Post by sam on Aug 16, 2010 11:53:06 GMT -5
This page was last updated on AUG 16 2010 12:50 P.M.
Lake Michigan Fishing Report
lkmichigan@dnr.in.gov
Description:
N/A
Fish
Channel catfish
Description:
The channel catfish has a smooth scaleless skin and barbels on its face resembling cat whiskers. The barbels help the channel catfish taste and feel objects and enable it to locate food in dark and turbid water. The channel catfish has 24-29 rays in its rounded anal fin. The caudal fin is deeply forked and the fish has dark spots on its sides when young.
Bait: Nightcrawlers, chicken livers, shrimp, commercially prepared bait
Depth: Bottom
Comments about fish:
Anglers have been catching channel catfish off the MC Lighthouse Pier & harbor & off the fishing platform at the Portage Lakefront Park. According to anglers, productive baits included N/C, pieces of shrimp, chunks of chicken livers or commercially prepared baits fished right on the bottom.
Chinook salmon or king salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The chinook or king salmon teeth are set in dark gums, with black spots on the back and both lobes of the square caudal fin. The chinook or king salmon has 15-17 anal fin rays and averages 30 pounds though some can reach over 100 pounds.
Bait: Magnum sized sthingys ,bodybaits, meat rigs
Depth: Up to 100 FOW
Comments about fish:
MC boat anglers reported a mixed bag of trout & salmon over the weekend. Majority of the action was taking place N of the lighthouse in water depths ranging from 60-100 FOW. Hot lures were magnum sized sthingys or D/F combos trolled 37-85' down. Portage Marina anglers report king & steelhead action out-front of the “ditch” in water depths ranging from 55-75 FOW. Sthingys & bodybaits were the top producing lures. Finally, anglers caught a mixed bag of trout & salmon NW to NE of the gong in water depths to 75 FOW. Meat rigs were the top producing bait according to anglers; however, sthingys, bodybaits & D/F combos also put fish in the box.
Coho salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The teeth of the coho salmon are set in light color gums. The coho salmon has black spots on the upper lobe of a slightly forked caudal fin with 12-15 anal fin rays.
Bait: Dodger & Fly combos, sthingys
Depth: Up to 100 FOW
Comments about fish:
See chinook salmon report.
Rainbow or steelhead trout
Description:
Ever popular among Indiana anglers is the trout family, which includes the brown, lake and rainbow or steelhead trout. Many fisherman can be spotted on the shores during spawning season when the trout begin their runs into the tributaries. Rainbow or steelhead trout have a white mouth, teeth and gums and small black spots on their backs, sides, and caudal and dorsal fins. The caudal fin margin of the rainbow or steelhead trout is square and the fish has 9-12 anal fin rays.
Bait: Lake: sthingys Pier: shrimp, N/C Tribs: shrimp, spawn sacs, spinners
Depth: Pier: 5-10' under a bobber Tribs: bounce bait along bottom
Comments about fish:
See king salmon report for lake action. So far this summer, skamania steelhead fishing has been poor in all area tribs. Anglers have seen very few in the creeks & even fewer have been caught. IDNR creel clerks interviewed a number of anglers last week & they reported only a couple of fish caught from the upper reaches of Trail Cr. No action to report out of the E Br of the Little Cal or Salt Cr. If one decides to give steelheading a try, use baits such as shrimp, spawn sacs or N/C bounced along the bottom. Also, try spinners with either orange or silver blades. Good areas to fish include the deeper holes & runs & undercut banks or log jams adjacent to deeper water. No steelhead action to report for shore anglers.
Smallmouth bass
Description:
Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The last rays on the dorsal fin of the smallmouth bass are separated from the rest of the fin. Also, the upper jaw does not extend beyond back of eye, as it does with the largemouth bass. The smallmouth bass commonly reaches 3-4 pounds.
Bait: Minnow, nightcrawlers, tube jigs, small crankbaits
Depth: 3-15 FOW
Comments about fish:
Anglers continue to catch big numbers of SMB out of Hammond & EC Marinas. Bass anglers are catching both smallmouth & largemouth bass out of the lower sections of the E & W Branches of the Little Cal. Look for SMB to congregate on man-made structure or rocky rip rap in southern LM. Anglers have stated that tube jigs & crankbaits resembling gobies have been effective. Anglers also caught bass on small spinnerbaits & a variety of topwater lures. Either early morning or late evening seems to be the best time to catch smallies. SMB have been averaging around 12"; however, larger one have been reported to the creel clerks.
Yellow perch
Description:
Indiana anglers have long since sought perch for their tasty flavor. The yellow perch, walleye and sauger are members of this popular family. The yellow perch ranges from 6 to 12 inches long and up to one or two pounds.
Bait: Minnows
Depth: Up to 22 FOW
Comments about fish:
MC boat anglers report action out-front of Black’s Ditch in water depths ranging from 17-22 FOW. Action also reported out-front of the condos in similar water depths. Portage Marina: Action out-front of the “ditch” W to Ogden Dunes in water depths to 20 FOW. EC anglers report action out-front of the marina entrance & along the Inland Steel Wall in water depths to 19 FOW. Hammond Marina anglers report perch action on top of the weed beds in the Cal Park area. With warm water near shore, anglers fishing off the MC Lighthouse Pier reported good action for YP over the weekend. Minnows suspended just off the bottom were the hot bait.
Comments about body of water:
Water temp in the harbor of MC is 76ºF. Area tribs are exhibiting low flows with good visibility. Scattered showers are predicted for the region around the latter part of the week which may impact stream conditions. Water temp of Trail Cr at Friendship Gardens is 71º F this morning.
