EUP Steelhead report

[steeliebob]

Caught 2 nice chromers and lost 6 so far this winter. Most of the steehead are still out in deeper water and won't be cruising the shoreline for about another two weeks to a month yet. It is still fun picking up the stray ones on tip ups. When the pre spawners hit the shoreline the flags will be flying faster than you can keep up with them. Getting the gear ready now to chase them again this weekend. I have caught & released about a dozen small trout, they keep things exciting.

[Rob]

I cant wait for the run to start. Do you fish river mouths?

[steeliebob]

In the fall and winter they can be very productive. In the springtime you have to fight with smelt dippers so it is not worth it. Right now if the ice is safe you can pick up steelhead off of pretty much any stream or river mouth or try fishing them in open water. In the UP we catch them under the ice in as little as 3 feet of water. As soon as the ice goes out we do good surf casting with spawn. I love pulling them big chromers through a hole in the ice. After this past weekend there probably isn't much ice in Muskegon though. Whitehall might be a good place to try or Silver Creek a little closer to home for you. We lost just about all of our ice in the UP last weekend.

[EdB]

Very nice, steelies are just one all around awesome fish all year long!

[Adam Bomb]

Thanks for the report Bob...Good luck when ya get out. Snap some pics, those steel are so purdy!

[A-Fishy-Anado]

Bob

Are you floating spawn sacs through the ice for the steelies?

[Priority1]

Thanks for the report Bob. I know you'll be on them hot and heavy in a few weeks.

[Last Pass]

Sounds like a blast. Only a matter of time before you are chasing downs flags. Good luck.

[steeliebob]

Getting ready to go again this weekend last weekend was a little slow. I hope that a few more are cruising the shore this weekend. Thanks to the 5 pounder I got last Sunday I have some steelhead spawn. Not lots but enough to get me by for a little bit. I think that it is a little too cool for them to move much and the runoff has not started yet. We will see this weekend.

[Nailer]

Good luck Robert. It sounds like fun.

[Rob]

Good luck Robert. steelhead fishing around here has been awsome if you were closer I have lots of fresh spawn.

[steeliebob]

Rob, you do realize that the only hatchery trucks that cross the mighty mac going north are the empty ones. We don't catch the numbers of fish like they do in SW Michigan but we do catch some really nice steelhead. I really appreciate the offer of fresh spawn, steelies cannot resist the fresh stuff. Looks like good weather this weekend, you guys should be about ready to line up at the boat launch. Last winter I was fishing on 2 feet of ice and you guys were downrigging. Good luck with the downstate steelies.