LisaMarie Loc: Monroe,Mi

Good morning! I usually go Walleye fishing with my dad, who is 76, out on Lake Erie. I live about 30 minutes away from Detroit. He has been taking me fishing since I was around 7 years old. He is getting up there in age and I am looking to hand down some of what he taught me to any of my three children who are interested. Right now it seems to be my oldest son, who is 18 and my youngest son, who is 9. My daughter is 15 and was interested until she discovered boys. I am sure she will come back around. Anyway, on vaca with the fam in Ludington, MI. Wanted to give Steelhead a try. Never been and know very little. Hoping I can use this forum to guide me where to go. Also, looking to fish in the Detroit River this year for Walleye. Dad always just waits for the Lake. Hoping to take him on the river for a new experience.

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Welcome LisaMarie,
I am certain that some of our regular experts will be along to share some tips and tricks. Glad you’re getting out and sharing with your kids! Good luck!

E.pa.al Loc: Martin's Creek

Welcome to fs,Lisa. Good luck

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Welcome aboard Lisa Marie. Fishyaker is from up there somewhere. He should be along soon. Good luck on your adventures.

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Welcome to the Stage LisaMarie. Congratulations on passing down your love of fishing to your children. Someone will bring along with some good advice for you. Good Luck and Tight Lines.

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

Welcome to the stage Lisa Marie, good for you to get your kids into fishing. If some others don't see this. You might start another thread about steelhead fishing in Ludington MI. Good luck girl an share your pics of your adventures 🤗

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Just noticing your post about going after steelhead in Ludington, MI. Most folks that give this area a serious run for the money will stalk the banks and wadeable waters of public land way upstream as far as Baldwin...but that whole process can get tricky with public land access. The Pere Marquette River is best fished via a driftboat, which also has built in logistics involved unless you decide to use a local guide...which can be a wise choice if it fits into your timing and budget.

The easiest and most convenient thing to do would be to walk out on the breakwall and fish right at the mouth of the river in Ludington itself. A super simple approach would be to set up a one or 2 ounce pyramid sinker below about 3 feet of leader that has a spawn sack on a single hook for bait. Be sure the spawn sack has a few "styrofoam" colored beads inside to keep the sack off bottom and suspended around a foot or so. The weight will depend on the river flow rate. You want your bait to sit still and not drift away with the current going outlake to the West.

Cast your bait rig Southerly into the river side of the pier and let it set still in a solid rod holder arrangement. If you have second rod available for long casting, equip it with a mid sized Little Cleo or Luhr Jensen Crocodile spoon and do some casting on the uplake side to the North...while keeping a keen eye on that spawn sack rig! For the spoons I would go with a silver/blue chrome or gold/red chrome coloration. There will be some coasting brown trout and coho in the vicinity too.

Quick addendum comments:

1. The breeze off the lake will make it quite cold on the pier, so remember to bring appropriate attire for the day when fishing out there.

2. A great sporting good shop in Ludington will be Captain Jack's II, located at 75 North Jebavy Drive. 231-843-4458. Very well equipped store with great local knowledge.

Good luck at Ludington, as well as when you pursue the walleye back home!

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

Great advice. I caught lots of fish in Lake Ontario with Little Cleo’s.

beardman Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Welcome Lisa my dad and uncle took me fishing I Lake Erie and had a great time and now I live at the other end of the state and don't get there much. Good luck on the steelhead sounds like your got good advice.

rstringer Loc: Michigan

Check these videos for Steelhead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oazZf-pqZh8&feature=youtu.be

Search YouTube for "fighting, landing and releasing steelhead".

These are great for steelhead newbies.

rstringer Loc: Michigan

For anyone who may be interested, the Michigan DNR has a steelhead clinic on April 15th-16th.
The clinic portion on Saturday will be held at the Carl T. Johnson Hunting & Fishing Center in Cadillac.

Here is a link to the location: https://bing.com/maps/default.aspx?where1=6087%20East%20M-115%2C%20Cadillac%2C%20Michigan%2C%2049601

Sunday, we'll meet at Tippe Dam and will be fishing on the Manistee.
This is a DNR sponsored event as part of their Outdoor Skills Academy program. You can check their offerings here: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/education/public/outdoor-skills-academy-events

Note: This is a $30 event.

If you want to go, registration may show up as closed. Keep checking bad often. I got my 2 spots after seeing it sold out for several days so don't give up.

Hope to see you there!

LisaMarie Loc: Monroe,Mi

Wow!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to give me all of this information!! I really appreciate it. This will absolutely be put to use

Steve83 Loc: Flint, mi

Welcome Lisa Marie,
I noticed you didn't get many responses for detroit river walleye. I'm new to this too and getting my son (13) into it. You can find a recent D river thread with some good advice from those more experienced.
However, Detroit river is happening right now. The biggest action is down by Trenton but with the warm weather this week I'm sure that's about to move. The water was packed with boats and the peer was shoulder to shoulder, but most people were catching. My son got two nice ones in 2 hours on 3/4 Oz rainbow jig with white flat tail (anything white was working).
Good luck. Nothing better than watching your kids catch fish.

Whitey Loc: Southeast ohio

Your right Steve, puts joy in your heart. Keep up the good work man 👍