Saginaw Bay: Those that could get out did find some walleye along the inner bay when trolling crawler harnesses. The better fishing was north of Big Charity Island or around the reefs between Oak Point and Port Austin. Yellow perch fishing seems to be picking up early this year. Those fishing the west side caught fish off the Saganing and Pinconning Bars, around Sailboat Buoy A and along the shipping channel three to four miles northeast of Spoils Island. Finding good minnows for bait this time of year can be a problem.
Au Gres Area When boats could get out, the best walleye action continued to be north of Big Charity Island. Perch fishing has picked up early this year.
Outer Saginaw Bay:
Oscoda has very good lake trout fishing. Most were caught throughout the water column in 130 to 150 feet with spoons, wobble and spin-glo’s. The occasional Chinook or steelhead was caught. Early morning was best. Pier fishing was very slow and it seems the walleye have stalled at the north end of the bay. Most anglers were fishing around the Charity Islands and south.
Au Sable River those fishing upstream caught a good number of smallmouth bass.
Tawas Area walleye anglers were heading south and fishing just north of Big Charity Island. Some were fishing in 25 to 40 feet.
Fishing Tip: Versatile walleye tips for this August
Walleye can be especially difficult to catch during the hot summer months as their sluggish behavior keeps them from being their normally aggressive selves.
But there are a few specific things anglers can try to land this great sport fish; including the following:
1. Use crankbaits to cover any layer of the water column. You may get sluggish walleye to eat if you get the bait in the proper zone and change its speed and movement. Crankbaits can work especially well during nighttime walleye fishing.
2. Rip-jigging can be the way to go if you tip it with a minnow, leech, piece of night crawler or plastic.
3. An easy way to fish is by using a slip bobber rig – although requiring more patience, this technique is great to use after a cold front has moved through or during the extreme heat.
4. Try live-bait rigs or three-way rigs, especially when walleye are sitting on the bottom and haven’t shown much interest in feeding.
Want to learn more about fishing for walleye? Check out the Michigan Fish and How to Catch Them section of the DNR’s website.