Trout Season Opener

Joe, John and I packed up the camper and left early Friday morning for Grayling, Michigan for a weekend of trout fishing on the Little Manistee. Hope to send some updates while we're here, but if not, we'll be back Tuesday. Hope everyone enjoys the warm weather this weekend!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Fished with Doug and Chico. The temperature this morning was in the mid 40s and by the time we quit it was in the upper 60s. The wind was less than 10 knots out of the Southwest with very little waves. The water temp is 50 degrees. Another nice day on Lake Erie. Heard a report this morning that everyone was catching fish last night, so we headed back to Turtle Island to give it a try. Must have been 200 boats fishing by the island. Slowed down and made a pass through the pack of boats and did not even mark a fish and never saw anyone catch a fish, so we headed out to the radar buoy. Marked a few fish but never had a hookup so we left there and went to the East side of the dumping grounds. Nothing happening there so we headed over to South Otter Creek and Chico caught a nice Smallmouth Bass and that was it. Decided to fish the West side of the dumping grounds and we finally marked some fish. We had a few hookups but only caught one walleye. A tough day fishing but a least the weather was nice.

First Trip of the Year

Fished with Daryl and Doug. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and by the time we quit fishing it was in the upper 50s. The wind was light out of the Northeast with hardly no waves. The water temp is 46 degrees. Today was the first trip of the year and I had a very rough time trying to start the boat. It just would not turn over. Got it started and away we went, just a beautiful day to be on the lake. Coming out of the harbor we saw some boats by South Otter Creek so we headed there. Did not see any action so we went to Turtle Island just over the Michigan line in 10 feet of water, 41 46 060 / 083 21 790. The water was dirty but that was OK because we were using blade baits and hair jigs with minnows. Marked a lot of fish and on the first pass we caught a couple. We stayed in the same area all morning and would catch at least one walleye on each drift. The only problem was we lost a lot of fish. We went 8 for 18 for the day with all the fish being males. A good way to start the year.

All Done Shore Fishing

Fished with Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was in the lower 40s and by the time we quit it was in the middle 50s. The wind was out of the Southeast less than 10 knots, just a nice day to be near the water. Today we made the Grosse Ile tour for the last time this spring. We hit all the usual spots and the fishing was slow. We caught a lot of perch at Smitty's but the fish were all small. We managed two keepers for the day but we let them go. Next trip will be from the boat.

Dippin' the Net

Fished with Daryl. We did the Grosse Ile tour today. Temperature was in the mid 30s this morning and by the time we quit fishing it was only in the lower 40s. The wind was out of the Northwest 10 to 15 knots but because we were fishing from the docks it did not bother us too much. Fished the same areas as the last trip using the perch rigs tipped with shiners. The fishing was great but the size of the fish was disappointing. We easily caught over a hundred perch but we only kept 14. All the fish that we kept today were females. It's still early and the bigger fish may yet show up.

Spring Perch Jerking

Fished with Doug S. Temperature was in the lower 20s this morning and by noon it was in the middle 50s. The wind was light out of the East and the sun was out most of the day. We started fishing at Lake Erie Metro Park and did not catch a fish. From there we went to the Trenton Channel and fished off some docks and did not catch any fish. Made a move to Elba Mar Marina and we never got a bite. Made one last move to another Marina and we finally caught some fish. We were just using our perch rigs fishing off the bottom with minnows. Caught a lot of small fish which kept us very busy but the weather was nice so it made for an enjoyable day. Kept 29 perch for the trip.

Steelhead Fishing

Fished with Jim Chamberlin and his friend Matt on the Cold Creek in Sandusky, Ohio. Temperature was in the lower 20s all morning and the wind was blowing out of the West at 25 to 30 knots. We had scattered snow showers and occasional sunshine, not the best day to be fishing. We fished mostly with spawn floated under a bobber and then those guys switched over to small jigs, tipped with and without wax worms. They caught around 15 fish using the jigs and the rest of the fish were caught with the spawn. Jim tied up the spawn sacks using the eggs from last years salmon fishing. The fishing was pretty hot when we first started but as the river level receded the fishing slowed down. We landed close to 45 fish, a combination of Steelhead and Rainbow Trout. The largest fish was about 12 lbs.

Day For The Birds

Fished with Daryl and Dale on Mud Bay, which is part of Portage Lake. Temperature was in the upper 20s to the mid 30s. The wind was out of the south 10 to 15 knots (the weather report called for 5 knots) and the sun was out most of the day. We used a 1 x 6 to get on to the ice even though I don't think we needed it and once on the ice it was 8 to 10 inches thick. The fishing was very slow for us again today and Daryl must have drilled 25 holes trying to find some fish. We were fishing in 20 foot of water and only fishing 5 to 7 feet down. We caught a lot of small Bluegill (25 to 30) but we only had 5 keepers for the day. I fried them up with a couple of walleye fillets which made for a great dinner! Had the camera been ready,I could have caught the two swans flying about 10 feet over our heads, sure would have made a great picture.

Why Buy Bait!!!

