Cold water in Holland - Help!

[instincter06]

I've been following along on the reports out of Holland and tracking where the fish are in anticipation of going out this week. Today I look at the Holland buoy and see that the water turned cold all the way to the surface overnight!! I'm just wondering how you all think this will affect the fish? I want to go out tonight and was planning on heading to 90 - 130 FOW but now I'm not sure. I just started big lake fishing last year and have yet to have a great haul.

Thanks for any advice/info you have!

Josh

[2MD]

Here is the Beach report from about 1hr ago:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN

1032 AM EDT WED AUG 14 2013

LAKE MICHIGAN BEACH REPORTS

WATER WAVE FLAG

LOCATION TEMP HEIGHT COLOR

LUDINGTON STATE PARK 55 F 0 FT GREEN

MEARS STATE PARK (PENTWATER) 55 F 0 FT GREEN

DUCK LAKE STATE PARK 56 F 1 FT GREEN

MUSKEGON STATE PARK 48 F 2 FT GREEN

P.J. HOFFMASTER STATE PARK 48 F 1 FT GREEN

GRAND HAVEN STATE PARK 53 F 0 FT GREEN

HOLLAND STATE PARK 60 F 1 FT GREEN

SAUGATUCK OVAL BEACH 65 F 2 FT NONE

SOUTH HAVEN FILTRATION PLANT 61 F 2 FT NONE

You can see that if you were fishing Grand Haven that the bait and mature fish would be in the piers. Holland is more of a lottery card at this point as to where they are. If the cold pocket from GH slides down to Holland then they may be right out front. Probably won't though because wind died so that leaves them if I had to guess in that 40-90 FOW and probably in the upper part of the water column. Others chime in and share opinions please. I am going to go fishing tonight and tomorrow too out of Holland.

[joelsanders]

Looks like i'll bring my extra 5&7 color leadcore rigs for saturday

[combat pay]

go shallow with cold water close in and it generally pays off. The salmon like about 48 degree water. If you got that on the beach they often follow the bait right up onto the beach. Mid day or high sun they will shy away and go a little deeper, but usually not to far from the bait.

I have been hearing reports of limits in 50-80 FOW last week or so. I plan on being out tonight and if the cold water holds I will be inside in 60 FOW or less taking a look. If I don't find them there then I will go west until I start marking fish.

[instincter06]

Here is the water temp info I'm going off of. It's from the UGLOS buoy out of Holland. I'll try to insert the surface water temp graph in this post. You can see the drastic decline in temperature on the graph over the past couple days.

Water Temperature at Surface No Datasheet Water Temperature at Surface (WTMP1 ) 53.4 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 3.28 ft. (TP001) 51.4 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 13.12 ft. (TP003) 50.9 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 19.69 ft. (TP005) 50.0 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 26.25 ft. (TP007) 48.6 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 32.81 ft. (TP009) 45.8 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 39.37 ft. (TP0011) 41.9 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 45.93 ft. (TP0013) 41.4 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 52.49 ft. (TP0015) 41.2 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 59.06 ft. (TP0017) 41.1 °F

Thermistor Temperature, depth: Datasheet Thermistor Temperature, depth: 65.62 ft. (TP0019) 41.2 °F

[2MD]

yes - the buoy info is helpful - the thing about the buoy though is it is a couple miles off shore and we want to be harvesting kings on the beach - part of the shoreline cooling (if I understand correctly) is that it is colder out deep first off and getting these in tight temps confirmed is a game changer. Does anyone know where this port Sheldon buoy sits. I think someone said it is 2 miles out?

[Wild@]

90 feet of water straight out to a touch south out of port sheldon

[SeaCatMich]

I have heard a couple of reports of fish feeding heavily (and hitting lures :0) in the 30 FOW area and just outside the river plume. If you can find a water clarity change (muddy to clear or even chalky to clear, fish just in the clear stuff -- temps might be the same but the salmon often patrol that line to pick off bait that strays into the clear water. If the bait is there, so will the salmon.

