One of the great things about living here in Michigan is the variety of different choices that we have to pursue our favorite game fish.

Photo by Jim Barta.

If you have a hankering to troll for really big game, the salmon fishing off ports like Frankfort or Manistee or Ludington would be hard to beat. Likewise, if fly-fishing is your game, you haven’t lived until you’ve wet a line in the Au Sable. Is inland lake fishing your thing? We’ve got it, big time!

But for this fellow’s money, I have got to admit that I would sooner drift along one of our state’s river systems in search of migrating spring walleyes than any other form of fishing I can think of. There’s just something addicting about the feel of a slight tap at the end of a jigging rod, knowing that this fish could go into the record books.

As a licensed guide and charter captain, the number of calls I get from anglers around the country proves that I’m not alone in my love for Michigan’s own gold rush. This time, the treasures are not found in the rivers of California or Alaska, but right here in our state’s own river systems.

Here are some of our best walleye rivers with a gold rush this spring.

DETROIT RIVER

Imagine a place where you can go while knowing that at any moment, the trophy of a lifetime could be yours. Imagine also that, on more days than not, catching a limit of 5- to 10-pound walleyes is possible. Must be heaven, right? No, in this case I’m talking about the Detroit River!

From ice-out through the month of May, this river likely yields more walleyes than all our state’s river systems combined. So great is this waterway that in 58 days of fishing in April and May last year, clients and I put 834 walleyes in the boat, with 27 fish weighing between 9 and 13 pounds!

Starting at the mouth of Lake St. Clair and flowing south to Lake Erie, there are literally hundreds of popular spots to fish on the Detroit River. Since the walleyes are constantly migrating in schools, locations may be considered the “hotspot” one day and void of fish the next. For best results, it’s wise to check with one of the many local bait shops along the river or watch for the armada of boats drifting over that day’s best locations.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Steve Lyell at the Wyandotte Boat Ramp. “The guys start filtering their way onto the river as soon as the ice clears, and then it all begins again. Fish after fish are caught, with some pretty nice ones in the mix. You know you’ve got something special when folks show up from all over the country to enjoy what we have here.”

Jigging is by far the most popular way to fill your creel of walleyes on the Detroit River. Jigs that weigh between 3/8 to 1 ounce are used by the thousands. While each angler has his or her own favorite jig color, mine is chartreuse, orange or a mixture of both. Personal preference and previous success will generally dictate each angler’s choice of color and size.

During the early weeks of spring, I prefer to tip my jig with a minnow. Once the water surface temperature reaches 48 degrees, I forgo the use of all live bait and only tip my jigs with plastics.

“Jigging is a great way to fish,” says Bill Dougherty of Bottom Line Bait and Tackle in Brownstown. “But a lot of the larger fish are caught by handliners. This is a technique that goes back to the 1920s and is just as successful today as it was then.”

Access to the Detroit River can be obtained from several launches along its shoreline. The Wyandotte Boat Ramp on Jefferson can be reached by calling (734) 284-6774. For charter or guide service, call (313) 388-5847 or go to www.truefishing.com. Bait and tackle can be purchased near the river in Ecorse at The Dip Net. They can be reached by calling (313) 388-5811. Bottom Line Bait and Tackle can be reached at (734) 379-9762.