# Betsie river Michigan



## FatDan (Dec 30, 2012)

Any one ever fish Betsie river or Betsie lake for salmon and steelhead


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Fished them for 8 years untill the Job took over with mega hours. Exxellent in the fall> Tom


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## rutnut245 (Jan 18, 2009)

I've fished it every year for 35+ years. It keeps getting a bit more crowded every year. I've done very well floating skein through the deep holes. I NEVER fish the weekends, just too many people from the upper to the lower. Since the Thompsonville dam blew out the river filled up with sand and filled in a lot of holes and covered a lot off spawning gravel. I'm sure the river will return to it's former glory but it's going to take some time. The salmon fishing is still pretty good but the elevated temps have hurt the steelhead and trout fishing for sure.
I've made some great fishing memories for my son and myself there but I will be fishing some less crowded streams from here on out.


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

I spent a week there last fall with a guy whose been going for decades. Every year same place. We are going again at the end of October same as last year. We split our time between walking down to the Betsie and a short drive to the Platte. There were a ton of salmon in the Betsie and a huge crowd at the dam. We walked a short way down river and had it to ourselves. I only saw one steelhead in the Betsie. It was early yet and they were having problems making it past a sand bar in the mouth of the river. The salmon in the river weren't exactly fresh. I heard "zombie fish" mentioned several times. I still had several hook ups and broken leaders.


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## salmon king (Aug 20, 2008)

We went last year and the year before. The first year we fly fished at the beggining but found the lower harder to fish that way so we switched over to skein and bobber fishing.. we did pretty good with that and their a lot of fresh salmon that year....
Last year on the other hand was terrible. We went up when there was a drought and the betsie lake was super shallow.. the salmon were literally beaching themselves. It was tough fishing.. its better to go when its raining because you wanna be their in the river when they're pushing up...hope this helps if you go
Dustin 
posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## FatDan (Dec 30, 2012)

Thanks for all the good info I am going up the 26-29 never fly fished only spin fished.what do u use in early fall


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## ejsell (May 3, 2012)

Everyone I saw spin fishing was either using skein under a bobber or chucking a piece of fish shaped lead with giant treble hooks and jerking them back until they snagged something. The trees were covered with yarn flies so they must also be used a lot. I was fly fishing and had several hookups using a olive wooly buggers.


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## FatDan (Dec 30, 2012)

I have a boat would it be a good idea to take it to fish Betsie lake? I have never been there my boat is 16.5 foot deep v with a 50 hp. And what is in the lake?


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## Lundfish (Apr 7, 2010)

I was on the Pere Marquette river over the weekend. Just like the Betsie but there are more people on the Betsie I believe.

Skein and bobber will work. Cranks and spinners will produce as well. It's tough to get the fish to bite unless there are a LOT pushing through.

You'll find that most people are flossing fish. They use wooly buggers, egg sucking leeches, egg patterns like sucker spawn. They have a weight to get to the bottom with a 3 or 4 foot leader with the fly on. Then they work the weight back toward them and the weight keeps the fly on the bottom. Because the salmon are opening their mouths and facing upstream and laying on the bottom, the line will go right in their mouths and BAM, fish on!

You'll find that is a method that about 90% of the people fishing on that river will do. It's called snagging the fish in the mouth, or flossing, or lining. People do it in OH also for steelhead during the spawn.


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## FatDan (Dec 30, 2012)

Thanks to everyone had to cancel trip my mom is very sick at OSU hospital


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

FatDan said:


> I have a boat would it be a good idea to take it to fish Betsie lake? I have never been there my boat is 16.5 foot deep v with a 50 hp. And what is in the lake?


Salmon and Browns in the lake and a few big pike. I used to fish it out of a 14 footer with a 30 on back , It don't blow up to bad at all. Fish it all the way out to the peir heads. Drag a few jets or dipsys and watch the depth. Tom ------ Hope your mom gets better.


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