Lake Michigan East Shore?

[AustinV]

Heading up Aug 8 for a few days to Benton Harbor, MI for a wedding. Contemplating bringing my boat to hit some smallies. How does that eastern shore fish? I have good experience on Lake Ontario, but that eastern Lake MI shore doesn't look like it has much for humps/points/underwater structure. It looks like there's a lot more going on down by the Gary, IN Steel mills. Is there a fair amount of rock piles out and about that a fella can SI and get into some decent smallies. Also how nasty does it get with a north or west wind (assuming they would make it the most rough)

Thanks

[Jasonrs]

Can't answer most of your questions. I can tell you that the great lakes get extremely nasty with any wind. There are at least 1,500 shipwrecks in lake Michigan, only about 300 have been found.

[Smallie Nation]

Outside of fishing the pier heads going out to Lake Michigan there’s nothing else to fish on the big lake until like you said you’re further south near the Chicago/Gary harbors or further north in the large bays.

[AustinV]

Can't answer most of your questions. I can tell you that the great lakes get extremely nasty with any wind. There are at least 1,500 shipwrecks in lake Michigan, only about 300 have been found.

I know that, I’ve spent a lot of time on Lake Ontario where even a 5-7mph wind gets it going 10-15 is rough, 20 don’t even think about it.

[AustinV]

Outside of fishing the pier heads going out to Lake Michigan there’s nothing else to fish on the big lake until like you said you’re further south near the Chicago/Gary harbors or further north in the large bays.

how depressing to be near all that water and it to be so baron lol. The harbor doesn’t look too enticing either. I think Lake Michigan is lacking a bit compared to Ontario. Any experience down by Gary? Bite decent with some 3+ pounders at least?

[jpd_hack]

West wind at St Joe will be really rough especially with the current pushing against the wind. Straight north is doable if you stay inside the pier heads but either direction can result in really big water.

As others have said, you’re looking for a needle in a haystack in the main lake.

The pier heads are hit or miss for the smallies in my experience. There are lots of smaller smallmouth and largemouth up the river but I’d be careful in a glass boat.

[Smallie Nation]

how depressing to be near all that water and it to be so baron lol. The harbor doesn’t look too enticing either. I think Lake Michigan is lacking a bit compared to Ontario. Any experience down by Gary? Bite decent with some 3+ pounders at least?

The northern part of the lake is world class smallmouth fishing but West and SW Michigan Salmon fishing is the main deal. We just have dunes dropping off into deep water with no real rock or grass. Luckily the drowned river mouth lakes that feed into Lake Michigan are great fisheries and very plentiful.

I’m on Lake Michigan an hour or 2 north of Benton Harbor and have never fished the main lake for bass. However I will say the biggest school of smallmouth I’ve even seen was right where one of the drown River mouth lakes dumped into Lake Michigan. Technically caught them in Lake Michigan but we had an big East wind the night before that had current pushing out hard into the main lake and had the smallmouth stacked there.

[Champ2005]

I fish Lake Michigan and most of what you catch is off man-made structure. The southern end of Lake Michigan is really just a giant sand bowl which lacks offshore structure. In Illinois you do have shoals that you can fish as well and they do produce some decent smallies. We catch 3-4lb fish pretty regularly and there have been 5-7lb fish caught, but it's seasonally dependent. Spring and late Fall are your best bets for larger smallmouth. I also spend time in Michigan and have fished there since I was young. I love the upper lower pennisula. As others have said when you're on big water it can get quite nasty and quickly, so keep an eye on the weather. The St. Joe river can give a decent opportunity at some decent smallmouth as well. The best bet for large smallmouth is north....period.

[bigbass201]

Lake Michigan north near the top of the LP of Michigan is really good. You're by Traverse Bay there as well. Lots of rocks and points.

[thedude]

st joe harbor and the river can be good especially the later in the year you get.

LM smallies on our side are basically pelagic. There's a lot more than people think, they just arent very easily targeted. Most of the river mouths have a population that lives in proximity and those fish will move in and out based on a lot of different factors - bait moving into the river, LM temp flipping (very cold), etc. You usually don't see a lake michigan fish under 3.5-4lbs, with many being 5-6.

i wouldn't hesitate to fish the harbor and river area, it will be your best bet.