Published: October 15, 2009 07:25 am      

DNR: Salmon at or near peak

The salmon are at or near peak along the northwest side of the state, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday in its weekly report on fishing conditions.

Those fish will turn dark quickly as they finish out their spawning runs, and anglers should look for more steelhead to start entering the rivers as these runs finish up. On inland waters, anglers still are catching some bluegill, bass, pike and walleye, according to DNR.

Charlevoix: Salmon fishing near the Cement Plant has been hit-or-miss. Steelhead were starting to show up around the piers and docks.

Lake Bellaire: Surface water temperatures have dropped to the mid-50s. Only a few walleye anglers have been out, trolling crawler harnesses or jigging crawlers. Bass pressure was steady with anglers casting artificial worms, tube baits and crank baits in five to 30 feet of water off Fisherman's Paradise and along the drop-off in the South Arm. Pike action picked up in the northwest arm when trolling stick baits in 12 to 25 feet of water. Perch were caught near the mouth of the Intermediate River.

Traverse City: The East Bay has good whitefish action in the southern sections. Try jigging Swedish Pimples or Sand Kickers.

Elk River: The salmon run has peaked and there still is a good number of fish in the river. Anglers will find coho, steelhead, lake trout and brown trout in the hole below the power dam. Spawn was best but a few fish were taken on spoons or body baits.

Boardman River: There still are a good number of fish in the river but the overall run is starting to slow down. Anglers are using spawn bags.

Glen Arbor: The boat launch has been removed for the season.

Crystal River: The river has much angler activity at the mouth. Shore anglers reported large schools of fish. Chinook and steelhead can be seen in the river.

Frankfort: As the salmon action winds down, steelhead activity has started to pick up. When boats can get out, they were still finding a mix of chinook and steelhead when trolling in 100 to 120 feet of water off the Shelf. Pier anglers and those surfcasting have caught some steelhead along with a few brown trout.

Betsie River: The salmon run should be at peak by now. Watch for steelhead action to increase in the next week or two.