Nice Walleyes and Jumbo Perch

Fished with captain Daryl on his maiden trip. Temperature this morning was in the lower 30 and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 50s. The wind was out of the west around 7 knots with waves less than a foot. The water temp is 53 degrees. We started to head towards Turtle Island and the water was very dirty so we turned around and went to the dumping grounds (41 48 700 / 083 24 800). We were jigging with blade baits and jigs tipped with a minnow. Caught no fish off the blade baits. We had a lot of bites and lost a few fish because they were hitting so lightly. Kept 5 walleye and 3 jumbo perch.

Bubba

Trout fishing 2010 is over. The fishing was very good on opening day and then it just went down hill. Joe caught this hog on Monday and it was the only keeper that we had today. The brown trout was 21 inches long, the largest fish that we have ever caught on opening weekend. Good job Joe!! The weather was pretty nice for the opening weekend, since it was the earliest it could ever be. It rained for 4 hours on Sunday and it was dry for the rest of the trip. We were able to have trout dinners for 3 nights, and they were excellent. For the weekend we kept 12 brown trout.

Sunday's Catch From Grayling

Photo on the left is from Sunday, April 25, 2010. More trout - 1 per person???

Photo on the right is another pic from Saturday's Catch.

Opening Day of Trout Season

Well, it took us a while to get to Grayling Friday due to getting two flat tires on the camper.
Today the weather began with temps in the upper 20's, which was cold enough to form ice on the eyelets. Throughout the day the temps warmed up to the upper 50's. With the overcast skies, it was a good day for fishing. We fished using minnows and worms - the worms were better in the afternoon. We caught a lot of 8" to 10" fish which should make for good fishing next year. The largest fish we caught today was 14" (all were brown trout).
We had a trout dinner tonight which was fantastic, and we have enough fish for dinner the next two nights also!
There are not very many people on the river and we are the only occupants at the campground!

Trout Season Opener !!

John, Joe, and I are off this morning for Grayling, MI, for our Annual Trout Season Fishing Trip! The season opens Saturday morning. We'll set up the camper today and scout out some of our fishing holes. Doesn't sound like the weather will be too great (rain and cool/cold) but hopefully we'll have a good time and catch some fish! Will report more later.

Jigging By The Island

Fished with Daryl and Doug. Temperature this morning was in the upper 30s and by the time we quit fishing it was in the middle 50s. The wind was out of the northeast at 5 knots and the waves were less than a foot. The water was very clean compared to the last two trips. Started fishing where we left off on the last trip and we picked up a few fish. Stayed in this area for quite awhile and then the bite slowed down. Made a move across the channel and we caught one more fish. All the fish except for one were caught off the jig and minnow, the other one came off the blade bait. Kept 8 walleye for the trip and lost about 5 other fish.

Brutal Day of Fishing

Fished with Joe and John H. for the afternoon fish. We only had two hours to fish because Toledo Beach Marina closed at 5:00 PM, instead of 8:00 PM like they should. Temperature this afternoon was in the upper 50s for the whole trip. The wind was out of the west 20 to 25 knots and the waves were 2 to 3 feet, not the best of conditions. It rained for the first hour and then the sun came out. We ran two drift bags and could have used another one. We fished by Turtle Island on the mud line (41 45 500 / 083 21 360). We were able to make about 5 passes before we had to call it a day. I started off using the blade baits and Joe and John were using a jig and Minnow. Nothing was working so I switched to a jig and minnow and then we started to catch some fish. We kept 8 walleye and lost only one. We finished off the trip by going to Trappers and having a fresh walleye dinner.

Maiden Voyage

Fished with Daryl, Doug cancelled last night. Temperature this morning was in the lower 50s and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 70s. The wind was out of the southwest 5 to 18 knots with waves less than a foot, probably the best April 15 ever. We started fishing where we left off last Monday and the water was very dirty. We used the blade baits for the first 45 minutes and had no hits so we switched over to jigs and minnows. Started getting a few hits off the minnows but we could not land the fish. For the next couple of hours we switched between the blades and the jigs - the blades had no hits. We kept one walleye and lost about 8 others. The fish are still there but it was not our day.

