[Trout King]

I stopped by one of the local fishin' holes after work yesterday. A bunch of fish showed up the other day after the rain (Mostly gone now for those hawking reports). I was rather amused with the scene. About a dozen guys total down there, half were fishing the main run on the near side to the parking lot tossing spinners, and one guy across the river. The amusing part was the 10'x10' pool below a small dammed up creek which attracts fish in high water when they can get to it due to cooler water. The water dropped and trapped a bunch of fish as usual. Anyway, I heard there were about 50 fish the other night, 30 yesterday morning,but the numbers had dwindled to 2 by yesterday afternoon. There were literally 6 guys standing in a circle around this tiny pool shall we say "fishing" for the two survivors. Hooking and releasing the illegally hooked fish repeatedly, presumably waiting for the chop shot to kill the fish. The guys surrounding the pool all had a few fish they had presumably taken at the scene. It would have been easier to just grab the damn things.

I really dropped the ball not thinking to retrieve my phone from the truck to snap a pic. It would have made a legendary meme.

How is that for a salmon report? lol. Checked out some other spots, the fish were not biting as usual.

Good luck guys.

 

[Jimbos]

Have you ever witnessed the zoo at the little dam 100 yards inland from the bay on the Bear River in Petoskey?
At most it's 75 feet square with the water drop on one side, 10 foot high walls on two sides, and a road bridge on the down stream side that the river flows under.
So on 3 sides are guys leaning over on a nice blast of fish maybe 50-60 people fishing watching their line swirl in circles in the current constantly tangling each other up.
It's the damnest thing that I've ever witnessed for people to get enjoyment from fishing.
You can't let them run because of the bridge, so it's drag clampdown time with the fish mostly winning.

 

[Shoeman]

Sounds like the Old Bumper Plant Hole

 

[Trout King]

Sounds like the Old Bumper Plant Hole

That hole was a bit bigger than 10x10, but was great entertainment too! I miss it because it kep most people away from me!

 

[Trout King]

Have you ever witnessed the zoo at the little dam 100 yards inland from the bay on the Bear River in Petoskey?
At most it's 75 feet square with the water drop on one side, 10 foot high walls on two sides, and a road bridge on the down stream side that the river flows under.
So on 3 sides are guys leaning over on a nice blast of fish maybe 50-60 people fishing watching their line swirl in circles in the current constantly tangling each other up.
It's the damnest thing that I've ever witnessed for people to get enjoyment from fishing.
You can't let them run because of the bridge, so it's drag clampdown time with the fish mostly winning.

Yeah I have seen the jig and gig program on the bear. Same show different water.

 

[Trout King]

It gets better! Talked to one of my good friends who is one of the local LEOs and he was requested to make a stop on a couple of the guys I saw a couple hours earlier. They were reported by some young kids who were the other parties trying to shoot the 2 remaining fish in the bucket. The guys he stopped were the guys flossing, or at least trying to get headshots, while the complainants were the ones actually straight up ripping with spinners and a treb. I don't think any tickets were issued, just some good ol' fashion salmon BS. Gotta fight 4 dat meats!

The drama is sure to continue at the local hole as the temps drop and the fish settle in.

 

[JungleGeorge]

Thank Bedford for that

 

[Botiz]

I’d like to try river fishing for salmon, but the stories I hear keep me from going. Doesn’t sound like my bag. At all.

 

[MickL]

I’d like to try river fishing for salmon, but the stories I hear keep me from going. Doesn’t sound like my bag. At all.

If you want to do it, don't let the stories stop you. The amount of enjoyment you get will largely depend on where you go..... location, location, location! And the best way to learn what locations that you, personally, like best is get out and do some scouting.

 

[jwheelfan03]

I’d like to try river fishing for salmon, but the stories I hear keep me from going. Doesn’t sound like my bag. At all.

Tons of fun.. Just get away from the dams and you’ll be good. Dams and nearby attract the crazies. Even better if you have a boat. This is only my second year salmon fishing and last year I got skunked but witnessed all the clowns and got a distaste for it. This year got a boat and away from those areas. We caught 8 in one afternoon and missed/lost several others. They are so powerful and fight so hard it’s a blast fighting them. Good luck!

 

[Mr Burgundy]

Not always are dams busy. I fished tippy 2 days in a row and there was 2 other guys fishing both days. Dont be afraid to do some walking. Drop in at well known areas and enjoy the scenery as u walk. Find a little hole that's away from everyone and enjoy the great outdoors. Its possible

 

[Trout King]

I’d like to try river fishing for salmon, but the stories I hear keep me from going. Doesn’t sound like my bag. At all.

If you want to fish at a popular/crowded area you have to be in the right state of mind. Usually there are a lot of fish if there are a lot of people and the fish can be caught despite the typical shenanigans around you. If you try one of these spots, just enjoy the show, it can actually be pretty darn entertaining. Usually I'm the guys standing there watching with a S.E. grin on my face at those locations. I really am amused by the skits.

On the other hand it isn't hard to find plenty of elbow room. There are a ton of accesses to places which many people don't/won't go. You can usually walk away from the crowds anyway if you are near a popular location. Once deer season starts, the crowds will slowly fade at a lot of places and there are still salmon to be caught. Don't let the tales of salmon time discourage you, it's all fun, but if you choose to go to a carnival atmosphere just make sure you go in the right state of mind and take in the entertainment for what it is.

 

[westsidepolack]

I really like fishing rivers for salmon. To me it's more fun than going out on the big lake on a charter fishing trip. A tip for trying to fish the crowded areas would be to go during the week if you can. My work schedule allows me to get out during the week occasionally and it is night and day compared to the weekends. I don't care to go to the crowded dam spots on the weekends because all those people trying to fish those areas can make it annoying. On the flip side to that you can learn a lot about tactics and what to use when you talk to the other guys fishing the crowded areas. Like Trout King said you have to be in the right state of mind to go to the crowded areas. They usually are crowded for a reason.

 

[Magik]

Have you ever witnessed the zoo at the little dam 100 yards inland from the bay on the Bear River in Petoskey?
At most it's 75 feet square with the water drop on one side, 10 foot high walls on two sides, and a road bridge on the down stream side that the river flows under.
So on 3 sides are guys leaning over on a nice blast of fish maybe 50-60 people fishing watching their line swirl in circles in the current constantly tangling each other up.
It's the damnest thing that I've ever witnessed for people to get enjoyment from fishing.
You can't let them run because of the bridge, so it's drag clampdown time with the fish mostly winning.

I have, that place is as bad as 6th St.

 

[Shoeman]

Salmon fishing brings out the criminal element! Fish a ladder, below a dam. Add guides...,

 

[wyandot]

I’d like to try river fishing for salmon, but the stories I hear keep me from going. Doesn’t sound like my bag. At all.[/QUOT

There's good fishing to be had away from the the b.s., but you're going to have to do a little bit of leg work to find those little honey holes that go unnoticed by the riff-raff.

 

[Jimbos]

There must of been a fresh run after all of the rain we've had. I went by there actually looking for someone from this site and the circus was lined up, folding sport chairs in tow, spectators entralled, with lots of "snag" clearing up sweeps.