Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:

Last week we did not fish when the weather was warm, clear and the winds
were light, instead we waited until we had 25 mph winds, 2 to 5 foot
seas and constant rain. With 3 out of 4 people chumming, the fishing was
good with a good catch of salmon and lake trout. We kept 4 salmon and 4
lake trout and returned some under size lake trout and lost some other
nice sized salmon. The best depth was 70 to 75 foot of water, fishing 30
to 60 foot down.

The best methods were downriggers at 35 foot, 50 foot and on the bottom
with regular stingers (green glow, green/blue dolphin on the 35 and 50
footers and a tin can flasher and spin and glow on the rigger on the
bottom. The dipsy divers were run at 90 and 150 foot out with the Hot
Chip flasher (frog/glow and silver mountain dew) and Rapture flies (wild
fern and green hypnotist) on the low diver and green dolphin stinger on
the high diver. The copper did not produce very well, however we had a
couple of hits on the 200 and 300 foot copper with the glow frog stinger
and yellow tail stingers.

This week Tuesday, 20 charter and private boats will be taking out 70
Saugatuck seventh grade students as a reward for participating in the
Salmon in the Classroom Project. We will leave the dock at 7 AM and
return at 12 noon. After pictures and cleaning of the catch, Ducks
Unlimited will treat the students to a fish fry for lunch at Tower
Marina in Douglas. Check back next week and I will update everyone on
the student fishing excursion and the fishing results during the week.

If you would like fishing and or charter reservation information, email
me at captron@chartermichigan.com.

Capt. Ken Deaton of J-Lyn Charters reports from Harbor Beach:

Looks like the wind will keep us on shore for the first part of the week, but once it settles down give this a try.

Before the big winds. There were some nice size Salmon taken this weekend South and straight out from the harbor. Try starting in 45 to 50 feet of water first thing in the morning and work your way out as the sun comes up. Try spoons off the downriggers set from 15 feet down to the bottom. Spoons on the offshore boards running the tadpoles with long lines are working well. Best colors continue to be the blues, greens, silver, and the fire tiger. Also try some body baits on the boards as well.

There were some nice Lake Trout taken out in the deeper water, straight out and North of the harbor, start in 60 to 70 feet and work out till you find where they are setting. Spoons or dodgers with flys 40 feet down to the bottom were working.

Put out some long lines or lead lines with bright colored spoons off the boards for some steelhead. Oranges, yellows, bright greens and blues are good colors.

If you want to try for some perch, try minnows by the lighthouse or South by the cemetery. Start in 25 feet and work around till you find them.

Brown Trout will be in close, use long lines to get back away from the boat. Body baits and spoons in blue, silver, purple or green are good.

Capt. Ken Deaton of J-Lyn Charters reports from Harbor Beach:

Some Salmon continue to be taken South and straight out from the harbor. Try starting in 45 to 50 feet of water first thing in the morning and work your way out as the sun comes up. Try spoons off the downriggers set from 15 feet down to the bottom. Spoons on the offshore boards running the tadpoles with long lines are working well. Best colors continue to be the blues, greens, silver, and the fire tiger. Also try some body baits on the boards as well.

Lake Trout are moving out to the deeper water start in 60 to 70 feet and work out till you find where they are setting. Spoons or dodgers with spin and glows 40 feet down to the bottom should work.

Put out some long lines or lead lines with bright colored spoons off the boards for some steelhead. Oranges, yellows, bright greens and blues are good colors.

If you want to try for some perch, try minnows by the lighthouse or South by the cemetery. Start in 25 feet and work around till you find them.

Captain Ed Stowe of Stowaway Charters reports from Ludington:

Ahoy there. The boat is out of storage and back in the water at the Ludington Municipal Marina. We are in slip #16 on dock F. I will be putting a fishing report at least once a week until the action picks up and then at least twice a week during the best part of the season. The browns and steelhead are in the nearshore waters but with all the East wind the fishing has been on the slow side. Rapala stick baits and Dreamweaver Super Slims painted in the Rapala colors are my best performers right now. The water in the Lake is super clear so we have to get the baits far behind the boards. Black and silver, Gold and silver, Chartreuse, and Red are all working. Lake trout season opened early for us but they are very elusive so far this spring. Good Fishin…..Capt Ed

Capt. Ken Deaton of J-Lyn Charters reports from Harbor Beach:

Salmon fishing has slowed a little with the water clearing up some. Try South of the harbor starting in 30 feet of water first thing in the morning and work your way out as the sun comes up. Try spoons off the downriggers set from 12 feet down to the bottom. Spoons on the offshore boards running the tadpoles with long lines are working well. Best colors are blues, greens, silver, and the fire tiger. Also try some body baits on the boards as well.

Lake Trout are moving out to the deeper water start in 40 feet and work out till you find where they are setting. Spoons or dodgers with spin and glows 30 feet down to the bottom should work.

Put out some long lines or lead lines with bright colored spoons off the boards for some steelhead. Oranges, yellows, bright greens and blues are good colors.

If you want to try for some perch, try minnows by the lighthouse or South by the cemetery. Start in 20 feet and work around till you find them.

Brown Trout will be in close, use long lines to get back away from the boat. Body baits and spoons in blue, silver, purple or green are good.

Keep those lines tight, Captains Ken & Janice Deaton

Captain Ron Westrate of CoHooker Charters reports from Saugatuck:

This past week produced some good catches of lake trout with a few
salmon thrown in. The good news is that the chinook salmon are running
a good size (mid teens) and appear to be in very good shape. To catch
the lake trout, bounce the bottom with metal dodgers with spin n glows
and rapture green hypnotist flies.. The best area was 50 to 70 foot of
water south of the Douglas Point which produced 8 to 15 lake trout per
trip that weighed up to 18 pounds. Saturday we tried to concentrate on
the salmon and caught some in 45 to 40 foot of water in the mixed water
off of the Saugatuck piers. 3 color and 5 color lead core with orange
crush and fruit cocktail stingers and dipsy divers at 70 and 90 foot out
with regular size Craigs X mas, Blueberry Muffin and Orange Dolphin
stingers. No fish on the downriggers and none on flat lines. The day
produced some small salmon in the 5 to 8 pound range, one chinook that
weighed 12 pounds and a lake trout. Not real productive, however it
might be worth trying if you do not want the lake trout.

For more information or for charter reservations, email me at
captron@chartermichigan.com. or call toll free at 888-253-8372.