Saugatuck 8/4 ... salmon lockjaw?

[wisejohn]

late start ... fished 8 - noon out of Saugatuck.  Water was 70 F from top to bottom out till about 115 FOW, then thermocline with cold water (50-60F) began to appear in deeper water.  Consistently marked fish from 120 - 140 FOW, mostly at greater depths, but occasionally 40-50 deep.  Trolled with a wide range of lures, green spinny meat rig, white fly and spin doctor, mixed veggies, blue dolphin, green ladder-back jpug, pounder flounder, but could not get a single hit.  Hmm .... like they had lock-jaw?  Made me wonder if when mature salmon stage in deep water, do they stop feeding preceding the run, but are not yet likely to strike like they do at the pier heads?

[jdh]

I don't think those are all salmon.  Got 4 lake trout in port Sheldon today on a 300 copper going 2.7 or 3.0 mph.  No other bites.

[Sassy Sharon]

They could be almost anything this time of year

[littleboat]

How are the weeds etc, when you pull your trailer out? I hate cleaning all that off out of Port Sheldon.

[jdh]

Wasn't too bad yesterday.  The weeds grow back quick though.

[gmfishon]

They don't stop feeding. They are still in the mode to pack on the pounds to be able to make the spawning run. I would say your day was due to a late start,  the wrong program ( not your fault)  ,  fish not being salmon , just a bad day, or most likely a combination of all. Hope the fish God's are better to ya next time.

[CJ428]

I have seen late season lock jaw but usually later in August. Best time to get them is just when the sun rises and sets--yes very frustrating.

[Aaron Nusbaum]

You were probably marking lakers and steelhead. I've been finding the kings 100+ feet down scattered anywhere from 130 to 200 feet, in other words super spread out. My guess is with this hot weather they're just not in a hurry to start grouping up and staging yet.

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