Cold Water Salmon & Trout Presentation Tips

In previous articles we covered general overview and the specifics of temperature breaks and their location.  Now let’s continue with spring presentation and location.  If your season starts early as we do at Blue Max Charters, you will be on Lake Michigan when the surface temperatures are below the preferred temp of your target species. 
 I will cover late May and early June in this article.  This time period provides great action on Brown trout, Chinooks, Coho and Rainbows. Browns, at this time of the year, will come on similar presentations, lures and locations as I described in the last articles. Look for temp breaks with bait fish and the warmest water. This time of year you won’t find water that is to warm for Browns.  I like small Vulcan spoons with silver, green or white blades with green, orange or blue accent stripes. Work the top 25 feet of water.

Location of temperature breaks

Your primary tool, and one you cannot do with out, is a surface temp gauge. I use the one built into my fish locator. It also has a graph to show the temp history over the last hour. This may not be necessary but it can help when mapping temp over a given area. The big pond is very cold in April and May also some years even into June. Your ability to monitor temp and stay in as close to the target species preferred temp will make or break your day on the lake. Let us assume most of the lake is in the forty-degree range and your target species is Coho, browns or Chinooks. All of these fish are looking for two things, temperature as close to their preferred range and food. I will go into food and or forage in another article for now let’s focus on temperature. Out of Milwaukee we are fortunate to have several rivers flowing into a large harbor. The rivers warm earlier than the lake and the mouth of a river is a place to start with a temp check. In addition, you should be checking each of the three gaps in the break wall that creates the harbor. A south wind will push the warm water out the north gap. This will turn the fish on in this area while the south gap is too cold for productive fishing. The way I start any day is to work the warmest water or water nearest to preferred temp I can find. After working this water, I move to cooler water. Sharp temp breaks are usually better at holding fish then gradual changes. Always consider the wind direction, not only when you are fishing but what it has been doing over the last several days. A light east wind on our western shore moves warmer surface water on shore and contributes to a rise in temp and a good bite close to the shoreline. All harbors with rivers have some current flow and the wind determines the direction that warmer water will flow when leaving the harbor. Fish that warmer water and into the cooler lake water keeping an eye on your temp gauge. When you get action note your location by land sightings and temp. Stay with that temperature to find active fish. If you have worked the harbor and gaps with no or slow action, look for temp breaks on the lake created by shifts in wind direction. Another option is to check tight along the shoreline in protected bays. At times I will run my lures in the shallow warmer water on side planners keeping the boat out in the deeper cooler water. Another area to check out is any warm water discharged from power plants. We have this opportunity south of Milwaukee by twelve miles at Oak Creek. I will go into details of spring lure selection and presentation in the next article good luck Copyright© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.

Lures For Spring Salmon And Trout

The start of the 2010 Lake Michigan Season will be here before you know it and now is the time to think about early location and tackle. In this article, I would like to share with you some of my keys to finding fish and the hottest set ups for very early presentation. I have been a charter captain for over twenty years and these techniques have produced year after year. I am confident that you will achieve success applying these classic tips.

I start my season in early April and the most important factor at this time is temperature. I recommend a must item for you is a temp gauge for the surface and a notebook. Your gauge can be a simple hand held thermometer or a unit built into your fish locator. The notebook is all about what’s working and what’s not. I find if I can avoid duplicating non-productive techniques, I will improve my catches and enjoyment. Keeping record of your bad and good days is key to moving to the top of the list as an above average in your sport. I write down the date, time of day, conditions, cloudy, clear, calm, rough, port or lake G.P.S. numbers if you have them. Record this on every fish or at least at the end of the day. On a hot bite, I usually get caught up on my notes as soon as I can to avoid lost detail.

Big vs Little Planner Boards

Up to now we have talked about individual boards that go on each line. You can also go with a large board towed on each side of the boat pulled by a heavy monofilament line. The line is let out the same as before and then attached with a release to the heavy mono line to the large board. As you let out additional line the release will slide down the mono toward the board. You may stop the release any time along the way to the large board. When the fish strikes the line pulls free of the release and the fish is reeled in. Then the line is reset and attached to tow line again. The draw back of this system is it requires a tall mast to pull the large boards and is not transferable boat to boat. The advantage to individual boards is less cost and I find them more efficient in setting line and cranking in fish when on a hot bite.

Good Luck! Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at

http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2010, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved

Lake Trout what baits are best?

