Every fishing lake has its day. It's an accepted fact that specific lakes or even parts of lakes produce their best fishing action at certain times of year. Given these facts it's a logical conclusion to suggest that the best times to fish specific waters are during these peaks of activity.
Ironically, on the Great Lakes it seems many anglers ignore this not so subtle advice and select instead one primary port at which to keep their boat docked all year long. The primary reason Great Lakes trollers saddle themselves with one port for most of the fishing season boils down to boats and docking facilities.
The typical trolling boats used on the Great Lakes range from 25-35 feet in length and are more than a little inconvenient to launch and load daily. The hassle in getting in and out of the water stimulates most of these boat owners to pick a favorite port, purchase docking space and stay put for the entire fishing season.
Such a decision may make for less stress at boat landings, but it also makes for some needlessly tough weeks of fishing. A new breed of angler on the Great Lakes is emerging however. Anglers content to select smaller boats that can be trailered to hot ports at hot times of year are reaping the benefits of being in the right places at the right times.
Smaller boats ranging from 18-23 feet can be trailered and launched easily, yet these fishing machines are large enough to handle the open waters of the Great Lakes on most days. Obviously there are days when smaller boats are no match for the waves and wind so common on these waters. Anglers venturing off shore in small boats must also use extra caution to monitor wave and weather reports.
So long as anglers equipped with smaller boats pay heed to weather reports and storm warnings, they can fish in relative comfort using the same techniques practiced by big boat trollers. Common sense is the key ingredient to a safe and successful fishing trip.
Few would argue that Lake Michigan is the richest trout and salmon fishery in the Great Lakes chain. The second largest of the Great Lakes, countless lake trout, browns, steelhead, king and coho salmon are found in these waters.
Collectively the four states (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana & Wisconsin) that border Lake Michigan boast the richest sport fishing harvest in the Great Lakes. King and to a lesser degree coho salmon are the fish that made Lake Michigan famous. The annual migrations of these fish are both fascinating and well documented.
The fishing action begins in the spring as soon as ice leaves the harbors and boats can be launched. The bottom or south end of the lake is the first to awaken from the winter deep freeze and on some years the action is beginning by late February. Mixed catches of kings, cohos, brown trout and steelhead are taken throughout Southern Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Southern Michigan waters. Some of the hottest fishing waters are found along the Indiana/Michigan border near the ports of Michigan City, New Buffalo and Bridgman.
These regions of the lake produce their best fishing during March and April. By early May a clockwise movement of fish occurs that sends kings and cohos on a migration that lasts hundreds of miles. The fish first show up in Illinois waters then Southern Wisconsin and eventually end up as far north as the Door County region of Wisconsin by early summer.
Some of these same fish then cross Lake Michigan heading east where they turn up in Northern Michigan waters near the ports of Leland, Platte Bay, Frankfort, Arcadia and Onekama during August and September.
Not all the salmon of Lake Michigan migrate in this clockwise pattern. Kings and cohos that winter in Lake Michigan's southern most Michigan waters undertake a different journey. Fish that concentrate near the ports of Bridgman, St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, South Haven and Saugatuck follow the Michigan shoreline north on a gradual migration that will eventually lead these fish to the streams where their parents spawned three to four years earlier. Most of the preferred spawning streams for both salmon and trout are located along the Michigan shoreline. This accounts for the strong migration in Michigan waters.
A natal urge to return to the streams where they were hatched drives the migration, but along the way food resources have a significant impact on the whereabouts of these fish. Early in the season important forage fish such as smelt, alewives and chubs keep the salmon and trout population near shore. These baitfish are most often found in the warmest available water.
Warm water discharge sites and river mouths tend to be the spots where both fish and anglers concentrate. At Bridgman the Cook Nuclear Power Plant warm water discharge site is a popular fishing hole. A mix of kings, coho, browns and steelhead are taken from this area during March, April and early May. Small boats can access this area from a launch located at the end of Livingston Road, but larger boats must launch at St. Joseph or New Buffalo and make the run.
Moving north up the lake shore, river mouths are some of the hottest fishing sites at St. Joseph, South Haven and Saugatuck. At Port Sheldon the Consumers Power Plant has a warm water discharge site known as the 'bubblers' that hold significant numbers of early season fish.
