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May 3, 2010
Fishing in the Saginaw Bay area has been good, not great, but overall good. With enough time and effort an angler should be able to get a limit of walleyes. I am going to break down this report into two sections one for the Bay and one for the River as the fishing has been pretty good on each lately.
Saginaw Bay
Fishing on the Bay has slowed a little due to the wind, and temperature changes we have been having. Anglers are having success in shallow water in front of the Kawkawlin River mouth, concentrate on 4 to 5 foot using crawler harnesses with no weight or if you are getting weeds and debris run a small split shot about 3-4 feet above the harness. Harnesses ran about 20 feet behind a Church Tackle inline planer board at 1.2mph has been producing. Fishing in a little bit deeper water has also been producing off of Linwood in 17 feet give or take a couple. The key is to move around, the fish are in smaller pods right now. If you do not catch anything move a half mile or so and reset your presentations. Anglers fishing in this water depth are running crawler harnesses with 1 oz inline weights and 2 oz bottom bouncers. Fish the inline rigs about 17 to 30 feet behind the board. The best action on the Bay right now is on the east side off of Quanicassee in waters 8-12 feet deep. The same crawler harness tactics are being deployed. Fish are being caught on Thomas Reef, if you look at a Hotspots Map it is marked pretty clearly. Good fishing is also taking place off the North end of Callahan Reef. Keep in mind that the shallow water fishing is very wind dependent, hope for a little bit of wind when you go out. Flat calm conditions can make the fishing very tough in shallow water, as will clear water conditions.
Saginaw River
Saginaw River fishing is still pretty good, as many fish remain in the river and a theory is circulating throughout the walleye world that the fish leave the river after spawning and then come back following the bait fish as they move in for spawning. If the theory holds true the river fishing should only get better. Ryan Sagady and I fished this past weekend's Michigan Walleye Tour event and finished in 2nd place. We jigged in the Saginaw River along the channel edges. Fish were concentrated in 11 to 16 foot of water. We vertical jigged with 1/4 and 3/8 oz jigs, we also used plastics on our jigs from Big Bite Baits. The plastics we used were Biobait Jerk Minnows that were 4 inches with a forked tail. The best colors were Pearl and Baby Sea Trout. These plastics from Big Bite are a scent impregnated biodegradable material that will not dry out and is durable. In catching somewhere in the area of 30 fish this weekend we used 3 or 4 tails the whole weekend; these baits are tough, and they work over and over again. No worrying about them drying out, put them back in the bag and reuse them. Look for these baits at Frank's Great Outdoors, as well as Fin-Tech Knuckle Ball jigs that we used and we also used some new jigs from FishBones Custom Lures, these jigs are called Hookerjigs and they worked great. The weather was tough this weekend with high winds and rain, it made the fishing difficult to control the boat and feel bites. Our St. Croix Legend Tournament Walleye Rods were a difference maker in these conditions, we never lost a fish all weekend, and I know several of the bites we got and landed were because of these high quality rods. I am a firm believer that the most important tool in your jigging aresenal is a quality rod; it is better to get the best rod you can afford and cut corners in other places when putting together a jigging attack. Frank's has a great selection of St. Croix Rods, stop in and check them out today. If they do not have the model you are looking for ask any of their knowledgeable staff members and they can special order it for you.
Anglers without boat access there are fish being caught along the riverwalk at Vets park in Bay City. There is a mixed bag of perch, walleye, and rough fish. This is a great place to take a kid fishing. Anglers are catching walleye using jigs and twister tails slowly worked along bottom, some walleyes are also being caught on perch rigs. While waiting to weigh in on Sunday we witnessed some very nice perch landed. I might be getting a couple dozen shiners from Frank's one day after work this week and going down to Vets and trying to catch a pail full of those dandy perch.
Good Luck and Good Fishing.
April 8, 2010
Walleye action has been steady on Saginaw Bay. Fish are being caught all over the inner bay in waters as shallow as 2-3 feet, and if you like to fish a little deeper fish have been taken in 17 to 19 feet as well. The beauty of the early spring fishing is that you do not have to go too far to catch some fish. You can easily stay within three miles of shore and get in on some good action. Good action is reported straight out from Linwood around the area known as the "cigar"; fish are also being caught a little farther north off of Nayanquin Point; and to the south closer to Bay City around the Dumping Grounds area near the shipping channel. The shallow fishing is taking place from the mouth of the Saginaw River to Linwood, hug the shoreline around Bay City State Park and you should connect with some fish. Real nice fish are being caught, like the one in the photo. This 11 pound beast was caught and released! What a beautiful fish, one of the healthiest looking fish I have seen this spring.
