Hey everybody,
I hope your summer fishing season was a success. And now that we’ve had our HOT SUMMER LULL on the Saginaw Bay and the temps are finally cooling down, I’m looking forward to both the perch and the walleyes fall return to the inner bay and their Pre-winter river staging activities. Like the last few years the Saginaw River is full of small shad, shiners and a host of other baitfish right now. The perch action has already started out in the Bay and as the nights stay cool these tasty morsels will work their way into the Saginaw river very soon, where the smaller boats and shore fishermen can get in on the action. The walleye will also filter in close to shore and many up into the connecting river systems very soon. Vertical jigging or quarter casting jigs with minnows or GULP along with a technique I fell in love with 3 years ago (trolling cranks with Lead Core) is my most favorite way to fish and catch these frisky fall returnees in the rivers.
The last couple of weeks I have been targeting Salmon in a few of the West side river systems. And even though the salmon seem to be on their regular fall life cycle migration schedules out in Lake Michigan proper, with record numbers being caught this year, their river run time-table seems to have been delayed for some reason. It may have been how hot this summer got and the reduced summer rains we had this year that has delayed their up-river migration return. But that all seems to even out in their returning numbers as their bodies spawning/maturing life cycles eventually hurries them along. I have maybe one of two more salmon trips planned and then back out after the walleyes and perch on the Bay and river. I’m posting a few recent salmon photos of my trips, but will hopefully have some perch and walleye pictures very soon, so keep watching for them.
As always and wherever you fish, fish smart, stay safe and tight lines.
Capt. Dan.
Walleye Express Charters
