Salmon Fishing Lake Michigan Door County

Alright guys, the family is heading to Door County for some salmon fishing the first week of July. We have fished Lake Michigan before, but not for a couple of years now. We have down rigging equipment and some dipsy divers but we are looking to add a little bit to our arsenal. I have been looking into some leadcore set ups but I am wondering if it is worth the money. From what I have read, the lead core bite is usually in the spring and early summer, is this true or do you guys run lead in mid summer also? What size of lead line is common and will I be able to use the same set up for walleyes on pool 4?

The pics are from a couple years ago when we drove out to Algoma for a long weekend. Arrived at 3 am, tried to get some sleep until closer to sunrise but with the steady stream of boats launching, we decided to head out. Didn’t even have the second rigger down and we had a fish in the boat. Caught the five all on the same fly and didn’t have another to put down. Came in after the morning bite and bought a bunch more flies and got ready to drop the hammer the rest of the weekend…but the wind started to blow and we never put another line in the water. That’s fishing big water I guess.

Can’t wait to get back out there. Is there any other IDO’ers that will be fishing the lake during the same time?

Lead core setups can be great all summer long.
I wouldn’t think of going salmon fishing without taking my lead core setups along.
On any given trip, the hot lines can vary from riggers, dipsy’s, lead core or all of the above.

I usually do three trips a summer minimum, but haven’t been in near a decade. The jump in fish size has me interested again and I’m finishing up an 18’er to use this season.

I usually start in the south end of the lake near Two Rivers, then work north to arrive around Labor Day on Rock Island. My best fishing is in that period, but it is really a gear ripper up there. Very tense wandering in and out of the canyons.

I’ve got VHF and will be happy to share info. I guided in the area for 4 seasons and have a PB on 12# of 41.5# in ’84. ‘Spose it will be hard to find another in that size range now.

Hope to go at least twice this year.

When the prefered water temps are closer to the surface (top 50ish feet), long lines and lead core can be deadly all season long, even in the fall!

What size of lead core do you guys usually run?
I know this could change by the day but how much lead line do you load on your reels? 30 yards? 60yards? 100 yards?

My lead core rods setup for salmon fishing: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 & a full core. This is the first year I’ll be running a full core rod. Should have done it last year already but better late than never.
Always let out “all” the lead core on the reel, clip on the board and send her out.
If the fish are in shallow, I leave the deep rods sit. If they are out deeper, the shallow rods usually sit.
The outside boards are always the rods with the least amount of lead core on them regardless.

A typical setup may have a 4 & 5 color setup on the outside boards and a 6 & 7 color on the inside boards. (one on each side of the boat)
I’m planning on running the full core down the pipe this year during the hours when the bite has slowed down.

Thanks for the reply.
Got another question for ya. What type of line do you run on your riggers. In the past we have always ran 20lb mono but just wondering if that’s the norm or are we missing the boat?

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Thanks for the reply.
Got another question for ya. What type of line do you run on your riggers. In the past we have always ran 20lb mono but just wondering if that’s the norm or are we missing the boat?

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I can tell you 20# Power Pro has cost me a couple fish. Next time out, there will be 30# Power Pro on all my gear.

I run a lot of 12# as I like a full reel, especially at nite. To do this, I run a very light drag and big SiWash hooks. The release usually sets the hook for me.

I then set this up with 9′ 12 weight fly rods tied for casting. Makes a rod that most amateurs can’t screw up by horsing too hard.

I would venture that most run 20#.

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Thanks for the reply.
Got another question for ya. What type of line do you run on your riggers. In the past we have always ran 20lb mono but just wondering if that’s the norm or are we missing the boat?

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I run 30# Tuff Line on all my salmon rods. For this kind of fishing, I just haven’t seen a big enough difference from any of the super lines to make a difference. Tuff line works well and is cheaper than Power Pro, Spider Wire, Fireline or any of the others.

30# braid also allows me to put a lot of line on each reel. Twice last year we had salmon take over 500′ of line out on a single run. I consider 800 to 900′ to be the minimum on my reel. If I ever do get a 30lb fish on, getting spooled is the last thing I want to happen.

My leads are all 30# P-Line.

One bad part about being a fishing guide is that I won’t be able to get my first trip of the year in on Lake Michigan until the last weekend in June. Can’t wait to get out on the big lake and tangle with some salmon again!

Considering the new lines, I would probably go with 30# now. It’s so fine now, you can fill up a reel with it quite easily. 12# mono is about the same diameter as the new 30# stuff.

We fish at 3am in 4′ of water quite a bit and the fish have screaming runs for long distances. That extra line does make a difference.

For starters I just want to say that I can’t get enough of the site!! Its remarkable the wealth of knowledge that is on this site and you guys are willing to share it. Thanks!

Picked up two new reels today, both Daiwa Accudepth Plus 47LC. Does anyone have any experience with these reels? I plan on putting 4 core lead on one and 6 core on the other, (27lbs lead line). How much braid (20lb pp)do you guys think I can start with and still have the room for the lead core?

I was also looking at the different planer boards they had at Gander Mountain, do you guys any any experience with Off Shore Side Planer boards? Do you guys have your boards set up to be removed once the line is reel up the the board or do you guys set them up to slide down the lead core to the fish?