North of Port Sheldon, most of the early season action is aimed at brown trout and the occasional steelhead. Browns can be found at Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Pentwater, Whitehall, Ludington, Manistee, Onekama, Arcadia, Frankfort and Platte Bay.
Spoons and body baits trolled behind planer boards account for most of the early season trout and salmon. Once the near shore waters begin to warm above 50 degrees, most of Lake Michigan's fishing action moves off shore and fishing tactics change as well. It's during this period that trout and salmon can turn up almost anywhere. Often the fish suspend where they find water temperatures and forage fish to their liking. Commonly you'll find kings, cohos, steelhead and lake trout in mixed schools suspended 40-100 feet down over 100-200 feet of water.
When trout and salmon go deep, spoons fished behind downriggers and Dipsy Divers dominate the fishing scene. Popular spoons include the Wolverine Silver Streak, Michigan Stinger, Northern Kings, Dreamweavers and Pro Kings.
As summer progresses, gradually anglers turn to various forms of attractors, the most common being the dodger/fly or dodger/squid combinations.
During August and September the popular Luhr Jensen J-Plug is the bait to be pulling. The erratic action of the J-Plug triggers strikes when few other lures produce results.
By early October most of the salmon have entered the spawning streams and the Great Lakes trolling action focuses on steelhead for the remainder of the fall.
Lake Huron experiences a seasonal migration of trout and salmon similar to that found on Lake Michigan. Kings, cohos, steelhead and browns that winter in Southern Lake Huron are concentrated in early spring near the cities of Port Huron and Lexington. A significant number of fish are also caught in the St. Clair River that connects Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair.
By early May most of the salmon are making their way north along the Huron shore to destinations including Port Sanilac, Harbor Beach, Port Hope, Grindstone City and Port Austin. The primary salmon spawning streams emptying into Lake Huron are located a little further north at Au Gres, Tawas, Oscoda and Alpena. These ports are where most of the summer time salmon action takes place.
Localized stockings of steelhead and brown trout help to hold fish in many of these ports well into summer. Also resident populations of lake trout are an important part of the catch especially around Harbor Beach, Port Hope, Grindstone City and Port Austin.
The same angling methods that produce trout and salmon on Lake Michigan are used on Lake Huron. Early in the season most of the action comes on spoons and body baits fished behind planer boards. As the surface water warms, trout and salmon seek out deeper waters. Spoons, dodger/fly combinations and J-Plugs fished behind downriggers and Dipsy Divers dominate the trolling scene.
In addition to excellent salmon and trout fishing, Lake Huron is also home to some spectacular walleye fishing. The famed Saginaw Bay is a 20 mile long appendage of Lake Huron that has become one of the hottest walleye fisheries in the nation.
The native walleye population of this region was destroyed by commercial fishing in the early 1940's. State sponsored stocking efforts aimed at reclaiming the fishery began in the late 1970's. Currently the Saginaw Bay region is planted with more than one million walleye fingerlings annually.
The results of these extensive stocking efforts are most apparent during the summer when countless boats troll for walleyes throughout Saginaw Bay. Both the east and west shores of Saginaw Bay are productive summer trolling grounds. Some of the most popular ports on the east side include Essexville, Sebewaing, Caseville and Port Austin.
On the west side of Saginaw Bay anglers find good success near Bay City, Linwood, Pinconning and AuGres. The region is divided into roughly two halves known as the inner and utter bays. The inner bay is made up of mostly shallow water and produces good catches of walleye May through September. The outer bay is deeper in depth and normally starts producing best around the 4th of July and remains good all summer.
Trollers on Saginaw Bay depend on two primary techniques. Crankbaits trolled behind planer boards account for the majority of the fish. The Storm Hot n Tot is the hands down favorite crankbait on Saginaw Bay, but a wealth of other lures also produce. Other good baits to try include the Storm Deep Jr. ThunderStick, Reef Runner Deep Little Ripper, Rapala Deep Husky Jerk and the Daiwa TD Minnow.
Slow trolling with crawler harnesses is also gaining in popularity on Saginaw Bay. Snap weights placed on the line are the most common method used to deploy harnesses at the necessary depths. By varying the weight used, (usually 1/2 to three ounces of weight is required) these simple trolling aids can be used to fish shallow or deep. Snap weights can also be easily used in combination with planer boards, further making them the trolling weight of choice on Saginaw Bay.
