Tag Archives: 2017

Sport Fish Michigan Grand Traverse Bay – June 2017 Angler Magazine Report

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June in northern Michigan is a wonderful time to be on the water. Not only is the weather usually quite pleasant, the fishing is also red hot. Whether it’s on one of the countless inland lakes or on Grand Traverse Bays, the bass fishing opportunities are seemingly endless.

On Grand Traverse Bays, the southern portion of each bay warms earliest, and anglers can target big smallmouth bass using moving baits like jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits with great success. As the month progresses, look further north and deeper for fish as they spawn, and then post spawn on the flats adjacent to their spawning areas. And of course, there is the usual go-to drop shot rig or a tube when fish don’t want to play chase.

For us here at Sport Fish Michigan and Traverse City Bass Guide Service, we prefer to fish a tube on a jika-rig. For a couple of reasons, we feel that this is a better presentation for tube fishing. This jika-rig has an exposed weight on the bottom, allowing for much greater sensitivity. The tube itself is rigged Texas style, and so the plastic of the tube does not dull the feel of the bottom. This allows anglers to detect the subtle strikes that can often occur when tube fishing as bass frequently pick up a tube and swim with it. Also, the hook point rides upright, never tipping over as often the case with a traditionally rigged tube with the weight inside the head. We at Sport Fish Michigan and Traverse City Bass Guide Service have not noticed any difference in hookups or bass being shy about the weight. The tube rides above the weight, almost as if it is neutrally buoyant. With our underwater observations, this seems much more natural in many cases. Most importantly, with this jika-rig, bass that inhale the tube are very rarely deep-hooked. This is not the case with traditionally rigged tubes. Mortality from deeply hooked bass with tubes in their throats is a common sight these days. Not so with this style of tube rigging, as bites are much more evident. Give this rigging a try—we’re sure you’ll love it too.

For inland lake bass fishing, bass are mostly in post spawn and are willing to chase actively moving baits. When the wind is blowing, spinnerbaits are a great option when fished right in the rough stuff. A windy-blown shoreline is prime for tossing double willow leaf blades for bass, and the takes are incredible in our clear northern Michigan waters. It is common to watch a brown torpedo chase down a spinnerbait that is burned just below the surface this time of year! Don’t forget about topwater action as another great option. Insect hatches like the mayfly are king here, and a popper or a walking bait are not only visually exciting but also deadly on both largemouth and smallmouth bass on the inland lakes.

Enjoy the great bass fishing that northern Michigan has to offer—with fantastic weather and fantastic fishing opportunities, it’s a win-win!

Sport Fish Michigan Fishing Report 05.22.17

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It’s hard to believe that May is already coming to an end. Fishing in northern Michigan has been spectacular this month, and things looks great leading in to June. The weather has created many of the good fishing opportunities in the area – we have had some warmer days and colder nights, building a gradual increase in lake temperatures. This is exactly what we wanted for our area!

Grand Traverse Bay has been incredible for cisco, trout, and whitefish in 25-60 feet of water. If you haven’t yet gone fishing for these species this year, you should! We are having great results casting gold-colored blade baits in a 3/4 ounce size along the steep breaks of East Grand Traverse Bay. Water temperatures in the bay have been bouncing back and forth between the mid- to low-40s. This is an optimal temperature zone for lake trout and cisco to cruise the shallows in search of alewife and gobies. Salmon fishing has also been fairly decent in Grand Traverse Bay. Anglers are finding active fish in 50-100 feet of water, high in the water column. Trolling lead core and slide divers with spoon presentations has been a productive technique. Trolling smaller spoon presentations at a speed of 2.4-2.7 mph is a good way to target the multiple available species available.

Bass fishing on most northern inland lakes is on fire! Due to the way water temperatures are setting up, the prospect of a longer spawning season is very good. Smaller inland lakes are maintaining temps in the mid- to upper-50s, with some even reaching into the low-60s. The last full moon brought a good push of males in to make beds, and females searching for the right spot to settle on for spawning. A lot of fish are being caught on the shallow flats adjacent to spawning grounds, and fish are very active both in and around beds. The larger inland lakes are still in an excellent pre-spawn condition with larger fish being found on weed- and rock-covered flats and drop-offs. Swim baits on darter jigs, drop shot rigs, and tubes have been working very well, but don’t hesitate to try covering some water with a spinner bait when the water presents the right opportunity.