Turtle Island

Went down to work on the boat today and I ran into Captain Eddie (Hollywood) and his first mate, Rob. I helped them launch his boat and then they asked me to go fishing with them, so away we went. Temperature this afternoon was in the upper 50s with a northeast wind 5 to 10 knots. The waves were about a foot and the skies were blue. Our first stop was the humps in Michigan waters not to far from Toledo Light house, where Rob caught his fish yesterday. Fished there for 45 minutes and we only had one hit so we moved half way between the light house and Turtle Island in 9 feet of water. Caught a couple of fish there and then we moved closer towards Turtle Island and we found the fish. It did not take long to get our limit once we were on the fish. We kept 12 walleye and 1 nice perch and had about 8 other fish on that we lost. All the fish were caught using blade baits, either casting or jigging.

Detroit River Fishing

Fished with Captain Dwayne and his brother Uncle Dan. I was working around the house this afternoon when Dwayne called and asked if I wanted to go fishing, so away we went. Temperature this afternoon was in the mid 60s with a light wind out of the southeast. When we got to Belanger Park to launch the boat the temperature dropped about 20 degrees and the wind was blowing out of the southeast 10 to 15 knots. We talked to some guys at the dock and the reports were bad. We headed off to Mud Island and fished around it for a while with no luck. Made a move to the matchstick and did not catch anything. Moved again to the water intake and again caught nothing. Went back to Mud Island and tried it again and had the same results, no fish. Headed back up river to Belanger Park and fished in front of the steel plant and caught nothing, again. For the day we had no hits and no fish, but it sure felt nice to be back on the water again.

Spring Fishing???

Fished with Doug S. and Joe P. on Grosse Ile. Temperature this morning was 26 degrees and when we quit fishing it was only in the upper 30s. The wind was out of the southeast 5 to 10 knots and the sky was clear. When we got to the canal to start fishing it was covered with a light sheet of ice, the first bad sign of the day. We started fishing the far east side of the canal where there was some open water and the fishing was very slow. As the ice started to break up Doug moved towards the west end of the canal without any luck. After we decided we stayed too long here we headed to Hoovers and fished the canal there. We did not have any luck there so we started the Grosse Ile tour. After it was all said and done we only had 2 perch that we kept, maybe enough for my mom to have a little dinner.

First Day of Spring

Fished on this cold first day of spring on Grosse Ile with Doug S. Temperature this morning was 36 degrees and when we quit fishing it was only 41 degrees. The wind was out of the northeast 15 to 20 knots and the sky was mainly overcast. We tried dipping our own minnows and had no luck so we headed back to the main land and bought some. With the strong wind the water was pretty high in all the canals and the water temp is 42 degrees(some guys came into the canal with a boat to fish and told us the water temp). The fishing was slow again today. We had around a dozen perch that we threw back and only kept 5.

Fishing the Soft Water

Fished with Doug S. We made the Grosse Ile tour today. Temperature this afternoon was 64 degrees and when we quit fishing it was 52 degrees. The temp was a lot warmer on the main land then it was on the island. The sun was shining bright and the wind was light out of the east. We hit all our usual spots and the fishing was slow. The Trenton Channel had high water and a lot of ice floating down it but there were still 4 boats out walleye fishing. The canals were very shallow but they all had a lot of shiners, so the fishing should pick up any day now. We caught a few perch but they were all small ones.

The Official Last Day

Got a call from Doug S. and he just had to go ice fishing one more time, so away we went. Temperature this afternoon was 59 degrees and when we quit fishing it was 42 degrees. The skies were blue and the wind was very light, just like yesterday. The shore ice is getting worse (on the way out Doug fell through up to his knees) and the ice on the lake is less than a foot thick and very sloppy on top. Doug got a report that they were catching some fish out of the DNR launch by Crocker, so that was going to be our destination. On the way to fishing Doug got a phone call and his friend caught his limit of perch at Metro Beach in 3 feet of water in front of the flag pole. So the game plan was changed and off we went to Metro Beach. We get to the beach and there is no one fishing in front of the flag pole, they were all at the point, where I fished last night. At the Point, we caught 6 perch and the largest was 5 inches. The guy in the picture caught this nice pike fishing right by us using his perch pole with 4 lb. test line and a small jig. On the way home we drove by the DNR launch and all the guys that we talked to had no fish either, so we did not feel too bad.

