Salmon fishing during the last few weeks has been both challenging and rewarding. Trophy fish over 25 pounds have been more common than at any time in the last 20 years but at the same time constantly changing and cooler than normal weather has made finding and catching these bruisers a daily puzzle.
If you solve the puzzle you may find yourself in a battle with a monster like the 35 pound king recently caught in a local tournament. Most of the big fish in our area have been taken in the 100 – 150 foot depth range even though the water has been cool near shore and baitfish have been plentiful in the shallows. Meat rigs of all varieties have taken many of these fish and should be added to your arsenal if taking a truly big fish is one of your goals. If a meal is what you’re a fter the challenge has not been much easier as the weather has prevented normal patterns from emerging. The best approach at the moment has been to run as many rods as legally possible and cover as much of the water column as you can. Scatter your favorite pearl/white and chrome plugs in amongst locally favorite spoon patterns like the Orange Killer, UV Michigan Dolphin, Mixed Veggies and other bright color combos to cash in on the variety of species and ages of the fish hanging out in our area.
As August winds down and September rolls in, look for good numbers of mature kings to stage around Muskegon to the north of us and plentiful schools of younger salmon and steelhead to be here taking advantage of all the baitfish in the area. September offers a great fishery that goes underutilized as many fishermen put their gear away when the mature kings go up river to spawn. For anglers tired of crowds and finicky big kings, this is a great opportunity to finish the season on a high note. Look for large concentrations of bait to show up on your graph in warmer waters and run all of your favorite bright spoons right through it. Two and three-year old kings and steelhead fattening up for their turn in rivers will aggressively take your offering and fishing as fast as you’ve seen since May will soon make fall your favorite time to fish!
Captain Matt Whitney
Whitney Charters
(616) 846-6325
www.whitneycharters.com
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