8/6 Channels

[Revtro]

I got out into the channels with a new friend on Monday.  Wow, it sucked.  We found bait and fished a dozen or so areas I was sure would be loaded up with bass.  But it was a post frontal blue bird kinda day and the fish were just turned off.  I know because I put the camera down and saw the bass.  But we couldn't get them to bite to save our lives.  We managed a half dozen or so, plus some largemouth, but all in all it was a terrible day. 

We started in the South Channel fishing deep seawalls.  We fished right around the bait where the action was awesome a week prior.  We lost a couple big ones because they were barely getting the bait into their mouths.  After a while, we hadn't had a bite and started making our way up the South Channel hitting several spots with no bites at all.

We ended up in the Middle Channel and found fish and saw them on the camera.  And as I was watching a smallie swim by a GIANT Sturgeon swam by.  I quickly turned the camera and got to watch it swim away.  That was way cool.  It was like a giant swimming dinosaur. 

Anyway, we got a few light bites, but the bass were just noncommittal. That's the way it was all day.  So we stopped by a couple lake spots on the way home.  We managed a couple small ones, but overall it was a S L O W day.  I felt bad for my partner, but I guess every day can't be perfect out there.  It was humbling and reminded me that I still have much to learn. 

Gonna try again Saturday.  Hopefully it'll be better. 

[djkimmel]

Sturgeon are dinosaurs to me! Amazing how blistering fast they have taken to the new manmade reefs! They were spawning on them while the crews were still making them! Lake St. Clair already has more sturgeon than the rest of the Great Lakes combined they believe. There's supposed to be 2 more manmade reef areas being made the next 2 years. No info on where yet.

I like being able to see the bass are there with the camera but not so much when I can see a bunch and I'm not getting bites... drats! You'll catch them next time.

[todd postill]

ya there has been some tough conditions lately a little bit of every kind of weather.hot to cold windy to rainy.no good week long stable conditions.good time to test and tune different techniques.as far as the new sturgeon spawning areas Marysville is one if the places.construction was suppose to start on the first of august but d.n.r shut project down.said there is still fish spawning in the area.we are putting in a 500' cantilevered fishing pier that runs parallel with the water.this is going to be a huge project.also a fish cleaning station and all new boat launches in the second phase.sorry to ramble on.s good luck fishing .going to try dumping grounds this weekend

[fiker]

There is a certain amount of restoration going along the shores of the Detroit River.  The sturgeon are believed to be spawning on some of their artificial reefs as well.

[Revtro]

Ok, I must be cut off from civilization.  What's this about artificial reefs?  This is the first I've heard of such things around here.

[Revtro]

Fascinating. I did a little investigation and found this really interesting article on the subject.
http://www.speroforum.com/a/YTANWGZRQT45/72284-Michigan-builds-artificial-reefs-to-preserve-native-fish-species

I had no idea this was going on.  I guess I have been in my little bubble too long.  LOL  I wonder if this is why I saw a NOAA Research Vessel in the Middle Channel all day Monday.  Very interesting stuff. 

[djkimmel]

Yes. Probably. There is an awesome video from May of the new Middle Channel reefs (see below). While they were still working on part of it sturgeon were already swarming over it and trying to spawn (including with some of the divers! ). They already built two reefs in the Detroit River in 2004 and 2008 that sturgeon are using.

In the lower St. Clair channels, most of the sturgeon were crowding onto a tiny stretch of coal tailings incidentally dropped decades ago by coal tenders in the North Channel. Too many sturgeon with not enough spawning habitat. So they built the new Middle Channel reefs across the upper section next to Dickinson Island.

They (Michigan Sea Grant U of M - MSU, MDNR) are supposed to build 2 more reefs spots over the next two years. Last I asked, they weren't sure yet where so it is helpful to know it might be near Marysville. There are sturgeon already spawning up there near Lake Huron but I was not sure exactly where or how big of an area or areas it is. Since there are supposed to be more sturgeon in the Lake St. Clair - Detroit River system than the rest of the Great Lakes combined, I imagine more spawning grounds will help. They are also expecting some walleye, whitefish, Northern madtom catfish, mooneye and river redhorse suckers to use the reefs for spawning and habitat (PDF). The mooneye, madtom and redhorse are all threatened or endangered. I have caught only 1 mooneye ever on a crankbait many years ago by the lighthouses. It was 17 - 18 inches long.