family moved near saginaw bay

[Cowboy(WY)]

Uncle has moved near Saginw Bay. He wants me to take him out in new boat he is getting when I go there for vacation in early june. I need some help as to general location and tactics so we can break his new boat in right. Plus I don't want him to think all of my walleye stories are bogus!

Thanks for any help
cowboy

[BobB(MI)]

As the time grows closer, keep an eye on the "Fishing Reports" section here. There are a bunch of us who fish Saginaw Bay and post regularly. You could also do a search in the archives to get some good info from last year.

I know the Michigan Walleye Tour (MWT) has their 3rd qualifier in the inner bay in June - they will be launching out of Hoyle's Marina in Linwood. You can get a bunch of good info from the folks there as well - specially after the tournament.

Good luck - Saginaw Bay is a great success story and one terrific fishery.

Bob

[Dunn]

Saginaw Bay can be one of the most complex, yet fruitful fisheries in the country. Allot of people don't think it produces the big fish
like Erie or places like Ft. Peck. The fact is that those thoughts are wrong. The numbers might not be there as they are with Erie, but
Saginaw Bay still holds some absolute pigs. No doubt to me there are fish out there in the upper teens if not heavier. Saginaw Bay
holds a greater strategic importance then places like the Western Basin of Erie. The Western Basin is a big flat expanding area of water
then gradually deepens until you get a ways east. Saginaw Bay however, holds a very distinct drop off into Lake Huron that brings in
Smelt, Alewives, and all kinds of other bait. Bait that is much more nutritious to the fish then the shad, and perch of the Eastern Basin
of Erie. Going after these fish can sometimes be either extremely simple, or very complex. Depending on your location, water temp
(which is very key), type of skies, barometric pressure, and various other little things the fishing can change from day to day.

Most common the techniques on Saginaw Bay are running Crawler Harness' at slow speeds with big Colorado blades off planer boards
with snap weights. Metallic blades at slow speeds tend to produce the bigger fish. But for this the water usually has to be warm, in the
65-72 degree range. Anything cooler then that the bite usually goes to an aggressive crank bait technique. This involved pulling cranks
at speeds enough to trigger reaction bites. This works best when focusing on a school of fish you've already found. This method also
works as a seeking method though. With the fast speeds (1.5-3 mph) you can cover allot of water, and hopefully drag your crankbait
through a school of fish, and get a reaction bite out of one of them.

Well I hope I was some help, and if you need any more information don't hesitate to email me.

Good luck,
-----------------
Marshall J. Dunn
Bluewater Research, Inc.
(OffShore Release)
N.P.A.A. # 701

[Chairman]

Send me your e-mail address. I will be gone til after the May MWT tournament and then on the bay from June 1 until after the RCL. Maybe we can get a day on the water. Get your planerboards ready. And your Reefrunners.
Bruce #6

[phil wilson # 91]

give me an email. I would be happy to show you around the bay.
Phil #91