Fished with Doug Sowa. Temperature was 12 degrees this morning and it warmed up to the lower 20s. The wind was out of the Southwest at 10 knots which made for a little wind chill and the ice is 22 inches thick! We started fishing on Grosse Ile at Elba Mar Marina. Stayed there for a hour and only caught 3 fish, 1 perch and 2 rock bass. Moved over to a canal by the airport and did not even get a bite. As we were driving by the Trenton Channel we saw a chunk of ice on the shore line and decided to fish it. The only thing that Doug caught there were shiners. Every time I turned around to talk to him, he was pulling up another shiner. I told Doug that we did not need to buy bait any more, I would just take him out shiner fishing. They were the perfect size for perch bait. From there we went to Lake Erie Metro Park. We did not fish here because no one was catching any fish. We then went to a small marina just before Humbug and fished there. We caught our most fish here but we had no keepers. Another long day without bringing home any fish. Seems like everyone that we talked to had the same old story.

Daryl Trying to Feed Dale Some Sushi ???

Fished with Daryl and Dale in Unadilla, same spot as the last post. Temperature was in the middle 20s all day and the wind was clam. The sky was overcast with no sunshine. The ice is over a foot thick. We were all thinking that this was the day the fish would turn on. We fished the same area as the other day and Daryl started catching some nice fish right away. As for myself it was the same old story, very slow. After a hour I packed up and headed for the other canal where we caught some nice fish last year. Fished for 45 minutes with no bites so I went back and joined the guys. We caught some fish but the catch per hour was slow. Daryl made a move further out onto the lake with no success, only small perch. At least we had a nice day to be on the ice and enjoy some good company. We kept 28 Bluegill between the three of us.

Bluegill Fishing Today.

Fished with Daryl. Temp late in the morning was 18 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 20s. The wind was out of the Northwest at 10 knots with an over cast sky. We were fishing later today because there was 6 inches of snow last night and I shoveled walks before I went fishing. Daryl let me know that mid day is not the best time to catch Bluegill, but we gave it our best shot. We fished a good Bluegill lake in Unadilla that he has access to. We started fishing at 11:00 in the morning and the bite was pretty slow. We made one move up the canal to Daryl's hot spot and started to catch a few fish but after a half hour the bite just shut down. We stayed around for 1 more hour and decided to call it a day. Daryl is used to catching fish and he was starting to get bored. I told him that my whole ice fishing season has been like this. We kept 11 Bluegill (I caught 3)between 7 and 8 1/4 inches, enough for us to have for dinner tomorrow.

It Was Colder Than A ?

Fished with Doug Sowa. Temperature this morning was -9 and when we quit fishing it was 3 degrees. The wind was out of the West 10 knots and the wind chill was -25 degrees. Almost too cold for ice fishing. We had a good report that they were catching nice perch at Lake Erie Metro Park so that is where we headed. We fished the old boat ramp on the canal that heads out to Lake Erie and yes, it was COLD today. We set up in Doug's hot spot from previous years of fishing here and caught some small perch and one nice bluegill. Made one more move further towards the lake by the beginning of the seawall. We stayed there about 45 minutes and decided to call it a day. Doug did manage to catch a nice Smallmouth Bass about 1 1/4 inches long. I asked if he wanted it mounted and he did not say too much. I was hoping to get a picture of him and the fish but he put it down the hole before I could get the camera ready. All the other fisherman that were fishing the canal by us had no fish either. On the way back in we talked to a guy right by the boat ramp and he said he had some bluegill and 3 perch. The report is the fish are biting better in the evening.

Over the River and Through the Woods!

Fished Lake St. Clair with Doug S. His friend Kenny, Kenny's son and a friend they call Polock also showed up. The temp this morning was 12 degrees and by the time we quit fishing it was in the middle 20s. The wind was very light and the sun would poke out every once in a while which made for a nice day of fishing. We started out fishing at Harbor Nine. We moved around there a couple of times without any luck. Kenny called and said we should head to the South. So away we went. We went by one marina, up over the land onto a small canal, up the seawall through the reeds and over the land, down the seawall and onto another marina. Across that marina onto a small bay which we crossed and headed into the woods. We came out of the woods onto another small bay, which is where we fished. Whew!! I don't even know the name of the bay. We fished in the center of the bay amongst a small pack of fisherman. We used spikes and shiners today but caught nothing off the shiners. Doug started catching fish right away and I was not having very much luck. I moved around him 3 times but it did not seem to help. He even gave me one of his purple jigs to use, but that did not help either. Doug had eleven keepers and I threw one into his pile. We kept 9 Sunfish,2 Gill's and 1 Crappie. A long walk to catch some fish but at least we had some keepers today. Doug did not want to clean the Sunnies so we gave all the fish to Kenny.

Another Day and The Same Results.

Went fishing on Lake St. Clair with Doug S. and John A. We were not sure where to fish today but we ended up back at Geno's. The temp in the morning was 12 degrees and by the time we quit fishing it was in the upper teens. The wind was less than 10 knots out of the East. The water is still dirty from the runoff and the ice is 8 inches thick. Doug was fishing before us and he started in close and caught a couple of small keepers. We went out to the end of the pack of people and set up. Nothing but small perch for us. When Doug joined up with us we made one more move further out with the same dismal results. John had his underwater camera with him and the visibility was not very good on the bottom but everything that we saw on the screen were small fish. Just another slow day on the lake and it might be the last trip to Geno's for a while. We talked to some other fisherman that were fishing Brandenburg Park and Metro Park and they all had the same results, no fish. We took a ride to South River Rd. to check out Candle's and the ice by the parking lot is just starting to freeze again, that may be our next trip.

