06/24/2026
Fishing Report 6/23/26
The weather is the big topic of conversation lately. Windy and changing directions multiple times a day and even coming from multiple directions with opposing current has made for the most uncomfortable June fishing I can remember! That said we were out there in it trying to figure it out!
Location:
The bait has been pushing back out of the rivers from spawning and big trout have migrated in to pull up to the buffet. Great for the customers if the salmon are not cooperating. They have been in that 100 to 230 fow. 150 to the bottom. The salmon have been moving around trying to stay close to the bait in the 55 to 70 fow area. This week 90 to 120 was best except today. We moved offshore and had best luck in the 150 to 215 area. Some Skams are showing up now with most boats having 2 to 4 a trip.
Deep down:
Water temp is changing constantly with really warm water early this week and cooling the last 24 hours. A nice break is setting up giving depths to focus on. The break today was around 65 to 85 offshore and that's where we focused our baits.
Riggers:
The center rigger has been a very useful tool this week. Fish mag spoons and paddles early for a king bite or two deeper than the thermocline. Later on a big paddle fly deep for trout or a spinny and whirly gig for trout and an occasional salmon. Outdowns are still running spoons for younger salmon, coho, and steelhead. SS two face, spotted dolphin, and green slices and been good.
Diver:
Running high 107 dw divers with some spin doctors with flies and spin doctors and meat riggers are starting to fire. Blues and greens. 160 to 290 back. Had to change over some to wire because the water fleas in the fish hook variety are getting bad!
Coppers:
The dw ninja boards are out there pulling big mogan coppers in 3 to 7 footers. Best board for salmon! One hand operation and one size will pull from 45 to 600 coppers. Haven't had one dive on me this year yet. Im sure one will but it will be a big king hitting on the inside of a turn later in the summer but it will but a rare occurrence. Coppers have been really effective last few days. 200 to 450 foot of Morgans has been doing alot of work with standard dw and moonshine spoons. SS on the 200 to 250 coppers. Same colors as riggers. We are starting to get blues and greens with glow working good again.
Troll direction and finding the fish has been big lately. We struggled today only boats 3 or 4 fish by 845. We finally found a good current change at 150 fow with our fishhawk. Showing a complete switch from the water inside that. We focused from that area but the current direction was such we had to troll almost w with a touch of south in it to get the fish to react. They wanted the baits cutting the current some and once we figured that out we boated 13 more fish in the last 2 hours of the trip. Say what you want but when fishing is tough having something to read temp changes and current changes are money. The best out there will agree and the rest will say the can tell from the pull on divers or amount of bubbles on wire or some other voodoo magic that I do not possess! haha
Thats this week's report love it or lump it! No matter what get out and enjoy the great Lake Michigan!