Also watch the buoy info. As you can see the graph is already started back up. The temps can change back as fast as they changed in the first place. This week's wind forecast is for SW & WSW winds the next two days and then light the rest of the week through Sunday. It may take until the weekend though as the winds forecast are not going to be very strong.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?map.x=92&map.y=184&site=grr&zmx=1&zmy=1

This year's weather has not produced the large mass of hot water we have seen inshore the past two seasons. Cold water is not all that deep and east or north winds like happened Monday and Tuesday can move it in quick. The warmer water is not that far away either.

[jimbobber]

If it were me I would start in 60 troll sw til I hit fish but probly not past 120 flow and concentrate on the top 45 foot of water I have been doing well down 25 when the water is this cold just my two cents

[fisf crazy]

lots of fish in close right now saw lots of cohos this morn of the pier and perch but water can change quick work the edges charters were getting them in chnnel this morn good luck

[N II Deep]

I'm with Jimmy but may even start in a little closer. 40 fow just north of the holland pier head heading SW. target 20 - 45 foot down.

[SeaCatMich]

Pyle's Port Hole posted on Facebook that off South Haven there are good numbers (limits) of Kings, Coho, and Steelhead being caught in the top 50' over 100 FOW.

[Gnarf]

If you want guaranteed fish (so to speak) and the weather permits, fish deep

150 to 220 will hold lots of coho steelies, mix sized kings and laker. Might not find lots of big fish but ill bet youll have lots of action. This time of year it seems to be the cool place to be if your a fish

[SUPERTRAMP]

Jimmy said it perfectly. Start in about 40 and work out to no more than 100 to 120 concentrate on the top 30 and send one rigger down with a paddle or spinny and a meat rig. If u look at the preferred temp for King salmon it is 44 degrees or colder, The Pacific Ocean never reaches 44 degrees where they live.

[Corey K]

One thing to try in that top 30 is leaving the riggers buttoned up and instead use 1lb weights on mono or torpedo divers w/long leads behind the weight. Really easy technique and I have caught a ton of fish in close or when the fish are up high.

[Far Beyond Driven]

Nephew just got back from the Holland pier and it was 49 degrees. Limit of kings, but all 15-20" eaters and not matures.

[Boltman]

We're fishing in White Hall this weekend, going to locate the cold water, and work out from there. Hoping it gets some Feesh in the box,it's going to be a Long winter, I'm still pissed about this summers weather.... sucked most of the time.

But let's get fishing, what do you think, Plugs up high, going to try the Meat Rigs as well.. hope they hit that meat....

[2MD]

started trolling inside Mac where the channel starts - wham while setting lines - fish on! turns out it was a monster sheephead though - trolled out of the piers and made 2 passes - picked up a small king on the second pass in 19 FOW on dipsey with coyote white flasher and fly. continued making passes - 4th pass in had 50 ft sailboat ride right over 2 of our orange boards. Nearly spooled the reeles before eventually the baits cleared the keel and everything righted itself. Decided to bail on the pierheads since the sailboats kept coming. Trolled all the way out to 90 FOW - nothing. Turned and trolled back. While just south of the pierheads after dark in 38 FOW had a huge king rip a dipsey. Weak spot in old fireline apparently because it broke off and was jumping all over behind the boat with the flasher and fly in its mouth. That was it for the night. Kept passing the pierheads trying to get something else to go. So much bait was surfacing you could reach down and catch it in your hands. My son saw a king porpoise and pick off bait. Too little too late for me. Should have never left the shallow water tonight.

[instincter06]

I ended up trolling from 60 out to 140 then back to 125. Went 0 for 2 with fish on at 125 and 135 on a green and white glow spoon behind a dipsy. First one just came off, second one took a big run and I had the drag too tight. It surfaced 40 yards behind the boat trying to spit my spoon out. There were plenty of other folks fishing the same water. A buddy went 4 of 5 in 70ft.

[Far Beyond Driven]

Wednesday night sailboat league in Holland. Thursday night is blow boat lesson night in lake mac if you're thinking about walleye, but they stay around the green can buoy.