Michigan Sportfishing:

Lake Erie
Walleye Charters
(Monroe,
Toledo and
Port Clinton)
March/April/May

Lake Huron
Brown Trout, Lake Trout, King Salmon, Pink Salmon, Steelhead, Atlantic Salmon Mixed-bag Charters
(Rogers City
Presque Isle)
May/June/July

Saginaw Bay Walleye Charters
(Au Gres)
June/July

Lake Michigan
Salmon Charters
(Manistee)
August

Lake Huron Trophy
King Salmon Charters
(Rogers City)
August/September

Charter Fishing Information

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Trip Planners

Au Gres
Manistee
Monroe
Rogers City

Sportfishing for trophy walleye, steelhead, salmon, lake trout and brown trout

Charters Starting at Only $250
Full and Half Day Trips Available

Credit Cards
Accepted    

Gift Certificates Available

Capt. Michael Veine
15555 Cassidy Rd.
Chelsea, Michigan 48118
Phone 734-475-9146
Email mikeveine@trophyspecialists.com
Book Sportfishing Charters Online

Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters does just what the name implies, specializes in sportfishing for the biggest, most prized fish (walleye, salmon, steelhead, lake trout and Great Lakes brown trout) that Michigan has to offer.  We accomplish this by sport fishing on the hottest waters at their peak trophy producing periods.  Yes, trailering a charter boat from port to port is expensive and a hassle, but quite frankly, it's the only way captains can consistently deliver peak sportfishing action throughout the season.  By concentrating on the right places at the right times, Trophy Specialists guarantees its customers a successful fishing experience.  If no fish are hooked up, our guarantee states that your next trip is free (only valid on 8-hour trips), so we actually put our money where our mouth is.  You can kick back and let the captain worry about catching walleye, salmon, steelhead and brown trout.

Trophy Specialists is all about professionalism with a total commitment to quality customer service.  We provide leading edge, tournament tested gear, tactics and know how.  You need not be an expert angler to land the big ones with us. Our services include expert coaching skills that gives even novice anglers a real chance to catch huge walleye, salmon, brown trout or steelhead.  We also offer unique trips like early spring walleye charters on Lake Erie and limited night fishing charters for salmon on Lake Huron.  Fishing with Trophy Specialists may in fact be your best chance at catching that trophy of a lifetime for the wall or the photo album.  With over 25 years of hard-core fishing experience and a U.S. Coast Guard Masters License with commercial towing and other endorsements, Capt. Michael Veine is one of the most highly qualified charter captains operating on the Great Lakes including Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.  In fact, Capt. Mike is licensed to pilot ships; now how many guides or charter captains can claim those kinds of credentials?  Mike Veine is also a widely published outdoor writer and photographer, so your trophy tale and/or photos may even be featured in your favorite magazine (with your permission of course).

Gift certificates are available.  Giving someone a fishing charter gift certificate makes an awesome present for Christmas, birthday, father's day, mother's day, anniversaries, graduations, bachelor party and other special occasions.  Fishing charter gift certificates are also ideal for fund-raisers, charities, raffles, employee appreciation, business entertainment and many other purposes, and they can be customized just about any way you want.  The recipient can choose the port, species and timeframe.  Because Trophy Specialists fishes from many different ports targeting walleye, salmon, steelhead, brown trout, lake trout and other species, the recipient of the gift will certainly have plenty to choose from.  

Coast Guard and DNR Inspected Charter Boat
Member of Michigan Charter Boats Association  (MCBA) since 1998.

News on the 2008 Charter Season

2008 should provide some of the best charter fishing that Michigan has every experienced.  Certain select fisheries are literally exploding with fish and Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters will again be scheduled to be in the right places at the right times to put customers on those hot bites.  What better way to use your economic stimulus tax rebate that on a fishing trip.  With the cost of boat ownership and fuel costs hitting all time highs, a fishing charter with Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters may very well  be one of the best bargains going.  As a mater of fact, a fishing vacation to one of Michigan's premier ports is probably one of the best vacation bargains you'll find.  Charter rates are unchanged this year and lodging and eatery rates in Michigan are some of the lowest in the country.  When you consider the quality of the fisheries combined with the value, you just can't go wrong.      

