March 2004: Fishing Reports
April 1, 2004
The Month of March has come and gone. However, my reports have not. Please check my April 2004 Fishing Reports which can be read by clicking Here
March 31, 2003
I have decided to restructure the way I am posting my reports. So this is the last entry for my March 2004 Reports. Please stay tuned for a new link to my April 2004 Reports on the Home Page.
I have not been out fishing since Sunday Evening, so I don't have any specifics regarding the bite. We have had rain for the last few days which can be both a good and bad thing. The rain is slowly warming the water temp slowly but, at the same time may dirty up the river a little bit. I was on Grosse Ile yesterday and the water on both the west and east side of the island looked pretty good. There were a couple of guys fishing the area between McLouth Steel and the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge. Aaron and I made a quick run to this area and marked alot of fish. Some were just off the bottom and some were suspended from 12 to 15 foot.
Over the past weekend there were some rumors of temperature readings being consistent all across the river. (Our Fishfinder was not lying, that is what we noticed too.) Many guys were targeting the "Hot Spot" just south of the warm water discharge keying in on fish that were stacked in this area of warm water. Well, I hate to tell you guys..... This area of warm water did not exist over the weekend (March 27-28). (This is the area that held the large concentration of boats on the west side of the river just south of the discharge.)
Why you ask? Well..... Pump Unit #9, which is the main water pump used for cooling at the power plant had failed. Currently the plant is in shutdown mode so there has no discharge of warm cooling water into the river. Pump Unit #9 to expeceted to be back up and functioning in a week or so.
Many of you may have seen a freighter docked at the plant over the weekend. The conveyor system that moves the coal from the train is down for belt replacement. There will be a freighter unloading coal at the plant every other day, to keep coal supply up. (It takes 3 ships to equal the carrying capacity of 1 train.) I would not expect too much freight traffic over the weekend due to the number of anglers fishing the area. Please keep this in mind if you intend on fishing this upcoming weekend.
Please note that Michigan Fishing Licenses expire today. Make sure you purchase your 2004-2005 License before you fish after tomorrow.
Anglers planning to launch and fish from Elizabeth Park. The Elizabeth Park Ramp will be opening tomorrow (April 1st.). If your seeking bait, jigs, stingers, and handlining supplies please make sure you stop in and visit Frank at the Trenton Lighthouse. His shop is located at 3021 West Jefferson with the Elizabeth Park Launch being less than a 5 minute drive away. If you require additional information you can call the shop at (734) 675-7080. Tell him that Downriver Outdoors referred you.
Until my next report here is a photo of a nice 10 pound hog from an avid Downriver Outdoors reader, Rich (Kill-N-Time) Thanks for the e-mail, nice fish.
March 29, 2003
Heard the fishing was good over this past weekend. A couple of fish were taken that were in the 10 pound plus range. Charteuse Jigs tipped with a minnow and stinger seeemed to be the most productive.
The water was clean and the surface water temp ranged from 41 to 42 degrees. (This temperature was read at 8:30 pm last night.) Aaron and I headed out last night and fished 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm. Besides snagging a handlining shank, 200 foot of Fireline and busting the lips off (2) #11 Rapala's we boated two nice walleye on #7 Clowns. With Aaron losing a third at the back of the boat. (That is two fish we lost so far this season) Aaron's fish measured 19" and mine went 20".
I cannot leave you perch fisherman out of the game either. The Perch bite has been in good just out off Stoney Point (Lake Erie) in 16 FOW. Perch fisherman have also had a couple of incidential Walleye catches as well.
Just so you all know I have my reports archived from last year. I am going to try and start listing the water temp and clarity from last season in each of my reports to give you an idea how things are progressing in comparison to 2003.
Until my next report here is a photo from last nights trip.
March 26, 2003
Here is the latest.... I spent the evening with my girlfriend and went to the Kid Rock Concert at the Palace so I did not make it out last night. Andy was working on his new boat. And Aaron was.............. Fishing. He was out for little over an hour and boated one walleye on a #11 Vamp. The surface water temp was 38 degrees and the water clarity was good.
I just looked at the weather and it does not look to bad for saturday and Sunday. Temps in the Middle 50's and Southeast/East winds. We are fishing both days. Hope to see you out on the river.
That is all until next report.
March 24, 2003
Good Morning All! Yesterday really felt like a day to catch walleye. At least that is what Aaron, Andy and I thought. The river really laid down nice with the wind and we had a little bit of sun earlier in the day to warm things up.
We fished for 4 hours last night. We were one of the 4 boats that were one the river and the only one pulling wire. Started and ended the evening running #11 Rapalas. The only action that we had during the hours was a nice walleye that Aaron had lost at the back of the boat on a #11 Clown on the lower lead 12 back.
We did not see one of the other boats land a fish. The weather for this weekend is looking pretty good with the exception of some rain for Sunday. The evening lows are forcasted to be in the lower 40's with day time highs around 55. This warmer weather and rain should get things popping soon.
