NK-C5, Yek, Southport Slammer & Jimmie). For the downriggers, we used the green/coyote and green/glow Pro-Troll flashers in 11” size with Got-Cha flies (Lime crystal, & green ice) and the NK28 green dolphin spoon. My custom modified Fishlander spoons on the free sliders did not catch any fish??? Hopefully, it may have been due to the lack of suspended fish.
For the balance of this season, I only have 1 more trip booked. October is always an excellent time to catch fish if the weather cooperates. For more info, e-mail me at cyndiesuecharters@comcast.net.
9-30-08
Report from Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters out of Holland:
This week we fished the same deeper waters (160-250 feet) with even better results. Thanks to the continued nice weather, we were able to run more high lines to target the steelhead. We are back to averaging 4 to 5 hits per hour with catches of 13 to 18 per trip, mostly steelhead (5-10 lbs.) with some 2 & 3 year old kings (2-8 lbs.) and a few lake trout (5-9 lbs.). Once again, we were not finding any 4 year old kings in this deep water. Downriggers set at 100, 80 & 60 feet caught most of the salmon & lake trout, while the fourth downrigger at 20 feet and the rest of the high lines worked for the steelhead. They continue to feed on very small minnows right on the surface.
Best baits continued to be small & medium spoons for the steelhead (NK28, NK-C5, Yek, Dream Weaver & Proking). For the downriggers, we used the green/coyote and white Pro-Troll flashers in 11” size with Got-Cha flies (Green mirage, lime crystal, & green ice) and the Dream Weaver magnum green dolphin spoons. My custom modified Fishlander spoons on the free sliders continued to do well for the suspended fish.
Looks like we are in for cooler and wetter weather this week. That should bring the fish in closer. For the balance of this season, I only have 2 more trips booked. October is always an excellent time to catch fish if the weather cooperates. For more info, e-mail me at cyndiesuecharters@comcast.net.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
Sept. 29, 2008
Another week of warm water and deep water fishing. The fishing was very
good, with catches of 8 to 18 fish per trip. The creel consisted of
about half lake trout and half salmon. There are a few salmon in front
the piers and a few already in the river, however the warm water has
drastically slowed the run. There are still many 4 year old salmon out
in 70 to 150 foot of water that are ready to run however they need some
cold water to get a mass run.
This past week we fished in 100 to 150 foot of water and 80 to 140 foot
down. The best method was the downriggers at 100, 120 and 135 foot down
with 11 in Hot Chip flashers (white/glow, silver, and green/blue glow)
with Rapture trolling flies (green dude, green hypnotist, and wild fern)
pulled behind. On the wire divers (240 foot and 160 foot of line out)
we pulled the 8 in Echip flashers with the Rapture trolling flies ( same
combination as above). 300 and 400 foot of copper with Nature Born
Killer and Glow Frog Stingray lures produced on some steelhead and
salmon. Three fourth of the fish came on the downriggers and the divers.
With the end of Lake Trout season on the 30th of September, we will have
to either fish the warm water in front the piers or fish the depth that
these salmon are in that have a minimum of lake trout. If you can find
the depth that hold the bait (probably 60 to 80 foot of water), there
should be salmon just outside of this. You can catch the salmon at the
100 to 140 foot depth, however the lake trout you catch at that depth
may not survive being returned to the lake.
With the season winding down, I will post the fishing report every 2 or
3 weeks rather than every week. So check back in a couple of weeks and
see if the water cooled down and the salmon moved in. For information
or charter reservations, email me at captron@chartermichigan.com
<mailto:captron@chartermichigan.com>.
Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters reports from Holland:
9-23-08
Report from Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters out of Holland:
Fishing continues to be very good. Excellent weather this past week with nice catches of steelhead (5-10+ lbs.), 2 & 3 year old kings (2-9 lbs.), lake trout (5-14 lbs.) and coho (5-7 lbs.). Total fish: 11-20 per trip. The only downside has been the lack of the 4 year old kings. We fished mainly deeper water, 150-250 feet. Thanks to the calmer weather, we were able to run more high lines to target the steelhead. They have been feeding on very small minnows right on the surface. Dipsys and free sliders also caught some steelhead. Most of the other fish came on downriggers 30-120 feet down and full lead core.
Best baits were small to medium spoons for the steelhead (NK28, Dream Weaver & Proking). For the downriggers, we used the green/coyote Pro-Troll flasher in 11” size with Got-Cha flies (Green mirage, lime crystal, & green ice) and the Dream Weaver magnum green dolphin spoons. My custom modified Fishlander spoons on the free sliders continued to do well.
