Detroit River & Kids

[BAMBAM]

Planning on trying the Detroit River this weekend. Weather looks ok. I would like to bring my little ones (9 & 10 yo) along. I want it to be a fun time (read: there needs to be some action). We would be jigging. Is anything going on there? AM I better off trolling...or going on a smaller inland lake and trying for panfish?

Any ideas that children are capable of, to help increase fish action this weekend would be appreciated!

[Woolybugger]

We used to drift for Walleyes between Belle Isle and the Edison plant. Can get very boring for kids if they aren't catching anything.

[Homer]

In Trenton Channel anyways, the vertical jigging is very demanding due to the number of snags and need to keep the jig right near the bottom. Even when fishing is hot, many adults have problems caching them and it would be harder for kids.

My advice would be to head over to the cross-dike area near the southeast tip of Grosse Ile, with a couple of perch poles and a couple of rods rigged for trolling for pike. The pike, although mostly small, are in there thick and should provide great fun for the kids. Start trolling for pike (the boats I've seen doing this use medium size Rapalas, although most any shallow diver should work) and keep an eye on how the perch fishermen are doing. The perch have been running hot and cold. If you see them turn on, switch over to perch. Good luck.

Feel free to e-mail me if you want details. I don't fish for the pike, but catch so many by accident and see so many others get them while I'm perch fishing that I know they're in there.

[BAMBAM]

caught one today. 100s of boats in the Trenton Channel....I only saw 3 caught in the entire afternoon.
you are right about the snags in the channel
When you say Cross dike...what is that? Is there a bridge or something out there?

[Homer]

It's a long rock wall that runs east-west from the shipping channel, and ends just near Sugar Island. You can't miss it.