Fishing Report, Whitney Charters

Hello again,

Somebody gave the fish a calendar. The fishing is still very good out of Grand Haven but the fish are quickly transitioning from early spring to early summer locations with the rapid change in weather. The great fishing we experienced Thursday in 60' - 80' of water has all but vanished and the fish are now scattered from 100' on out to 240' of water and I'm sure if you cared to keep going out you'd find fish there too. The good news is that the fish are still numerous and eager to attack your baits. Monday morning we fished from 130' - 180' of water and in 2 - 1/2 hours we had 11 nice fish and missed several more on a Whitney family trip that began bright and early by leaving the dock at 7 am. If you want bigger fish, and soon more fish, I recommend getting out about an hour and a half earlier but if you want peace in the home 7 am isn't all bad. The best bait for us was a Hello Darlin Dreamweaver fished behind 200' of copper and also at 50' down on a downrigger. We also took fish on the Kevorkian Coyote and the Smashmouth Dreamweaver spoons. These spoons are primarily blue/green on siver with glow or orange tape patterns on them. Most of the action was in the 50' down range but we did hit as high as a 3 color lead core, which would be running aroun12 - 15 feet down, and as deep as 128 foot down on a white paddle and fly combo. As this week progresses watch for the fish to move deeper and continue to spread out. If you are having trouble finding fish this week, try bumping your speed up to 3.5 or even 4 mph with baits that can troll fast and cover a lot of ground. Slow down a little when you mark fish or find surface temperature changes and try to have lines set from the surface to 150' down or more. 

In shore fishing is still going strong according to everyone I've talked to. The bluegills are up in the shallows in very good numbers now and aggressively taking just about anything offered. The warmer weather this week should give everyone an opportunity to collect enough for a great meal before the bigger gills move back out after spawning. Bass are biting good and I've seen a number of fisherman in the river catching fish while we've been on the water the last couple of days. This is a great time of year to take a youngster fishing as the weather is good and the fish are biting.

Spring is almost over and the variety of relatively easy fishing will go with it so don't miss another day, get out there!

Good Luck and for reports from other anglers, check to see if there are any comments listed under my report and click on the word "Comments".

Matt Whitney