Fishing should get even better through October. Let’s hope for continued good weather. For more info, e-mail me at cyndiesuecharters@comcast.net.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
Sept. 21, 2008
Warm water and dredging moved the fishing out to deeper water for a
second week. This past week we fished from 90 to 180 foot of water and
some boats fished as far out as 240 foot of water. The catch consisted
of 2, 3 and 4 year old chinook salmon, lake trout, some coho and an
occasional steelhead. Boats that fished the 200 to 240 foot depth found
a few steelhead in the upper water column.
We fished deep for the fish--80 to 140 foot down. The best method was
11 inch echip flashers (white/glow, green/glow and silver) with Rapture
wild fern and green dude flies pulled on the downriggers at 100 to 140
foot. For the first time in a month we started consistently catching
fish on Stingray spoons (glow frog and natural born killer) on 300 and
400 foot of copper.
Our season is winding down, however there are a lot of 4 year old salmon
is the deeper water that are waiting for colder water. This could be
one of those years when the fish will "stagger" is a little at a time
for a couple of months unless we get and keep some cold water. For
information and charter reservations--email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
9/14/2008
Warm water forced us to fish in deep water and fish deep in the water
column. The fishing was fairly good with some 4 year old Chinook
salmon, coho salmon, some very good sized lake trout and an occasional
steelhead. Even though the dredging continued in front the piers, the
warm water limited the number of salmon that are there. One could fish
in front, and catch a few 4 year olds, however the number is limited.
There are a few salmon being caught at the Allegan dam and a few are
being caught trolling in the river or by back trolling through the holes
up river, however there are not a lot of salmon in the river yet. The 4
year old salmon that we caught out in 140 foot of water where dark and
ready to run.
This past week we fished 100 to 160 foot of water and we fished 70 to
130 foot down. The best method was 11 in. Pro Chip and Hot Chip
flashers (Chartreuse/glow, silver, white/glow) with Rapture flies (green
dude, green mirage, and wild fern) pulled on the downriggers at 100 to
130 foot. The wire divers produced with the same color 8 in flashers
with the rapture flies pulled at 140 to 240 foot back. There were some
fish taken on 300 and 400 foot of copper with flashers and flies pulled
behind them.
I think that the salmon will continue to "stagger in" a little at a
time, unless we get and keep some cold water at the piers. If we get
the cold water, they will move in and up the river quickly, however we
have seen only a small percentage of out 40,000 salmon that where
planted 3 years ago. For information and charter reservations, email me
at captron@chartermichigan.com.
9-14-08
Report from Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters out of Holland:
Fishing this past week was good overall. Weather was an issue on some trips with rain, winds, waves, & currents making it challenging to keep fish on and get them in the boat. Catches were from 4 to 17 per trip. There were a good amount of 2 & 3 year old kings along with some nice steelhead in 100 to 150 feet of water. Surprisingly, we could not locate very many 4 year olds. What few we found were mostly inside of 80 FOW. The best action was on downriggers with free sliders 60 and 100 feet down. Some days lead core, dipsys, & high board lines did well. Other days they were quite.
Best baits were anything green. The green Pro-Troll flasher in 11” sizes with Got-Cha flies (Green mirage, lime crystal, terminator, & green ice) did well along with Dream Weaver magnum green dolphin spoons. My custom modified Fishlander spoons on the free sliders also did well. Steelhead were taken mostly on high board lines with Dream Weaver regular size spoons (Craig’s steelhead).
Once again, how things go this week depends a lot on the weather/winds. Surface temperature is a constant 67 degrees from the pier heads out. All the recent rain should produce a large second wave of 4 year olds in close. The school of younger salmon & steelhead should remain off shore & aggressive through October. For more info, e-mail me at cyndiesuecharters@comcast.net.
Capt. Dan Tebo of D'Ann Marie Charters in Grand Haven reports:
The fishing is excellent! The fish have moved into shallower waters now and we are fishing directly in front of the pier in 20 to 50 feet of water.
We are fishing 8 to 20 feet down.
The choice plugs right now are: Pearl with Black Dot and Yellow Splatter-back We are also using Glo Plugs early at daybreak and assorted Yellow Glo plugs as the sun gets higher.
Also, we are using some White Spinnie/ White Fly combos.
Deep water fishing continues to be very good, as well. Fish are being taken in 180 to 250 feet of water. We are using plugs and white spinnies/white flies combos on 3 to 10 color lead core lines..
