Detroit River this Sunday

[Gene Wellman]

Fellow Fishers, planning a trip to the Detroit River this Sunday, got yearly passes for Metro Park. Question: what would you fish for this weekend, would it still be perch or would you walleye fish and how's the ice? Any information would be deeply appreciated. Wishing you all tight lines and a limit of fun!

[Section 8]

There is no visible ice in the DR from Belle Isle to the Am. bridge.

Water looks pretty clean as well...

When I drove thru Grosse Pointe this morning, there was very little ice in the lake.

With that, I would be very cautious this weekend. Many new ice flows will be coming down from SCR due to the warmer weather.

It seems the ice condition in the DR changes drastically every day. One day tons of ice, the next very little, then back to more ice.

Bottom line.... Be careful and good luck!

[Slimshady]

Your best bet for this weekend would actually be the Saginaw River. However, if you decide to go to the Detroit River, there may be some early walleyes showing up south of the Edison discharge. You could probably catch perch around the Cross Dike or in the marinas and canals around Grosse Isle and Gibralter.

[SabikiRig]

There was alot of ice making the trip down the Trenton Channel when I was coming off the Island (Grosse Ile) yesterday. The flows were very thick between the Bridges.....

Gene, the fishing on the Saginaw just north of the Zilwaukee Bridge has been very good the last two weeks. I would make the trip up there right now. YOur going to have to fish really hard to put a walleye in the boat on the Trenton Channel. It is early and the fish are not active just yet....

[Gene Wellman]

Thanks for the information on the detroit river, sounds like we should wait a few more days. Where do you put in at to fish the saginaw river and how do you fish it? Do you fish it the same as the detroit river or do you troll and what lures are they using? Thanks for all the help. Wishing you all tight lines and a limit of fun!

[slivoskisp]

Thanks for the information on the detroit river, sounds like we should wait a few more days. Where do you put in at to fish the saginaw river and how do you fish it? Do you fish it the same as the detroit river or do you troll and what lures are they using? Thanks for all the help. Wishing you all tight lines and a limit of fun!

Gene check out this thread for anwers on the SAG

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130959

[SuperHunter18]

I have two quick questions about jigging the river:

1. Which place has more snags? up by Detroit or downriver by the Steel Mill. I am very new to it and I seemed to lose a lot of jigs the first couple times I went. I want to hone my skills a little more in a less "snaggy" area. I spent more time tying on jigs and trying to undo snags than I did trying to practice boat control and stayign vertical.

2. When jigging do you want to snap the jig up and let it float slowly back to the bottom and let it drag the bottom for a bit repeating or is more of a slow lift and a slow let down. My guess is that it would vary by day and what the fish wanted but I thought I would throw it out there.

I only caught one Walleye last year jigging out of about 3 or 4 trips and I don't nkow if that was a fluke or if I was actually doing something right. I would like to try and put a few more in the box this year.

Thanks for the help guys!

[Fishnmachine]

can anybody tell me if bottomline bait has walleye minnows on hand? thanks

[Section 8]

I have two quick questions about jigging the river:

I only caught one Walleye last year jigging out of about 3 or 4 trips and I don't nkow if that was a fluke or if I was actually doing something right. I would like to try and put a few more in the box this year.

Thanks for the help guys!

Where were you fishing, and when (what month)???

What kind of jigs, sizes, color????

You should be able to catch more than 1, even by accident.

[SuperHunter18]

Where were you fishing, and when (what month)???

What kind of jigs, sizes, color????

You should be able to catch more than 1, even by accident.

It was I believe end of April last year. I was fishing out of Wyandotte. The fish I caught was right in front of the Steel Mill. When I caught the fish I was using a 3/8 jig (orange) with a fin-s-fish plastic minnow with a stinger. We were also using jig heads with a 4" brown rubber worm.

[Section 8]

Sounds right. Was your line vertical??

Did you tip the jig with a minnow?

Some will disagree with me, but 3/8 oz. in that area seems a little lite. Could you feel the bottom with that jig?

I use 5/8, 3/4 oz jigs. I have even used 1 oz (with some success) when I couldn't feel the bottom

I only started last year, so some of the others may offer better help.

I fished maybe 20 times last year and caught around 40 walleyes. Most were too small to keep.

[borntofish]

The river was wide open 5 boats launched from erie metro . we saw no Ice from point mouille althe way up to grosse ilse bridge, we got out and walked to the river/ lake althe spots we could and there were a ton of ducks! with binoculars we could see alot and no ice flows we will be there sunday.

[SuperHunter18]

Sounds right. Was your line vertical??

Did you tip the jig with a minnow?

Some will disagree with me, but 3/8 oz. in that area seems a little lite. Could you feel the bottom with that jig?

I use 5/8, 3/4 oz jigs. I have even used 1 oz (with some success) when I couldn't feel the bottom

I only started last year, so some of the others may offer better help.

I fished maybe 20 times last year and caught around 40 walleyes. Most were too small to keep.

oops I meant 5/8!

Maybe I will hve to try minnows this year. My line was as vertical as could be for a first timer. There is much room for improvement.

[Can't Touch This]

yes bottom line has walleye minnows on hand, and i should be out with you guys this sunday.

