posted on October 26, 2011 09:28
Hello,
If your leaves are raked up, and the wind isn't blowing at gale strength, the fishing is still worth the effort on the lake. Saturday was my first opportunity in a couple weeks to get out but my boat was missing as it went into storage a week ago. Thank goodness for my kayak. One pass across the mouth of the channel was all it took find a nice steelhead ready to give me one more opportunity to lose a fish this season but unfortunately for him the Jager Bomb Stinger he inhaled wouldn't let go. Knowing I had leaves to take care of I decided that was enough and I turned to head back to the beach when I realized there was a pretty stiff current coming out of the South. While I was out I noticed a couple of my friends in the charter business were out still running trips so I made a call to pick up a few more details for you. Fishing was excellent from 60 - 130 ft of water with fish hitting the usual assortment of spoons from the surface down to 80 ft. Bright colored spoons like the Jager Bomb, Mixed Veggies and Orange Crush worked well on higher rigs while the Smashmouth, Hello Darlin and modified and standard Blue dolphins worked their magic down on the deeper sets. That's what happened Saturday morning. In keeping with the 2011 pattern, everything changed by the afternoon. The strong current that wore me out and made yard work even more fun than normal, pushed the warmer water north and the cold, milky looking green water returned from its hiding place and changed everything. Fishing was tougher the rest of the weekend but on Sunday some success was reported from deeper water where the temps were warmer and the water color was bluer. Steelhead were taken on lead cores from 3 to 10 colors and kings were more active from 100' down and lower. I heard there was plenty of bait showing near the bottom from 60' of water and further out but very little showing up off bottom which explains why the kings were feeding so far down. With the constantly changing conditions at this time of year, be ready to cover a little water to find the fish. I would still recommend looking for blue water, but don't venture too far out alone and in a small boat, and avoid spending too much time in areas where it has that green look that showed up after the big storm in late September.
Pier fishing success has been very unpredictable, and in my opinion is also tied to the water conditions mentioned above, as one day provides excellent fishing for steelhead and a few whitefish and the next day only gives you a view of something other than leaves falling on your freshly raked lawn (yes, there's a pattern here). Fresh spawn has provided for the bulk of the success on the good days.
For river fishermen, life is good. Decent numbers of fresh and feisty steelhead have moved into most of the rivers now. The Manistee has been good for a couple weeks and the lower half of the Muskegon is also providing for some solid opportunities at catching good numbers of these great fighters. Spawn under a bobber, or a float if you prefer, has been the hot ticket so far. I like to cast small Hot' n Tots to them personally though as the strikes are awesome. Cool weather with occasional light rains should keep this fishing going strong.
The bayous in the area have seen quite a bit of fishing pressure lately as most everything is biting well as the fish put on some extra weight for the winter. Chunks of crawlers and good sized leaf worms are producing nice bluegills from both boats and bridges. If the weather is half way decent, don't be shy about offering larger baits to help sort out the little guys but cold fronts often demand a little more subtle offering so bring a few tear drops and spikes along just in case. Most of the fish are being taken near weed lines and dropoffs in up to 12 ft. of water. I've also heard a couple reports that the walleye are hitting well on Muskegon Lake but I don't have any details at this time.
With deer and duck seasons underway (I saw good numbers of divers on the lake while fishing) and the usual list of fall chores, I won't be posting as often but I will continue to post reports whenever I hear something, or one of my boys brings home a bucket of fish, right on through the winter.
Lastly, thank you very much for the words of encouragement and appreciation that Amanda and I have received throughout the season in regards to our fishing reports. My wife would also like to thank you as now she doesn't have to pretend to listen to nearly as much fish talk as she used to!
Good luck and enjoy your fall,
Matt Whitney