Spring is trying very hard to make an appearance, but she’s not making a whole lot of progress. With overnight lows in the single digits, mornings have been very cold. But with high sun during the day and afternoon highs creeping into the upper 30s Lake Michigan surface temps are on the rise. As these temperatures warm into the upper 30s and low 40s all manner of big lake fish come into shallow water to feed on gobies, smelt, and alewives. Salmon, steelhead, big browns, and lake trout will all be accessible from the beach over the next couple weeks, particularly right before dawn and just after sunset. It’s not a very high percentage game, though good days can be had and hooking into a big water fish in its big water prime will test your eight weight, your drag, and your nerves.
Kevin and I went out early this morning to fish the Ludington break walls and city beach area with nothing to show for it but a couple cool photos. Standard baitfish patterns like my Murdich Minnow variation below can be effective, but very large streamers like Double Deceivers, while a lot harder to cast 80′, will often out produce smaller patterns. We’ll have some of Steve’s Double Deceivers up later this week or next.
Murdich Minnow variation:
hook: Gama B10S #4
tail: white bucktail
flash: chartreuse flashabou
body: pearl palmer chenille
wing: hot lime craft fur
eyes: Hareline Oval Pupil 3D
