Fishing Articles

Originally featured in Great Lakes Angler, August/September 2018 I’m old enough to remember when anglers put a kicker motor on their fishing boats for two reasons. The primary reason for the kicker motor was to handle trolling chores, but outboard motors weren’t as reliable as they are today. That kicker motor was also looked upon as being a life line should the main outboard break down. I’d like to say I’ve never had to depend on the kicker motor to get in, but that wouldn’t be the truth. Thankfully, these days outboard motors (big and small) are trustworthy to the...

Every season, mature salmon start making their way toward harbor mouths... ...to stage for their fall run. Depending on the conditions this can start as early as mid to late August and go as long as late September.   Written By: Russell Gahagan The fish come to the harbor in batches and they are at different points in their maturation when they arrive.  One batch of fish will come in and may be mostly males which are turning colors already and are further along in the staging process while the next batch that arrives may be females bright silver in...

When most anglers think of fishing for salmon and trout on the Great Lakes, the vision of large capacity line counter reels, downriggers, and a myriad of spoons and flies come to mind. Most anglers resort to trolling the depths in search of the inhabitants of these lakes. However, there are other ways to target these fish that are often overlooked. As with any particular presentation there is always a place and a time that they are all effective, and the same holds true for jigging for big salmon and trout. This technique will often work throughout the year, but...

 Most knowledgeable anglers are well-tuned to the various types of fishing found across the Great Lakes. Few areas can provide both the quality and variety of opportunities that exist here. What very few anglers realize is that the Great Lakes are also world-class fly fishing destinations. With a bit of research, proper timing, and the right equipment for the job, most Great Lakes gamefish are catchable on flies. With 11,000 miles of shoreline, hundreds of square miles of shallow flats, countless piers and breakwalls, and hundreds of tributary mouths, ample opportunity exists to find fish in locations where they are...