Sunset on the End of 2010 Ice Fishing

Sitting around the house today knowing that the end of ice fishing is close, I decided to go one more time. So off I went to Metro Beach for the evening fish. Temperature this afternoon was 55 degrees and when I quit fishing it was 48 degrees. The sun was shining bright and the wind was less than 5 knots out of the west. The ice on the lake is at least a foot thick but around the shore line it is getting soft. The report that we received yesterday as we left the ice was they caught some nice fish at the point in shallow water right before dark. My game plan was to stay in the shallow water and not leave it. I set up in 1 foot of water and I could see the fish coming in. The bite did not start until after sunset and it was over in a hurry. I had three hogs come through the hole and I only caught one of them. I caught some smaller fish but it was not the trip I had planned. Had only 2 keeper perch so I let them go.

Getting Close to Last Ice

Fished out of Metro Beach on Lake St. Clair with Doug S. Temperature this afternoon was 52 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the lower 40s. The wind was out of the southwest 5 to 10 knots and the sky was blue. The shore ice at the Day Sail Ramp is getting a little iffy but on the lake there is 14 inches of ice. We started fishing in front of the flag pole in 7 feet of water. When we got there the guys were just leaving and they had some fish that they caught in the morning. We fished there for 1 1/2 hours and caught a lot of dinks and only a few keepers and then we noticed a group of guys over by the point in shallow water. We picked up and headed out that way to talk to the guys and they said the morning bite was pretty good in 1 foot of water but the last 2 hours the fish moved out. We fished there for 45 minutes and then we went back to our old spot. For every 15 fish we would have one keeper so we thought that was better than nothing. Around the last hour of light the bigger fish turned on and then we started to have some fun. Doug used his new Slab Grabber spoon today and I have to admit it worked very well. We kept 30 perch and lost half a dozen large one's at the hole.

Gino's Surf

Fished with Doug S. out of Gino's on Lake St. Clair. Temperature this morning was 25 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 30s. The sun was shining bright and the wind was out of the northwest 5 to 10 knots. The ice is about 14 inches thick and some fool drove his mini van on the lake today. We started off fishing to the right of Gino's in front of the willow tree in 4 feet of water. Made a half dozen moves there and all that we caught were small fish. Kept an eye on other people fishing in closer and did not see any action. Started moving out to deeper water and we finally found some fish. We just stayed in this general area hole hopping and sorting out the small fish for the rest of the day. Kept 10 perch for a long day of fishing. The one good thing today was Selfridge Air National Base put on a nice air show.

The Coast Line Tour

Fished with Doug S. Temperature this morning was 34 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the upper 30s. The wind was out of the northwest 5 to 10 knots and the skies were overcast for the first hour and then the sun came out. Turned out to be a nice day. We started fishing at Bolles Harbor and never had a bite. Jumped in the car and went to the Trenton Channel on Grosse Ille and never had a bite. Made one last stop at Bellanger Park and had the same results, no bites. All three locations the water was pretty low. Might try and go ice fishing this week on Lake St. Clair.

Airport Bay, Done for the Year

Fished Airport Bay with Doug S. and Daryl. Temperature this morning was 25 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the low 30s. The wind was light out of the southeast and we had sleet and snow for most of the trip. On the way to the canal Doug S. slipped on some ice and fell on the sidewalk, not a good start for the day. Walked down the canal to the bay and the ice looked pretty iffy in the center of the canal. Started fishing where we left off on Saturday and we caught no fish. Made about 4 moves and still nothing. Talked to some other fisherman and they had no fish. After a couple of hours we decided to call it a day on the bay and try to fish the Trenton Channel. On the way up the canal the ice looked even worse so we were hugging the east side of the canal. About half the way back I fell through up to my knees. Another 50 feet down the canal and Doug fell through with one leg up to his knee. We had to walk the shore line back for a while and the branches and underbrush are very thick on shore, which made for a tough go. This will be the last trip in that canal this year. After all this we came home with no fish, and we thought it was going to be a great day!!

Fishing the Big Pond

Fished with Joe out of Lake St. Clair. Temperature this morning was 26 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the middle 30s. There was no wind today and the skies were partly sunny, just the perfect day for ice fishing. The ice is at least 16 inches thick. Had a report that they were catching some fish between the day sail ramp out from the Metro Park and Geno's, so that is where we headed. Started fishing in 3 foot of water and we only caught dinks. Made some moves further out and we caught a lot more dinks and 1 keeper perch (8 inches). Kept on moving towards Geno's and it did not help. Ended up having 2 perch that we kept, one that we gave away and one that we put back. I made the wrong choice today, we should have went back to Airport Bay.