Get out and enjoy the awesome fishing Michigan offers, it will not disappoint!

Sport Fish Michigan Grand Traverse Bay – May 2017 Angler Magazine Report

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Smaller inland lakes warm the quickest, and the biggest and deepest bodies of water warm the slowest. With waters ranging anywhere from the mid 40’s to the mid 50’s depending on which lake, the patterns can vary. From the onset of the season, we like to target smaller bodies of water. Blade baits can be great when the water is below 45 degrees. With a rip and a pause, or a hopping retrieve off of the bottom, a blade bait can really pay dividends with some great bites. As the waters warm above the 45-degree mark and into the low 50’s, a jerk bait really comes into its own. Generally, a cadence involving a combination of long pauses after a few jerks or pulls of the rod tip can be the ticket to getting bites. Smallmouths are sight feeders, and often will inspect a bait for quite some time before deciding to commit. This is a combination of audible and visual presentation. The jerking portion of the cadence creates flash and noise to call a fish in, whereas the pause portion of the retrieve can seal the deal. The colder the water, the longer the pause.

A swim bait can also be a great option this time of year. It’s also a visual presentation, but it’s subtle. For fish that are first moving up onto the flats from their deeper winter and early spring locations, they can be spooky. A subtle bait style like a swim bait can be a deadly presentation, and really shines as the waters warm into the 50’s as the fish truly go on the prespawn feed! When the waters hit the mid 50’s, a spinner bait is another great option for thunderous strikes. But don’t be too surprised if a stray pike or two also finds a spinnerbait appealing!

Grand Traverse Bay is still cold for May, as it is a big body of water that can reach down to depths over 500 feet on East Bay. Sunny days will help warm this body of water, and when we do have those sunny days, the bass will flock to the shallower waters to sun bathe on the sand. Often is the case that the bass fishing is so good on the inland lakes, both for size and numbers, that we at Sport Fish Michigan and Traverse City Bass Guide Service often steer away from the bay altogether until late May.

Sport Fish Michigan Fishing Report 05.08.17

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The past two weeks have been filled with awesome fishing for SFM and clients. The walleye fishing has been on fire throughout the state! Fishing on the Detroit River continues to be red hot, both on the US and Canadian side. 35-48ft of water has held the more active fish. Larger fish are being found on the cleaner side of the mud line in US waters. Lime and antifreeze-colored heads with a black worm are most effective at this time.

Inland lake fishing for walleye in Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse Counties has been very good. Anglers trolling after dark with floating Rapalas on lighter fluorocarbon line have had great success. Anglers targeting 5-12ft of water trolling at a speed of 1.3-1.9 are yielding good catches.

The lake trout fishing off Frankfort and East-West Grand Traverse Bay has been very red hot. Anglers have also had frequent encounters with salmon in both locations. The most active salmon and trout have been found in 30-70ft of water, feeding on gobies and alewife in warmer temperatures. Finding the warmer water can be critical at this time of the year. Sometimes a 5-degree temperature variation can make all the difference in your catch.

Cisco fishing on Grand Traverse Bays is really starting to heat up as well. Lots of fish are being found in 50-70ft of water close to steep drop-offs. Blade baits, jigging spoons, and trolling lead core have been working very well. Anglers trolling smaller spoons have had good action. The cisco fishing should only continue to get better through the month of May! Get out and catch some of these awesome, hard-fighting fish!

Sport Fish Michigan April 2017 Angler Magazine Report

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April is upon us. The ice has melted, and instead of seeing the lakes covered with shanties and snow, we see waves and boats! Northern Michigan spring weather can be cold and rainy, but that will not stop anglers from hitting the inland lakes in hopes of landing some big pre-spawn smallmouth and largemouth bass. With the new DNR regulations in place allowing us to target bass, the month of April is now wide open for us, where it was previously closed. While we can target bass, it is still catch and immediate release, however.

With a lot of the lakes maintaining water temperatures in the upper 30’s to low 40’s it is important to note that most of the bass in the larger inland lakes are still rather lethargic. Feeding fish can and will be found transitioning from deeper water to shallower flats and weed covered drop offs. The feeding window tends to be short lived this time of the year; generally, it can be the warmest time of the day. Smallmouth’s love sun and a sunny day can really trigger a nice bite as the sun will penetrate down through the clear waters here in Northern Michigan.

