Hey Folks.
Couple things before I start the report. After 27 years of guiding and chartering, I’ve decided to retire again from being retired. This part-time guiding/charter business of mine started quit a few years before I actually retired from the Grey Iron foundry in Saginaw and continued many years after. It was a Big part of my life and the people I met along the way a good part of it as well. The good news is, I will continue to post fishing reports to help people coming here to fish for as long as Franks and the other sites will have me do so.
So, it seems the fall migration of shad, shiners and walleyes has started into the Saginaw River. But the walleyes are playing that game of “on again/off again” given the abundance of bait fish in the system again this fall. The girlfriend and I had a couple of good trips on the river recently pumping lead core and snap weights in front of #5 Shad Raps. But all the fish were caught in a very narrow window of time that seemed to stop as quickly as it started. This happens a lot when you have so much forage available in any system. Any slight current or wind change seems to start a feeding frenzy and then 10 minutes later it’s over.
Even though I’ve seen positive clues that the walleyes are getting in the mood, the perch are still playing hide and seek for many good perch anglers on the bay. I’m not saying you can’t find them, but it may take some moving around to get on an active, feeding school. When you do, the size and numbers seems to be impressive again this year. Good water depths for perch right now seems to be in that 16 to 18 foot range. Look for them to move closer to the river mouth as soon as fall temperatures get a better grip on the season.
And as always, stay safe, fish smart and tight lines.
Capt. Dan.
