Great day on the water for Capt Drew and First Mate Chandler. Some real happy guests who had their work cut out for them reeling in some nice Lake Trout. Hey Drew rinse that Laker off. That is a nice one – Whoa!!
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We have had numerous customers over the years ask a simple question, “Why do you always just troll south?”
It is a great question, and based on many years of fishing experience, our answer was, “We catch more fish when we troll south.”
But why that was the case wasn’t always clear, and now we have a tool that can help explain, along with show why this is the case.
It is based on the currents!
A new tool is now available online that is provided shows flow patterns depicted in visualizations of lake currents are based on simulations from the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System operated by NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
While in rare cases, the currents along the coast of West Michigan travel other directions than from south to north, most of the time, both on the surface, and more importantly, at depth, they follow this path. Trolling south means that we are trolling into the current and getting optimum “action” on the baits that we are fishing.
As we troll into the current, we are more capable of getting our baits to run at the best speeds for fish to bite. This speed varies to some degree depending on the type of fish we are targeting, and we use sensors at depth on our lines to best fine tune the exact speed, but it is most effectively done when traveling into the current.
The tool that is available online shows both currents on the surface and at depth. You can even review historic currents on dates or over monthly averages to look at how the currents travel throughout the summer fishing seasons. Overall, a pretty cool tool.
So the answer to the question can now be visually seen. We troll south because the currents come from there and by trolling south, we are almost always heading into the current!
Does this mean we will always have currents that run from the south to the north? No, not always. But it is the most common direction. Historically when this tool was not available, we would work to determine current direction using underwater speed indicators and compare that data with surface GPS tracks or surface current. With this tool, we can get a good idea of what the currents are doing before we even go out. And in the event that the currents are different, consider if on a particular day a troll other than on a southerly heading might be needed to be most successful.
Want to play with the tool? Visit this link to see even more – http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/currents/
We fish for numerous species of fish from Saugatuck, one of those is the native fish, Lake Trout, that for many years was experiencing declining numbers. In a very positive part of Lake Michigan news, this trend has been going in a positive direction over the past years.
It is always exciting to see native fish succeeding in our lakes and the opportunity to fish for them is something we are excited to see our customers experience. So, we wanted to share with you a recent communication from a recent Michigan DNR release:
Each year the Michigan Department of Natural Resources assesses lake trout populations in lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, using a fleet of specially designed Great Lakes research vessels to determine trends in their populations and their status toward being self-sustaining. The results of the 2015 surveys and outlook for 2016 for each lake are as follows:
Lake Michigan
During the 2015 field season, lake trout were sampled in northern and eastern Lake Michigan from May to June, with more than 1,500 fish collected. Overall, survey catch rates were lowest in northern Lake Michigan and higher in Grand Traverse Bay and the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan. Lake Trout catch rates have been increasing from Arcadia to Naubinway and were above the 10-year average in 2015. Survey catch rates were lower than the 10-year average in southeastern Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. A broader range of ages and sizes is being seen in northeastern Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay.
Numbers of deposited lake trout eggs remain low but were higher in 2015 compared to the previous two years and there is evidence of natural recruitment in Lake Michigan. Because of reductions in Chinook salmon populations and stable to expanding lake trout populations, the DNR expects to see higher recreational catch rates of lake trout that should include larger fish in 2016.
When you come fish with us this summer, we look forward to sharing with you some of these native fish!
Really nice days and snow going away. Boat is scheduled for Launching Monday the 28th of March. Can’t wait to try the new lures. Looking forward to some of the best Lake Trout Fishing in the World this year. Take a look at your Calendars and give us call. Weekends are beginning to fill up. Hope to see you soon