A good go-to presentation in April can be blade baits and jerk baits. With the blade bait, retrieving with a double pump action associated with a fall can be key. Try several different styles of pumps making the blade bait flutter in your retrieve to trigger a strike and establish a pattern. The same goes for jerk baits–make sure you play with the jerk/pause cadence to establish what the fish want. With cold water, we at Traverse City Bass Guide Service like to start with at least a 3-5 second pause in between jerk/retrieve. In the colder water, April bass can even want as long as a 10-second pause. Keep in mind as well, that sometimes a twitch can be more effective than a jerk!

When targeting bass with these techniques, you have a very good chance of stumbling into a post spawn pike. This can make for a nice added bonus to get the blood flowing. Pike have a tendency to be found actively feeding adjacent to drop offs and on weed covered deeper flats this time of year. When you find one, you will usually find more! If you find that you’ve stumbled into an area that has nothing but pike, try moving a little deeper or in contrast a little shallower. The bass usually aren’t too far away.

We at Traverse City Bass and Sport Fish Michigan look forward to a great season chasing fish on the open water. We hope everyone has a great April and we look forward to seeing you on the water.

Sport Fish Michigan Lake Report March – April 2017

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Spring is here! With all the ice gradually melting, open water fishing on most inland lakes is in full swing and Grand Traverse Bay is open for some great fishing opportunities, as well. Listed below is brief description of what techniques and tips Sport Fish Michigan has to offer anglers when hitting the water over the course of the next month.

Inland lake fishing for perch has been very good, and this is an awesome time of year to take advantage of big fish and large schools. Most fish can be found feeding in 38-50 feet of water adjacent to steeper drop-offs and weed-covered flats. If you are lucky enough to find perch minnows at your local bait shop, this will help yield the best action when targeting perch. The fish tend to move this time of year as they are actively spawning and transitioning from deeper to shallower water. Make sure to use a Minn Kota Motors I-Pilot or back trolling technique, as using an anchor can spook the school, forcing them to move.

Grand Traverse Bay has been fishing very well this March and will only continue to heat up for several species. Lake trout and cisco fishing is incredible this time of year. Utilizing good, effective electronics, and successfully anchoring on top of large schools will bring the most success. This time of the year, jigging spoons and blade baits are key, fish are constantly moving, in search for alewife, gobies, and other baitfish in the warming water. 50-100 feet of water is a great place to start, this is usually a key area to find both species, however don’t be afraid to check shallower as the water warms, as most of the baitfish and insect life will be gathering around the warmer rocks and weed cover. And if all else fails, deep waters of 150 feet or even more will almost always hold fish. These deeper fish may not be the actively feeding fish that cruise the shallower waters, but can often be tempted with a good jig.

Traverse City, Frankfort, Leland, and Manistee offer some excellent shallow water trolling opportunities on Lake Michigan for brown trout, steelhead, and even the occasional lake trout. Anglers will have great success trolling body baits on in-line planer boards in 8-15 feet of water. Locating stained water areas and gradual temperature breaks will help pinpoint where feeding fish are located. Browns tend to congregate in the water that has the least amount of visibility and the warmest temperature. Don’t be afraid to fish very close to the shoreline, the inside trough can be very productive this time of year!

Good luck and see you on the water!

Sport Fish Michigan Ice Fishing Report 2.16.17

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The hottest bite as of this week has definitely consisted of perch and northern pike. With a few days of consistent sun and higher temperatures, both species have been on the move in search of baitfish, feeding and staging adjacent to their spawning areas. We are noticing that the perch are really running in size-oriented schools, and each school has its own mood. Some of the smaller schools of larger fish have actually been feeding more aggressively than others. With this in mind, we have not been using a very large presentation like a perch rig or jigging spoon. The most successful technique has consisted of small orange and chartreuse tungsten jigs tipped with wax works and spikes. Using 2lb fluorocarbon main line has been best. All lakes have had different depths that have been producing perch. The most important thing to look for when locating active perch is a soft muddy bottom on a flat that is adjacent to weeds or a drop-off. If the lake you are targeting is mostly shallow, finding isolated weeds with a soft bottom will be key.

