AnglingBuzz TV 2018: Sport Fish Michigan Videos

The beginning of July was really hot and humid, we had a lot of really hot days, and that really kind of slowed down the salmon fishing on the western side of the state. Now that we have a week of colder weather - we had a really nice north wind blow - and that's starting to bring some of those salmon back in closer to shore where anglers can take advantage of them. The lake trout vertical jigging bite is incredible right now - absolutely big fish, as well as lots of numbers. Get out, drop some 1-3 ounce jigs for these aggressive bites, you'll have a ball. Get out, have fun, and if you're looking for a Captain or Guide in the state of Michigan, give Sport Fish Michigan a call or check us out on the web at www.SportFishMichigan.com

For those anglers looking to get out and do some inland lake perch fishing, we have a really stable bite going right now. We're two weeks after the Mayfly hatch, the fish are traveling into that deeper water zone. In some lakes - 25 feet - but some of the deeper, larger, inland lakes as deep as 35-50 feet. Standard perch rigs with 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz bell sinkers on the bottom, something to get you down in that rough water and hold you right to the bottom. Some anglers like to use, and will have good success with, crawlers, perch minnows, and even some anglers like to use just small chunks of frozen shrimp. For those anglers looking to get out onto Lake Michigan and target some of the bigger fish that are schooling - don't be afraid to get in on the breaks, and if you're not finding what you're looking for, sneak into that 10-15 foot zone, wherever you have rocks or weeds. A really stable pattern and a good technique to use for those perch is a slip-bobber. You can fish just one individual hook with a little bit of weight - try to set it up just above the weed bed or the rock edge. Use the same kind of baits - crawlers, leeches, minnows, and even frozen shrimp. Those perch are really going to be hunkered-down into that structure, feeding, and you want to bring them up out of that structure and see if you can entice a strike.

We're in the middle of July and we've had some really warm temperatures and it has really increased the temperatures of our inland lakes and Lake Michigan. On Lake Michigan, for the guys looking for salmon and lake trout, it has really forced that thermocline down to that 60-90 foot range, but it has also made for really excellent fishing. Guys wanting to vertical jig are doing well, guys wanting to troll are doing the same. On our inland lakes, we're just coming off of a pretty heavy Mayfly hatch which, in turn, has forced most of our walleye and our smallmouth over the breaks and into that deeper water zone - kind of the secondary July zone. We're really starting to see our summer patterns established. Anglers wanting to target walleye are doing really well an hour before dark and an hour after dark leading into the evening. Anglers trolling crankbaits and body-baits with inline planer boards are doing really well in that 15-20 foot zone. Anglers wanting to do something more light tackle with slip-bobbers, jig heads, and leaches - they're also doing good and having good results.

Hi, I'm Captain Chad Dilts with Sport Fish Michigan. We're in the first week of July and this is an awesome time to get out and do some light tackle vertical jigging for both lake trout and salmon. Ports like Grand Traverse Bay, Northport, Manistee, even Frankfort have really steep structure, isolated humps - and it presents a great opportunity for people to get out and take advantage of that set-up thermocline. The lake trout have finally left the shallow water. They're correlating to deeper structure, steep breaks, where they can find that nice thermocline. Typically, 60-80 feet of water is best at this time of year, but sometimes we might be jigging in even 90-120 feet. Don't be surprised when you stumble into some salmon, because all of our salmon are moving up north now. Ports like Luddington, Manistee, Frankfort, and even parts of Grand Traverse Bay are seeing good numbers of salmon. For the guys trolling, it's a great opportunity to get a mixed bag. But, also, if you'd like to try to target some salmon while vertical jigging - jump up to a 2-ounce jig and give it a go. You'll have great success on light tackle and establish some great memories.

It's the end of June, we've got some awesome angling opportunities all across the state. Bass fishing is big for us up here in Michigan. We've got topwater options on inland lakes as well as the big waters - Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, Saginaw Bay as well as Grand Traverse Bay. Great bedding fish still on the bigger bodies of water - the late part of the spawn. The topwater action is a lot of fun. Additionally, we also have some great options for the hex hatch. For the river anglers that are looking to get out on fly, river angling for brown trout, these might be some of the biggest trout you'll see all year. The hex hatch is upon us. The big mayflies - those are the granddaddies - and trout really go nuts for those. Both rainbows and brook trout as well as the big brown trout. Get out on the rivers, give the hex hatch a try, and you'll do well.

It's the third week in June and we have some awesome angling opportunities all across the state. For walleye anglers, Saginaw Bay is a tough place to beat right now. For numbers, we recommend pulling crawler harnesses at a slightly slower speed. But if you're looking for those bigger bites, something like a flicker shad or banana-style bait will get those bigger bites. Saginaw Bay is just loaded right now. For those anglers chasing salmon, the west side of the state, on the Lake Michigan side all the way from Luddington up towards Northport - we've got really fantastic numbers of salmon. The really exciting thing is that we're seeing two and three-year-olds, which really bodes well for the future. For the salmon anglers, get out and troll, find that thermocline and troll just above it. That's typically where those salmon are going to be feeding early in the morning and then later in the evening as that dusk bite comes into play.

One thing a lot of anglers travel to Michigan for, as well as the Michigan residents themselves, is fishing for bass. Smallmouth bass in particular. We have some awesome, awesome opportunities really on the inland lakes as well as the bigger bodies of water. For the anglers on the inland lakes, you know we have a post-spawn condition on most of the bodies of water because they're much warmer. Soft plastic jerk-baits, spinner baits if it's windy, crank baits, top-waters are great options for those post-spawn fish. You know lots of great action there for both largemouth and smallmouth. For those looking for bigger bodies of water, Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay, Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan - those are much colder, and those fish are just starting to come up onto the beds. We really want to make sure that when we're targeting bass on beds, we get those bass right back into the water as quickly as possible. Take a quick photo, which we all like to do, but get that bass back guarding its nest. That will help ensure a great bass fishery in this state for years to come.

We've got some fantastic options out here on Grand Traverse Bay, where we are now. It's early June - we have some really good bass fishing right now up in the shallows. We also have, in that 20-40 ft range, just absolute phenomenal lake trout and cisco action. We still have cold water. It has really been a late spring. So, casting blade baits in that 20-40 ft range is a really great option to getting lots of action on the cisco and the lake trout. One thing that has lots of anglers all across the state excited is the salmon action that we're seeing. All the way from St. Joe to Grand Haven, Muskegon, even into Luddington - as those fish are migrating north for the summer - the salmon action has been absolutely phenomenal. Lots and lots of bites for anglers getting out on the big lake. For more information, or if you're looking for a Captain or Guide in the State of Michigan, give Sport Fish Michigan a call.

It's Memorial Day, and we have some wonderful opportunities for anglers all across the state. Up in Northern Michigan, the smallmouth bass are on the spawn. It's a peak time to catch these awesome fish. It's really important to practice catch and release when we catch a fish off of the bed, as these are the parents that are guarding the eggs as well as the fry. This will help ensure the next generation of great angling opportunities throughout the years. Walleye anglers down in the Saginaw Bay area are still catching lots and lots of walleyes pulling both spoons, but predominantly pulling crawler harnesses - pulled at a slow, 1.1 to 1.5 miles an hour. For anglers getting out on Lake Michigan, we have some tremendous lake trout and salmon action all across the western side of the state.

It's early May and we're still down here on the Detroit River jigging walleyes. We're in the middle of the walleye run, and this is a fantastic time to be here. Lots and lots of great eater-size 15-18" fish. This run will continue all the way through May and well into June - is what we're expecting. Up in Northern Michigan on Grand Traverse Bay we're starting to see a really good cisco and lake trout bite happening. It's still cold water, water in the low 30s to upper 30s, and we're seeing those fish starting to come in to agressively feed. They're in that 50-foot range. Blade baits and jigging spoons are great options to target these agressively feeding fish.

We're out here on the Detroit River and we've got a fantastic walleye run that's in mid-progress right now. Lots of really nice eater fish as well as some bigger fish are being caught all across the river - in both U.S. waters as well as Canadian waters. It has been incredibly windy down here in Detroit, including some extreme snowy weather. The fish are still here, they're being caught. They key is finding some cleaner water, if you can find that mud line, or where the water is a little bit cleaner, you can find those active walleye. You may have to hunt around a little bit on the river to find them. Whether it's downstream or upstream - either way, once you get on that pod of fish it's a no-brainer and it's lights-out fishing.