The chinook fishing was spectacular off Ludington during the late summer last year. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski.

What kind of salmon season did you have on our Great Lakes in 2006? Much of it depended on where and when you fished.

If you fished northern Lake Michigan in the spring, your report was probably less than glowing. If you didn't hit the lake until mid-July, you would probably claim that it was some of the best fishing ever.

Many anglers stayed away from Lake Huron because of all the gloom and doom the press and others had been spreading. But in reality, Lake Huron produced some decent fishing for those who stuck by their guns and fished the lake last year. Many people also discovered there are more species in Lake Huron than just chinook salmon and lake trout.

What's the salmonid prognosis for 2007? That's the million-dollar question, but I would put my money on these ports.

ROGERS CITY
"You know the media and everyone has promoted the idea that the fishing is horrible on Lake Huron," Capt. Ed Retherford said. "Granted, it's not like it was 10 years ago, but it's not as bad everyone has made it out to be either."

Anglers caught king salmon at Rogers City last year -- not as big or as many as during the glory days, but respectable numbers of chinooks. And there was more variety in the catch. Lake trout are abundant. More steelhead and Atlantic salmon were caught than in previous years. Plus, brown trout are still available. Apparently, anglers just became spoiled from the fishing a decade ago when it was no big deal to take a limit of kings.

Trolling east or west of the Rogers City harbor can be good in May and June for a hodgepodge of lake trout, salmon and brown trout. Take a right and look for the U.S. Steel Lighthouse, Adams Point and the Presque Isle Lighthouse. Head west and landmarks include Seagull Point, Nagles Creek, P.H. Hoeft State Park, Forty Mile Point and Hammond Bay. Troll body baits and small spoons behind in-line boards in 6 to 20 feet of water along the shoreline. Play the wind, because onshore winds can stack up warming water and salmon along key shoreline structure.

Lake trout are a given at Rogers City. If you can't catch anything else, you can always catch lakers -- if you avoid the tribal nets. Traditional dodgers pulling P-Nuts or Wobble Glows, or flashers and flies, take the lakers.

Kings show up in numbers at Rogers City about July 1. Structure off Adams Point holds schools of chinooks during the summer months. Spoons like Silver Streaks take plenty of fish when they are actively on the feed. As fall approaches, the salmon crowd into the shallows between Adams and Quarry points. J-Plugs and flasher/flies are the ticket then.

Rogers City is an ideal port for the weekend angler with a trailerable boat who wants to avoid the crowds. To book a charter out of Rogers City with Capt. Ed Retherford aboard the Trout Scout V, contact him at (989) 356-9361 or by e-mail at edreth@charter.net.