[Fishnmachine]

thanks

[javelin]

Well hell, I might just pop out there Sunday also! I'll probably be the only idiot out there in a Bass Boat. 18" Blue and Silver Javelin Renegade - holler if you see me!

[Can't Touch This]

javelin i think youll feel better when you see me out there in my 14 foot bluefinn.

[RyGuy525]

My dad and i put many many hours in on the river last year and only landed 4 walleye. We fished from trenton channel all the way up to st. clair. We used all of the same things everyone else uses. 1/2 oz-1oz jigs in many colors tried the "wyandotte wonder" all sorts of minnow mimics tipped the jigs with minnows and still only averaged about half a walleye per trip. Our lines were perfectly vertical. The river is a hard place to fish!

[GMONEY]

My dad and i put many many hours in on the river last year and only landed 4 walleye. We fished from trenton channel all the way up to st. clair. We used all of the same things everyone else uses. 1/2 oz-1oz jigs in many colors tried the "wyandotte wonder" all sorts of minnow mimics tipped the jigs with minnows and still only averaged about half a walleye per trip. Our lines were perfectly vertical. The river is a hard place to fish!

its just like everywhere else the more you fish it the better you'll get

[Handlining Rules]

If you want to catch fish, throws those rods away and buy an A&S!!!!:lol: :lol:

[Homie]

Your best bet for this weekend would actually be the Saginaw River. However, if you decide to go to the Detroit River, there may be some early walleyes showing up south of the Edison discharge. You could probably catch perch around the Cross Dike or in the marinas and canals around Grosse Isle and Gibralter..........Slim I am a DR diehard but never fished the saginaw. Will the water be muddy under the Z because of all this rain?

[salmonslammer]

Will the water be muddy under the Z because of all this rain?



Like nothing you've ever seen in the D.....

I have mon and tue off and was going to fish the river....Deceided that higgens seems like a better idea!!

[Homie]

Thanks I will stick to the DR this weekend. I know a few early hot spots. Will see all you guys out there sunday if you see a big green lund. 135hrs Tiller thats me. Say hello! Put a face with the name.

[brdhntr]

I have two quick questions about jigging the river:

1. Which place has more snags? up by Detroit or downriver by the Steel Mill. I am very new to it and I seemed to lose a lot of jigs the first couple times I went. I want to hone my skills a little more in a less "snaggy" area. I spent more time tying on jigs and trying to undo snags than I did trying to practice boat control and stayign vertical.

2. When jigging do you want to snap the jig up and let it float slowly back to the bottom and let it drag the bottom for a bit repeating or is more of a slow lift and a slow let down. My guess is that it would vary by day and what the fish wanted but I thought I would throw it out there.

I only caught one Walleye last year jigging out of about 3 or 4 trips and I don't nkow if that was a fluke or if I was actually doing something right. I would like to try and put a few more in the box this year.

Thanks for the help guys!

I'm far from an expert, but IMHO, Wyandotte is much easier to fish than Trenton. Also, avoid dragging that jig on bottom. Do that and I guarantee you will be snagged every time. Need to just barely feel the bottom. Practice will allow you to get the feel for it. Some days, can't keep them off the line, others, have to do it just right. And as someone mentioned, get yourself a handline reel. Some days you just have to pull wire.

[MUSHY1]

Dont be affraid to use the 5/8 and 3/4 oz. Jigs. First of all, i have been jigging the river for over 20 years and love this time of year, Second i never use any thing smaller than a 1/2 oz. jig ever. The bigger jig gives you A) more contact with the bottom, and a better look at what your line is doing. B) in watching a jigging show by the Master of Fresh Water Al Linder, he made sense in saying that a bigger jig gives off more Sound and Vibration to attract.
When i first started jigging down there in the early 80's, i remember coming off the river with nothing and an Old man coming up to me with his limit. He said i watched you jigging (We were in the same area up by Great Lakes Steel) and your line was on a slant or Angle. He told me if you remember anything i say, Keep your line as Vertical as possible. So from there on out, i concentrated on this and in turn started SMASHING the WAlters.
Another thing i see down there that i do not agree with is how aggressive some people Jig. I litterly hit the bottom, and gently raise it up and keep it up for 5 to 10 seconds, When the fish are aggressive they will smash it as its off the bottom 18"s. The guys that are whipping it hard on the way up, most of the time Snag the fish instead of it hitting the bait.
One more thing, When everybody and there brother are using Live bait, shinners, worms etc....use plastic,, Putting down something that looks different sometimes triggers hits that the next guy wouldnt get, and your hands do not get cold from putting on Bait. And you will find that you dont really need it after the 2 or 3rd week in April. When you find Confidence in a peice of Plastic, you will lesson your dependency of MEAT.

Mushy (lesson of the day)

[Section 8]

= When you find Confidence in a peice of Plastic, you will lesson your dependency of MEAT.

Mushy (lesson of the day)

Thanks Mushy. I never jig without a minnow. I wil start to swtich to just plastics when the walleyes aren't hitting live bait.

BTW, what kind of plastics do you use??

[MUSHY1]

Of coarse, The Brown Rubber Worm, about 4", and a variety of different stuff that works, Trial and Error is the best way to try Plastics. Go to BPS, and look at what they have, and determine yourself what looks good. Zoom products are good.

Mushy