Salmon run starting in Saugatuck

[westrate]

Sept. 3, 2006

The salmon are here. Salmon are being taken from 20 foot of water in front of the piers out to 140 foot of water. All week we have been fishing from 60 to 110 foot of water and have been taking 12 to 23 fish per trip. Most of the fish are Chinook salmon (6 to 20 pounds) with a few Coho (up to 12 pounds) and some lake trout and steelhead. Because the water is 48 degrees in front the piers there are some fish there and I am sure that some of the salmon have already gone up the river. Most of the fish we are catching out in 70+ foot of water are silver and the eggs are still relatively small so the main run may still be a week or so away.

We ran Pro Chip and Hot Chip flashers (green/silver, green/glow, and all silver) and Smart Fish flashers (mountain dew, white blue bubble, and chrome blue bubble) Spin Doctor flashers (silver blue and silver green) with Rapture Trolling flies (sour apple, hypnotist, green bubble, oceana and blue bubble and the last supper). These combination produced 90 % of the catch on wire divers and downriggers as well as occasionally behind copper wire. Because the water is relatively cool, we are running 100 and 200 foot of copper wire with glow wonderbread Stingray, orange crush Raider magnum, batman, the silver/black crippled alewife and the blue icicle dream weaver. The downriggers are run at 35, 45 and 65 foot with the same flashers and flies listed above.

I think that the main run should peak in about a week and we should be fishing in front the piers by that time. Check back and keep track of the fishing in Saugatuck.