June fishing in Saugatuck

[westrate]

June 5, 2006

June fishing arrived this week with full force. On Tuesday we limited out with 23 fish in 4 hours and then by Friday the fish disappeared and fishing became very difficult with 2 to 4 fish per trip. Morning trips where blessed with calm winds and flat seas, however afternoon trips experienced strong north winds and choppy seas. We fished from 60 foot out to 260 foot and found that one spot was no better than another as game fish and bait fish where scattered from top to bottom and from inshore to off shore. On Sunday we moved into the water around the piers for the last 2 hours and found some nice salmon and steelhead in 35 foot of water. The water had turned cold with all the north winds and the bait moved into the river water and some of the game fish apparently followed. We will find out this week if this will be the area to fish, or if this was just a temporary staging area for the salmon

It is useless to explain the methods to use until we find out if the fish will move into shallow water or stage offshore in deeper water. My guess is that we will find that the fish will follow the bait into the shallow water until the water warms. In the past (when the water warms up) we have found that the salmon tend to move into 100 to 140 foot of water and feed near the bottom on the bait that collects in that area. If you are a walleye fisherman, we have found that cold lake water produces good walleye fishing in the river when the bait moves into the river water. You might try trolling the river water between the piers with locos and fast tracs (gold, green and orange).

[GLF]

Thanks for the report and the tips on the walleyes!