Nothing but small fish.

Went fishing by myself, could not find any one who wanted to go. Temp was in the middle 20s with a slight breeze out of the east. Around 9:00 AM the sun came out and it was just a perfect day for fishing. Thought I would try some where different so I headed to South River Road to fish in front of Candles. When I got to the parking lot there was no one fishing and I did not want to be the first one out so I headed back to where we fished last week, the Metro Park. The ice had blew out of the area that we fished last week and the only place they were fishing was by the Day Sail Ramp. I started to fish there but as I look around no one was catching any fish. I watched for about 15 minutes and decided to head to Geno's and fish there. The parking lot was jammed at Geno's and I got one of the last spots left. I fished in front of Geno's and down by the willow trees with out any luck. Every one I talked to was fish less and most of the people were just standing around. I pulled out the binoculars and finally found someone catching some fish, so that is where I headed. I set up and started to catch some fish but all that I caught were small perch. I watched the guy next to me and every so often he would catch a keeper. I went and talked to him and he was using wigglers on a small pink jig, the bait that I did not have. I went back to fishing but all that I could catch was small perch. I had no keepers for the day. On the walk back in everyone that I talked to had no fish. The ice is 6 inches thick.

First Trip This Winter.

Fished with Doug Sowa. We fished out of Metro Park on Lake St. Clair, straight out from the flag pole in 7 feet of water. The temp was in the upper 20s with a slight wind out of the Southwest. The ice is 5 inches thick but around the shore line there is a lot of open water. The water was a little dirty from all the run off this past week. We used shiners and spikes but the shiners were by far the best bait. The fish were not very active today and the bite was very lite. We caught about 30 perch but we only had 10 keepers with the largest one measuring 10 1/2 inches. The bite was slow but we both had a good time.

Dock Fishing

Fished with Daryl after we voted. Decided to head down to TBM and fish off the docks. The temperature was in the middle 60s and the wind was out of the Southwest 10 knots. Just a beautiful day to be fishing.

We tried to buy some minnows but the only store open did not have any so we had to use wax worms. After 10 minutes of fishing we were told by one of the workers that we could not fish because there is no fishing off the docks. Things were not going very well today. Daryl went and talked to Chuck (one of the bosses) and he gave us the OK to fish so we headed back out to the docks and went fishing. The only problem now was that we were catching a lot of small fish. For every five fish that was caught, only one was a keeper. We fished for 1 1/2 hours and decided to clean the fish and head up to Trappers and have fresh fish for lunch. We kept 21 bluegill. A nice way to end a good day of fishing off the docks.

Last Trip For The Bird's Nest

Fished with Daryl. The temperature this morning was in the lower 50s and by the time we quit fishing it was in the lower 70s. The wind was out of the Southeast 5 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 60 degrees.

We started fishing right in front of the harbor in 13 feet of water. We were marking fish but the water is still dirty. Moved out by the S Buoy but the water was still dirty. Saw a pack of boats North of the Toledo Light House and made a pass through them and they were not catching anything. Went out to the shipping channel and fished for a few minutes and still nothing so I said the hell with it so we went for a boat ride and headed out to our spot. The catching was pretty good today and the fish were a lot larger. We had a lot of fish over 10 inches. Kept 57 perch for the day.

River Fishing

Fished with Captain Joe and his friend Ron. Temperature this afternoon was in the upper 50s and the wind was out of the East 15 to 20 knots. The River had a light chop and at the mouth of the River the waves were about one foot. The water temp is 57 degrees. The water had a lot of weeds floating which made the fishing difficult.

Our first stop was at Stony Island where we caught a Gobie and a very small bass. From there we went to the South side of Hickory Island without any luck. Made a move to the channel of the Ford Yacht Club and again nothing. Moved again out in front of Lake Erie Metro Park and we caught a couple of small perch and Ron caught a nice walleye off his perch rig. Joe tried 3 times to knock it off Ron's pole but they finally landed the fish. The walleye was 27 inches long and 7.4 lbs. We made one more move and fished the North side of Grassy Island and then we called it a night. Kept two small perch and one nice walleye and had a beautiful boat ride up the Detroit River.

No More Being Late For Work.

Fished with Daryl. Temperature this morning was 40 degrees with a Northeast wind 15 to 20 knots. The waves were 2 feet for the ride out and after an hour the wind quit blowing and the lake laid down. The water temp is 66 degrees.

We headed back out to our spot that we have been fishing all year. The fishing was slow and we moved a couple of times but it did not seem to help. For every four fish we caught we would keep one. Since the day turned out so nice we just stayed put and sorted through the small fish. The lake is starting to finally clean up but the season is coming to an end. Just one more week to fish. We kept 38 perch today.