Fishing 411 with Mark Romanack EPISODE 13 OSCODA MIXED BAG TROLLING MARK ROMANACK   Oscoda Mixed Bag Trolling   By   Mark Romanack                        
 In the northeastern Lower Peninsula lies the small community of Oscoda. One of the richest sport fishing ports in the Great Lakes, Oscoda is best known as port that consistently produces a mixed bag. Last July the Fishing 411 crew rolled into town and they didn’t leave empty handed.            
Throughout June, July and August Oscoda is the setting for not only lake trout and steelhead fishing action, but an impressive fishery for walleye and bonus king salmon as well. In fact, on any given day it’s not only possible to catch all four of these species, it’s down right likely.
DEEP FOR TROUT AND SALMON            
The lake trout and salmon this port is known for are most often found in deeper water and near bottom. The easiest way to make contact with these fish is by using downriggers armed with spoons or dodger/spin-n-glo combinations.            
Classic lake trout spoon colors include baits with a lot of black and white like the Wolverine Tackle Michael Jackson. Other good spoon colors that catch both trout and salmon include Blue Dolphin, Green Dolphin and Yellow-tail.            
The best spoon fishing presentation is to simply set the spoon 15-25 feet behind the downrigger weight and set the weight to fish 5-10 feet off bottom. In the summer the most productive water depths range from 80 to 125 feet.            
The dodger/spin-n-glo combination is tough to beat for lake trout. The Spin-n-Glo is a Yakima product that is most often fished on a 18-24 inch leader of 40# test fluorocarbon line terminated to a 1/0 treble hook. This rig is attached to a OOO size dodger which is in turn fished 10-20 feet behind the downrigger weight.            
The dodger sways side to side, snapping the Spin-n-Glo back and forth enticingly. The Spin-n-Glo comes in over a 100 color options, but for lake trout some of the most productive include Black Magic, Luminous Spot, Black White, Clown and Glitter Lime Chartreuse.            
The Spin-n-Glo can be purchased rigged, but most anglers simply buy the color bodies they want and make their own simple rigs using a couple colorful beads, 40# test fluorocarbon leader material and 1/0 treble hooks. BONUS WALLEYE & STEELHEAD            
Besides offering a very consistent lake trout and salmon bite, Oscoda churns out an amazing walleye fishery. The majority of the walleye are suspended 30-50 feet below the surface over 80 to 120 feet of water. The day the Fishing 411 crew rolled into town, spoons fished on lead core line proved to be the best way to catch bonus walleye. Our crew literally caught lake trout, steelhead and walleye at the same time and in the same spots, making for an exciting and unique day on the water.            
 Steelhead out of Oscoda can be found near the surface or near bottom on any given day. Depending on water temperatures steelhead can be found literally right on the surface or all the way to the bottom.            
Because the steelhead and walleye are most often suspended, it makes sense to target those species using in-line planer boards like the famous Off Shore Tackle Side-Planer. The Fishing 411 crew set two lines per side including one 5 color length of lead core that fished down about 20 feet and a 10 color set up that fished about 40 feet down.
 BONUS DIVER LINES            
As is the case in most open water trolling situations, planer boards and downriggers are critical pieces of equipment. Another vital piece of trolling gear are diving planers used to target fish in the middle of the water column.            
Using planer boards to cover the upper water column, diving planers to cover the middle water column and downriggers to fish near bottom, the Fishing 411 crew saturated the water with lures targeting a wealth of species.
 IF YOU GO            
 Anglers who are interested in visiting Oscoda will find the best mixed bag of fishing action takes place in June and July and at water depths ranging from 80-120 feet. Later in the summer as lake water temperatures rise, lake trout and salmon tend to move further off shore and into deeper water.             There is an excellent public access site right at the mouth of the AuSable River, lots of nearby bait shops and local motels and diners that cater to the summer fishing traffic.            
Compared to other Great Lakes ports, fishing pressure at Oscoda is light, but the fishing is as good as any port. This often overlooked destination is a sleeper for the troller looking for mixed bag action.