Walleye fishing on Saginaw Bay was “Fire Cracker Hot” over the Fourth of July weekend. The weather couldn’t have been better (except for Friday’s massive bug swarms!), as an armada of fishing boats invaded Saginaw Bay. “This was Saginaw Bay fishing at its best!” many anglers exclaimed over the long weekend.
Hot spots? Hot baits? It didn’t seem to matter where one fished or what baits/lures were used. Radio traffic all over the bay boasted of “We’ve limited out and headed for the docks!” Some anglers took their limits on spoons (trolled at 2.7 mph–pink and purple were hot colors on Saturday), while others trolled Hot’N Tots, Flicker Shads, and Smithwicks to name a few. Night crawlers and harness were likely the mainstay of the trollers and pulled behind two-ounce sinkers and in-line boards or bottom bouncers. The latter were a red hot tactic over the weekend when fished close to bottom, as a big wiggler hatch was taking place.
There was a regular fleet of boats fishing the deep water straight out of the AuGres River. Another long line of boats stretched from Point AuGres all the way down to just west of Buoys One and Two at the mouth of the Saginaw River. The majority were all taking fish in the 25-27 foot depths. The full length of the shipping channel from AuGres down to a couple miles north of the mouth of the Saginaw River was highly productive as well as the waters on either side of the channel.
If the weather will just stabilize now, this should be an incredible month of fishing ahead.
Tip of the week: Potential charter clients should book ONLY with a licensed captain operating a state-inspected boat. You have no legal recourse if sometime goes wrong! Also, pay attention to the SIZE OF THE BOAT you might be chartering. Five to six anglers on a boat smaller than 27 feet is going to be cramped and downright miserable if the weather turns sour!
Captain Terry R. Walsh
TERMAR Charters