Post by sam fisherman on Aug 12, 2011 13:36:23 GMT -5
This page was last updated on AUG 12 2011 10:32 A.M.
Lake Michigan
For more information about the lake please click on the lake name above.
Description:
N/A
Fish
Channel catfish
Description:
The channel catfish has a smooth scaleless skin and barbels on its face resembling cat whiskers. The barbels help the channel catfish taste and feel objects and enable it to locate food in dark and turbid water. The channel catfish has 24-29 rays in its rounded anal fin. The caudal fin is deeply forked and the fish has dark spots on its sides when young.
Bait: Nightcrawlers, shrimp, commercially prepared catfish bait
Depth: Bottom
Comments about fish:
Anglers have been catching channel catfish off the Portage Lakefront Park Pier, the MC Lighthouse Pier & in the MC harbor on nightcrawlers, pieces of shrimp, or commercially prepared catfish bait fished right on the bottom. Catfish up to 6 lbs have been caught in recent weeks.
Chinook salmon or king salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The chinook or king salmon teeth are set in dark gums, with black spots on the back and both lobes of the square caudal fin. The chinook or king salmon has 15-17 anal fin rays and averages 30 pounds though some can reach over 100 pounds.
Bait: Magnum sized spoons, bodybaits
Depth: Up to 110 FOW
Comments about fish:
See steelhead report. Kings up to 20 pounds have been taken in the southern lake. Good forage has existed all summer.
Coho salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The teeth of the coho salmon are set in light color gums. The coho salmon has black spots on the upper lobe of a slightly forked caudal fin with 12-15 anal fin rays.
Bait: Spoons, bodybaits
Depth: Up to 110 FOW
Comments about fish:
See steelhead report.
Lake trout
Description:
Ever popular among Indiana anglers is the trout family, which includes the brown, lake and rainbow or steelhead trout. Many fisherman can be spotted on the shores during spawning season when the trout begin their runs into the tributaries. The lake trout has a white mouth, teeth and gums, a caudal fin that is deeply forked and a body color that is light to dark gray with light spots.
Bait: Spoons
Depth: Within 10' of bottom
Comments about fish:
A few lake trout have been taken in 90-110 FOW out of East Chicago and north of Michigan City in Michigan waters.
Rainbow or steelhead trout
Description:
Ever popular among Indiana anglers is the trout family, which includes the brown, lake and rainbow or steelhead trout. Many fisherman can be spotted on the shores during spawning season when the trout begin their runs into the tributaries. Rainbow or steelhead trout have a white mouth, teeth and gums and small black spots on their backs, sides, and caudal and dorsal fins. The caudal fin margin of the rainbow or steelhead trout is square and the fish has 9-12 anal fin rays.
Bait: Lake: Spoons, Bodybaits Pier: Shrimp, spoons Tribs: Shrimp, egg sacks
Depth: Lake : Up to 65 FOW
Comments about fish:
Action has been inconsistent over the past week in southern LM. MC & Portage boat anglers report steelhead, kings & a few coho caught in water depths ranging from 45-110 FOW. Magnum sized spoons & bodybaits put fish in the box. Anglers will need to experiment to find out what depths fish are aggressively feeding at. No shore steelhead action reported this week due to water temps hovering around 74° F in the harbor at at the lakefront. Very little steelhead action reported to the stream creel clerks over the past several weeks but that will change with the cooling this week. Stream water temps is 65° F, a few fresh skamania steelhead were seen entering the creek on 8/11 and 8/12. Wind is out of the south which should help the nearshore water temperatures cool down.
Smallmouth bass
Description:
Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The last rays on the dorsal fin of the smallmouth bass are separated from the rest of the fin. Also, the upper jaw does not extend beyond back of eye, as it does with the largemouth bass. The smallmouth bass commonly reaches 3-4 pounds.
Bait: Tube jigs, crankbaits, minnows, worms
Depth: Up to 12 FOW
Comments about fish:
Winds from the N put a damper on SMB fishing this week but anglers can expect conditions to improve once the wind switches directions. Anglers should continue to fish the W side of LM where abundant cover is available. Portage boat anglers should try along the “ditch” & off the Port of IN breakwall. An often overlooked area to fish for bass is the W Br of the Little Cal. Prior electrofishing surveys indicated good populations of LMB in that system. Top producing lures include tube jigs that resemble gobies, crankbaits and small spinnerbaits.
Yellow perch
Description:
Indiana anglers have long since sought perch for their tasty flavor. The yellow perch, walleye and sauger are members of this popular family. The yellow perch ranges from 6 to 12 inches long and up to one or two pounds.
Bait: Minnows
Depth: Up to 29 FOW
Comments about fish:
According IDNR creel clerks, YP action has been spotty due to lake conditions. MC anglers report action out-front of Blacks Ditch/Mt. Baldy area with the best catches coming near the condos in water depths ranging from 14-26 FOW. Portage boat anglers have been reporting action E of the doughnut in water depths ranging from 15-28 FOW. EC boat anglers report YP are scattered. Anglers report catches at the marina entrance, in the vicinity of the hole in the wall & over at Buffington Harbor in water depths to 29 FOW and Calumet harbor in the weed beds. North winds have stacked warm water nearshore early this week which should move perch in tight. Minnows are the top producing bait.
Comments about body of water:
Water temp in the harbor of MC was 74 F° as of this morning. Area tribs are running normal to low with excellent visibility. Scattered thunderstorms are forecasted for the region over the next couple of days which may impact stream conditions. Water temp of Trail Creek at Friendship Gardens was 64° F this morning. Some fresh fish were seen moving up river from the lower sections.
Lake Michigan
For more information about the lake please click on the lake name above.
