by Capt. Ben Wolfe
W ith so much late ice covering West and East Grand Traverse Bays, the fishing in May will be a ffected by cooler water than normal. It is is both a blessing and a difficulty. The difficulty lies in locating fish that are somewhat scattered in 60-90 feet of water, feeding along the dropoffs and contours of the Bays. The blessing comes in the form of cooler water, which means that fish will be holding along these same contours longer into the season.
Vertical jigging is an outstanding option for both lake trout and white fish early in the season. Specialized jigging spoons such as a Swedish Pimple, Elk Rapids Jig, or a BBM jig can be excellent options for cold water jigging. Very often, the colder the water, the simpler the action a jig has the better. As the water warms, a more aggressive motion can be the ticket to getting these tasty fi sh to bite. Sandkicker Jigs or Jonah Jigs can be another great option for cold water jigging. Experiment with size to see what the fish want.
As waters warm into the 50’s, many of the scrappy 2-5 pound lake trout will often go shallow, venturing into waters more normally associated with bass. Casting techniques can be dynamite for these voracious feeders, as they are shallow for one reason only—to eat! Bigger fish tend to stay deeper, on the steep break lines.
Platte Bay
Lake trout fishing can be absolutely hot out on Platte Bay for anglers willing to either make the long run from Frankfort or Empire, or are able to launch in the mouth of the Platte River. Lake trout swarm the rocky shallows to feed, and feed they do!
Here, anglers have opportunities to employ a couple of different techniques. Anglers can cast to cruising lake trout using casting spoons, jigs tipped with so plastics, or even crank baits imitating gobies or alewives. Experiment with colors and combinations, but greens, whites, and blues o ften work well.
Vertical jigging along the steep break lines adjacent to the shallow flats in Platte Bay can be a great option as well, where fish congregate in large schools. Once a school has been located, the same vertical jigging techniques that work on Grand Traverse Bays apply here as well. Having a good sonar graph can be crucial when trying to pinpoint these fish. With a good graph, it’s common to be able to watch a fish react to an angler’s jigging motion, giving important feedback on jigging motion and depth.
Anglers preferring to troll can load the boat with these tasty fish as well. Planer boards are usually the way to go here, as this allows a boat to cover massive amounts of water in search of active fish. Spring jigging can be some of the best fishing of the year with fish feeding heavily.
Limit catches of both lake trout and white fish aren’t uncommon, and anglers taking the time to locate the schools of fish will oft en have a banner day on the water. With warming water and pleasantly longer days, fishing this May, especially after the winter we’ve had, can be a real treat!