Until next report here is a picture of Andy's Lake St. Clair Perch trip on Sunday. Enjoy....
March 23, 2003
Sorry, I did not have a report for you all for the weekend. I headed up to northern michigan for some bluegill fishing on hard water. Saturday was nice up north with the temperature reaching 50 degrees. The smaller lake that I fished still had 10" to 12" of ice. Caught a couple of gills but nothing to brag about.
Andy spent the Sunday on Lake St. Clair and ended up coming home with a decent bucket of perch. Hopefully the water clarity on the Detroit improved over the weekend.
The walleye action on the lower Detroit River is heating up a little bit. Heard jigging is the ticket near McLouth Steel (Trenton) and BASF (Wyandotte, Michigan). Anglers are not taking limits but they are not going home with an empty boat either. Andy, Aaron and I are heading out this evening to give it a try. I will post our results in tomorrows report.
Until then, might be a good time for you guys to take a look at your jigging inventory.
March 18, 2003
Andy, Aaron and I made a quick trip out last night. We were the only boat on the river besides a perch fisherman making a run up the river on his way back to the launch. This is the first time we handlined for the 2004-2005 Walleye Season. The water was pretty dirty with alot of debris floating. (Cat Tails and Branches..) Fished in the snow from 5:45 pm to 8:00 pm. The action was pretty much at a standstill. Besides two light hits on #9 Rapala we hooked nothing.... (We kind of expected that though pulling wire this early in the year.....Beats sitting at home thinking about fishing...)
Were planning on fishing this weekend. Based on the results of this trip we decided it will not be for walleye. The latest rumor is the perch bit has been steady on the canadian side of the river. That just maybe where we go. It is just too darn early for walleye, at least on the Lower Detroit River.
Here are a couple of pics that I took while we were out last evening. Hope you enjoy them.
March 16, 2003
Sorry that I did not update my reports until today. But here is the latest.
Andy and I made a trip out on the river Sunday morning. We were one of 4 trucks at the launch at Lake Erie Metro Park. The river was an absolute mess due to the nasty Southwest wind that was coming off the lake. The Trenton Channel (near Celeron Island) had 3 footers with an occasional 4 footer rolling through. Condtions were extremely poor for any jigging so we ducked into a canal which offered some shelter from the wind. This was the same spot that we fished on March 6th. It offered a few perch but, not today.
There were two boats that opted to jig the channel just south of the power plant. I did not see them land any fish but it looked like they were having fun keeping control of the boat. There was NO way I would have even attempted to jig the river, it was just too rough.....
A word of advice for those who plan on fishing the river: Don't fish the lower stretches of the river with a South or Southwest wind. The water is too dirty. the conditions are rough and boat control is next to impossible. Your best spots on days like this would be near the McLouth Steel Plant, which is located between the Grosse Ile Toll and Free Bridges. Or you can try just north of the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge near the Wyandotte Golf Cource. These areas are better sheltered and at time produce some great fishing, both jigging and pulling wire.
There have been some reports flying around mentioning that the fishing was good right now. Anglers have been catching 3 to 4 fish, per person, per boat. Don't believe it for a minute....... The water temp was around 34 to 36 degrees. The walleye bite really don't start here until the temp reaches 40 to 42 degrees. You may pick up a fish here or there but, nothiing like the rumor dictates. In otherwords were a few weeks out from seeing the beginning of some decent fishing. I predict the first maybe second weekend of April. I know I mentioned that a week ago but this snow were getting right now does not help things out. Unfortunately, were at the mercy of the weather right now.
Please take a few mintues to check out Joe and Bill's website. They are the owners of Bottom Line Bait and Hook, Line and Sinker. These are the best shops in the downriver area. You can visit their site by clicking Here
If you ever need bait, handling reels, shanks or other supplies drop by and see them. They will be more than happy to help you out.
Until my next report hope you enjoy the following pictures I took today. These ought to give you a good idea what the weather is doing right now.
March 12, 2003
Sorry, no report today. Hitting the river this weekend. Until next report I really recommend that you check out the new addition to this site: Downriver Outdoors Weather and Navigation Page
More specifically please read the Local Notice to Mariners and note the changes regarding aids to navigation, and water/channel depths for the Great Lakes.
March 11, 2003
Ice has been the latest talk on the river. Just checked the News 4 Web Cam.....
This Camera is station atop of a building in Downtown Windsor. It should give you a pretty good idea what the ice is like. At least for today. I heard that St. Clair let loose yesterday and made the river a mess. I don't expect yesterday's flow to be the last ice for this winter. There is still 10+ inches of ice in the area of the North Channel on Lake St. Clair and hardwater anglers are still catching Perch and Bluegills.
Now for the the river.... I have not heard too much but then again, I have not been out to give it a try either. If the weather cooperates I will be out bright and early Saturday Morning. Who knows, I might even give it a try Friday evening for an hour or two. Might have to suprise you in the next few reports I publish.
The Huron River at Flat Rock has been producing good catches of Steelhead. Matter of fact many locals have been raving that this has been the best year for Steelies in years. Good thing to hear.....
