48 degree water and Chinook salmon in Saugatuck

This past week produced some more high winds and rough water and as a result the lake has cooled down drastically. We have been waiting for the cool water to allow the Chinook to stage in front of the piers for the spawning run, however, as of this weekend there is no large scale movement into the river. Wednesday and Saturday we were blown off, however on Sun day we did fish in front the piers and caught a half dozen salmon. The water was 48 degrees on the surface and 44 degrees on the bottom in 20 foot. Boats that moved off shore to 80 and 100 foot also found 48 degrees on the surface.

In the shallow water, we fished almost all Ace Hi plugs in a variety of colors from the surface to 50 foot of copper and on downriggers run from 5 to 15 foot down. Boats that fished off shore fished the surface with 3 color lead core down to the bottom with metal flashers and Spin n Glos.

The wind is predicted to move back to the south, and if this happens the lake should begin to warm. I am sure that there are some salmon that have moved up the river; however we should see more staging in front for the run. Contact me for information or charter reservations at captron@chartermichigan.com.