Northern pike fishing has been great. The rest of the month will yield some of the best pike action of the year. Both the males and the females have increased their daily travel and really seem to be putting on the pre-spawn feedbag. We have really steered away from steel leaders this season, we have had great success with 15lb fluorocarbon tip-up leaders rigged with a size 12 treble hook. This has allowed the action of the golden minnow to maintain a very active wounded motion. By using lighter line, smaller hook and a ¼ ounce egg sinker we have found that we are getting a lot more action. Depth of water for these pre-spawn fish has been consistent with most lakes. 6-15ft of water close to drop offs, flats and weed beds has been best.

Last ice fishing is right around the corner. With this comes some excellent action for all species, but it also brings sketchy inconsistent ice conditions. We ask that all anglers please use extreme caution when hitting the ice the rest of the season. Good luck and catch them up!

Sport Fish Michigan January 2017 Angler Magazine Report

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January in northern Michigan is an excellent time to take advantage of many different angling opportunities. For those who want to get out on the ice, this is a great time to venture out on smaller bodies of water that have just formed safe fishable ice. Another January option is hitting the river for trout and steelhead. Both options will provide anglers with active fish and lower levels of angler competition due to the time of year.

First ice conditions can be an excellent time to encounter active panfish, perch, walleye, and pike. Panfish love the shallower weed flats this time of year. Fishing on top of and adjacent to small depth changes and structure can be very effective. Size 12 teardrops tipped with spikes accompanied by 2-4 lb. fluorocarbon can be most effective. While targeting panfish in the shallows, anglers can go after cruising pike on the edges of weed beds and close to adjacent drop offs. Tip-ups with sucker minnows provide a great bonus option while searching for panfish. Presenting your sucker minnow right above and slightly into standing weeds can produce nice pike this time of year.

Walleye can be found cruising the drop offs at daybreak and dusk. Depending on the lake, most active depths will range from 15-25ft. Jigging Rapalas, Buckshot Spoons, and smaller jig heads tipped with a minnow can be a good rod and reel option at this depth range. Anglers fishing tip-ups in this same zone will have great success as well. Big Blue minnows and Greys on a size twelve treble weighted by a ¼ ounce egg sinker will work for most tip-up rigging. When jigging this depth range, good electronics are critical for finding active fish and interpreting the type of jigging cadence that is most desired for that specific day. Both pike and walleye often inspect offerings for quite a while before striking.

January steelhead fishing can be an absolute riot! If you can get past the cold fingers and frozen rod guides, this is great time to pursue low-pressured fish and not encounter a large number of anglers. The active fish can be found in deeper slower sections of the river mostly keying in on the tail outs of runs and holes. Anglers presenting spawn and beads under floats will have great success. For those who prefer to tackle these hungry fish on the fly, intruder, egg, and leech patterns will produce fish when presented at the right depth.

We at Sport Fish Michigan would like to caution all anglers fishing first ice, to please use good judgment when venturing out and always fish with a friend. Ice doesn’t always freeze uniformly, and weak spots can be common during this first ice period. Good luck, tight lines and we hope to see you on the water this January!

SFM Weekly Fishing Report 01.22.17

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Despite the current warm-up, ice fishing is still red hot in Northern Michigan. Sport Fish Michigan has been on some great fishing this past week establishing consistent bite patterns for perch, walleye, and bluegill.

Walleye and large perch have been actively feeding in the same general area on several different bodies of water. The best action has been found fishing 28-33 feet of water directly on top of larger flats consisting of a soft bottom. Fire tiger tungsten jig presentations tipped with wax worms have been deadly. Size 3-5 Jigging Rapala’s in black and silver have also been great for targeting walleye and keeper perch at the same time. We have found that rigging our tip-ups with a 3/16oz egg sinker, 18” 4lb fluorocarbon leader accompanied by a #14 gold treble and blue minnow has been most effective for both species.

The bluegill bite this past week was very good! We had several limit catches on some smaller bodies of water fishing in 12-16ft. The most desired presentation we found consisted of glow 1/32oz tungsten jigs tipped with natural colored spikes. The fish really wanted the jig moving, consistently attacking the jig on the rise 2-3ft off of bottom.