Larger stick baits have been working; Smithwick Rogues in both deep diving and shallow diving models have been producing fish. While trolling shallow diving stickbaits use a small split shot about six feet in front of the bait to get it a little deeper, and the split shot also acts as a stopper to catch debris that might be in the water. The whole lineup of Pradco Fishing Products have been working well; Smithwicks, Bombers, and Cotton Cordell's. Visit Frank's for the full lineup of Pradco lures or visit www.lurenet.com. I have been having some good luck on Cotton Cordell Grappler Shads as well. Another bait that I recommend to give a try is a Madeye Shad from SPRO. This innovative bait sure has been working good on the bay this spring, and will also be a great trolling bait when the rivers open back up. I enjoyed some great success in the Saginaw River with them last year.
A good trolling setup for early spring fishing when fishing with at least two people in the boat is to run two inline planer boards on each side of the boat, and one rod on each side of the boat ran directly over the side. I like this setup as you do not have to clear boards when a fish is on, and it allows you to experiment with depth and lures quickly with the rod that is being ran right over the side; this rod is often referred to as a boat rod or a scraper rod. I like to run my scraper rods with fireline, it gets the lures a little deeper and also shows the lure action on the rod tip very nicely. Check out Church Tackle for your inline planer boards, they offer the world famous "Walleye Boards" and also a new model TX-22. These boards are ready to fish right out of the package and are very economically priced versus the competition. When selecting a good scraper rod look for a medium power rod with moderate action, you want something that will load up and hold the fish. I like to use 7 foot rods from the St. Croix Premier Series. These are crankbait specific rods and are offered in moderate action.
Jig fisherman continue to have success around the mouth of the Saginaw River. Jigs and shiners from Franks Great Outdoors is the difference between a limit and a skunk. I am still using the Big Bite Baits Bio-Bug jig with a minnow. These jigs have really produced, and if you see me on the water or at the ramp stop me and ask and I can give you one to try. Predicting the river fishing will be pretty tough the next week or so, the warm weather and lower water we had last week I thought would push the fish out of the rivers; but the cooler temps and rainfall to increase flow might just keep the fish in the river a tad bit longer. I look for continued good fishing at the river mouths, and if the baitfish continue to swarm to the rivers the fishing should stay good. I noticed huge schools of shiners on my recent trips hanging around the mouth of the Saginaw River.
Photos are included from recent excursions.
Good fishing to all, be safe on the water. Don't forget to visit Franks Great Outdoors for all of your trolling needs: Church Tackle, St. Croix Rods, and Smithwick, Bomber, and Cotton Cordell Lures.
March 26, 2010
It has been awhile since my last report, the ice is finally gone and anglers have been getting out with regularity on Saginaw Bay.
Walleye fishing has been steady on Saginaw Bay. The strong winds we have had the last couple of days has stained the water, but it should still be fishable for the weekend and next week. Walleyes are being caught from Linwood moving south towards Bay City. Look for fish in waters 12-15 feet deep. Larger stick baits have been working; Smithwick Rogues in both deep diving and shallow diving models have been working well. While trolling shallow diving stickbaits use a small split shot about six feet in front of the bait to get it a little deeper, and the split shot also acts as a stopper to catch debris that might be in the water. Do not be afraid to try nightcrawlers, the changing weather can put fish in a negative mood; the slower presentation of a crawler harness can be just what the doctor ordered to turn a slow day of fishing into a great day of fishing.
Jig fisherman have also been having success around the mouth of the Saginaw and Kawkawlin Rivers. The key to jigging success right now is live minnows, a two to three inch shiner from Franks Great Outdoors is the difference between a limit and a skunk. Anglers have been anchoring on the channel edges of the Saginaw River mouth and jigging 1/2 and 3/8 oz jigs tipped with minnows. I like to use my Motorguide Varimax electric motor and slow drift the channel edges with a 3/8 oz jig tipped with a minnow. I am using two styles of jigs; one is a Big Bite Baits Bio-Bug http://bigbitebaits.com/BioSite/biobug.htm, this is a jig with a soft plastic body that is impregnated wtih scent, and has a hair tail tied on. The other style of jig I am using is a Fin-Tech Zon-R jig with a Big Bite Baits Fat Grub http://bigbitebaits.com/fatgrub3.htm, and also tipped with a minnow. On the fat grub I cut the twister tail off and just use the body part on my jig; this gives the bait a bigger profile and added color, plus the body has a ribbed texture that gives off some vibration.
