Last weekend marked the opening of bass fishing season as well as the 34th Annual Henderson Harbor bass and walleye derby.  Both were a tremendous success, with Don Payne of LaFargeville placing first in the bass division with a nice 5 lb. 4 oz. smallmouth, and Tim Queior of Dexter snagging first with his 11 lb. 3 oz. walleye beauty.  Cash prizes went to the top five place holders in both divisions.

Perch fishing has been exceptional this year, with some particularly large ones caught off Gull and Bass Islands, Campbell's Shoal and along the east shore in Henderson Harbor.

Anglers brought in lake trout from many different areas, most notably the shipping lanes, off Sandy Pond, the finger and Stony Point lighthouse, and southwest of big Galloo and Calf Islands in 90 to 140 feet of water.

This report is  in conjunction with information supplied by Bob Dick of Moby Dick Charters, http://mobydickcharters.com

Really!  This past Friday, Captain Scott Lennox brought in a 38 lb. 4 oz. lake trout, and Captain Bob Dick had a 24 lb. catfish.  Saw some a lot of nice pike and some eyes, too. Hot spots continue to include Black River Bay,  Chaumont and off Point Peninsula.  Perch fishing was strong in the harbor again this past week. 

Last weekend's spring derby in Henderson Harbor drew 275 adults and seven youth contestants, a 40 percent increase over the last few years.  Nice fish were caught in all four categories, with first place sizes being: lake trout 18 lbs. 12 oz., brown trout 12 lbs. even, walleye 12 lbs. 5 oz. (anything unde 11 lbs. didn't even place in the walleye division!) and northern pike 15 lbs. 10 oz.  Hope to have pictures up on the site soon.  First place winners in each category took home over a thousand dollars if they also participated in the optional cash bash.

Fishing for walleyes and browns then got spotty this past week, but anglers saw plenty of northern pike and pickerel action. Hot spots for these and the occasional walleye continued to include Black River Bay, Guffin Bay and Chaumont Bay.    Trolling in Henderson Harbor also resulted in some nice pike.  Best lures were Thundersticks, Smithwicks and Reef Runners in silver/black, silver/blue. silver/green and silver/orange.  Perch and bullhead fishing were strong in the harbor; other nice spots for perch fishing were near the cut and off the high rocks.  Those going for perch used mostly live bait, some liking night crawlers and others using minnows.

Smallmouth bass have already been biting, so we're looking forward to the season opening in a few weeks, as well as the bass derby we'll be having here that weekend.  We'll have derby details on the site soon, or you can call the marina for some general information.

...fishing in the Henderson Harbor area has been very good so far.  Contestants in this week's Spring Classic Fishing Derby have brought in nice catches in all four categories--northerns, walleye, browns and lakers.

Most of the walleye action so far has been over at Black River Bay and Sackets Harbor.  Popular lures include black and silver Bombers, Reef Runners, Smithwicks and Thundersticks.  Anglers have caught northerns there, too; other hot spots for these pike have included Snowshoe Bay and Whites Bay using suckers and spinnerbaits. 

For browns, you'll want to check out the waters off the sandy beaches.  Some have had better results with sticks, and some with spoons.  Working colors have included blue/silver, black/silver, green/silver and sticks with orange.

If you're looking to do some brown trout fishing, come on up to Henderson Harbor!  One local captain in particular had limits three days in a row late this week.  You'll find them south of us, off the sandy beaches.  Michigan spoons in silver/black, silver/black/blue, silver/black/red and silver/black/green have been the hot lures.  Saw some laker action this week as well.