In spring when fishing the top fifteen feet use crankbaits, minnow type lures and small spoons like the regular size Reaper in silver or bright colors sold by Badger Tackle.com. Visibility is a factor when the fish move to their summer deep water haunt. The slow metabolism of this fish is dictated by the cold water and requires a very slow 1 to 1.5 mph boat speed. A solid approach of magnum spoons will be your best bet to steady action. Reaper Magnum Glow spoons will afford you the performance and visibility necessary. Eight-inch flashers and dodgers with glow flies or squids are a staple and also work deep in the water column. The distance between the attractor and the fly or squid will vary with the temp of the water. Try two to three times the length of the flasher or about sixteen up to twenty-four inches. A Longer lead on the fly seems to work better in colder water. In summer downriggers are the way to get presentation 80 to 250 feet down. On the surface use Church Tackle Walleye Boards and leadcore are the way to go. I run three or more on each side of the boat working an area over three hundred feet wide. You should set up for Lake Trout with a 1,2,3,4,5 color leadcore. This will give you coverage from 5 to 25 feet. The Church Planer Board will run well at slow speeds and off to the side of the boat out of your travel path. To be continued tomorrow please come again

Fishing the Zone for Coho Salmon #3

Let me explain how to be more productive by following some basic rules and using basic tools.  Activity and habits of fish are dictated by many variables. A rather basic approach will put you on fish and keep you there. I will cover how to find the most productive zones by species.  Article number one and two covered Chinook and Brown Trout.  Now let’s look at Coho Salmon as it applies to Lake Michigan and other big water ecosystems. Get caught up by reading article number one titled Fishing The Zone For Salmon Milwaukee #1. This information is necessary to understand the following article.

Zones By Species

     Lake Michigan Milwaukee is an outstanding fishery with many options for anglers. The most popular targets of anglers here are Chinook salmon, Coho Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Lake Trout.  Allow me to offer environmental preferences for each of these.  Breaking each fish down by their preferences is the best way to find steady consistent action on any fish.

Coho Salmon Zone By Temperature

   Coho offer great action with the reward of some of the best eating of all Lake Michigan fish.  Once again the answer to putting them in the box is temperature. Look for them in temperatures above 50 degrees up to 57 degrees. Exceptions to this temp zone are possible but not the norm.  As they come in to spawn they will be less sensitive to temperature.  They will tolerate colder water and temperatures below 50, however they are less active. 

Location And Forage

    The principal types of forage for all fish in Lake Michigan are the Alewife and Goby. Look for pods of forage for consistent action.  I have caught Coho at all depths all season long.  Don’t make the mistake of not running tackle for them, but they do require a different approach. Most consistent action is in the spring months of May and June.  The reason for this is the water is very cold and the top water is the best habitat for them.  The shallow water, or the top 25 feet where warm water has accumulated, is the answer to your best numbers.  Early May run your baits in the top five feet and progress to deeper in the water column as the water warms up.  The reason for outstanding spring fishing for Coho is that the cold water of Lake Michigan concentrates them. Finding a temperature break is the key to finding fish.  A break is defined as a major or minor change in water temperature.  At times a small change of a degree or two will hold fish, but I have found the greater the change the better the concentration of fish.  In spring the Coho that have wintered on the southern end of Lake Michigan will migrate north.  You will find some action near shore and this is a good starting spot.  My experience is deep water can be very productive.  I fish out to ten miles off shore in 250 feet of water for fantastic action and limits on this exciting spring fish.     

Presentations For Limits On Coho Salmon

    Anytime of day is a good time for this quarry.  I categorize them as day feeders with angling success all day.  Water temperature will dictate your best bait.  I will break this down by temperature.  Below 50 degrees use small crankbaits, minnow type lures and small spoons like the regular size Vulcan in silver or bright colors sold by Badger Tackle.  Above 50 the cold water baits will produce but not as well as six inch orange flashers or dodgers with flies or squids.  The distance between the attractor and the fly or squid will vary with the temp of the water.  Try one and a half times the length of the flasher or about nine inches up to eighteen inches.  Longer lead on the fly seems to work better in colder water.  You may catch some fish on downriggers but they are not my first choice for presentation.  Church Tackle Walleye Boards are the way to go.  I run four or more on each side of the boat working an area over three hundred feet wide.  Set up for Coho with a six foot 15 pound leader tied to a 3/8-ounce keel sinker attached to the 20-pound main line to your reel.  Baits are attached with a ball bearing snap and ran 25 feet behind the planner board.  The planer board will run well off to the side of the boat out of your travel path. 

