browns n splake

Hey guys just wondering if anyone has heard of any splake or browns being caught down south of the ford towards no see um and bark river? if so are shad raps better or stick baits. I read an article on in-fisherman about using dead bait run strait out the back only eighty or ninety feet and it was out producing shad raps 2/1 for browns any body ever tried it? man is may 15th ever gonna get here. cant wait to run three lines for eyes. hope everyone is got everything ready for the big day... good luck and thanks for the help...

I used to fish that every year back in the mid to late 90s, and we did pretty good. I don't think anyone has caught any browns in that area for quite a few years now.

No browns up this way yet this spring. Only heard of a few splake being caught off Stonington and the Escanaba River, so far. Back in the "good old days" of spring trout fishing, (only 7 or 8 years ago,) we always did the best when the water got into the 50 degree range. It's only just getting there, now. My dad and I fished off of Ford River last night, looking for trout. Water was in the low 50's, and was good and dirty from all the wind and river runoff. A bunch of walleyes and a few smallmouth was all we caught. We never ran Shad Raps for trout. We usually fish less than 10 FOW and the deep divers would go too deep. Shallow runners would probably work, though. We always figured the fish were targeting long, slender forage like smelt and shiners. Always went with baits that imitated that profile. Of course trout in the big lake, (especially splake,) aren't as fussy about what they eat as river trout can be. If they see something move, and they're at all hungry, they're going to eat it.

Hey guys,

thanks for the info went out sunday in that blustery wind and got skunked for the second time this year off to a great start. we fished from 10-30 ft. and ran a mixed bag from floating raps to thundersticks to shad raps, reefrunners, and taildancers, and also a deep minnow rap. marked a lot of fish off esky beach prolly white fish or walleyes they were mainly in the deeper stuff like 30-50 ges they could be trout or salmon not sure if the big dudes come around esky this early... we had water temps 47 around the ford to 41 around esky and no seeum. was nice to run six lines this year first time ive tried it in my little boat ran lures on the four outside lines and dragged some large suckers about a hundred ft back with snap wts. read that article about the deadbait but the water temps are still below 50 so itll be a week or two or may be more before the browns if there still around will be in...

ps had a very nice encounter with a c.o. at esky launch he was very polite and respectfull. wasnt a hassel at all and he didnt hold us up a bit as we were moving the boat out of esky and gonna launch in the ford... thanks guy.

11 days and counting
jerkbait

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Originally Posted by jerkbait

Hey guys,

thanks for the info went out sunday in that blustery wind and got skunked for the second time this year off to a great start. we fished from 10-30 ft. and ran a mixed bag from floating raps to thundersticks to shad raps, reefrunners, and taildancers, and also a deep minnow rap. marked a lot of fish off esky beach prolly white fish or walleyes they were mainly in the deeper stuff like 30-50 ges they could be trout or salmon not sure if the big dudes come around esky this early... we had water temps 47 around the ford to 41 around esky and no seeum. was nice to run six lines this year first time ive tried it in my little boat ran lures on the four outside lines and dragged some large suckers about a hundred ft back with snap wts. read that article about the deadbait but the water temps are still below 50 so itll be a week or two or may be more before the browns if there still around will be in...

ps had a very nice encounter with a c.o. at esky launch he was very polite and respectfull. wasnt a hassel at all and he didnt hold us up a bit as we were moving the boat out of esky and gonna launch in the ford... thanks guy.

11 days and counting
jerkbait

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As far as the Brown fishing out of Ceader River it is nothing but down hill. 15 years ago 2 people could go out in a 14 foot boat and limit out all most all the time. You could troll in 5 feet of water and see them in front of the boat. My opinion is all the fish were caught and as the DNR were restocking fingerlings the Walleye were having a field day feeding on them. The spring Brown Trout fishing we had was world class. The DNR can plant all they want and you will not see a return as long as the Walleye are just feeding on them. I have talked with an DNR officer and this is what he said in his opinion. They plant the fingerlings in the spring and they stay schooled up in the shallows in about 5 feet of water for the first 4 weeks and here comes the Walleye just feeding on them.

So there wasnt any walleye 15 years ago down that way?

The explosion in the walleye population in Cedar River has definitely had an impact on the brown fishery. There is no doubt that walleye (and commorants) eat plenty of the planted fish. However, the number of browns caught in the spring are way down in many ports on the east side of Lake Michigan too (Ludington, Manistee, Frankfort, etc) and the walleye populations are pretty insignificant over there. What else could be a contributing factor? SMELT or lack there of!

