Portage Lake / Manistee

[mkroulik]

Has anyone gotten out from Portage Lake or Manistee? I'll be taken my boat up for memorial day weekend, and staying for a week or so. We stay right on Portage Lake, so I will be coming out from there. This will be my first ever trip out salmon fishing in my boat, so any and all advice will be appreciated. Right now my tackle mainly includes spoons and j-plugs. I have 4 downriggers, 4 walleye planer boards, a couple of dipseys.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

Mike

[mike woj]

I just talked to my brother and the salmon have been hitting off of Manistee. I have no other info besides that. I also know that there can be good walley fishing in Portage Lake, also pike, perch, bluegills,bass, et al.

MWoj

[hawg hunter]

we fished out of Manistee saturday.you dont have to go far as we cought fish right outside the pierheads.We did the best on meat rigs behind planer boards with rubber core line weights.:fish:

[mkroulik]

I know a bit about fishing in Portage, as we have a cottage on the lake, and we've been going up there my entire 28 years of life. I may be looking for a rider or two, if they don't mind going out with a first timer.

Mike

[mkroulik]

Any new reports? Someone has to be getting out.

Thanks

Mike

[mike woj]

try John King's site www.michigansportsman.com
MWoj

[Loosefish]

J-plugs usually work better closer to august but can still catch a fish this time of year. Right now the kings are in tight due to the cool water near harbor. You should be fine 80-100 feet of water about 50 down on your riggers to start. The best bet is to ask on the radio where the temp break is, set your lures to run at that depth. Spoons are usually the main program in May but you can never go wrong with meat.

With you planner boards you can run small spoons with a 1/2 oz lead in-line, for steelhead which will probably be farther offshore.

Since it is your first time watch the boats. Lot of fish around this time of year so keep changing your program (depth, lure, location) and you will get into some fish.

A half-day charter trip will save you a lot of time and money on buying stuff that does not work and you can ask those guys a lot of questions.

First Class charters is good along with the others in Manistee as the Riverside motel.

[salmon_slayer06]

You can figure where about the temp breaks are on this site. I check it out every day. http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/mvwt-00.html