Anglers fishing the mouth of the Kawkawlin have been using 1/4 oz jigs tipped with minnows and have been casting and pitching them; then slowly working the offering close to bottom. Make sure you stay in the legal fishing area around the mouth of the Kawkawlin; it is not permitted to cast into the river from the mouth area. Best action is taking place in boats that are fishing 300 feet or more out into the Bay and away from the river mouth in 3-6 foot of water.
Anglers are also catching a few perch in the Saginaw River. The best action is near the stone dock dredge cut, and in front of Bay Harbor and the Yacht Club. Please make note of rigging regulations while fishing in the river; refer to the fishing guide for specific regulations regarding hooks and beads that are allowed. Walleye fishing is closed on the river, targeting walleye in the rivers during this time is unethical. Reports of anglers using perch and catfish tactics to target walleyes are circulating. Please report any suspicious activity that you observe around the rivers during the spawing closure.
Good fishing to all, be safe on the water.
Ed Clements
March 12, 2010
Open water is here as all of the Saginaw Bay tributaries are open and flowing. Rain and runoff has turned the waters muddy and debris filled. Fishing is tough right now due to the high water and strong current. Look for current breaks to hold fish, areas around bridges or other current obstructions; or fishing the inside bends of the rivers could be productive. In the early season with cold water tip your jigs with minnows. I also highly recommend using some sort of soft plastic on your jig as well to bulk up the presentation ad give it some color, this makes a big difference in the muddy water. A great combination is a Big Bite Baits Fat Grub in Orange/Chartreuse on a jig with a minnow. Good luck and good fishing this weekend.
December 5, 2009
I hate to say it but I think the open water season is over. Temperatures in the 20s for the next ten days make the outlook bleak for open water fishing. The river fishing was still pretty good the weekend after Thanksgiving. We boated 15 fish over 20 inches on November 28. The jigging bite has been fantastic all fall. I cannot wait for the spring fishery and to use more Big Bite Baits soft plastic. If you get a chance this winter or at any of the tackle shows make sure you check them out, they are awesome. I do not do much ice fishing so my reports will be few and far between until Spring. Take care and I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season.
November 16, 2009
Saginaw River Walleye Fishing is Steady.
Fishing on the Saginaw River near Bay City has slowed down a little bit, as the majority of fish that moved into the river the last couple of weeks have moved upstream into Saginaw and the Tittabawassee River or have dropped back into Saginaw Bay. There is a very large school of fish outside the mouth of the Saginaw River, the fish are in 12 to 17 feet of water between Linwood and the river mouth. These fish are being caught pretty consistently using deep diving stickbaits. One of the best baits has been a Smithwick Deep Diving Rogue. When this school of fish makes it way into the river the fishing should be tremendous in the lower river around Bay City, and then last all fall and into winter as these fish make their way upstream.
Currently the river fishing around Bay City is a little slower than it has been, spending most of the day on the river in Bay City on Sunday produced 7 fish over 15 inches including a nice 23 incher in the photo. The river in Bay City also produced lots of undersized fish in the 10-12 inch range. This is great to see! I have been using 1/4 or 3/8 oz jigs to fish in the river. When the wind is light you can use a 1/4 oz jig and maintain a vertical presentation, I prefer the 1/4 oz as it falls a little slower and also is more natural looking with a soft plastic tail. I have been having great success with soft plastics this fall and have not taken minnows along on a trip yet. A variety of soft plastics will work, my favorite is anything in pearl color that looks like a minnow or a shad. I also recommend 3-4 inch soft plastics to immitate the size of the prevalent bait in the river right now. River fishing farther upstream into Saginaw has been a little better as of late as a majority of the fish that moved into the river have swam upstream. The fishing is not fast and furious, but if you concentrate on break lines, structure, and channel edges you should be able to catch fish. The area around Wickes park has been producing fish, but also has had a high concentration of anglers. Try to stay away from the crowds as the fish will get very skittish.
Check out the trophy smallmouths in the photos as well. Often overlooked in the Great Lakes Bay Region is the bass fishing. Right under our noses is a world class smallmouth fishery on Saginaw Bay. The October-November smallmouth fishing is simply awesome with days of catching 50 fish not out of the ordinary, and fish surpassing six pounds fairly common. These fish were taken with a Big Bite Baits, Bio Tube. The key is to find structure.
I added a few photos of our catch from the past weekend. The river fishing should only get better as the fall progresses.
Good Luck & Good Fishing
Good Luck & Good Fishing
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