9-08-08 Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
This past week, the lake turned over and cold water moved in and the
bait and salmon followed. Along with the salmon and the beginning of
the run, the government decided it was time to dredge the harbor and on
Saturday, they floated out the pipes to 20 foot of water and began to
dredge. Sunday, they did not dredge however the pipes are still
floating out and to the south--so much for fishing out in front the
piers and we will have to move back off shore. The fishing was very
good Thurs., Friday and the first part of Saturday with 4 year old
Chinook salmon and some adult Coho salmon producing limit catches.
In front the piers, the best methods included:
Stingray lures and Nitro lures on 3 color lead core
3 color lead core with Silver Horde plugs (silver/green, silver,
wonderbread)
downriggers with plugs and Nitro lures
E Chip flashers (white/glow and silver) and Rapture flies (mirage
and green hypnotist) on divers
Once back off shore, we should be back to flashers and flies and plugs
on copper.
I do not know how long the dredging will take place or how long the
pipes will be floating off to the south. With all summer to dredge the
harbor, why they decided to start it on a weekend during the run is
beyond my comprehension. Check back and see what happens next week.
For information and/or charter reservations, email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
9-5-08 Report from Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters out of Holland:
The fish seem to be a little less aggressive and scattered this week. We are
catching some fish inside of 100' with more available outside of 200 feet of
water. Most of the 4 year old kings and lake trout are in close while the 3
year olds, steelhead, & lake trout are more abundant in the deeper water. We
are getting 7 to 13 fish per trip. No one setup is out producing another as
some fish are coming on the downriggers, dipsys, outriggers, high board lines,
lead core, and copper. Spoons continue to catch most of the higher fish while
flashers & flies are getting the deeper fish. No one color seems to be better
than another. J-Plugs have not done well.
I would expect the weather to be an issue as the remnants of Gustav comes our
way. High winds from the north or east could bring more 4 year old kings in
closer while further scattering the off-shore fish. Westerly winds should bring
all of the fish together, probably 50' to 130' of water. Stay tuned. Feel free to e-mail me at cyndiesuecharters@comcast.net
for more information or to book a trip.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck: 9-2-08
The only consistent thing about fishing this week was inconsistentcy.
One day we caught fish in 20 foot of water and the next day we had to
move out to 90 foot then a couple of days in 130 foot, next to 180 foot
and then 220 foot followed by a day back in front the piers. The warm
water moved in and the fish are scattered form the piers to 240 foot of
water with boats catching a few fish in any and all of the depths each
day. The catch consisted of chinook (up to 18 pounds) , lake trout (up
to 22 pounds), steelhead (up to 15 pounds) and a few coho. There were a
couple of days in which we took 12 and 14 lake trout and consider the
fact that a couple of years ago we did not catch 20 lake trout all year.
Good news for the perch fisherman. The last 4 days produced limit
catches of perch in 14 to 30 foot of water south and north of the
Saugatuck piers.
The best fishing methods changed form day to day with Silver Horde plugs
and Stingray spoons working well around the piers. As we moved off
shore, the Pro Chip and Hot Chip flashers (green glow, white glow,
silver) and Rapture flies (green dude, green hipnotist, last supper)
produced very well behind divers, downriggers and 300 foot of copper.
One day the green flashers produced and the next day it was silver and
then the next day was all white glow.
The salmon are ready to run the river and are waiting for cold water.
Some can be found and caught in front the piers every day regardless of
the water temperature, however there are not large numbers staging there
at this time. Check back and find out what happens when the water
cools. For information and charter reservations email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com.
From Capt. Dan Tebo of D'Ann Marie Charters in Grand Haven: 8-29-08
This week we are getting excellent catches, many of them are limit catches. Our season is in full swing, fishing morning and afternoon trips. It is good to have full weeks and full coolers, as well!
We are fishing in 110 to 160 feet of water. We are getting fish from 60 feet down to the bottom.
Right now, it is 300 copper that is our best choice, as well as 15 color lead core.
We are using white paddles and white flies.
As far as plugs, we are getting fish using assorted plugs: early with glo plugs and as the sun rises, we are going to silver plugs.
Summer is going fast and we hope to see lots more fish before the season ends in late Sept.
