Fishing remained very good during this past week (with a excellent morning bite) resulting in catches of 10 to 16 fish per trip. The creel consisted of many adult kings 12 to 17 pounds with brown trout, lake trout and mature steelhead mixed in. Most of the fish were caught in 70 to 130 foot of water, however, there is another batch of fish in 170 to 210 foot of water. When you fish the 70 foot depth, the fish appear to be somewhat smaller and as you get to 110 foot to 130 foot there appear to be larger fish with more 4 year old salmon.
If I had to recommend the combination to pull it would be flashers and flies and flies and flashers. We pulled flashers and flies on all the dipsy divers and on all the downriggers. Downriggers were run 65 to 100 foot down and the dipsy divers were run with 220 and 160 foot of line out. The following where the best combinations:
--chrome green Prochip w/ Rapture sour apple fly
--mt. dew Hotchip w/ Rapture green hypnotist
--white glow smartfish flasher w/ Rapture wild fern fly
--blue silver smartfish flasher w/ Rapture oceana
--green glow Hotchip w/ Rapture last supper fly
--glow frog Hotchip w/ Rapture last supper fly
The other method that produced very well was 200 foot of copper and 200 foot of copper with a 4 oz Dive Bomb attached with stingray lures on them. The stingrays that produced very well were blue wonderbread nitro, electric blueberry, reverse x-mass, carmel dolphin and glow wonderbread.
If we do not see any major changes in the water temperature, I think the fish will stay in the summer staging area. They should stay just outside the schools of bait. They may move up or down in the water column, but should remain in the same depth of water. For more information or to make a reservation for a charter, call me toll free at 888-253-8372 or email me at captron@chartermichigan.com.