Saginaw Bay fishing for fun!?!

[Victor Cerabone]

Fishing for fun and NOT a tournament... yes it's true.

I'm headed up to Saginaw bay to have some fun with the family. I want to do some fishing for smallmouth or largemouth on the morning of the 4th.  Not looking for a tourney spot.  I just want to catch some fish?  Any location tips?

We will be camping in Sebewaing.

Thanks,

Vic

[djkimmel]

Probably a little late for the canals at the mouth of the Sebawaing river. I used to fish that alot years and year ago. Used to get some spawners in there. I sometimes got into post spawners way out the dredged river channel near side openings and weed clumps. That bite wouldn't always last long. I've included some Google Maps coordinates for reference. It might be incredibly risky to run around many of these areas. Idling or electric motor might be the only safe way to get in and out.

Pitchers Reef (approximately 43.771714,-83.495543) out past the end and to the right could be really good sometimes. Depends on weed cover and water quality. Not sure how it would be now with the low water. You have to be real careful anywhere out there around the inner water.

I imagine the canals to the East inshore are very shallow and risky. Maybe not even reachable in some case. At this point, possibly too late to risk going for them. If there are good weeds out from them, you might get into some bass out around islands and humps but it was always hit and miss. I used to haunt that area a lot but it was a long, long time ago. Some of the small canals look dredged. I used to get into bass later like this from cattail beds out from some of them around islands and humps, along with some milfoil clumps.

I used to launch at Geiger Road - probably incredibly shallow there now - and run around that bay fishing milfoil clumps around the big pocket on sand bars and drops. Sometimes good in the Summer. Not sure with this low water if it is safe and worth it to go back there. Sometimes caught them along that canal where the boat ramp is. There were bass in pockets just West of that canal. And bass across that bay along sand/weed edges. Looks like some of the cuts (ex: 43.812102,-83.45215) I used to run into Wildfowl Bay State Park to find hidden ponds including cattail cuts and pad fields is almost dried up. There's a small amount of water back inside the island through dynamite cut. We sometimes hammered bass in dynamite cut - it was the deepest water back then and wind could create a river effect. (mouth: 43.812102,-83.45215)

I had one of my earliest good experiences as a young non-boater back inside that hollow island fishing cattail island and lily pads in an federation tournament a long, long time ago. Doesn't appear to be much open water in there anymore. Might be dead water. Was really good at times back then BS (Before Smallmouths). I used to shoot out the back end of that island past Heisterman Island to fish cattail island with deeper troughs along them. Probably too shallow and risky to attempt that now.

There's an actual trough on the outside of those island not too far to run from Sebawaing to North Island or Sand Point. Beadle Bay Marina used to be awesome for spawning largemouth bass. Maybe too late now. On a horrible blow day, I would drive there by road, launch and fish in there for hours. If they've dredge that channel from Beadle Bay out into Wildfowl Bay real well and there some clean water with milfoil, you might get into bass leaving the bay after spawning there and the next channel to the West. Sometimes, a weed wall forms along that main sand drop out from those canals and postspawn summer bass with hang there too. I did real good once in a ancient federation tournament in that middle canal.

I really liked the big canals at the end of Sand Point. Very tricky to get into and now you'd probably have to run way around the sandbar out from the end and go in the better dredged North-facing entrance. The South-facing entrance may be a no go. There's a tube you go through near the South entrance and I once lost a nice pair of prescription glasses after driving into Lord of the Rings like giant spider webs with big juicy spiders included. Knocked my glasses off in dark shock and the next tip caused them to vanish in a torrent. When the wind blows certain ways AND the day after the steady wind stops, a current can be created through this canal from one entrance to the other. I once hammered the bass at the North entrance like fishing a river mouth. STACKED, piled up! It was very, very fun and taught me about the water movements due to wind patterns on the Great Lakes, particularly the rushing back of 'piled' water AFTER a big blow! It might not be worth the hassle to get to this canal in this low water and if you make it as far as North Island you may be happy if the smallies are around.

I don't know if you have any idea about attempting a run to the Charities but going from that direction is interesting and some risk with bars, humps and giant rocks near the trough and on the way out the Island, plus rock bars way out on that side of the Charities, some in 8 feet or so that can get you. I've done it but it has been a long, long time. You may do well enough with largemouth closer by and smallies near North Island and Wildfowl Bay to not bother.

If you run that trough, there are rock bars and humps scattered along it that you can hit so if the water isn't clear be very careful. It can actually be less safe to run further off the island outside of the trough because of giant rocks and humps.

If you can get to the rock bars between Heisterman Island and North Island, you can get into smallmouth there sometimes. Google Earth shows many of the rock bars BUT not all of them. I've always done better on the NE side of North Island for smallmouth bass and walleye - the side facing Sand Point. You may be able to cross between Heisterman and North but that rock bar goes all the way across and can be risky, probably more so now. I would go around the NE end of North Island. You may see some manmade rock jetties that I've caught bass, walleye and sheephead off of all of them. Also have hammered bass from the old channel to the old fish house foundation and from sand edge/milfoil - cabbage clumps between them at times - if they aren't too shallow now.

