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Hey all,

Was looking for some info and came across this site and it appears to be pretty active.  Happy to be part of it and I’ll contribute whatever I can in the future. 

My family and I just moved to SW MI and I’m interested in introducing my oldest son (soon to be 6) to fishing on Lake Michigan.  Don’t have a boat yet but hope to in a few years.  Curious if any of the local pier fishing spots are any good in the spring?   We’re about equal distance between New Buffalo and St. Joe.  Would appreciate any advice anyone can offer.  

Thanks

Welcome to the area and lake m fishing. St joe has better pier fishing opportunities.

Thank you

Welcome aboard!  It will get alot busier around here once the spring season gets underway.  

St. Joe pier is definitely the best of those 2 options for a small kid

Warm clothes, good boots, with yak trax or other cleats is a good idea. Safety first!  It can get slippery out there. And dress warmer than you think you should! 

Most pier guys are pretty friendly and if you ask for tips with a kid in tow, they'll probably help you out

In general, late February through mid-April is a good time for coho. It can be very hit or miss. 

Most people bottom fish with spawn, shrimp, nightcrawlers. Sometimes a deadly tactic is pink/white tube jigs and wax worms under a bobber

1.5 inch PVC tubes on rebar or aluminum angle rods make good rod holders. I use a sinker slide with a big clip, and 1.5 to 2.5 oz pyramid sinkers

  


If you fish the river side starting in mid-May through July, you can catch all sorts of drum, catfish, carp, etc. Can be great fun for the kids

Welcome aboard! I would also recommend the St Joe pier -especially with a little one in tow. You can also choose north or south pier depending on the lake conditions. New Buffalo can be a challenge to navigate the rocks since there is no real structure other than a pile of boulders but there are fish there too. There are usually people on the pier willing to point a new fisherman in the right direction .

looking forward to it.  thanks

Thanks MC_angler, great advice