Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 49F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Rain likely. Low near 40F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.

Breakwater fishing hasn’t been great the last several years. High water levels and lower steelhead populations have combined to create issues for anglers.

But there’s some good news. First, Lake Michigan’s water level is down 10 inches from a year ago and 34 inches from the all-time October record. That means fewer breakwater closures due to water washing over and fewer rafts of dunegrass that wash in and wipe out your lines. It also means clearer water, because the clay-stained water of the last few years was really not productive for fishing. Second, there are more steelhead out there and more big steelhead. Anglers fishing in boats the last couple weeks have connected with some nice fish. It’s only a matter of time until those fish are in reach for shore anglers.

Typically, mid-October is the start of the pier fishing season, which lasts until ice buildup makes the pier too treacherous to traverse.

What do you need to get started and what secrets are there to success on area breakwaters? Read on to find out.

Experienced diehard steelhead anglers will pick a breakwater based on water temperature and wind direction, but the vast majority just go to the one closest to them. Having said that, Ludington’s North Breakwater, South Breakwater and Manistee’s two piers are the busiest spots. If you don’t need to be high-and-dry above the water, you can work the shorelines at area beaches by surfcasting.

Where do I go? I look at what the wind direction has been for the last three days. If the water has been piling into a structure for three days and then the wind lets up, usually you’ll have some success in the days that follow. But that wind can also pile in the trash and dirty up the water. So you want to look for where the water starts to clear up first after a big blow when you’re selecting a fishing location. You don’t want gin-clear water if you can help it, but you also don’t want to fish in the mud.

Your spinning rods should be in the 7-to-10 foot range for breakwater fishing, but longer if you’re surfcasting. As far as the action, most rods today are marked “steelhead” or “noodle” action, so it makes them fairly easy to find. You’ll want spinning reels in the 300-to-400 size (or 3000 to 4000, depending on manufacturer). The biggest things you need for fishing steelhead are a rod that will apply light pressure to the fish when you’re reeling, but be forgiving when they turn and make their runs. And you’ll need a smooth drag on your reel for those runs. More fish are lost to people horsing the fish than are lost to being patient and playing them out. I use 8-pound test monofilament, generally speaking, but you can use a heavier running line if you use lighter line on your leaders.

You’ll want to rig with a sliding sinker so that the fish don’t detect the weight when they grab your spawn bag. To do this, you’ll want a sinker clip, an assortment of half-ounce to two-ounce pyramid sinkers, barrel swivels and beads. First, thread a sinker clip on your line, then thread on a bead, then tie on a barrel swivel. The sinker goes on the clip according to the current and wind conditions you’re fishing. You don’t need many two-ounce sinkers because you won’t use them often. Generally, a half-ounce to one ounce does the job. Now to your leader. Many anglers I know use fluorocarbon leaders. It’s clear, not buoyant and has little to no stretch. People like it because it’s marketed as “invisible” to the fish. I, too, use fluorocarbon, but it’s important to check it with your fingers every time you bring it in. Although it’s abrasion-resistant, it’s not as tough as monofilament in my experience. A simple nick in it seems to weaken it much more than the same damage would weaken mono.

Your leader length should vary by conditions. For flat water with some stain and current, you can shorten your leader to 18 inches, but if it’s calm and clear, you’ll want to go longer. The difference between a good pier angler and a great one is how they present their spawn bags and a big part of that is leader length.

I use size 6 or 8 octopus hooks and I use a variety of fluorescent colors when the water is stained. When it’s clear, I will use a bronze, red or black hook.

First, find fresh spawn if you can. Call your friends and find some. If you can’t do that, find some frozen. If all that fails, go to the tackle shop and try to buy fresh spawn bags. The preserved bags in jars should be your last resort.

Coho spawn seems to out-produce chinook spawn most days, but there’s a lot that goes into that formula. How fresh is the spawn? How is it tied, etc.

Preparing your spawn bags is where you separate yourself as an angler. Some days the fish want floating spawn bags, some days they want them laying on bottom. Some days the fish want bright colors, other days, they want muted colors. I’d love to tell you there’s a formula, but there’s not. They just want pink mesh with yellow floaters one day, orange with white floaters another. And, honestly, we don’t even know that color is why they are picking one over another. But it’s good to come armed with them all because some days, it sure seems like color is a determining factor in whose line gets bit.

How big should your spawn bags be? I’m not sure this matters a ton. I generally try to have bags that range in size from slightly smaller than a pinball to slightly larger than a pinball.

So now you’ve got your rod, reel, line, sinkers and bait. It’s time to go fishing. If you’re going to be on the beach, you’ll want rodholders at least 3 feet tall. You can make these out of electrical conduit and PVC pipe or you can find some locally. If you’re on the breakwater, you don’t need them that long and you’re better off using a small-diameter re-bar to use as a post. You can still use PVC for the portion that holds your rod. I have rodholders that are roughly 2 feet long for the breakwater. If you are fishing in waves and have short rods, longer rodholders will keep your line up out of the waves, which is nice because it leaves your bait where you cast it.

If you’re going to fish the breakwaters, you’re going to need a long-handled net. Go to your local breakwater and check out the distance to the water where you would be fishing. Yes, it’s possible to fight fish to the beach or to a lower spot on the pier, but you’re going to make a lot of other anglers angry if you do that. So go and spend the money on a landing net and rig it up with a handle long enough to reach the water where you fish. Chances are, someone on the pier will have a net and net your fish just to keep it out of their lines, but you never know if help will be available. Come prepared.

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