Lake Erie will have the best walleye fishing ever this year.  The record breaking 2003 year class will be contributing millions of chunky sized lunkers to an already phenomenal spring bite.  When the 2003 fish are added to the abundant year classes from big hatches during the 1990s, Erie will be serving up a spring trophy walleye fishery of world class proportions.  Given  decent weather conditions, we could break my boat record of over 100 Master Angler class walleyes in one season.  I'll be expanding my 2008 Lake Erie offerings to take advantage of the blossoming fishery.  The Detroit River will also have epic runs of walleyes this spring, so I'll be offering Detroit River charters as a backup when Erie is too rough to fish (Monroe is very close to the mouth of the Detroit River).

Saginaw Bay is now the official "Walleye Capital of the World"; well at least it's official to me after the 2007 season last year.  Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters ran 33 charters on Saginaw Bay last year and we limited out on every trip - bar none.  In fact we have limited out on every Saginaw Bay day charter for two straight years!  On most trips we were able to catch a mixture of eaters and lunkers for the best possible mix.  Saginaw Bay has been blessed with five straight huge year classes of naturally reproduced walleyes.  When those huge numbers are added to an already strong adult walleye population from past years, the shear number and quality of walleyes in the system now boggles the mind.  There are now so many walleyes in "The Bay" that easy limit catches are the rule and anglers can even catch and release fish until their arms hurt.  The fishing is just plain pure fun now and you can expect non-stop action on most trips.  The only down side to the fishery is that the word has definitely gotten out and the demand for fishing charters there has escalated sharply.  I'm increasing my charter schedule out of Au Gres to take advantage of the demand.  Keep in mind though that I filled all my available openings on Saginaw Bay  last season and will likely do so again this year, so book early.

Lake Michigan served up some awesome king salmon fishing last with limit catches a regular experience.  The fish were so plentiful that anglers often "complained" about catching too many fish, too fast, which of course is the one complaint that charter captains love to hear.  Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters will be offering charters from my home town port of Manistee this summer once again.  I've been fishing salmon at Manistee since the first year they were stocked there in the 1960s, so nobody can claim to have more experience there than me.  Manistee has a well earned reputation as one of the best salmon ports in Michigan and I'll be there during prime time in August.  I'm only scheduling a short period there so those salmon trips will fill up fast.  

Lake Huron at Rogers City provides the best mixed bag fishery on the Great Lakes.  We ran one trip last year catching six different species in one day.  For the past couple years, the Atlantic salmon fishing was outstanding at Rogers City during May.   If you have never caught an Atlantic salmon, they are like a king salmon on steroids.  They make long powerful runs and also jump like crazy like a steelhead.  They also are the best eating fish in the salmon family.  Those May charters are conducted right along the shoreline and we typically catch browns and lakers in addition to the Atlantic Salmon.  I also offer some offshore trips where we target steelhead, but usually end up with a mixed bag of steelies, trout and salmon.  During July the king salmon really move in and they are still silvery and spectacular at that time.  Most July trips last year resulted in a diverse mixed bag and for some reason we caught lots of walleyes then too and they were mostly big ones.  During late summer, Rogers City's Swan Bay loads up with huge, pre-spawn king salmon and we will be there to take full advantage of the opportunity.  The kings we caught there last year were the biggest ones taken in all of Michigan based on average weights.  We limited out on about half of those trophy salmon trips too.  The fishing at Rogers City is uncrowded at most times resulting in a very high quality experience that no other Great Lakes salmon port can match.

Charters to be Donated:

To help support the Hunt-of-a-Lifetime and Joseph's Journey Foundations, we are giving away fishing charters again this year.  We used to donate fishing trips to The-Make-a-Wish-Foundation, however when they stopped allowing the kids to go on hunting or fishing trips the Hunt-of-a-Lifetime and Joseph's Journey Foundations were formed in response to fill that need.  Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters is now donating a charter to any critically ill child through the Hunt-of-a-Lifetime and Joseph's Journey Foundations.  These donations will help children with life threatening illnesses achieve their dreams of catching trophy salmon, walleye, steelhead or brown trout on the Great Lakes.

Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters also donated a charter to the American Cancer Society along with three $50 gift certificates.  These donations will help during the American Cancer Society's Rogers City fund raiser.

Donations have also been made to the Boy Scouts of America, Alpena Schools, Fairview Schools, Cal's Pals, Michigan Turkey Hunters, Ruffed Grouse Society and other notable charities.  Trophy Specialists Fishing Charters is also a member of the following non-profit organizations: Hammond Bay Area Anglers Association, Manistee County Sport Fishing Council, Saginaw Bay Walleye Club, Michigan Charter Boat Association and the National Association of Charter Boat Operators.