F ishing on Lake Michigan in the Grand Haven area lately has included a lot of fishing but not a great deal of catching. The unusually cold start to our summer, coupled with strong winds and currents, has kept the fish on the move. With summer weather finally arriving we are seeing steady improvement in the “catching”. The key to success right now is paying close attention to nearby weather monitoring buoys that indicate current strength, direction, and water temperature. With a little math and a functioning crystal ball you can predict the movement of baitfish which will greatly boost your chance of success.
The warm weather pattern currently in our forecast should help a lot over the next few weeks. Look for adult kings to begin schooling up and moving north towards the streams where they were hatched. A good place to start will be in the 100 feet of water depth range and move out as the sun gets higher. Meat rigs trolled near bottom on wire line Dipsy Diver rods are hard to beat if you’re looking for a bruiser king. Glow spoons and plugs fished near or slightly above the thermocline before sun up and again near sundown offer great opportunities to tangle with large kings. Chances for a trophy are very good this year thanks to a bumper alewife crop from 2012. Kings in the 20 pound class are plentiful with more than a few fish busting the 25 pound mark!
The strange weather pattern this year has had a few unexpected benefits. Coho salmon have made up a significant portion of our daily catch and they are running above average in size with plenty of fish already in the 8 to 9 pound class. Look for some trophy fish in the low teens to be taken as these fish continue to keep the feed bag firmly in place prior to running this fall. Good numbers of steelhead also have been plentiful with a few in the 12 to 15 pound showing up. These acrobatic fish have been in the area for nearly a month and I expect to see them continue to land in coolers for the rest of the season as bait is plentiful and water temperatures continue to be ideal for them. Dipsy Divers and short lead core lines with spoons in bright patterns like Orange Crush, UV Michigan Dolphins, Mac and Cheese, Jäger Bombs and anything else orange are great options. If you want to target these silver bullets increase your trolling speed to 2.8 to 3.5 mph and be ready for the action to start!
-CAPT. MATT WHITNEY
Whitney Charters
(616) 846-6325
www.whitneycharters.com
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