To sample some of Muskegon’s hot late-summer salmon fishing, contact Capt. Scott Shelagowski at SS Charters, (616) 890-3478. For area information, contact the Muskegon County Convention & Visitors Bureau at (231) 722-3751 or online at www.muskegon.org.

LUDINGTON
Ludington is the crown jewel of the chinook salmon fishery on Lake Michigan. King salmon naturally gravitate to the prominent structure, rivers and deep water that this port affords. Fish that are held in net pens in the Sable River and naturally reproduced in area streams aren’t the only salmon to show up at Ludington. Micro tags implanted in salmon indicate that fish from all over Lake Michigan converge on this port.

“We usually start seeing kings around the pierheads in August,” stated Capt. George Freeman, who has been running his 31-foot charter boat Free Style out of Ludington for more than 20 years. “They can show up sometimes in July depending on the water temperature and wind, but generally the peak is between mid-August and mid-September.”

Kings at Ludington make nightly forays into the shallows throughout August, and anglers who set up in the 20- to 30-foot depths before daylight can enjoy frantic action. Fishing can be good all the way from the Ludington pierheads north to Big Point Sable. Body baits, spoons, crankbaits and plugs in glow-in-the-dark colors score in the shallows fished off in-line boards, divers, lead-core and shallow-set downriggers with long leads. The action is hot until about an hour after daylight when the kings retreat to the safety of deep water, but savvy anglers follow. As the month wears on, the salmon spend more and more time in the shallows before heading upriver.

Big schools of salmon stage in Pere Marquette Lake prior to heading up the Pere Marquette River. Anglers in boats big and small have a field day when the chinooks invade the lake. The lake can get quite crowded on weekends and on “blow days” on Lake Michigan. The kings can be caught on a variety of lures, including spoons and flashers, but plugs are a mainstay. No. 4 J-Plugs in chrome/ redhead, green/glow/black ladderback and pearl are hot colors. Long leads off downriggers fished 25 feet down are a good combination.

Watch your depth closely and where people are trolling in the lake. There are pilings and dock remnants from the logging days that can rip a downrigger board off your boat. Prime locations in P.M. Lake include the Sand Dock, Parlor B, the Red Can, in front of the car ferry Badger and in front of the Coast Guard Station.

Labor Day has been a traditional peak for salmon off the Ludington pierheads. The best action occurs at first and last light. Glow-in-the-dark and lighted lures draw the wrath of pre-spawn kings. The action can be hot from the pierheads out to 60 feet both north and south. With the size of Lake Michigan salmon on the decline, you won’t find many 30-pounders, but the biggest fish of the year are often taken during late August and early September.