Fishing out of Whitehall, Michigan was great today. It was honestly one of those mornings where you could do no wrong. The fish were hungry, the rods kept going, and the shallow water bite was on!
We spent most of the morning fishing 35 to 50 feet of water. Surface temperature was right around 50 degrees, and 30 feet down we had 46-degree water.
With that cold water in shallow, the fish were there and they wanted to eat.
Small Dreamweaver Plugs Were Hot
I went pretty plug heavy today and it definitely worked.
My 50 copper and 75 copper caught most of our fish. I had small Dreamweaver plugs on both of them and the fish were absolutely crushing them.
At one point I was letting a copper out and before I could even get the Ninja planer board clipped on, a fish grabbed the plug and started pulling line right out of my hand!
That’s how hungry these fish were today.
My high divers back 60 to 80 feet were also really good. I had small Dreamweaver plugs on those as well.
We did catch a few fish on Yeck Standard Bad Toad, too.
Trolling Speed
I actually trolled a little faster than I normally do with plugs today, but it worked.
I kept my ball speed between 2.5 and 2.8 mph for most of the trip.
Sometimes you just have to give the fish what they want, and today they definitely didn’t mind the extra speed.
Braid Divers in Shallow Water
When I’m fishing this shallow, I always like running braid divers.
I don’t run wire when I’m in shallow water like this. For whatever reason, I just feel like braid out fishes wire when the fish are shallow.
That’s something I’ve noticed over the years and when we’re fishing 35 to 50 feet, I’m going to have braid divers in the water.
Where We Found the Fish
I started the morning a few miles north of the Whitehall harbor and worked my way back south toward the shipwreck.
Once I got down around the shipwreck, I turned the boat back north.
We made it about a mile or so back north and tripled up.
That was the trip!
It was a pretty fitting way to end a morning where it seemed like just about everything we put in the water wanted to get bit.
Whitehall Salmon Fishing Outlook
I expect fishing to stay good out of Whitehall for the next few weeks.
The cold water is in shallow right now and the fish are there. This time of year things can change fast with the wind and water temperature, so we’ll keep following the water and adjusting as needed.
But right now, the shallow salmon bite out of Whitehall is really good.
Today’s Whitehall Fishing Setup
Depth: 35–50 feet of water
Surface temperature: 50°F
Temperature 30 feet down: 46°F
Ball speed: 2.5–2.8 mph
Best presentations: 50 and 75 copper
Best baits: Small Dreamweaver plugs
High divers: 60–80 feet back with small Dreamweaver plugs
Other productive baits: Yeck Standard bad toad
Divers: Braid
Area: A few miles north of Whitehall down toward the shipwreck
Book a Whitehall Michigan Salmon Fishing Charter
We’re getting into a really fun time of year to fish Lake Michigan out of Whitehall, Michigan.
The salmon are getting closer to shore and when the water sets up right, you can have some really good fishing without having to run way offshore.
If you want to get out and chase King Salmon on Lake Michigan, check out our current availability at Dave’s Fishing Charters.
Frequently Asked Questions