Published: October 29, 2009 07:25 am      

Fresh salmon getting hard to find

Salmon are still being found in some locations around Michigan, but it is getting harder to find fresh fish, the state Department of Natural Resources said.

The rivers have started to fill up with steelhead and whitefish are being caught in the waters of Lake Michigan, the DNR said Wednesday in its weekly report.

Cheboygan River: The Forks DNR dock has been removed.

Au Sable River: Fish are slowly moving into the river.

Burt Lake: Is providing some perch action but no big numbers.

Bear River: Recent rain did bring in additional salmon.

Charlevoix: Small steelhead were caught off the docks and piers when using spawn.

Lake Charlevoix: Perch anglers are finding fish but catch rates were hit-and-miss.

Lake Bellaire: A few perch were taken near the mouth of the Intermediate River and along the western shoreline when using crawlers in 3 to 25 feet of water. Sizes ranged from 5 to 10 inches.

Elk River: The chinook run is over but the coho salmon are just starting to show up.

Boardman River: The salmon run is winding down though there are still a few decent fish below the Union Street Dam. Steelhead and lake trout are starting to show up in the river. Spawn bags have been the most effective.

Platte River: Those using spawn are catching steelhead at the mouth.

Frankfort: Pier fishing and surfcasting have been pretty good for the last week.

Betsie River: The salmon run is pretty much done however anglers were still taking a few fish up near the dam. Light numbers of steelhead were caught from Betsie Bay to the US-31 Bridge.

Arcadia: Had good steelhead fishing for those trolling orange or white spoons in the top 20 feet of waters 30 to 100 feet deep. Surf and pier anglers are also doing well when using spawn about 100 feet from shore.

Onekama: Chinook and steelhead were caught in 100 to 150 feet of water when trolling south to the Bar Lake outlet or north to the Barrel. Small spoons or flasher/fly combinations in orange, blue or green worked the best. Pier action was slow.

Manistee: Steelhead and salmon have been caught in 100 to 200 feet of water.

Manistee River: Salmon are fewer but steelhead numbers are improving, especially in the lower stretches.