Traverse City Ciscoe
Oct 7, 2021 09:53:03 #
Mgiven
Loc: Michigan
Taking the boat up to Traverse City next week to fish while the wife is in a conference. Has anybody fished for them up there? 1st time for me. I've heard they use Swedish pimple type lures and jig. Thx in advance. Mark
Oct 7, 2021 10:33:23 #
Mark,
The tricky thing can be to find them. Right now they should be in anywhere from 70' to 110' feet of water in general. If you launch from West Bay at Greilickville Marina try out near the East side of the "Red 8" bouy, which is not very far out of the harbor. They charge $10 for a daily fee normally, but at this point in the season the attendants may not be there and they do not use a self serve box for the honor system. I get the annual pass for $70, which is a great deal. They also have a very nice fish cleaning station...brand new as of this year! You can also find them scattered to the North, along the West side of the Bay. There are 2 other regional "free" DNR launches located in that Bay...Bowers harbor and one up South of Suttons Bay. From either of those 2 spots, provided you are in good weather depth, you can find them.
East Bay is my favorite place to fish from a boat for them, but the East Arm DNR launch has really gone to pot this season with terrible pavement potholes and a rugged launch area due to lack of maintenance and over usage by boaters. Just be careful of your tires if you use that one! My favorite area is along the Westerly side...towards the South end of the Bay.
There are not a ton of folks going after them, but if you see any boats anchored or hovering out deep in small boats, you'll know that they are jigging for the ciscoes. They are delicious grilled as fresh caught, and be sure to skin them before cooking, otherwise the'll taste a bit fishy!
My best producing jigs are locally made and I think only available at Roy's General store located at Three Mile Road and Hammond Road, about 2 Miles South of the State Park on the beach front of East Bay.
Hopefully you can get out on a calm day, otherwise you need a "spot lock", long anchor line or back troll. You will probably catch whitefish and lake trout in the process, which is fun...but remember that laker season in both Bays is closed right now until later in the Winter.
Good luck!
The tricky thing can be to find them. Right now they should be in anywhere from 70' to 110' feet of water in general. If you launch from West Bay at Greilickville Marina try out near the East side of the "Red 8" bouy, which is not very far out of the harbor. They charge $10 for a daily fee normally, but at this point in the season the attendants may not be there and they do not use a self serve box for the honor system. I get the annual pass for $70, which is a great deal. They also have a very nice fish cleaning station...brand new as of this year! You can also find them scattered to the North, along the West side of the Bay. There are 2 other regional "free" DNR launches located in that Bay...Bowers harbor and one up South of Suttons Bay. From either of those 2 spots, provided you are in good weather depth, you can find them.
East Bay is my favorite place to fish from a boat for them, but the East Arm DNR launch has really gone to pot this season with terrible pavement potholes and a rugged launch area due to lack of maintenance and over usage by boaters. Just be careful of your tires if you use that one! My favorite area is along the Westerly side...towards the South end of the Bay.
There are not a ton of folks going after them, but if you see any boats anchored or hovering out deep in small boats, you'll know that they are jigging for the ciscoes. They are delicious grilled as fresh caught, and be sure to skin them before cooking, otherwise the'll taste a bit fishy!
My best producing jigs are locally made and I think only available at Roy's General store located at Three Mile Road and Hammond Road, about 2 Miles South of the State Park on the beach front of East Bay.
Hopefully you can get out on a calm day, otherwise you need a "spot lock", long anchor line or back troll. You will probably catch whitefish and lake trout in the process, which is fun...but remember that laker season in both Bays is closed right now until later in the Winter.
Good luck!
My favorite ciscoe jigs...Swedish Pimples will work as well...greens, blues and whites are best color choices...along with chrome.
Oct 9, 2021 19:39:34 #
As a quick follow up for you...
I was bass fishing in East Bay today...out of the East Arm DNR launch site on the East side of Old Mission Peninsula, and there were about 6 boats out deep jigging for the cisco's . I did not speak with any of the guys in person, but back on shore a DNR officer advised me that the boats have been typically bringing in about a half dozen fish per trip. They were out in about 120' of water for the most part...which is deeper than I thought they would be at this time of season. Everybody was staying within a mile of the launch, but the fish move around and you just need to find them. They are typically grazing near bottom...but sometimes may be suspended.
Almost went out tonight myself via kayak, but got sidetracked with some house chores! If the weather tames down I will be out there at least a few times to give it a try. Fresh cisco on the grill is delicious...better than lake trout in my opinion!
I was bass fishing in East Bay today...out of the East Arm DNR launch site on the East side of Old Mission Peninsula, and there were about 6 boats out deep jigging for the cisco's . I did not speak with any of the guys in person, but back on shore a DNR officer advised me that the boats have been typically bringing in about a half dozen fish per trip. They were out in about 120' of water for the most part...which is deeper than I thought they would be at this time of season. Everybody was staying within a mile of the launch, but the fish move around and you just need to find them. They are typically grazing near bottom...but sometimes may be suspended.
Almost went out tonight myself via kayak, but got sidetracked with some house chores! If the weather tames down I will be out there at least a few times to give it a try. Fresh cisco on the grill is delicious...better than lake trout in my opinion!
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