Five great fishing spots in the Great Lakes.
Note that this title is “An Angling Bucket List,” not “The Angling Bucket List,” as we could easily come up with a whole lot of other great spots and species, such as St. Clair River sturgeon, Big Bay de Noc smallmouth bass, Bay of Quinte walleyes and Green Bay muskies. The list of unique, productive fisheries around our Sweetwater Seas is long, but here are five to start.
1. Stannard Rock lakers
A 40-mile run from Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula to the middle of Lake Superior brings you to Stannard Rock, an amazing place to tussle with lake trout, sometimes of mammoth proportions.
“I’m a little disappointed if we don’t land a 40-incher each trip,” says Capt. Travis White, who runs the Keweenaw Charter Fishing Company (715-869-6155; KEWEENAWCHARTERS.COM) and takes clients on “catch-and-release” forays to this special spot. Best part? It’s all casting and jigging instead of trolling. Top lures are 1- to 2-ounce jig heads with plastic swimbaits up to 9 inches long. Capt. White crimps the hook barbs to make releasing fish easier.
Capt. White runs trips out of Lac La Belle on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The town of Big Bay offers a launch that’s a couple of miles closer to The Rock.
2. Kenosha brown trout
There may be no better place than Kenosha, Wisconsin, to cast artificial lures and catch lots of brown trout. Milwaukee native Eric Haataja is one of the pioneers of this fishery and recommends brightly colored spinners and crankbaits, such as the Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill, for catching fish. Jigheads with soft plastic swimbaits work well, too.
The Kenosha Harbor offers protection from wind and waves, making it a great place for kayaks and smaller boats. The brown trout action starts in the fall and stays good through April.
You can also cast for browns and more out of Milwaukee and Sheboygan farther up the lake. Contact Haataja’s Big Fish Guide Service (414-779- 0479; WIBIGFISH.COM).
3. Detroit River white bass
While the Detroit River’s spring walleye get the most angler attention, the white bass run that begins in May offers crazy action and excellent fillets. On a trip with Capt. Eric Long of Longline Charters (248-343-8863; CHARTERGREATLAKES.COM), we caught silvers of 2 pounds and better on almost every cast into a shoreline slack water area.
“Find them around warm water discharges, along seawalls and in eddies,” advises Long, who often takes clients to bass spots after they fill a limit of walleye. “You’ll often see them blasting bait on the surface, too. They’ll hit about anything. I just use a 3/8- to 1⁄2-ounce plain lead jig with a Z-Man MinnowZ swimbait made of ElaZtech — tough plastic that the fish can’t tear up. I pinch the barbs to make them easier to unhook.”
Top photo by Mr. Muskie Charters
DAVE MULL Diehard angler Dave of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has contributed boat tests and features to Lakeland Boating for three decades. His current goal is catching a 30-plus-pound Great Lakes denizen from his Old Town kayak.
Credit Long Line Charters
5. Lake St. Clair muskies
Muskies are frequently called “the fish of 10,000 casts” for the grind they put anglers through. Lake St. Clair is the exception that proves the rule — casters and trollers can catch (and almost always release) several muskies per day. Giants pushing past 50 inches long are possible.
Capt. Kevin Backus of Mr. Muskie Charters (586-771-8817, MRMUSKIECHARTERS.COM), takes clients trolling from June till late fall, which is when he expects to catch the biggest fish of the season. Backus sets a spread of large muskie lures out on planer boards; personal favorites are Swim Whizzes, a lure designed by his grandfather, St. Clair muskie legend Homer LeBlanc.
5. Niagara Bar multispecies
You never know what you might catch off Lake Ontario’s Niagara Bar at the mouth of the famous river. Capt. Jeff Draper (716-479-2634; NIAGARAGUIDES.COM) says lake trout, brown trout and salmon fishing is best in spring and fall, while bass and walleye take up the slack in summer months.
Draper gives clients 3/8-ounce jigs with plastic, 4-inch swimbaits, advising them to keep the lures just above the bottom, as the river current pushes his boat up and over the bar. Launches at the town of Lewiston and from the fort Niagara State Park are close to the bar.
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