Fishing Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan

When visiting Rosewood Pointe there are many different ways to go fishing:

1. Fishing from the docks at Rosewood Pointe. This is the easiest route to get in on the action. The docks are always a source for multitudes of pan fish including bluegills, sunnies, crappies and perch. Great for all ages. For the more serious anglers largemouth and smallmouth bass are in abundance, as well as walleyes, catfish and sheephead. Many a fishin pole are lost each year because the poles are left untended!
   
   
2. Boat fishing. Rosewood Pointe offers non-motorized watercraft for use at no charge by the guests. As long as you wear your life jacket, feel free to row to the spot of your choosing and fish away. Please tie the boat back up when you return. Additionally, all guests are encouraged to bring boats up to 45' in length and use any of the boat slips at the resort at no charge.
   
   
3. Pier fishing. Four miles down the road is the Holland State Park. There are a bunch of places to fish at the Holland State Park. Many will fish the channel for walleye and pan fish and some will fish the pier heads for salmon, brown trout and jumbo perch. Walleyes can also be taken from the pier.
   
   Spring action is good for coho and chinook salmon, and summer anglers take smallmouth bass, walleye, and some yellow perch. Freshwater drum (sheephead) offer solid sport, too. From late July through mid September, salmon provide the excitement, along with occasional steelhead and brown trout.
   
   Most walleye and smallmouth are taken on night crawlers pinned to crawler harnesses or stand-up jigs. Hopkins spoons, tipped with minnows or fished clean, also rate. For perch, fish minnows or shrimp on a spreader or slider rig; for drum, use leaf worms or waxworms. Locals like Hot 'n Tots and other cranks in orange or fluorescent colors for salmon. Few anglers fish spawn, which should take browns and steelhead.
   
   
4. Salmon charter boats. Fishing for king salmon with a great charter captain can be a great source of fun! Nothing beats battling a 20lb king on Lake Michigan! The charter crew will filet your catch, so bring a cooler for the bounty. Charters are not cheap, prices vary but expect to pay $350-$450 for a 4-5 hour outing for 4-6 people. Some of the charters will pick you up at the end of the dock if you ask them.
   
   

   Kepinkul Charters
   Marina: Yacht Basin Marina (3 miles from Rosewood Pointe)
   Web:  www.kepinkul.com
   Phone: 616-460-0410

   Tangled Mess Charters
   
   Marina:  Yacht Basin Marina (3 miles from Rosewood Pointe)
   Web:     www.hollandmichigansalmoncharter.com
   Phone:     616-889-6603

Located in Holland, at the mouth of the Macatawa River, this sprawling lake supports an excellent and underfished population of 3 to 6 pound walleyes. Tom Huggler, in his book Fish Michigan: 100 Southern Michigan Lakes reports that good forage and abundant cover have created an outstanding walleye fishery. Large numbers of fish are taken by local anglers trolling nightcrawlers on standard crawler harnesses.

Another good bet in the lake's discolored water is to go to flashy, brightly colored and fluorescent lures and, as always with walleyes, to present them slowly. Occasional 10-pound-plus fish are reported.

Quotable:
"Smallmouth bass anglers really should consider Lake Macatawa for some fine bass fishing."
—Lou Zadow of Zeeland Sport Shop.  

"Ottawa County's 1,780-acre Lake Macatawa gets a yearly dose of walleye fingerlings or fry, and anglers forget about its great smallmouth fishing. The few that target Lake Mac smallies swear by tube jigs. The docks and structure along the south shore features prime smallmouth habitat. Bass in the 5-pound range will raise few eyebrows."

"...Lake Macatawa, have been giving up some huge smallmouths. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a new state record come from one of them."

Bait, Tackle Information:

Mac Baits Tackle & Bait Shop
669 Douglas Ave.
616-392-2553
Go east (right) on N. Shore Drive out of the resort, go north (left) on Division Ave. Go to the lighted intersection at Division and Douglas. Turn right and then take a quick left into parking lot of Van Wieren Hardware. The bait shop is in the strip mall adjacent to the hardware store.

Fishing Regulations:
Resident and non-resident anglers in Michigan are required to purchase a fishing license, available on an annual or daily basis. Both are widely available throughout the area. Certain restrictions apply. Children under 17 are not required to be licensed.

Michigan DNE e-Licensing

Non-resident ALL species license is $42.00, good till 3/31/2010
If you are not going to be salmon or trout fishing, then a Non-resident Restricted license is sufficient for $34.00
Daily non-resident licenses are $7.00.
Also if you are a non-resident, the DNR charges you $1.00 to buy a DNR Sportcard.

Image of Lake Macatawa empyting into Lake Michigan. Trolling through the channel or jigging near the channel entrance is usually productive for walleyes. Perch fishing can also be good near the channel entrance and also in Lake Michigan, just north of the pier head in front of Spyglass Condomimums.