The four-day Labor Day weekend provided some of the nicest fishing weather of the summer. Winds were light and variable and the sky clear and sunny. And the walleye cooperated! And so did the salmon!
Salmon fishing may be proving to be the best it has been in several years out of Harrisville. Most anglers I talked with said they “had been taking three or four kings, some steelhead, and all the lake trout you want.” Another angler I talked with said he had “caught/released over 60 steelhead so far this summer while running two to three colors of lead core.” The best fishing has been 90 to 120-feet of water from Harrisville north to Black River. Anglers reported fish were all in good share and “full of small smelt and minnows.” Some kings hit the 20-pound class!
Anglers fishing walleye from Tawas down to the Singing Bridge were taking some really nice fish in the five to six-pound class. These were some of the nicest fish I’ve seen this summer–real tournament fish! Crawler harnesses behind two-ounce inline sinkers run 100 feet back behind planer boards were getting the job done.
The shallow waters south of AuGres really produced some excellent walleye fishing all weekend. Ten to 13-feet was magic, but some anglers fished even shallower. It wasn’t hard finding fish as the large numbers of boats in a given area was a dead give away! We ran Rattle Tots on one side of the TERMAR and Wally Pops on the other, both producing equally well. Purple and chartreuse Wally Pops’ harnesses and green herringbone, “Pinconning Paralizer,” and “U of M” (the latter two colors are custom painted) really nailed the fish. We ran the Wally Pops behind inline sinkers and 20-feet behind Off Shore In-Line Boards with Tattle Tale Flags, which really proved their merit when lures picked up weeds or light-striking fish. The Rattle Tots were run 25-30 feet back behind the small boards.
I know archery deer season is fast approaching, but don’t put put the tackle and boat up too soon–there’s plenty of good fall fishing ahead!
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Capt. Terry Walsh
(989) 846.8318
www.termarcharters.com