Hot Lures Define The Day

    Let’s wrap this up with my favorite lures.  For spring crankbaits, minnow type lures and small spoons like the regular size Vulcan or six inch orange flashers and dodgers with flies or squids.  Later in the season go to larger 8 inch dodgers and flies along with all size spoons in silver green.  Magnum Reaper spoons did very well for us later in the season on Coho recent years.  Baitfish size should be considered when selecting your spoon size.  Vulcan and Reaper spoons are both sold by http://www.badgertackle.com  I will continue with Zones for Rainbow Trout in the next article.  Good Luck!  Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2009, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved

Fishing the Zone for Salmon #1

Let me explain how to be more productive by following some basic rules and using basic tools. Activity and habits of fish are dictated by many variables. A rather basic approach will put you on fish and keep you there. I will cover how to find the most productive zones by species.

What Is A Zone
    I define a zone as a location where greater concentrations of the target species are found. You may use, as I do, this system for any type of fishing or in fact hunting. The basics are simple. What does your target want? Focus on what you know and do research to find out more.

Zone Rules
    Pick the type of quarry you are after and make a list of the known environmental preferences for that species.  Armed with that information you will have the guidelines or rules to become more successful. Breaking the rules will put you in water with less of the target fish

 Environmental Preferences
    The top of the most important list and what I look for is food and temperature.  When you are in a zone with the correct temperature and good forage you will increase your chances.  Other important factors are cover, habitat, maturity of fish, light intensity, water depth, weather, current flow, current intensity, oxygen level and fishing pressure. Your ability to measure, monitor and locate the ideal set of fishing preferences for your target is key.

Zones By Species
     Lake Michigan is an outstanding fishery with many options for anglers. The most popular targets of anglers here are Chinook salmon, Coho Salmon, Rainbow trout, Brown Trout and Lake Trout.  Allow me to offer environmental preferences for each of these.  Breaking each fish down by their preferences is the best way to find steady consistent action on any fish.

Chinook Salmon Zone And Presentations
   Big Chinook Salmon are a cold water species, so look for them in temperatures below 50 degrees.  The exception is when they come into spawn.  At this point in their life temperature is not important.  Keep your baits in 45 to 52 degree temperature and you will increase your odds on big fish.  When I am catching small fish, I know the water is too warm for a trophy.  It is time to adjust the tackle to colder water.  A temperature gauge is a tool a salmon fisherman cannot be without.
    The principal forage for these bruisers is the Alewife. Look for pods of forage for consistent action.  The baitfish will hold Chinook in any area.  Keep your fish locator cranked up on the gain to show baitfish along the bottom.
    I have caught them in water as shallow as 10 feet and out to 300 feet fishing near the bottom.  There is no limitation on the depth they like.  Key in on temp for success.
    Clear water and sunny conditions are the enemy.  This scenario will turn off most fish.  However, some fish can be had when certain presentations are used.  A stealthy approach is necessary for the biggest fish.  In definition stealth is a presentation that avoids being notice.  Several are used for salmon trolling.
    Downriggers are a popular method to run tackle with many variations possible.  In sunny conditions increase your downrigger leads to 100 feet or more.  By running long leads you work water undisturbed by noise and turbulence of the boat.  Leadcore is another good choice.  A weighted line with a Seaguar fluorocarbon leader is attached to a Church Walleye Planer board.  The planer board is run well off to the side of the boat out of the travel path.  Leadcore is graduated to allow five feet of depth for every color.  Five colors will run lures approximately 25 feet down 10 colors fifty feet and so on.  This allows you to fish any depth you want and is a killer for huge kings.
    Chinook live four and a half years and it makes sense that they will be the biggest at the end of their life cycle.  These monsters will be the most aggressive and easiest to get in the months of July thru September.  I have produced Kings over twenty pounds in April, although this is the exception to the rule.  
    Weather is as big of a factor as any and when the conditions are favorable you can expect huge fish.  Weather fronts, sky conditions, barometer and sea state all play a role in turning on the fish that dreams are made of.  I always look for barometer movement.  A steady barometer may offer a great chance to get a suntan but it is not conducive to trophy fishing. 
    Let’s wrap this up with my favorite lures.  Magnum spoons are my first choice.  Big lures big fish with a consideration to the size of the baitfish and amount of light in the time period you are fishing.  When fishing in very bright conditions or with the presence of small baitfish go to regular or small lures.  My magnum spoons are about five inches long, regular four inches and small three inches.  The two most productive spoons for me during the 2008 season was the Vulcan magnum and Reaper Magnum both sold by http://www.badgertackle.com  For a slow 2.0 M.P.H. or slower presentation I use the Reaper.  Above 2.0 speeds the Vulcan is best, it mixes well with most big plugs and flasher flies.
  I will continue with Zones for Brown Trout in the next article.  Good Luck!  Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2009, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved