Great Lakes Pier Fishing

[ZobZob]

Hello everyone,
Just came across this site while doing an internet search. I was curious as to why this only covers the east coast... no love for the Great Lakes?!!?!? We have awesome pier fishing salmon and trout (Browns and Steelhead). :)

Any great lakes pier fisherman out there?

Zob

[The Bucket]

I'm originially from MI and still salmon fish a week each summer when visiting family up north. Although there are few others on this board from Midwest Great Lake's states including a Yooper, this site and it's board members are ~ east coast fishing folks :cool:

Regardless welcome aboard :D

`bucket

[JerryB]

i'm one of those the bucket mentioned, lived in michigan since 1967 and have only fished one lake michigan pier one time!

i do have pals who fish the holland and south haven piers a bit though.

BTW most of the lake michigan "piers" i have seen are actually jetties

cheers
jerry

[Newsjeff]

I fished for Salmon and Steelhead at a place called Burts Dam once. It's in Western New York in a little town called Newfane. There's a little creek called 18 Mile that runs from Lake Ontario to the dam. The creek had some of the biggest freshwater fish I've ever seen in there.

Then again, I ain't seen too many big freshwater fish. :p

I'm glad I got the chance to experience that once in my life. I wouldn't mind doing it again.

The time I went was just before Halloween. And it was snowing. :rolleyes:

[ZobZob]

I'll give you that our fish might not have the size but pound for pound they're hard to beat. I love watching the weather and wind direction in July and August and hitting fresh king salmon off of the piers, jetties or whatever you want to call them :D ... Someday I hope to try for other species on the coast as well.

I would imagine the techniques are pretty similar. We use alewives, shrimp (store bought), shiners, salmon or trout eggs (prob not used on the coast), etc. Cast nets and sabiki rigs are used to catch live bait. For reels I use baitrunners (Okuma & Mitchell) and light to medium action 9ft rods. I like to play the fish. A lot of people use heavier rods for better hooksets and a higher landing % though...

Our salmon average 12-15 #'s w/ a good fish weighing over 20#. This used to be a lot more frequent but the salmon natural repro is so good that there are too many fish in Lake Michigan and the bait is getting scarce. They cut the stocking 25% starting this year to slow down the crash. Steelhead (migratory rainbows) average 6-9 lbs. with a good fish being over 15#, brown trout average about the same but the state records have been broken many times over the last few years with the biggest being 43 lbs. I would love to hook into one of those.

What kinds of fish and weights do you guys catch over there???

Zob

[Digger]

OK I'm going to step out on a limb speaking for Sand Flea. This board is ment for pier and surf fisherpeople. If there is intrest among Great Lakes Pier and Surf People I would expect Sand Flea would be happy to set it up. But the real answer as to why it covers the east coast is that was where it was began. The Gulf coast was tried and it failed. But growing is a good thing. Do you want to help us?

[Fisheadgib]

There are already a lot of boards already dedicated to trout, salmon, Wisconsin, and the great lakes. I grew up fishing on the Milwaukee breakwater in the 60's and 70's and when I get the urge to reminisce, I browse a couple of them.

[rattler]

i spent 10 years in MI...Alpena/Oscoda...it was diff for a va fisherman...caught lots of big fish...walleye and perch were the best tasting...disapointed in the trout/salmon...didn't have the fight for the size IMHO...really enjoyed the smallmouth fishing...hatted the dang snow and the plow driver that wait until you got the driveway cleaned and then plow you back in...GLAD I CAME BACK HOME...

[chinookhead]

I grew up in MI and now I am doing graduate school in NYC....was and still sort of am an avid surf/pier/stream salmon and trout fisherman...do it whenever I visit my parents at home.

I love fishing the mouth of the Little Manistee River for kings in July/August and in the colder months for steelhead and browns.....big narrow silver/glow spoons for the kings....My favorite set-ups are 2 10'6" medium action rods (rated 6-12#)--which are stiff enough to cast even the spoons and enough action for using light lines...plus the length means more distance. I use shimano spinning reels.

In terms of fight, I still have not found a fish that gives as exciting a fight as steelhead outside of the winter months (then they still fight, but no acrobatics) and a skamania....there is no comparison--double flips etc. Also, silver kings can also sometimes put on some awesome displays and have brute strength.

I started out using my salmon pier/river rods in the surf here...it handled the fish just fine, but the problem was that they could not cast the weight that is needed often which limited my fishing time...so I'm adjusting (new tackle).

I can't wait to go hime and use the casting techniques that I've learned from this board and the locals...we great lakes fisherman just try to cast it out as hard as we can for distance...I've learned that technique is more important.

[ZobZob]

Yes, I came here because I'm always willing to learn more. I had a pretty good weekend though... three steelhead and four browns in two days. Three came on countdown rapalas, one on an orange spoon (KO wobbler blank) and the other three on salmon egg sacks (spawn). I did pretty good casting but I want to be "that guy" who whips out a lure a few times and hooks one. There always seems to be a coupled regulars on every pier that can consistently catch fish when there is not much action. What's a good area of the site to learn more about spoon chucking?

As for someone else's comment that there are plenty of great lakes boards... while that is true none have dedicated surf, pier/jetty/breakwall sections that I have found. Just spotty reports.

Zob

I grew up in MI and now I am doing graduate school in NYC....was and still sort of am an avid surf/pier/stream salmon and trout fisherman...do it whenever I visit my parents at home.

I love fishing the mouth of the Little Manistee River for kings in July/August and in the colder months for steelhead and browns.....big narrow silver/glow spoons for the kings....My favorite set-ups are 2 10'6" medium action rods (rated 6-12#)--which are stiff enough to cast even the spoons and enough action for using light lines...plus the length means more distance. I use shimano spinning reels.

In terms of fight, I still have not found a fish that gives as exciting a fight as steelhead outside of the winter months (then they still fight, but no acrobatics) and a skamania....there is no comparison--double flips etc. Also, silver kings can also sometimes put on some awesome displays and have brute strength.

I started out using my salmon pier/river rods in the surf here...it handled the fish just fine, but the problem was that they could not cast the weight that is needed often which limited my fishing time...so I'm adjusting (new tackle).

I can't wait to go hime and use the casting techniques that I've learned from this board and the locals...we great lakes fisherman just try to cast it out as hard as we can for distance...I've learned that technique is more important.