About the only other structure in the lake at Grand Haven are nets. "The nets are structure here," Klein said. "You need to learn the layout of the nets and how to fish them if you're going to do well at Grand Haven." The trap nets funnel and concentrate salmon, and anglers who can deal with them are able to pinpoint schools of hungry salmon. Klein advised having your spread set well short of the nets so you can give your full attention to maneuvering around them.

Klein said he generally heads north of Grand Haven during the summer and fishes off landmarks like J.P. Hoffmaster State Park, Mount Garfield and the outflow of Black Lake north to Muskegon in 100 to 200 feet of water. "There's generally some pretty dependable action in 260 to 300 feet of water," suggested Klein. "There are usually a lot of smaller bait out over the deeper water that attract juvenile salmon."

Klein said many Grand Haven anglers get into the rut of heading out deep every morning. It can pay big dividends, though, to check the pierheads every once in a while from mid-July on. Klein said a big slug of kings could show up at the pierheads anytime after mid-July, and if you don't keep tabs on the fishery, you could be missing out on a hot bite. Many mature chinooks show up by late July, and the salmon arrive in waves through mid-September.

Flasher-and-fly combos and spoons produce equally well at Grand Haven. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a better combination than a green- or white-crushed ice-flasher and a Rapture trolling fly," Klein said. Michigan Stinger spoons in a variety of greens, blues and chartreuse always produce at Grand Haven as well. "Orange and reds have their day, too," offered Klein. "It pays to experiment sometimes." Plugs get the nod when mature kings begin amassing near the pierheads. Savvy captains follow the schools upstream and work the 30-foot channel in the river. Kings will lash out at a variety of magnum-sized spoons, plugs and flasher/fly combos then.

To book a charter with Klein, contact him at (616) 677-1860 or online at www.hitmanfishingcharters.com. For information on amenities, lodging and other accommodations in the Grand Haven area, contact the Grand Haven-Spring Lake Visitors Bureau at 1-800-303-4092 or online at www.grand-havenchamber.org.

MUSKEGON
While St. Joseph, Grand Haven and Ludington get all the accolades when it comes to Great Lakes salmon, Muskegon is quietly producing some pretty darn good fishing for the few in the know. Many of those fish are the result of natural reproduction now taking place in the Muskegon River and its tributaries.

"Last year, we had some pretty good fishing off Muskegon," claimed avid angler Matt Schalk. "Fishing in Muskegon Lake in early September was fantastic! The fish weren't really big, probably 12 to 14 pounds, but limits were no big deal."

Schalk said the fishing gets started at Muskegon in early May. Fish can be caught right around the pierheads where the river spills into the lake, but Schalk said that a better bet is to head straight out of the harbor to 80 to 100 feet of water. Kings will be found there cruising the top 50 feet and can be caught on downriggers, divers and lead-core trailing spoons or flashers and flies. "I fished flashers and Slammin' Flies the whole year and did really well," Schalk said. Hot colors in the Slammin' Flies last season were Ragin' Richie, Lime Glow and Blue Bubbly.