Report from Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue Charters out of Holland: 8-25-08
Fishing this past week was as good as it gets. Every trip including afternoons resulted in limit catches of 3 & 4 year old king salmon with a few bonus coho, lake trout & steelhead thrown in. Most of the 4 year old kings were running between 14 & 16 pounds. Biggest king was 19 lbs. Only had to cancel 1 trip, yesterday’s due to high wind/waves. Most days we used only 6 rods as the fish were extremely aggressive. The best action was 100’ to 120’ early in the day with fish hitting throughout the water column. After about 10:00am, 150’ to 200’ of water produced fish mostly 80’ to 130’ down. Downriggers with free sliders did most of the damage while dipsys out 100’ to 200’ set at 2.5 took a few fish.
Best baits continue to be white, green, & lime Pro-Troll flashers in both 8” & 11” sizes with Got-Cha flies (Green mirage, lime crystal, terminator, & green ice). Custom modified Fishlander spoons on the free sliders did well on coho, steelhead and even some lake trout up high. Constantly changing speed seemed to trigger a lot of the hits. On Saturday, we actually had 7 fish on at once using only 6 rods. A smaller 3 year old king hit a free slider but didn’t release until another king hit the main line a couple of minutes later. With only 4 of us on board, we had to let 2 rods go until we could get some fish in. We ended up catching all 7 fish on 6 hits!!!
How things go this week depends a lot on the winds. Strong east winds could turn the lake over resulting in fish coming in closer and higher up. If this happens, we will have to go back to using lead core, outriggers, and long leads with J-plugs. Otherwise, the fish should continue to stage in 100+ feet of water and hopefully be aggressive.
Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
Fishing is about as good as it can get out of the port of Saugatuck. We ran 9 trips this past week and limited out on every one of the trips --some within 3 hours. The fish (chinook and coho salmon, lake trout,steelhead and coho) were caught from 100 out to 200 foot of water andfrom 50 to 140 foot down. There was a mixed bag with 2, 3 and 4 year old chinook salmon, some 3 year old coho, steelhead up to 12 pounds andlake trout over 20 pounds. There are also some steelhead being caughton the south Saugatuck pier fishing with spawn and little cleos.Walleye and small mouth bass are also being caught by drifting betweenthe piers and bouncing bottom.
Flashers and flies continue to be the best method in the deep water. 8inch and 11 inch Pro and Hot Chip flashers (silver, silver/green,green/glow, white/glow with silver being the best) with Rapture lastsupper, green no-see-um and green dude flies produced very well on downriggers, side divers and 300 foot copper. The Silver Horde plugs(green black ladder back, green/silver and silver green and blue back)are also producing on 300 and 200 foot of copper and on the downriggers down 100 foot or more.
The lake had been very stable this last week with very littletemperature change, however today we had to cut the charter to a half day because of rough water and wind from the north west. We will haveto see what the water temperature does, since if the lake turns over thesalmon will move in and begin the run. Check back and see what this next week brings.
Capt. Dave Myers of Cyndie Sue charters out of Holland reports: 8-19-08
Fishing really got hot this weekend. The westerly winds brought the warm water back in and the fish were stacked and aggressive in 80 to 130 feet of water from the surface down to the bottom. Spoons worked best up high while flashers and flies took most of the deep fish. The full moon may have helped to keep thefish active all day. The middle of the day produced excellent action on thebigger 4-year old kings. Also, some lake trout and bigger coho were taken. Many doubles & triples and one quadruple.
The best spoons were the magnum Dream Weaver blue dolphin, several medium custom made Fishlander, Magnum Silver Streak chilly willy, and Stinger Sting Ray NBK.These were fished on the high downrigger, free sliders, high dipsys, full lead core and full copper lines. The best flashers were the 8" & 11" Pro-Troll in
glow green, white, and coyote with Got-Cha flies in Green mirage, Lime Krystal, Green Ice, and Terminator fished on the middle and deep downriggers & low dipsys.
I am very impressed with the Got-Cha flies as they not only catch a lot of fish,they hold up very well with the abuse the 4-year old kings hand out. I fishthese flies 20" behind the 8" flashers and 30" behind the 11" flashers. They
are not speed sensitive. I normally try to run about 2.6 to 3 MPH. However,these flashers/flies continue to catch fish even while slowing way down with big kings on the other lines or speeding up for a turn into the wind.
