My 12 Month Fishing Calendar - West Michigan
January - January can be such a toss up with options. One constant is definitely perch fishing. Hungry schools of “white belly” perch are roaming Muskegon Lake somewhere and I’m usually trying to find them either on the ice or in the boat. It just depends on how the winter is shaping up. I’ll also be looking to get out on the small water in search of first ice bluegills. Grand River Bayous, small lakes, or protected areas on the big lakes are first to freeze. Fishing can be really good or a challenge to get to the best water dependent on ice conditions and snowfall. There is always a lot of spudding around in January to prevent falling through. On years with extended boat time this can be one of the most fun times to get out on Lake Michigan. Steelhead, brown trout, and some of the most incredible lake trout action can be found. Usually this time of year we are fishing 20-60 feet and not right up on the beach. A spoon/crankbait program on short coppers/leadcore and divers works the best out of my duck boat. If weather does not allow for boat access and piers are not iced up there are plenty of surprises lurking around the pavement too. Whitefish, walleye, lakers, and browns are all possible if you put in some time.
February - February isn’t a whole lot different than January. One big difference is I have abandoned bluegill fishing. There isn’t a whole lot of adventure in chasing bluegills on small water for me but it is nice grocery shopping. February usually means mixing in some walleye time on Muskegon Lake if we have good ice and that can be incredibly frustrating. Short bite windows on the wallyes are the norm for me as I usually am spending a lot of my time chasing Lake Michigan perch around Muskegon Lake. I also turn as much of my attention as I can to lake trout and burbot up north. If ice conditions allow those are my favorite species to target without question. We have had years where the boat never goes away and in that case we are still chasing the trolling bite and the deepwater perch on Muskegon Lake.
March - In years with good ice, this is burbot time if I can make a trip. Locally I’m following the Lake Michigan perch back to the west end of Muskegon Lake. Trolling is still going on but the depths targeted are trending shallower. Browns are more of the target and I spend most of my time in less than 20 feet. It can be a lot of fun and you never know what you might catch. The bass boat usually hops out of hibernation for some of the best trips of the season. Fish that are schooled up and in winter pattern can account for huge number days. This is also one of my favorite times to use jigging tactics for lakers, ciscoes, and burbot on the big water either locally or to the north. It might still be cold but we have had some epic March trips. Also if you can get to a West Michigan pier…you never know what you are going to catch in that cold water. All around March is one of my favorite months to fish out of the year.
April - Things usually take a little bit of time to warm up with us being so close to Lake Michigan. Fish in the lakes start moving shallower and you can really take your pick of what to target. It can be a fantastic time to watch bobbers drop with cold water panfish. A bunch of different bass presentations come into play in April vs March when it was just a couple things. Coho fishing can be fantastic both off the pier and in the boat and the Lake Michigan smallies become vulnerable to capture. Lake Michigan walleye fishing can also be fantastic in this month but you didn’t hear that from me.
May - This is the do anything you want month for sure. We are finally getting some warm weather in West Michigan (sometimes). Fishing is almost too easy and you can find a ton of fish just looking around with your eyes. My favorite focus in May is the king salmon bite in Lake Michigan. Every rod in the spread is in productive water and you get lots of bites. Trolling is the most boring thing in the world without lots of bites (then it is a lot of fun) so this is the time to get out there and fill the cooler with cold water salmon. The bass fishing is also on fire and is so good on the lakeshore that it at times can be boring. But it is a great time to get some batting practice in for June tournaments and also get the kids on some fast action panfish trips.
June - Bass tournaments get rolling in June and that really takes over. June is the month of the alewife spawn though and can offer up some of the best evening fishing of the season. Get around some spawning alewives with a topwater in your hand and you may just experience the magic of 3 pounders eating everything that moves. The panfishing is also pretty good in this month and the girls will always get out for a few trips. Salmon fishing usually fades a little bit but there are still fish to be caught especially early on and then late in the month as it transitions to July. It also has some strong periods of pier activity related to the alewives coming, going, and spawning around the walls. It is the great American drum run! Get to the pier, chuck something shiny, and hang on!
July - This month is bass month. I don’t usually have much time for anything else. The weeds are growing and the largemouths are getting into their summer pattern, it doesn’t get much better than this. Sometimes the girls will want to dabble in some panfishing fishing and salmon fishing gets going again. The water in Lake Michigan stratifies and deeper presentations start to shine out there. I also usually make a family trip up north this time of year. That means Lake trout on Grand Traverse Bay, smallmouth all over up there, and sometimes some unique big lake opportunities in the bass boat.
August - More bass! But it changes, young of year shad start to play and schooling fish become a factor. It can be feast or famine this time of year and always a challenge. I’ll be looking hard for a lake flip and some king salmon to enter the drowned river mouth lakes. The jigging stuff is always ready to go in August. It takes some sort of special event at this time of year for me to be interested in trolling for them.
September - King salmon are running the show now and unless I have a bass tournament, I’m not fishing for much else. We did figure out an awesome catfish bite while salmon fishing this year that the girls really enjoyed. Piers offer options for salmon and any day is a good day to make a few casts. You just never know when a king will be passing through and want to bite. If I do need to do some bass fishing, I am going to continue to key in on areas where they are eating young of year shad. It can be brutal or it can be a lot of fun.
October - This is D&R Classic month and the last bass tournament of the year. It’s always a 2 day event which makes it interesting and out of town with a fun crew of guys. I did go river fishing for salmon for the first time in the lower river this year. I wasn’t mad at that trip for sure and it is something I will absolutely do again. I’m also looking for some calm days to get back out on Lake Michigan for juvenile salmon and some feisty steelhead. If I want to switch things up there is a big migration of perch and panfish to the shallows on Muskegon Lake. It can be a lot of fun for the kids and provide the first few cold water fish dinners of the year.
November - I really should bass fish this time of year some but that boat is put away. I’m probably taking a few trips looking for the Lake Michigan perch that come into Muskegon Lake and trying some walleyes once in awhile. Big Lake fishing is heating up again with lake trout coming inshore to spawn and steelhead staging to run the rivers. Any calm day presents a good opportunity on the pier to catch literally anything that swims in Lake Michigan. The whitefish run happens here too but I haven’t gone in quite a few years.
December - December is pretty much the same thing as November although I’ll be on the look out for any first ice opportunities on the bayous, inland lakes, or protected areas on Muskegon Lake. Safety is always number one this time of year but it is always cool to get out in December. We’ve also taken the boat to those places that historically are good first ice and usually the bluegills are still there.
