Captain Terry Walsh of Termar Charters reports from AuGres:

Walleye action over the weekend out of AuGres was “as good as it gets” many anglers said, though most also said a bit less heat would be nice. I would certainly agree on both issues.

Leaving the channel at Northport Marina just north of AuGres, one could see boats in virtually any direction. A virtual armada stretched from the 30-foot depths off the AuGres Rivermouth as far south as the eye could see. Hoping for less boat traffic by going north, we were following up on a tip by the captain of the charter boat ABSOLUTELY that there was good fishing north of the Big Charity Island.
When we rounded the northwest corner of the big island, another armada of fishing boats came into view. So much for the less boat traffic idea. There had to have been more than a 100 boats stretching across the northern shoreline of the island and beyond.

We elected to go way to the east to a favored waypoint that would put us on the outside of the fleet of anglers and in the 20-foot depths. The move paid off handsomely, as we started catching fish almost immediately–nice fish and all in the 2 1/2 to 3-pound class. The action was steady from the start, and seldom did we manage to get all eight lines set.

Crawler harnesses behind two-ounce in-line weights run 28-35 feet back behind Offshore In-Line Planer Boards worked their magic. Color of the harness blades and beads didn’t seem to matter much, as we caught fish on everything we tried. It did seem that chartreuse and gold blades were especially good. Trolling speed wasn’t real critical either as long as we stayed under two miles per hour. Catching a four-party limit of 20 walleyes was pretty easy.

North of the Big Charity means fishermen are in the open waters of Lake Huron, and definite caution must be exercised. Never venture out without a good marine radio, and pay attention to the weather station. Make certain there’s plenty of gas in the tanks for the long run out and back as well as several hours of trolling. (At least one boat I know of had run out of gas and was asking for someone to tow him back to AuGres). USCG certified life jackets are mandatory for everyone on board. It’s virtually impossible to drown in a life jacket and awfully easy without one. Finally, take plenty of water along, as it’s easy to get dehydrated in the July heat.

Be safe and remember to take the kids fishing, too.

Captain .Dick Rang from Lake and Stream Charters reports from Alpena:

Lake trout fishing excellent off Thunderbay Island, Alpena MI. 95 to 115 feet of water using dodgers or flashers and flies/spin glos.

Steelhead fishing picking up with mayfly hatches finally showing up (water temp or not). 3 and 5 color lead core scoring well. Something orange seems to work ( 4 steelies boated Monday on a charter).

And a few “king” salmon showing up in our area. Landed a fourteen pound “king” Monday along with some pink salmon for a very nice catch. Again lead core, 3 and 5 colors are working.

Catch you later,

Captain Terry Walsh of Termar Charters reports from AuGres:

There has been a lot of wind for the past several days, but the walleye action continues to be excellent on Saginaw Bay when angers can get out. It looks like the summer bite is on, as most ports are reporting good catches. I talked with Doug down at Linwood Bait & Tackle, and he said there is no shortage of walleye. “Anglers are telling me it’s as good as four years ago,” he said, “but a lot of sorting is going on. A lot of undersized fish most days.” That seems to be the trend in the lower bay, as a number of anglers have told me the same thing–lots of fish, but keeping one for every five caught. This same thing happened a few years ago, and then the bay produced fantastic walleye fishing for several years in a row!

Further north at AuGres the walleye action is equally good, and the fish are definitely from an older year class, as there is very little sorting, maybe one going back for every five caught with most fish in the 18-21 inch range. The best fishing has been in 24-32 feet of water straight out of the AuGres Rivermouth and south to the Pinconning Bar area. The lower bay has been producing fine catches from just north of Linwood out to Buoys One and Two and the reef areas further to the east. A lot of fish are being caught around the sailboat buoys, but “10 go back for every legal fish caught”. Sunset Bay anglers also reported excellent catches in 10-11 feet of water.
Safety tip for the day: cell phones are a wonder device, BUT they don’t receive signals in every part of the bay! EVERY boat needs to be equipped with a reliable marine radio before leaving port.
Have a great time fishing!