Sometimes isolated bars around the island hold some bass too. Was always spotty. One of my old 'secret' smallie spots was the ancient remnants of what locals call a roadbed from Bayport to North Island. Not usually the quality of bass as at the Charities but I've caught a ton of brown bass from that thing quite a ways out. On Google Earth you can see it is visible underwater almost all the way to North Island. It starts out from the dredged channel for the Bayport boat ramp. Very rocky. Heads out quite a ways. I've never fished it much farther than how far I could still see it where it drops into deeper water between the sand flats and the depression behind North Island. I've heard rumors of giant smallies out there from the commercial anglers...!?! Watch out to the left of Bayport dredged channel (which sometimes was awesome largemouth fishing from the milfoil that grows along that channel) - there's a particularly long, narrow rock bar with one, sometimes marked opening so you will see boats running that way (maybe not in these low water conditions?) and if they know the opening they are fine, but if you follow and miss the narrow opening  BANG!!! no more lower unit! Looks like that bar is actually out of the water now so you can see the opening. Also looks like you don't want to go back that way now anyway. Too shallow.

I've done really well in the canal at Bayshore Marina sometimes too. The big secret of the years is the smallmouth bass that spawn out that dredged channel and the super secret is the big fall smallies that come in to feed on the waste rock dredge talings out near the end of the dredged channel. I won't mention those on the forum because I will probably irritate someone... whoops. I just did...!!

A possible alternative is to go West across that shallow flat from Sebawaing. That shallow bar goes waaaaayyy out. Long and bars make running it much bad idea. If the water clears way up that would help. There are isolated cattail islands that can be good if they aren't practically dry. Looks like some of the cattail islands might be gone.

Kind of a tricky area - it was interesting running around back when the water was up. Some of the isolated cattail beds over towards Fish Point could be good. I caught one of my biggest largemouth bass ever from one a few hundreds yards from the little private town out on the point. I've also caught some bass from the mouths of the cut into Fish Point town (Ringle Road). They are strange isolated people but I would stay near the mouth if it is still accessible. There are some harder sand/gravel bars that seem like old roads that sometimes held largemouth bass on weed clumps. I even sometimes caught smallies when their numbers started going up.

Back when I duck hunted, Fish Point was my favorite. We used to come out those canals through the wildlife area sometimes to hunt the Bay. One year long, long ago, a hole blew through the dyke holding back the big water retention lake there and it created a rock, rumbling river that produced a week of some of best largemouth bass fishing I had ever had up to the point. I put a 20+ pound limit into the boat back when no one was doing that. Thought I was going to win that tournament that weekend but when I returned, the MDNR had filled in the breach and the bass had already scattered out into the bay. I did okay but nothing like I did when I was just bouncing a jig and pig through rushing, rocky water like drifting for steelhead! What a rush that was for a few days! I considered dynamite to recreate my honey hole but figured that would not go over well with people...

BTW, the very back of that big bay could be gar spawning paradise - a blast with a buzzbait but probably can't hardly get back there anyway.

There some canals and channels around Fish Point to the West but the only one that might be good right now might be Sunset Bay Marina. Might be a little late in the year for that but there are probably some resident bass. Just don't get caught in there if a North wind blows up. You will be fishing there a while...

I used to love that whole area. I'm curious how you do and recommend you be very careful with the low water outside of dredged channels. Even some dredged channels might be risky in spots, especially in a blow. I was there once when water blew into the Sebewaing River so hard that is flooded the boat ramp with about a foot of water in the parking lot I was popular that day when I finally made it in (12 foot waves!!!). Parked my boat up on a dock. Retirees kept coming down to the ramp to see who 'the guy' was. It was me...

[Victor Cerabone]

Thanks for the info Dan!  I have fished Saginaw back in the Greater North days (1999-2001ish).  I know Beadle Bay Marina.  That place was amazing.  I also know how dangerous the bay can be.  I just looking to have some tight lines for a few hours.  I think this info will help.

Vic 

[djkimmel]

I was pretty sure you've been there in the past (like me) but wanted to make sure any others who read this are aware too. It's a great fishery. Especially when you can pick your days.

Once you get re-familiar with getting around there's no shortage of places to explore. I used to feel like I was in an unknown wilderness out in many of those places.

It does help on those days when the water has settled and you can see things we could never see back in the 80s. We had no idea how many boulders were in some of those shallow bays!

I knew there were smallmouth bass around North Island, but I kept wondering why the 'locals' always assumed I'd caught smallmouth bass every time I went out. After the water cleared up more, turns out there's a whole bunch more smallmouth spots around Wildfowl Bay! Still, those largemouth bass can be so underfished, and despite smallmouth fever, I really, really enjoy hunting up largemouth bass out there. I think I've been in just about every canal, corner and bay around there at least once.

But it's been a while. I need to get back out there. Very different Bay now than back then. Looking at the satellite images I can see some of my old largemouth spots are bogs now or practically dry.

[Dan]

Wow, that's quite an answer. An epistle, thesis, or just a whole lot of info. DK you are a walking encyclopedia of fishing info. I learn a lot.

[Victor Cerabone]

Just quick follow up.  On day 1 I ended up fishing for WALLEYE!  My brother in law hooked me up with bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses.  We managed a nice limit. 


i bass fished for short time on day 2.  I fished the north side of North Island.  I had some success there a about ten years ago.  There were several other boats there.  I zeroed.  I headed home just in time to run out of gas at the mouth of the Sebewaing river.  Thank the lord from Minn Kota TM!?

Thanks for the tips guys.  I'm going to stick the inland lakes and LSC for now.

Vic