Algoma Spring Brown Trout

April 2nd isn't exactly "early" for spring Brown Trout fishing, but this year it was the first opportunity to get a 19' boat in the water due to the unusual cold and snow that we have been hampered with over the past two weeks.  We launched the boat in the Ahnapee River and headed towards the big lake. 

The weather was ideal for trolling for Brown Trout, an offshore breeze, light in the morning and blowing pretty good by the afternoon.  Temperatures were in the mid 30's when we launched, and climbed into the mid 40's by the time we called it a day around 1:00. 

Since the 3 boats ahead of us had all went north of the Harbor, we decided to head south in search of some warm dirty water and hungry Brown Trout.  We set up about a half mile north of the pump house, which is about 2 miles north of Kewaunee and began trolling south.

Within 20 minutes we had our first fish on!  Unfortunately the fish came unhooked within seconds, starting our season off with a swing and miss.  We weren't discouraged, and kept on trolling.  Water temps were 36° to 37° for the longest time, then it began warming up and getting some color to it.  Just as we noticed the water conditions improving, a board yanked back and I yelled "Fish On"!  This fish made its way to the net after a two or three minute battle. The fish, a 4 pound Brown Trout, hit on a Purple #11 Floating Rapala.

After trolling for another half hour in the warmer water with not another hit, we made the decision to head south to fish in front of the Kewaunee River.  It soon became apparent that we had made the right decision!  Our first pass through the gap was quiet, but the second pass resulted in a brief hookup with a nice Rainbow that jumped several times before throwing the hook, and then a 3 pound Brown Trout that came on a Clown Husky Jerk.

Just as we had finished the pass, two other boats showed up and began fishing the same area as we had just had the action in.  We continued fishing the area, despite being pushed off of our spot twice by the same boat that moved in on us.  Lake Michigan is the second largest lake in America, but sometimes guys feel they need to be right where you are in order to catch fish! 

Catch of the Day

We stuck our spot out and continued getting bit or catching a fish on just about every pass we made through the spot.  After an hour or so , the other two boats had seen enough and gave up on the spot.  This allowed us to get back to our proper pass and catch some more fish!

We ended the day going 6-10, which is a good start to a hopefully great season on the big pond!  If we would've ran down to Kewaunee first thing in the morning I would bet that we would've caught twice as many!  Oh well, I am just glad we found the fish when we did!  All of our fish were cookie cutter Browns that will taste great on the grill or in the smoker! 

This time of year is tough for me, since there are so many different fishing opportunities happening at the same time.  Trolling for Browns is good, the Steelies are in the rivers, the Walleyes are making their spawning runs, late ice Panfish are on fire, and the Brewers are back at it!  Get out and enjoy the outdoors, as this is one of the busiest times of the year for fishing opportunities!