Captain Terry Walsh of Termar Charters reports from AuGres:

The WALLEYE action off AuGres just keeps getting better and better every day, and the weather has been absolutely perfect for an enjoyable day on the water. Our biggest fish today was 5 1/2 pounds, while the average walleye was roughly 2 1/2 pounds–nice fish. And with the weekend crowd gone, there couldn’t have been more than 20 boats fishing the area at most. Several boats reported, “Going in. We’ve boxed out. Back out tomorrow.” Some three-man boats had their 15 fish in a little less than three hours!

Again, the best action was from AuGres all the way down to Standish, a 13 mile stretch of water. Boats fishing as shallow as 17 feet were taking limits as well as boats fishing as deep as 34 feet of water. The active fish are all suspended, and crawler harnesses behind two-ounce in-line sinkers got the job done. Some anglers were also using the “Snap Weight System” and others were using bottom bouncers very effectively. Chartreuse, green, and hammered gold were excellent blade colors on the harnesses. Best trolling speeds (for us) were 1.5 to 1.9 mph with the baits 30-45 feet back behind in-line planer boards.

If a walleye fishing trip is in your summer plans, now is the time to go, and AuGres is a genuine “Hot Spot”! This is a super time to take the kids fishing, as the action is steady all day.

Tip of the day: be sure your gas tanks are full before leaving port. At least one boat I know of had to be towed in because he ran out of gas!

Captain Terry Walsh of Termar Charters reports from AuGres:

Another splendid day walleye fishing on the Saginaw Bay waters off the port of AuGres. It was essentially a repeat of yesterday, only with BIGGER fish. Again, crawler harnesses and in-line weights ruled the program, run anywhere from 30 to 45 feet back behind the small, Offshore Planer Boards. There had to be over a 100 boats within a three or four mile stretch and all were catching fish. Best trolling speed was 1.5 mph going upwind and 1.8 going downwind. Thirty-one to 32feet of water seemed to be the magic depth with the fish suspended between 12 and 20 feet below the surface.

The “Tattle-tail Flags” on Offshore’s In-Line Boards are worth spending the extra money on, as the bite is still light, and these flags will indicate the slightest take by walleye. A nine-inch walleye can trip the flag! Without such an indicator, anglers could be pulling small fish for hours and never know it. We also had several nice fish in the three-pound class trip the flags but never move the boards, merely swimming along with the bait in their mouths. The boards/flags have to be watched closely.

Finally, stay away from the “packs” of boats. I’ve found over years of experience just inside the flotillas or outside of them is far more productive than getting amongst them. Another tactic is to go back an hour or so later and work the areas where fish had previously shut down because of too much boat traffic. Once the boats move out and the fish settle down a bit, the bite normally starts right back up again.

And a reminder: the USCG and DNR are checking boats for life jackets and other safety equipment.

Captain Terry Walsh of Termar Charters reports from AuGres:

The weather gods finally cooperated and gave us a beautiful June day for walleye trolling on Saginaw Bay. The fish responded instantly and continued to do so throughout the six hour trip. We boated 17 and returned four to grow another inch. Most of the fish were in the 21-inch class and in beautiful condition. The water temperature was only 63.2 F and the fish were not real aggressive, resulting in a lot of “nipped” crawlers and missed fish. Boats fishing anywhere from 14 feet out to 30 feet of water from AuGres as far south as Standish (Eagle’s Landing area) generally had good catches today. There are a lot of NETS south of Pt. AuGres and some are not marked as well as they should be, so be watchful trolling in these waters.

I heard of very few fish caught on anything other than crawler harnesses, and SLOW was the rule: 1.3 to 1.5 mph. We stuck with in-line weights 35 to 45 feet back, but a number of anglers were using bottom bouncers very successfully.

If the weather stays warm, expect the fishing to really start heating up!

Good luck and remember to take the kids fishing! Some of the best days of my life were spent fishing with my dad.