Lake Michigan Fishing Report
lkmichigan@dnr.in.gov
Description:
N/A
Fish
Channel catfish
Description:
The channel catfish has a smooth scaleless skin and barbels on its face resembling cat whiskers. The barbels help the channel catfish taste and feel objects and enable it to locate food in dark and turbid water. The channel catfish has 24-29 rays in its rounded anal fin. The caudal fin is deeply forked and the fish has dark spots on its sides when young.
Bait: Nightcrawlers, chicken livers, shrimp, commercially prepared bait
Depth: Bottom
Comments about fish:
Anglers have been catching channel catfish off the MC Lighthouse Pier & harbor & off the fishing platform at the Portage Lakefront Park. According to anglers, productive baits included N/C, pieces of shrimp, chunks of chicken livers or commercially prepared baits fished right on the bottom.
Chinook salmon or king salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The chinook or king salmon teeth are set in dark gums, with black spots on the back and both lobes of the square caudal fin. The chinook or king salmon has 15-17 anal fin rays and averages 30 pounds though some can reach over 100 pounds.
Bait: Magnum sized sthingys ,bodybaits, meat rigs
Depth: Up to 100 FOW
Comments about fish:
MC boat anglers reported a mixed bag of trout & salmon over the weekend. Majority of the action was taking place N of the lighthouse in water depths ranging from 60-100 FOW. Hot lures were magnum sized sthingys or D/F combos trolled 37-85' down. Portage Marina anglers report king & steelhead action out-front of the “ditch” in water depths ranging from 55-75 FOW. Sthingys & bodybaits were the top producing lures. Finally, anglers caught a mixed bag of trout & salmon NW to NE of the gong in water depths to 75 FOW. Meat rigs were the top producing bait according to anglers; however, sthingys, bodybaits & D/F combos also put fish in the box.
Coho salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The teeth of the coho salmon are set in light color gums. The coho salmon has black spots on the upper lobe of a slightly forked caudal fin with 12-15 anal fin rays.
Bait: Dodger & Fly combos, sthingys
Depth: Up to 100 FOW
Comments about fish:
See chinook salmon report.
Rainbow or steelhead trout
Description:
Ever popular among Indiana anglers is the trout family, which includes the brown, lake and rainbow or steelhead trout. Many fisherman can be spotted on the shores during spawning season when the trout begin their runs into the tributaries. Rainbow or steelhead trout have a white mouth, teeth and gums and small black spots on their backs, sides, and caudal and dorsal fins. The caudal fin margin of the rainbow or steelhead trout is square and the fish has 9-12 anal fin rays.
Bait: Lake: sthingys Pier: shrimp, N/C Tribs: shrimp, spawn sacs, spinners
Depth: Pier: 5-10' under a bobber Tribs: bounce bait along bottom
Comments about fish:
See king salmon report for lake action. So far this summer, skamania steelhead fishing has been poor in all area tribs. Anglers have seen very few in the creeks & even fewer have been caught. IDNR creel clerks interviewed a number of anglers last week & they reported only a couple of fish caught from the upper reaches of Trail Cr. No action to report out of the E Br of the Little Cal or Salt Cr. If one decides to give steelheading a try, use baits such as shrimp, spawn sacs or N/C bounced along the bottom. Also, try spinners with either orange or silver blades. Good areas to fish include the deeper holes & runs & undercut banks or log jams adjacent to deeper water. No steelhead action to report for shore anglers.
Smallmouth bass
Description:
Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The last rays on the dorsal fin of the smallmouth bass are separated from the rest of the fin. Also, the upper jaw does not extend beyond back of eye, as it does with the largemouth bass. The smallmouth bass commonly reaches 3-4 pounds.
Bait: Minnow, nightcrawlers, tube jigs, small crankbaits
Depth: 3-15 FOW
Comments about fish:
Anglers continue to catch big numbers of SMB out of Hammond & EC Marinas. Bass anglers are catching both smallmouth & largemouth bass out of the lower sections of the E & W Branches of the Little Cal. Look for SMB to congregate on man-made structure or rocky rip rap in southern LM. Anglers have stated that tube jigs & crankbaits resembling gobies have been effective. Anglers also caught bass on small spinnerbaits & a variety of topwater lures. Either early morning or late evening seems to be the best time to catch smallies. SMB have been averaging around 12"; however, larger one have been reported to the creel clerks.
Yellow perch
Description:
Indiana anglers have long since sought perch for their tasty flavor. The yellow perch, walleye and sauger are members of this popular family. The yellow perch ranges from 6 to 12 inches long and up to one or two pounds.
Bait: Minnows
Depth: Up to 22 FOW
Comments about fish:
MC boat anglers report action out-front of Black’s Ditch in water depths ranging from 17-22 FOW. Action also reported out-front of the condos in similar water depths. Portage Marina: Action out-front of the “ditch” W to Ogden Dunes in water depths to 20 FOW. EC anglers report action out-front of the marina entrance & along the Inland Steel Wall in water depths to 19 FOW. Hammond Marina anglers report perch action on top of the weed beds in the Cal Park area. With warm water near shore, anglers fishing off the MC Lighthouse Pier reported good action for YP over the weekend. Minnows suspended just off the bottom were the hot bait.
Comments about body of water:
Water temp in the harbor of MC is 76ºF. Area tribs are exhibiting low flows with good visibility. Scattered showers are predicted for the region around the latter part of the week which may impact stream conditions. Water temp of Trail Cr at Friendship Gardens is 71º F this morning.