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Kevin Claire of Edwardsburg, Mich. caught this 26.75-pound king salmon near St. Joe, Mich. while fishing with Dave Gizzi on his “Fresh Catch” boat this week. Kings are running unusually large this year. The fish was taken on a Scarpace Plug.The unseasonably cool weather keeps coming – and so do the steelhead.
Kevin Claire of Edwardsburg, Mich. caught this 26.75-pound king salmon near St. Joe, Mich. while fishing with Dave Gizzi on his “Fresh Catch” boat this week. Kings are running unusually large this year. The fish was taken on a Scarpace Plug.
The summer-run Skamania continue to march up-stream, filling the river with fish from the Twin Branch Dam in Mishawaka to Lake Michigan.
For the time being, however, the fish appear to be more interested in moving than biting. Not that they aren’t being caught – many are. But anglers have to work for them.
Water temperatures were in the low 70s this week. Dick Parker of Central Park Bait and Tackle says that when the temp drops into the mid-60s, they will really turn on.
Lake Michigan biologist Brian Breidert said fish counts of steelhead going through the South Bend ladder eclipsed the 4,500 mark this week, including 621 that moved through from Aug. 7-13.
Breidert said it is the best run at this stage of the season since 2005.
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Could we be on the verge of one of the best steelhead runs in the history of the St. Joseph River stocking program?
Perhaps, says Lake Michigan biologist Brian Breidert, noting the summer run is beginning to look “the way it used to be, with summer-run steelhead showing up in July.”
It already is looking that way in Trail Creek and Salt Creek that are jammed with steelhead and more are coming.
“A guy sat at our (Trail Creek) weir this week and counted 132 steelhead jump the barrier in three hours,” said Breidert. “I’ve not seen anything like this in the 32 years I’ve been working here. There are fish from one end of Trail Creek to the other.”
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Ever wonder what’s going on beneath the water of your favorite lake?
A new item we’ve added to Michiana Outdoors News will provide a little insight.
Beginning this week, we’ve added “Lake Studies” under our “News” heading. These are overviews of research projects conducted by district fishery biologists.
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Hot weather has reduced fishing activity, but it hasn’t kept the fish from biting.
In fact, some anglers are having good success during these dog days of summer. When water temperatures rise, so does fish metabolism, therefore they have to eat more often.
“The people braving the heat are catching fish,” said Bryan Williams of Trailhead Mercantile in Niles.
Make no mistake about it — inland fish are moving deep and require deepwater tactics to catch them. Bluegills have pulled off the drop-offs and bass are holding closer to deeper weed clumps.
“For bluegills, mark them on your depthfinder and set your bait and bobbers accordingly,” noted Kevin Claire of Lunkers in Edwardsburg.
Bass have been biting a variety of soft plastics finessed through deep weed edges and topwaters early and late.
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Click here to view an conceptual illustration of the DNR’s proposed access site.
Not surprisingly, the Eagle Lake Improvement Association has stepped up efforts to block a proposed public access site and community park for Eagle/Juno lakes.
Attorneys for The Eagle Lake Improvement Association filed objections with the Michigan DNR prior to its presentation to the Michigan Waterways Commission, prompting Michigan Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson to postpone the project.
While this doesn’t mean it’s dead, the association’s interference does create delays in the DNR’s option to purchase the land from First Source Bank.
The project would provide badly needed launching facilities to two of southwest Michigan’s most popular fishing lakes, Eagle and the Juno Chain, not to mention offer shore fishing for children and families around a pond located on the land parcel.
The DNR’s plan would improve the appearance and functionality of the site, but the association doesn’t want to hear about that.