The Weekly Fishing Report will be temporarily suspended, starting Nov. 8 until early next year, when ice fishing picks up and we begin to receive more reports. For fishing reports, call your local bait shop to inquire about current conditions. We look forward to seeing you again in 2024!
All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Presque Isle: Fishing activity was slow. Chinook, coho, steelhead and lake trout were caught by those who targeted 60 to 110 feet of water. Steelhead were caught on bright orange and gold-colored spoons that were used 15 to 30 feet down. Salmon were caught in the middle of the water column in 40 to 60 feet of water. Black/orange, greens and watermelon colors had the best results. Lake trout were caught from the middle of the water column to the bottom on spoons and flasher/spin glow combos. Anglers are reminded that lake trout season closed Sept. 30.
Alpena: Those fishing the pier had some luck casting spoons and crankbaits early and late in the day. Purples, greens and chartreuse-colored baits were the most productive. A few walleye were also caught on crankbaits while fishing after dark. Walleye were reported to have been caught in 12 to 20 feet of water around Sulphur and Grass Islands. The north shore of Thunder Bay also gave up walleye while trolling crankbaits. Dark colors worked best in 15 to 25 feet of water in low light conditions. Anglers reported good numbers of salmon in the shipping channel, but catch rates were low.
Thunder Bay River: More Chinook moved into the river, along with a few coho in the mix. Boat anglers had success trolling large spoons, plugs and crankbaits early and late in the day. Shore anglers had success casting spoons, spinners and crankbaits and drifting spawn. The most productive colors were gold, green, chartreuse and blue/silver baits. A few walleye were caught on crankbaits near the walking bridge after dark and below the 9th Street Bridge.
Rogers City: Angler pressure significantly decreased, but great fishing remained when the weather and winds behaved. The adult Chinook salmon were staging off Swan Bay in waters less than 50 feet. Anglers had a hard time getting these fish to bite, but they caught a few before sunup and after sunset. Anglers ran mostly bombers and j-plugs off highlines behind boards. Anglers who fished deeper waters reported catching a mixed bag. They reported catching young Chinook salmon, steelhead and lake trout, with the occasional coho and walleye. The best depths were anywhere from 55 to 85 feet of water. These anglers were running lines throughout the water column and using smaller spoons of greens, blues, oranges, silver, yellow and glow stuff early and late. The best fishing time was morning or evening hours.
Au Gres: When the water was not too choppy, anglers came back with averages of 10 decent-sized perch. These perch were reported to have been caught out toward the shipping channel. Although most anglers were targeting perch in this area, they did report seeing a few 20-plus-inch walleye. White perch and white bass were also being caught.
Tawas: Fishing pressure was low, as weather kept anglers off the water. A few walleye were caught along with some small perch. At the mouth of the Tawas River, anglers were still waiting on the salmon to really start biting.
Cheboygan River: Good numbers of salmon were reported below the dam, and the bite seemed to improve. Most of the fish were Chinook, but coho, steelhead and pink salmon were also present. Though skein was most effective, some anglers did well with minnow profile crankbaits.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Charlevoix: Fishing pressure for salmon was reported to be very low. Anglers who fished in front of Medusa Creek had limited success casting spoons and drifting skein. Boat anglers targeting salmon picked up the occasional Chinook, lake trout and cisco. Reminder that lake trout season is now closed.
Petoskey/Harbor Springs: Anglers fishing the Bear River reported very good numbers of fish following the rainy weather. Several Chinook, coho, some steelhead and the occasional pink salmon were reported to be caught. Bouncing single beads and black/brown flies produced the best results. Bobber drifting spawn or skein near the mouth of the Bear River also produced decent results. Those who were smallmouth bass fishing near Harbor Springs reported steady numbers on cooler days.
East Grand Traverse Bay: Coho fishing was reported as good due to a large school showing up. Most of the large, adult Chinook were gone, but a few small, immature Chinook were still caught. Cisco fishing was good for those trolling, whereas those who were jigging reported fishing as very poor. Smallmouth bass were still deep in 20 to 40 feet of water, but catches were good. Reminder that lake trout season is closed.
West Grand Traverse Bay: A few coho were caught in the hole in front of the Boardman River. Smallmouth bass fishing was reported as good when fishing in 20 to 40 feet of water. A few perch were caught near Elmwood Marina. Reminder that lake trout season is closed.