Some anglers attempt to mix crankbaits and spinners in the same trolling pattern, but the practice doesn't always work as well as you might expect. Crankbaits excel when fished at faster (1.5 to 3.5 mph) speeds while spinners are better when fished slower (.75 to 1.5 mph) than is normally considered good crankbait speed.
The best advice is to troll crankbaits for awhile to see if they produce, then slow down and experiment with spinners if the fish don't seem to be interested in these hard baits.
The explosion of walleye on Lake Erie has to be one of the most remarkable fishing success stories ever told. From a polluted and dying sea in the 60's to the richest walleye fishery in the world in the 90's and new millennium, Lake Erie is the only body of water in the Great Lakes chain that could pull off such a rapid turn around. The shallow nature of Lake Erie and the fact that it's located near the end of the Great Lakes chain enabled this body of water to literally flush itself clean. Strict water pollution standards enacted in the late 60's and 70's were also instrumental in the clean up of Lake Erie.
Today, Lake Erie is the crown jewel of the Great Lakes. Not only does this magnificent lake produce the world's best walleye fishing, Lake Erie is also home to a host of other important game fish including yellow perch, smallmouth bass, steelhead and king salmon.
The lake is broken down into three divisions known as the Western, Central and Eastern basins. The Western Basin is shallow by comparison to the other basins and contains most of the critical walleye spawning habitat. Countless walleyes spawn each March on reefs and in tributary rivers throughout this basin. Many of the Western Basin's top spawning reefs are located near the Bass Islands region of Ohio. The town of Port Clinton is the center of this sportfishing activity. The Maumee River near Toledo and the Detroit River that drains into Lake Erie from the north shore are also important spawning tributaries that attract thousands of fish.
Once the spawning ritual is completed, many of the larger mature walleye begin an eastward migration towards deeper water. Smaller immature fish tend to stay in the shallow waters of the Western Basin.
The trolling fishery in the Western Basin gets started in late April as soon as the spawn wraps up. May and June are the peak trolling months. Top ports include Bolles Harbor, Luna Pier, Toledo and Port Clinton.
Crankbaits and crawler harnesses trolled behind planer boards are the most popular lures. In recent years spoons trolled behind Dipsy Divers have contributed significantly to the walleye harvest. The most popular crankbaits include the Storm Wiggle Wart and Hot N Tot series, Rapala Deep Husky Jerk and Reef Runner Deep Little Ripper. Productive spoons include the Michigan Stinger Scorpion and the Wolverine Silverstreak.
The Central Basin is the transitional waters of Lake Erie. A mix of both shallow and deep water, the Central Basin produces the best walleye fishing in May, June and July. A good share of this fishing occurs as much as 10-25 miles off shore.
Deep diving crankbaits are among the most productive lures, but spoons fished on Dipsy Divers and behind downriggers are also important to the overall catch. Good walleye crankbaits include the Reef Runner Deep Diver, Luhr Jensen Power Dive Minnow, Bomber 25A and Storm Deep Thunderstick.
Trolling spoons will catch both walleye and a surprising number of steelhead during the summer in the Central Basin. One of Lake Erie's greatest secrets is the spectacular summer steelhead action that takes place off shore near the ports of Cleveland and Lorain.
Mixed catches of walleye and steelhead are very common. Spoons that consistently produce both walleye and steelhead include the Wolverine Silverstreak, Michigan Stinger and Pro Spoon.
The Eastern Basin of Lake Erie is deep enough to support a surprising trout and salmon fishery. Walleyes are also taken in the Eastern Basin during the summer months. Often these fish are suspended in deep water at or near the thermocline level. Downriggers, Dipsy Divers and wire line are the methods used to reach these deep water fish.
Walleye anglers use both crankbaits and spoons in the Eastern Basin, while those anglers who are targeting trout and salmon prefer spoons. Dunkirk New York is one of the most popular fishing ports in the Eastern Basin.
The many ports of the Great Lakes collectively account for some of the best sport fishing waters in America. From tasty walleyes to tackle busting king salmon, the trolling fishery offered in Lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie is without equal. For the mobile Great Lakes troller, the fishing opportunities are almost without limit. From ice out in the spring to ice up in the fall, there's always a good trolling bite going on somewhere in the Great Lakes.
Editor's Note: The following boats are awesome choices for anglers who want to travel more, target hot ports and catch more fish.