The canals around Grosse Ile and Gibraltar have neen yielding good catches of Gills, Perch and Crappie. The best luck has been using teadrops tipped with spikes. Andy, Aaron and I did well with Minnows maybe we have to give them a try and see what developes.
That is all I have to present until next report.
Have a question, or have something you want to share e-mail me at: (Goosewa) downriveroutdoors@yahoo.com
March 10, 2003
Go North......
Sorry all, I did not make it out on the river yesterday. Overall things have been pretty quiet on the south end of the river lately. The only action that I have heard about were limits being caught in the Sturgeon Hole (Peche Island.) both jigging and handlining. Nothing specific on colors yet!!!! This seems to be the only place that is producing fish and might be the best bet for the upcoming weekend.
As a side note this site was temporarily unavailable for a short time yesterday. This was due to the number of people that surfed this site yesterday. Geocities has a bandwith quota for their free hosting services. I exceeded this quota yesterday... The first time since April of 2003. If this happens more fregquently I will mirror this site elsewhere.
March 9, 2003
Lake Erie Ice: March 7, 2004 (LaPlaisance Bay, Monroe County)
Sorry, did not make it on the river last night. Spent the evening taking the Avery Quick Set Blind off my boat in prep for handlining this weekend. (Adam and Andy thanks for the help, your welcome for the beer.)Aaron has some guys flying in from South Dakota for a handlining trip coming next month. Andy and I should give my boat a good shake down before they get into town.
I am sure many of you guys are curious what Lake Erie is looking like these days. Please see the picture below. I took it on March 7th, 2004) while having dinner at a friend's parents house.
The picture was actually taken at LaPlaisance Bay in Monroe County (Michigan). For those who do not know the area this is the Michigan DNR Boat Launch located at Exit 11 on I-75. Keep in mind that this area is closed to walleye fishing (thanks to the Michigan DNR) until the beginning of June so the only thing that you can catch now is perch...... Better than nothing I guess...
That is all until my next report.
March 8, 2003
Wind and Chocolate Milk....
Conditions were quite a bit different than Thursday. The high winds and rain that rolled though on Friday did not help for anglers on Saturday.
Aaron, Andy, and I started fishing the Cross Dike around 7:30 am. The water was about as clean as Chocolate Milk and the brisk Northwest Wind made for the lack of words and unenjoyable time. We packed up and headed over to Dunbar and Sullivan. We were very suprised to see there was still a good amount of ice covering the entire back end of the north bay.
We anchored the boat just off the edge of the ice. This was a much better place to fish today since the water was clean and the island provided shelter from the wind. I caught one nice size perch on a slip bobber rig.
After an hour of moving to several different spots with no luck we packed up and went over to the canals near Elba Mar Boat Club. The rumor was that the perch were hitting pretty good. We quickly found out that this was not true and headed to a "little spot" in the river near Gibraltar.
This place ended up being the most productive spot of the day. Although not a stellar day we picked up 9 more perch and caught and released a mixed creel of dink Bluegill, and Red Ear's. Today's total catch was 10 perch. With the reports of Walleye and Steelhead in the Huron, walleye fishing is not too far away.
Here are a couple of photos from Saturday's trip. Hope you enjoy them. Until Next Report.....
Andy: March 6th 2004 Perchin': March 6, 2004 March 5, 2003
Perch and Ice
Hit the river last night with my Associates, Andy and Aaron. Heard the perch bite was in full swing with limits being taken late morning though out the early evening. After dodging ice from west River Road (Grosse Ile) to Sugar Island and the Cross Dike we dropped the lines in about 5:15 pm. A little late in my opinion. Oh Well.. Beats sitting at home watching American Idol or those lame Reality TV Shows.
As you can tell by the pictures below there is still ice on the south side of the Cross Dike (Sugar Island). The anglers that were fishing the ice had mentioned there was 10 to 12 inches of ice but was starting to fade fast. I don't expect this ice to stick around long after the 60 degree temps (with rain) forcasted for today.
The action was slow as far as the perch today. The only thing persuading the perch bite were Slip Bobbers casted near the ice edges (if your fishing from a boat.) The same applied to the ice as well. Teardrops and waxies were not the ticket today.
Did see several Pike surface at the bow of the boat, about 15 feet from the Edge of the Ice. I would bet the Pike bite is not too far in the distant future. Ice flows on the River were light to moderate. Rumors are that the Trenton Power Plant is running at 100%. The walleye might start hitting here within the next week or two..... Get those jigs out.....
Were heading back out (weather permitting) Saturday and Sunday. Until Next report here are a couple pictures from yesterday's trip.
Cross Dike: March 4, 2004 Cross Dike: March 4, 2004 Cross Dike: March 4, 2004 Got Questions? E-mail me at: downriveroutdoors@yahoo.com Page Hits Since March 8, 2004 The pictorial, graphic, or sculptural images and all content within this site are © 2005 www.downriveroutdoors.com, All Rights Reserved.
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