Saginaw Bay had good perch fishing off Gambil’s Marina near Pinconning. Perch were also caught near sailboat buoys A, B, and H, near the Spark Plug (channel buoys 11 & 12), off Spoils Island, and straight out of Quanicassee. The fish range seven to 12 inches and those that did well had 20 to 40 fish per boat. A couple good catches of walleye were taken from the Slot off Sebewaing and out of Caseville however it took several hours of fishing to get them.
- Quanicassee River shore anglers were catching some decent size perch.
Au Gres Area walleye fishing was slow with only the occasional fish coming from 15 to 40 feet. Most of the perch fishing was down off the Saganing Bar or the Pinconning Bar but the bite was very slow. One boat did manage to catch some fish south of the Pinconning Bar in 18 feet.
- Au Gres River murky water after the rain was good for catfish and bullhead.
Outer Saginaw Bay:
Oscoda Area anglers caught a few salmon and some lake trout in 70 to 100 feet. The lake trout were in the bottom third of the water column but the salmon and steelhead were suspended. Anglers are using sliders and dipseys, spoons, body baits, cut bait, flies and squid. Pier fishing was slow.
Port Austin Area boats trolling 50 feet down in 115 to 130 feet straight north of the lighthouse did well. They got at least one Atlantic salmon, some steelhead, a couple walleye and the odd lake trout. Pier anglers caught a few smallmouth bass.
Tawas Area anglers were trolling in 35 to 50 feet out near Buoy #2 and around the weed beds off Jerry’s Marina but catch rates were not good. Perch anglers were marking a lot of fish near the weed beds but they would not bite. Pier fishing was slow with only the odd walleye taken by those walk-trolling off the wall at night.
Fishing Tip: Fall crappie fishing…difficult, but not impossible
Although plentiful and easy to fish for in the summer, crappie can be difficult to target as the weather cools off. Difficult…but not impossible.
One thing anglers should do is look for good water as crappie can be found in areas with higher oxygen content. For instance, target spots where streams dump into the lake or areas where the lake has yet to turn over. You could also head towards locations where the wind and waves are strongest.
Another thing for anglers to remember is to pay attention to the weather. When it’s very sunny out crappie will stick close to the bottom, but when it’s cloudy they’re likely to be within a few feet of the surface.
And lastly, try a variety of bait when you’re out crappie fishing. These should include bright, flashy lures during poor visibility and live bait during periods of lake turnover. It’s hard for crappie to turn down a jig tipped with a minnow.