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Drummond Island--Hook, Line, and Sinker
By: Steve Galea
 If you're the kind of person who enjoys dropping a line in the water, Drummond Island and the immediate area is a great place to be. Whether you prefer to fish the big water or watch a bobber dance off the dock, angling opportunities abound. For the visitor, it's just a matter of talking to the right people.
The island, Michigan's largest, is uniquely situated in some of the finest water that the north country has to offer. With 136 miles of shoreline an angler can choose to fish the famed waters of Lake Huron, the island's sheltered coves and bays, or mainland streams. The St. Mary's river and North Channel, well known for salmon and steelhead, are also nearby.
Open water angling begins with the spring perch run which ends around April. A popular sporting event, perch fishermen can catch these tasty panfish, usually in the eight- to ten-inch range and in good numbers. Most anglers will chase schools with boats, but at this time of year, perch are also easily caught from the docks. Typically, bobber and worm rigs are effective but so too are slip bobbers and micro-jigs or small minnows. When the perch are in, they are just pure fun. Even after the run is complete, panfish (rock bass, sunfish, and perch) are easily caught in local waters.
A smelt run begins approximately mid- to late April and generally lasts about a week. It's a local favorite. But beginning May 15, the real fun begins. That's when fishermen can begin pursuing pike and walleye in the numerous coves and bays surrounding Drummond Island and along the mainland. For an update on the mainland fishing scene, I gave the folks at The Great Outdoors sporting goods shop in nearby Cedarville a call to find out what's happening in the area. Mike was kind enough to enlighten me on key angling events and popular local tactics.
 Standard fare such as the Red and White Dardevles and Five of Diamonds can pay their way with pike averaging 24 to 30 inches. Sucker minnows rigged under a big float take their share of these bruisers too. Just remember to let the fish take the bobber under for a while before you set the hook. Pike need to turn the bait head first to swallow. Rapalas are also a good choice, as walleye will also take them.
Fish around many of Drummond island’s weedy shallow bays as the season starts. Pike often strike in explosive ambushes. When a big one decides he wants dinner, it's a pure adrenaline rush. Don't forget to use a wire leader; these guys have sharp teeth.
However, if a shore lunch on one of Drummond's beautiful dolomite beaches is more to your liking, walleye is probably the fish for you. In the early season, these schooling fish can be found in the drop offs and in the shallower water just offshore. Deep working minnow imitations like Wally Divers and bucktail jigs can bring them in the boat as quick as anything. If you prefer trolling, worm spinner rigs work well. So too do slip sinker rig's baited with minnows or nightcrawlers when back trolling or drifting. Generally, the key is to bounce bottom. Once you've located a school, mark it, if possible, with a float, and work it well.
There's also mainland steelhead action with float rigs, spinners or fly rods. And while low water levels have made some creeks unfishable, others like the Albany have decent runs of these migratory rainbows. Average size is between 20 and 25 inches.
The statewide bass season opens on May 26 and those that know Drummond Island's smallmouth shoals can hardly wait. Anglers battle some real lunkers each year and numbers are good enough to keep them coming back. There's a thousand tried and true ways for smallmouth, but on calm days Pop-R's and other a surface plugs provide exciting action. Other times inline spinners like Panther Martin's and shallow diving Rapalas are solid choices. And bronzebacks caught on a fly rod can be addictive.
 Add to these a herring run that sees locals using cane poles and stone fly nymph imitations, and summertime charter boat salmon and steelhead action, and you can see that the Drummond Island angler has a well-rounded sporting life. While there are guides out of Hessel and Cedarville, most lodges and cottage renters can point a visiting angler to a local hot spot and that magic lure. Boat rentals are also easily obtained on Drummond Island and touring the island’s many bays, coves, and outlying islands is one of life's rare pleasures. Of course, it could only be improved by a fish on the end of the line. On Drummond, both possibilities exist.
License fees for nonresidents vary from $7 for a 24 hour all-species permit to $41 for a year-round All Species permit. Michigan's Free Fishing Weekend Celebration is on June 9 and 10, 2001. There are several grades of resident licenses too. For more information on these and Michigan's fishing regulations visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website at http://www.midnr.com/. Licenses can be purchased on-line.
Copyright © 2001 Steve Galea. All rights reserved.
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