Fishing report for Lake Superior fishing in Bete Gris and Stannard Rock out of Lac la Belle with Sand Point Charters, LLC aboard the Fishin Mission.
With the surface water temperatures warming up to the low 70’s almost all accross Lake Superior, all  the fish are down deep. There are some thermoclines from anywhere between 50 feet down to the bottom. Fishing in water as deep as 200 feet, there are still a few Coho being caught, but mainly lake trout in the thermos, and at the bottom.
Dypsy divers and planer boards have been un-productive with fish down deep, so downriggers are almost a necessity. Another option that has always worked well is deep sea trolling with a heavty duty rod and 1 to 2 lb weight on a triangle, pulling a herring dodger and fly or “pop corn” spinner.
Catches of lakers in the 1 to 5 lb range have been most common in close, but larger fish in the 10 lb range at Stannard Rock are more normal.
Most spoons have been working well with Silver Streaks with orange, gold and black are most productive. Speeds of 2 to 2.2 for the laker trout and a little faster for Coho and Steelhead have been good. There have not been many Steelhead or King Salmon caughrt lately though. Kings are few and far between.
Many of us are looking forward to fall fishing for lake trout as the water cools and they come in to shallower waters.
To schedule a charter with Sand Point Charters, call Brian at 906-370-2257 or email brian@sandpointcharters.com. For more informaition, see www.sandpointcharters.com

Congress provides, and the president accepts, additional funds for the “Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program”

ANN ARBOR, MI—The Great Lakes Fishery Commission today commended Congress and the president on the passage and signing into law of the fiscal 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, legislation that funds essential water projects throughout the United States. The bill, signed October 28th, 2009, includes $2.4 million for the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program (GLFER), a program authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partner with state and local agencies or private groups to implement projects that protect and restore habitat, fisheries, and the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The Great Lakes comprise a nationally and internationally significant fishery and ecosystem that requires restoration and improvement. To further that goal, the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 authorized $100 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partner with state and local agencies and non-governmental organizations to plan, implement, and evaluate projects that support the restoration of the fishery and the ecosystem.

“Since its inception, GLFER has brought much-needed restoration dollars to the Great Lakes region for projects such as dam removal, fish passage around barriers, shoreline improvements, and fish and wildlife habitat recovery,” said William Culligan of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, chair of the GLFER Review Committee. “The funds provided for fiscal 2010 will allow the corps to work with state and local agencies, and perhaps non-governmental organizations, to complete projects already in progress and to begin new high-priority restoration initiatives.”

“The GLFER program is an excellent example of partnerships,” Culligan added. “Through GLFER, agencies throughout the Great Lakes basin collaborate to plan and implement projects, leverage resources, and incorporate science into the program. Overall, GLFER has been a tremendous asset to the region and has allowed for key restoration projects to move forward. I commend Congress and the president for providing greater attention to this important initiative.”

A list of current GLFER projects is online at www.glfc.int/glfer

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization established by the United States and Canada through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission has the responsibility to support fisheries research, control the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitate implementation of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, a provincial, state, and tribal fisheries management agreement. The commission is also responsible for facilitating the operations of the GLFER Review Committee, a committee of state, tribal, and non-governmental observers tasked with reviewing and making recommendations potential GLFER projects. For more information about the commission and GLFER, visit www.glfc.int and www.glfc.int/glfer.

For Immediate Release
October 29, 2009
Contact: Dr. Marc Gaden
734-662-3209 x 14
734-417-8012 (cell)

Marquette – Catch rates for salmon were spotty however lake trout action was good for those trolling in 40 to 50 feet of water outside the breakwalls. Lake trout and splake were caught off the Lower Harbor breakwall.

Big Manistique Lake – Had fair to good perch fishing.
Tahquamenon River – Walleye, musky and perch are starting to pickup.
St. Mary’s River – A few walleye were caught north of Sault Ste. Marie off Birch Point and Roach Point. Anglers were trolling chartreuse crawler harnesses with blades in 12 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were hitting on Twister Tails.

Marquette - Lake trout have started to move into shallow waters less than 70 feet deep just outside the lower harbor. There was rumor of a few coho caught outside the lower harbor area.

Munising - Those out for salmon found the action to be hit-or-miss when trolling out from the Anna River. Pier fishing was also slow.

Grand Marais - When they can get out, boats are still trolling in front of the Sucker River but catch rates were slow. Those fishing off the piers also reported slow action with just a few fish taken each day.

Munuscong Bay - Walleye action was slow however a few fish were caught in 35 feet of water near the north bound channel marker when trolling bottom bouncers with red spinner blades and crawler harnesses. A few muskie were caught around Moon Island when jigging artificial baits or crawlers in 6 to 8 feet of water.