Frankfort: Anglers reported low numbers of Chinook out front and off the break walls as most fish moved upriver. Platte Bay was still reporting moderate numbers of Coho at the mouth and in the river.
Onekama: Perch anglers who fished Portage Lake found some luck along the shoreline in front of the camp area.
Manistee: Most Chinook were reported to be in the rivers; however, anglers still reported catching fish offshore anywhere from 80 to 150 feet down. Chinook, coho and steelhead were reported to have been caught with j-plugs, spoons and occasionally on meat rigs. Anglers reported the morning bite as being the most successful.
Ludington: Most of the Chinook salmon were reported to be in the rivers; however, anglers still reported catching fish offshore anywhere from 80 to 150 feet down, sometimes even in 60 feet of water. Chinook, coho and steelhead were caught with j-plugs, spoons and occasionally on meat rigs as well. Anglers reported the morning bite as being the most successful, with most of the fish stopping biting after 10 a.m.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Yellow perch anglers reported fair to good fishing. The use of minnows when drifting was productive. Northern pike anglers reported fair catches when trolling or casting. Walleye fishing success saw an uptick, with drifting crawlers and jigging being the preferred methods. Pink salmon, coho salmon and a few Chinook salmon were reported to be in the tributaries. Drifting spawn, skein and beads were tactics anglers used in the rivers.
Big Bay de Noc: Yellow perch anglers reported fair fishing.
Carp River: The Carp River was still producing fish, but overall, the fishing seemed to slow. More steelhead and fresh salmon should continue to enter the river, but most of the Chinook appeared pretty dark. Anglers reported catching some large-sized fish. The best lures were reported to be spinners for those who did not have salmon eggs.
Nunns Creek: Nunns Creek continued to be slow, though the fishing is expected to pick up soon. Recent rains pushed a few fish up the creek, but most were still out in Saint Martin Bay. Anglers caught some Chinook from the shore and while wading, but numbers were reported to be unimpressive. A few boats targeted salmon in Saint Martin Bay near Nunns Creek, but they had similar results to those shore fishing.
Marquette: Anglers reported the best place for catching lake trout as near the north side of the White Islands. Cooler days seemed to bring the fish back into shallower waters, and anglers trolling in 120 to 140 feet of water caught the most lake trout near the White Islands, while anglers trolling for lake trout around Granite Rock had the most luck trolling or jigging at around 140 to 200 feet of water. Chinook and coho salmon were caught in around 40 to 70 feet of water, mostly by the Chocolay River and out towards Shot Point. Anglers reported watermelon, multicolored spoons, Bite Me Elmo and bright green as being good lures for lake trout. Gold spoons, bright lime or orange, and moonshine glows were good colors for salmon.
Au Train: Au Train saw a major decrease in anglers, but those who did make it out caught near their limit of lake trout. The coho and Chinook started to see a resurgence in numbers caught. These fish were found in around 40 to 70 feet of water. The best places for anglers to catch fish were near the northwest side of Au Train Island and out toward the Shelter Bay Flats. Anglers trolling between 70 to 120 feet of water saw excellent lake trout numbers. Trolling or jigging bright green or orange/silver spoons or green flasher flies seemed to work well for anglers.
Ontonagon River: Anglers on the river had luck in finding some walleye, rock bass, smallmouth bass and the occasional northern pike. Reports show that trolling artificial lures was the most popular method used. While fish were caught at all times of day, it seemed that the morning and evening hours were the most productive.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Fishing from these ports was reported to be good. Anglers were consistently bringing in good numbers of lake trout, with an occasional coho salmon thrown in the mix. Reports show that fish were caught at all times of day. Trolling artificial lures was the method of choice among most anglers, with many finding success in shallower waters.
Black River Harbor: Fishing from the harbor was reported to be good. Anglers had no issues in finding good numbers of lake trout and occasional coho salmon. Reports show that fish were caught in a variety of depths, with a slightly higher yield coming from shallower waters. Successful trips consisted of trolling artificial lures and occurred at all times of day.
Munising Bay: The fall bite for coho was reported to be slow, with few fish caught. Many coho were observed by boat anglers in Munising Bay jumping and rolling both in the bay and offshore by the Anna River; however, overall, few fish were reported.
Grand Marais: The fall bite was reported to be very slow for coho. Anglers reported that coho were large and averaged around 6 to 8 pounds, with a few smaller coho reported as well. Shore fishing was also very slow, with low fishing pressure.
