By: Capt. Stacy Chupailo
River Hunter Charters
(616) 502-4657
The best stretches to fish have been the Dam down to the M89 Bridge. We have been catching most of our fish on spawn and plugs. Because of the colder temperatures, we have been either back bouncing spawn, or running bobbers with either spawn, beads, or wax worms. All have been producing well depending on what part of the river we are fishing. Plugs are producing fish. Hot n tots and flat fish are doing most of the catching.
When the water was high, the Mag Lips were doing great. Gold, gold and orange and grinch were very good. Also, now with the water cooling off, we should start to see the walleye bite pick up too. Best baits are huskeys, jigs tipped with a minnow, or a jig tipped with plastics and a minnow. Guys will also dead rod minnows on the bottom. While that approach can produce fish at given times, jigging is ideal. Anglers are catching a lot of eater-sized fish. It isn’t uncommon for guys to start seeing fish in that eight-to-ten-pound range.
As far as January goes, we will just have to see what mother nature has in store. It appears that ice fishing season isn’t too far off with the colder temps in the future. Always be sure to have a partner along, and ice picks on hand when hitting the hard water this season. Be safe, and
good luck fishing!