The excellent fishing should remain through the Fall run. If we get persistent easterly winds, expect the fish to move in shallower, and around the piers.J-Plugs and spoons will be the lures of choice if this happens
08/18 /08 6:38(CST) Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
This week was a week of opposites. Monday and Tuesday we had cold water and the fish moved into 15 to 25 foot of water and we had limit catches of chinook, coho and steelhead. Wednesday, the water warmed and the fish moved and fishing was tough with catches of 4 to 8 fish per boat. Thursday we found the fish in 130 to 150 foot of water and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday we had limit catches of 18 to 28 fish in 120 to 200 foot of water. Fishing could not get much better than we had out in the deep water. These catches consisted of chinook, coho and lake trout with an occasional steelhead. Monday through Thursday produced limit catches of perch in 15 to 20 foot of water and then as the water warmed, the perch moved out to 40 and 50 foot.
In front the piers, in the shallow water, the fish hit primarily j-plugs and silver horde plugs (silver, silver orange, green glow). The plugs were run on downriggers, 3 color lead core and slide divers. In the deep, water the best method was, once again, flashers and flies and plugs on the copper line. The best combination was silver. moutain dew and white glow echip and other flashers with Rapture last supper and green noseeum flies. The flashers and flies were run on downriggers, divers and 300 copper.
Dan Tebo, of D'Ann Marie Charters in Grand Haven reports: 8-15-08
08/10/08 6:38(CST) Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
Another good week of fishing--at least the first part of the week was good and then the wind came. Friday, Saturday and Sunday produced winds of 30 knots and waves of 3 to 7 foot water spouts and a current that made it very difficult to troll. Once again the catches ranged from 8 to 16 fish per trip with a mixed bag of lake trout, steelhead, coho and chinook salmon. The chinook salmon consisted of 2, 3 and 4 year old fish with the largest this week pushing 17 pounds. We also ran a perch charter this week and after 2 hours of looking for the perch and catching nothing but golbies, we found the fish caught 60 nice perch (a couple went 12 to 14 inches) in 1 1/2 hours in 46 foot of water.
The best methods continue to be flashers and flies on the divers and then plugs and Stingray lures on the copper lines. The best flasher was the white/glow echip and silver echip with green dude, green hypnotist and green noseeum and white pine Rapture flies. We caught fish on 100, 200, 300 and 400 foot of copper with magnum Stinger mixed veggie and with Stingray mixed veggie and glow sicle. We also caught some fish on silver green and easter egg Silver Horde plugs pulled behind the 100 and 200 foot copper line.
With all the north wind and north current, the water temperature is now (as of Sunday) down in the high 50 degrees. We will look in the shallow water tomorrow to see if the fish and bait have moved in front the piers. Check back and see what happens this week.
08/05/08 7:44(CST) From Capt. Dan Tebo of D'Ann Marie Charters in Grand Haven:
What a great weekend we had here in Grand Haven! The annual Coast Guard Festival was going on and we believe we saw the greatest number of people on Saturday that we have seen in a long time. They were here for the festivities which concluded Saturday evening with our Musical Fountain and phenominal fireworks! All this and great fishing, too! It was so good to see the great catches we had this weekend to show people who milled around the fish cleaning station. Great P.R. for our fishing industry.
We are fishing in 60ft. of water out to 90 ft.- fishing from 55 ft. down to the bottom. In the shallower waters, we are using plugs. Early in the morning we are using glo plugs and then later in the day, we are using silver/green plugs and also yellow/silver plugs. In the deeper waters, we are using Spinnies and flies. Greens have been good, as well as big white spinnies with white flies. We are seeing really good catches coming in now. The sizes are mixed from 6 lbs. up to one that I had today that was 21 lbs. Some really nice fish today!
8/04/08 6:38(CST)Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:
Another good week of salmon fishing. The fishing was not fast and furious, however it was fairly consistent with chinook salmon and lake trout being taken in 100 to 140 foot of water. By Sunday, the water had cooled and some salmon were caught in 60 to 40 foot of water. Catches ranged from 7 to 15 fish, depending on how many hits you missed. The fish ranged in weight from 7 to 18 pounds with the salmon averaging about 10 pounds. The perch fishing was very good early in the week in 30 to 35 foot of water and then as the week progressed the perch moved out to 45 and then 50 to 65 foot. By the weekend the perch bite had slowed with most boats in 40 foot but scattered from Holland to Saugatuck.
The best method during the week continues to be flashers and flies on divers, copper and downriggers. Wire divers, 300 and 200 foot of copper and the downrigger at 100 foot produced with silver, white/glow, glow/green echip flashers and the Rapture green dude and wild fern flies continued to dominate. We also took some salmon on 200 foot copper with mixed veggie Stingray and Silver Horde plugs (green glow and white glow).