Les Cheneaux/Detour: Splake season is now closed, but the last four days of season produced a few nice-sized and nice-colored fish. Anglers who fished in a bass tournament in the Les Cheneaux area over the weekend reported that they were struggling to find fish, let alone anything worth weighing. In Detour, lake trout season closed, and the fishing efforts were slow.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Anglers caught yellow perch on minnow rigs north anywhere from Raisin River to out from Fermi in 16 to 20 feet of water, as well as out in the dumping grounds on the Michigan side. Anglers reported the dumping grounds as being slightly better. Walleye were caught in 14 feet of water out from Sterling State Park. Many channel catfish were caught near the DTE stacks, where the warm water is let out.
Lake St. Clair: Anglers caught yellow perch near the dumping grounds and in Ford Cove in approximately 15 to 20 feet of water using minnows. Walleye were caught in the north channel near Algonac by anglers using crawler harnesses. Anglers have caught some nice muskie near the Clinton River and the 400 Club in 14 feet of water. For muskie, natural sucker-colored lures worked well. Smallmouth bass fishing seemed to be picking up after a very slow spell. Smallmouth bass were caught on the Metro Flats and near the mile roads from Metro Beach to the 9 Mile ramp in 12 to 15 feet of water. Drop shot and swim baits worked best, with silver, red and orange being the best colors.
Saginaw Bay: Overall, fishing was slow. However, a few bluegill were caught in the Sunset Marina by boat anglers. Anglers fishing near Geiger Road reported catching a few largemouth and smallmouth bass while fishing in the shallow water casting various artificial baits.
Lower Saginaw Bay: Anglers reported catching yellow perch in the lower part of the Saginaw River as well as 2 miles north of Spoils Island in 19 feet of water. The old shipping channel provided a few yellow perch around 8 to 10 inches in size. Anglers reported catching perch at the Sparkplug in 26 feet of water and near the Blackhole in 25 feet of water. Boat anglers who tried trolling crank baits for walleye had no success.
Quanicassee: A few perch were caught east of the Quanicassee River mouth in 8 to 11.5 feet of water. Fishing was slow, but anglers reported catching nine to 12 perch per boat on average.
Port Sanilac: Anglers who trolled for salmon and trout were fishing deep water northeast of the reef in 150 to 160 feet of water. They reported catching lake trout and steelhead using downriggers with spoons. A few coho, steelhead and walleye were caught in 25 to 35 feet of water when trolling with lead core and spoons. Due to warm weather, anglers reported pier fishing as being poor.
Harbor Beach: A few boat anglers trolled for salmon and trout using spoons, dodgers and squids. The fish were reported to be scattered but were mostly caught in 35 to 45 feet of water. The catch consisted of coho, steelhead and an occasional walleye. Smallmouth bass anglers who used artificial lures in 20 feet of water and shallower inside the harbor and along the shoreline to the north reported catching a good number of fish. Fishing from the break wall while using artificial lures seemed to slow. A few coho were caught, but it was mostly early morning and evening.
Lexington: Some anglers had success trolling to the east of the harbor in about 40 feet of water. They reported catching a few coho and Atlantic salmon when using spoons with lead core close to the bottom. Atlantic salmon were showing up inside the harbor, but anglers were not successful in catching them.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Muskegon: Boat anglers who targeted salmon and trout found the action to be slow. The best action was reported to be 65 to 120 feet down in 95 to 150 feet of water, with green and blue spoons being productive. No salmon were reported to be caught from the piers.
Grand Haven: Salmon and trout action was reported to be very slow for boat anglers. Fish were reported to be scattered from 100 to 270 feet of water. No salmon were reported to be caught from the piers. A few freshwater drum were caught while casting spoons.
St. Joseph: Boat anglers had fair fishing. The best fishing was in around 110 feet of water. Pier fishing was mostly slow. Anglers caught the occasional salmon while casting spoons. Anglers reported perch fishing as good and were fishing in 30 to 50 feet of water. Most of this fishing pressure was south of the piers. Salmon anglers fishing the lower St. Joseph River continued to catch salmon. Fish were caught mostly while trolling, but some anglers also caught fish while casting and jiggling.
South Haven: Boat anglers reported fishing as slow. Those fishing the pier also reported slow fishing; however, an occasional coho or Chinook salmon was caught. A few perch were reported to be caught in around 40 feet of water, but the fish were scattered. Fishing in the Black River was also reported as slow.