Description:
N/A
Fish
Channel catfish
Description:
The channel catfish has a smooth scaleless skin and barbels on its face resembling cat whiskers. The barbels help the channel catfish taste and feel objects and enable it to locate food in dark and turbid water. The channel catfish has 24-29 rays in its rounded anal fin. The caudal fin is deeply forked and the fish has dark spots on its sides when young.
Bait: Nightcrawlers, shrimp, commercially prepared catfish bait
Depth: Bottom
Comments about fish:
Anglers have been catching channel catfish off the Portage Lakefront Park Pier, the MC Lighthouse Pier & in the MC harbor on nightcrawlers, pieces of shrimp, or commercially prepared catfish bait fished right on the bottom. Catfish up to 6 lbs have been caught in recent weeks.
Chinook salmon or king salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The chinook or king salmon teeth are set in dark gums, with black spots on the back and both lobes of the square caudal fin. The chinook or king salmon has 15-17 anal fin rays and averages 30 pounds though some can reach over 100 pounds.
Bait: Magnum sized spoons, bodybaits
Depth: Up to 110 FOW
Comments about fish:
See steelhead report. Kings up to 20 pounds have been taken in the southern lake. Good forage has existed all summer.
Coho salmon
Description:
Members of the pacific salmon family, the chinook or king salmon and the coho salmon can be found in Lake Michigan and its tributaries in northern Indiana. Pacific salmons do not feed during spawning, but will strike a lure during their runs. Cohos will spawn in the fall in their third year of life and die, while chinooks will spawn in the fall, winter or spring in the fifth year of life, allowing them to grow larger. The teeth of the coho salmon are set in light color gums. The coho salmon has black spots on the upper lobe of a slightly forked caudal fin with 12-15 anal fin rays.
Bait: Spoons, bodybaits
Depth: Up to 110 FOW
Comments about fish:
See steelhead report.
Lake trout
Description:
Ever popular among Indiana anglers is the trout family, which includes the brown, lake and rainbow or steelhead trout. Many fisherman can be spotted on the shores during spawning season when the trout begin their runs into the tributaries. The lake trout has a white mouth, teeth and gums, a caudal fin that is deeply forked and a body color that is light to dark gray with light spots.
Bait: Spoons
Depth: Within 10' of bottom
Comments about fish:
A few lake trout have been taken in 90-110 FOW out of East Chicago and north of Michigan City in Michigan waters.
Rainbow or steelhead trout
Description:
Ever popular among Indiana anglers is the trout family, which includes the brown, lake and rainbow or steelhead trout. Many fisherman can be spotted on the shores during spawning season when the trout begin their runs into the tributaries. Rainbow or steelhead trout have a white mouth, teeth and gums and small black spots on their backs, sides, and caudal and dorsal fins. The caudal fin margin of the rainbow or steelhead trout is square and the fish has 9-12 anal fin rays.
Bait: Lake: Spoons, Bodybaits Pier: Shrimp, spoons Tribs: Shrimp, egg sacks
Depth: Lake : Up to 65 FOW
Comments about fish:
Action has been inconsistent over the past week in southern LM. MC & Portage boat anglers report steelhead, kings & a few coho caught in water depths ranging from 45-110 FOW. Magnum sized spoons & bodybaits put fish in the box. Anglers will need to experiment to find out what depths fish are aggressively feeding at. No shore steelhead action reported this week due to water temps hovering around 74° F in the harbor at at the lakefront. Very little steelhead action reported to the stream creel clerks over the past several weeks but that will change with the cooling this week. Stream water temps is 65° F, a few fresh skamania steelhead were seen entering the creek on 8/11 and 8/12. Wind is out of the south which should help the nearshore water temperatures cool down.
Smallmouth bass
Description:
Sunfishes include some of the best-known fish in Indiana. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black and white crappie, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth bass are all members of the sunfish family. The last rays on the dorsal fin of the smallmouth bass are separated from the rest of the fin. Also, the upper jaw does not extend beyond back of eye, as it does with the largemouth bass. The smallmouth bass commonly reaches 3-4 pounds.
Bait: Tube jigs, crankbaits, minnows, worms
Depth: Up to 12 FOW
Comments about fish:
Winds from the N put a damper on SMB fishing this week but anglers can expect conditions to improve once the wind switches directions. Anglers should continue to fish the W side of LM where abundant cover is available. Portage boat anglers should try along the “ditch” & off the Port of IN breakwall. An often overlooked area to fish for bass is the W Br of the Little Cal. Prior electrofishing surveys indicated good populations of LMB in that system. Top producing lures include tube jigs that resemble gobies, crankbaits and small spinnerbaits.
Yellow perch
Description:
Indiana anglers have long since sought perch for their tasty flavor. The yellow perch, walleye and sauger are members of this popular family. The yellow perch ranges from 6 to 12 inches long and up to one or two pounds.
Bait: Minnows
Depth: Up to 29 FOW
Comments about fish:
According IDNR creel clerks, YP action has been spotty due to lake conditions. MC anglers report action out-front of Blacks Ditch/Mt. Baldy area with the best catches coming near the condos in water depths ranging from 14-26 FOW. Portage boat anglers have been reporting action E of the doughnut in water depths ranging from 15-28 FOW. EC boat anglers report YP are scattered. Anglers report catches at the marina entrance, in the vicinity of the hole in the wall & over at Buffington Harbor in water depths to 29 FOW and Calumet harbor in the weed beds. North winds have stacked warm water nearshore early this week which should move perch in tight. Minnows are the top producing bait.
Comments about body of water:
Water temp in the harbor of MC was 74 F° as of this morning. Area tribs are running normal to low with excellent visibility. Scattered thunderstorms are forecasted for the region over the next couple of days which may impact stream conditions. Water temp of Trail Creek at Friendship Gardens was 64° F this morning. Some fresh fish were seen moving up river from the lower sections.