Lake Michigan trolling tips, part 3, spring brown trout

Catch more salmon and trout this summer. Part 3, Spring Brown Trout on Lake Michigan I can’t remember a winter that seemed to last so long. Finally after 3 days in the 50s, I can see my lawn for the first time since November. Yes, spring is in the air. Now is when the cabin fever really sets in. I’m realizing the days are numbered before the JEDI hits the water again. It’s time to finish the trolling reel overhauls, equipment repairs, and get started on prepping the boat for the 2010 season. Open water trolling begins in March along the Indiana shoreline and April up here in Wisconsin. These next 2 months offer some of the best brown trout fishing of the year. Jigging in the harbors has become very popular over the last few years. There are several good guides available in many of the ports. However, my focus remains on trolling. Over the years I have caught browns from every harbor from St Joe around to Milwaukee. Every one of them offers an excellent spring fishery when the conditions are right. The best plan of attack is “search and destroy”. As the water warms, browns begin feeding heavily. By the time I am fishing, water can be anywhere from 35 to 45 degrees. Small pockets of warmer water can form near river mouths, harbor mouths, warm water discharges, and rocky shorelines such as breakwalls. Coastwatch.noaa.gov on the web can be used to find the spots, providing the skies are clear. Cloud cover blocks the satellite imagery and limits the data available. Watch your temp gauge closely. You’ll be surprised how quickly a pier or concrete wall can warm the water on a sunny day in March. That warm water gets the bait moving in search of food. The browns are never far behind. As far as a program for these fish, I keep it simple. I count on 6 basic lures to get the fish to bite. Magnum spoons in blue and silver, standard spoons in blue or green, and the small 2” Redeye from Eppinger. For plugs I count on jointed Rapalas, Yoruzi Minnows, and Wally Divers. I’ll start with orange jointed Rapalas, size 9 and 11. These will run 20 to 40 feet behind the planer boards on 1 side of the boat. The other side will have magnum spoons. My go-to spoon is a magnum Pro King OZ. That’s the blue and silver with the red eye. These will also be 20 to 40 feet back with a ¼ or 3/8 oz sinker in front. I’m fishing very shallow, maybe as little as 8 feet. I tend to stay with just 2 riggers this shallow. Both will have a spoon, one short at 10 feet and one at least 100 back. Finally the 2 dipseys will have spoons or Rapalas, run just deep enough to disappear in the normally dirty spring water. The key is to keep moving along the shore until the active schools are found. I usually zig zag between 8 and 25 feet. As I move through areas that have held fish in past years, I pay attention to which lures are getting hit. The water is shallow so these schools will spread out to both sides of the boat. The sides not getting hit get changed rather quickly. If the magnum spoons are dead, I switch to small spoons like the redeye or stingers. If the Rapalas are dead, I switch to the Yozuris, then the Wally Divers. Once active fish are located, I cut back on the lines in the water. I start with 4 planers per side and will cut back to 3 each, 2 if the fish are very active. The dipseys come out as sure as I am convinced that I am fishing the right depth. When things get busy, the last thing I want to worry about is hanging a dipsey on the bottom. Plus, a 10 pound brown hooked up on an outside planer board could easily wipe out the entire spread. Yes, I know this from experience. The 2 riggers stay in but I shorten the longer lead to about 25 feet. If I move deeper, past 20 feet, I usually add 2 more riggers. If you find one lure is doing all the work, don’t be afraid to change the others out. One important point: when very shallow, make sure the spoons behind the boards are all on one side of the boat. Make your turns away from that side. They’ll move faster on the outside through the turn. If they are on the inside of the turn, they’ll drop down and you risk snagging the bottom. With the floating plugs on the inside of the turn, you won’t have that problem. Keep it simple and stick to what works. Keep moving till active fish are found. And did I mention the Redeye? The 2 inch nickel or brass can be deadly. Take off the front hook. Next month we’ll discuss coho. Just in time!

i am going to give spring browns a try this year in 15 years of trolling out on the big pond we have never caught a brown

I don't know much about Algoma, but most of the information in the above article would apply to where ever you would fish. All harbors have some type of rock or cement breakwalls that heat up in the spring sun. The gaps in these walls usually have current running through them which effects temperature as well. Run off from rivers and creeks stains the water and that water will be a few degrees warmer than the clear water. We often troll the mud line or the edge where the stained water meets the clear water. Discharges from power plants or water treatment plants are a source of warm water. East winds blow the warmer surface water close to shore and the browns will congregate there. Talk to the people at your local tackle store; they should be able to point you in the right direction. Good Luck Fish-eater

I launched out of Algoma WI.

Where do you launch? That might help narrow things down a bit. Fish-eater

Im new to trolling fr browns. We always fish in the rivers for browns and get 5-6 fish a year. Last year was the first year. We could not find any dirty water. If you were in this position, what would you do. Should I go deeper. We couldn't find any difference in water temp. Any ideas?

.....And since it is March; the brown trout thread. Also an exgellent read! Fish-eater

I searched around and couldn't find parts 1 & 2 so I don't know maybe capt. Andy removed them. However he hasn't posted on this site much latley, his last fishing report was almost a year ago. Hope capt. Andys ok.

Yeah I know CatMan. But thanks for bringing it back up. Capt. Andy's series is on LL. If it wasn't so late I'd search for it. I want to say it was about this time last year when he started posting the original.

I don't see part 1 or 2... might be on glangler.

I would like to take credit for the trolling tips but it was the Jedi Master, Capt. Andy.

If I'm not mistaken, Without looking back through old posts to verify. I believe you've provided a small series of helpful information in the past. All of these are worth pushing back up to the top for a re-read or for the ones who missed it the first go around as the season kicks into gear.

Someone asked about spring brown trout so I thought I bring this thread up again. J.J.

Just had a couple questions if you don't mind Andy. 1) When you say you use a sinker in front I'm assuming you mean a slip sinker like a worm height in front of a swivel then a leader behind that to your lure. Do you also use a sinker for your stick baits or just run them without? 2) If indeed you are using the swivel and leader what would you suggest for a leader mono fluorocarbon ? 12lb., 15lb., 20lb. and I'm assuming the leader length is as long as you can get and still manage the fish to the net. Thanks again Capt. Andy, J.J. PS: Andy if you fish out of Kenosha I owe you a soda from the stand at the launch this spring.

Making sure the lures are running correctly is more important. Wally divers seem to be the most trouble. Every so often I get one that wont run true. Rapalas are best slow, under 2 mph. But they will run faster with a split ring in the nose.

Don't forget to try some small spoons from time to time. Good fishing!

Another great read IMHO. What is your target speed when trolling for Browns? Last year was my first year targeting Browns and Lakers in the spring. I found my Dipseys to be RED HOT, just outta sight. Boards didn't shine for me. Smaller Pro Kings were good. I guess I'll have to give the Mags a shot. I have a bunch of those particular Pro Kings.