As an avid fisherman I often ponder the question as to why I am catching a particular fish at a certain location during a specific time period. What is drawing the fish in? What is the attraction? What are they feeding on? And obviously, how can I exploit this info to catch more fish. My personal feeling is that the browns used to come in the skinny water during the spring for one reason...to feed on smelt. Well, I have a news flash for everyone....the smelt are pretty much gone in this area and with it our early spring fishing!

Who knows? Maybe I am way off base, but I think the lack of smelt has had a much larger impact on this fishery than the walleye population!

Ciao-

Capt. Jim McDonald

We have had a great year on Browns in Frankfort this spring. A lot better than the past 8 years I have fished out of that port. I'm not too sure why they are coming back but they are loaded up with Gobies and some of them are huge...Very few smelt around...

Perhaps it has to do with that fact they started planting the Seeforllen (SP?) browns rather then the German browns. Here in WI in the spring most the fish are Germans that are caught in shallow. The Seeforllens tend to be caught out deeper and not as many in the spring.

And speaking of planting fish, I noticed that Kings have not been planted at Cedar River or Ford River for a couple years. Will this be the death of the Green Bay salmon fishery?

Germans
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...rownies002.jpg

Seeforllen

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ict91/SeeB.jpg

Just to clarify...

according to The MDNR website:

The DNR planted Kings every year for at least the last 3 years, "2006-2009", in the LBDN area from the Ford, North. 135,386 fingerlings in 8 plants over the last 3 years.

Joe, check http://www.michigandnr.com/FISHSTOCK/ The Escanaba and Ford Rivers have both been getting salmon plants every year since at least 2001. According to the records, Menominee County has never had any salmon plants during that time.

Yea I looked it up a little while ago again. For some reason I thought they were planted there also. I wonder why so many fish run up the Ford and Cedar....then again I have seen them try to swim up drainage ditches in WI.

The kings will stray from their planted areas at will. It only takes the smell of the river with a few fish in it. Planted fish of any species don't really imprint as well as fish that are naturalized, in other words, born in the wild. A few kings will make it up just about every river in the great lakes during the fall that has enough water in it. Some of those fish will spawn successfully and produce smolts the following spring. Thats all it takes, then those offspring will usually come back to that river. And, for the record, don't get caught up in believing that you can tell one strain of brown from another just by where its caught or how it looks. The seeforellens are typically like a steelhead in the sense that they are lake run fish. They grow bigger usually and color up and males grow a kype (hooked jaw) just like any other brown when they enter the rivers in the fall. The other strains are just typically stream run browns grown in a hatchery and are only lake fish if they are planted there. Some of the Gilchrist and Wild Rose strain will run the rivers in the fall too to spawn but not as for certain as the Seeforellens. All of them strike yarn or especially an egg sucking leech with reckless abandon in the rivers, no matter what time of year.

Steve Horton

And speaking of planting fish, I noticed that Kings have not been planted at Cedar River or Ford River for a couple years. Will this be the death of the Green Bay salmon fishery?


As long as large populations of alewives migrate into Green Bay to spawn I think we will have a good salmon fishery regardless of how many salmon are planted. If the alewives disappear....it will collapse just like Lake Huron.

Capt. Jim McDonald

You can tell them apart here in Port Washington by their fin clips. If you notice that large Brown my friend is holding is missing a fin.

hey guys, what do browns and splake prefer as far as depth, this time of year water temp, and lure choice. ive been fishing 20-10 feet with stick baits. i heard that they start showing up more when water temps are around 50-52 am i going in the right direction?

thanks for the help hopefully i'll finally land one before the focus changes to walters.

thanks jerkbait

The ones I have caught in the past all came out of less than 10ft of water.

took bob out lastnight went 2 for 2.off esky,stickbaits 10-20 fow

Pics of Jamie and Bob's fish. How big that guy go? Looks like Bob is going to be making another trip to the taxidermist.

35'' ,no scale to weigh.Biggest brown I ve had in my boat!Got to take lucky Bob to some tourneys!

13 sum thing with out the guts probally 14.5 with the guts

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Originally Posted by finaddict

As long as large populations of alewives migrate into Green Bay to spawn I think we will have a good salmon fishery regardless of how many salmon are planted. If the alewives disappear....it will collapse just like Lake Huron.

Capt. Jim McDonald

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Absolutely. Let's hope the alewives recover from near record low numbers.