Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Anglers were catching yellow perch around buoy E and off of Stoney Point while using minnows around 17 feet of water out from Stoney Point and 25 feet of water perpendicular to Sterling State Park. Largemouth bass were caught near rock walls around Sterling State Park and near the mouth of the River Raisin.
Lake St. Clair: Perch limits were caught at the mouth of the north channel, off grassy island and near buoy 27 by the south channel. Minnows were most successful for perch in 5 to 6 feet of water. Walleye anglers were doing well at the north channel as well, across from the Fair Haven Boat Launch in about 20 feet of water. Some smallmouth bass were caught by the Sny.
Saginaw Bay: Boat anglers were catching yellow perch at Sail Boat Bouy’s E, F, G and B. Yellow perch were also caught at the old shipping channel, along the main shipping channel and at the spark plug. Some boat anglers were catching largemouth bass in the Kawkawlin River on spinner baits. Walleye were caught off Callahan Reef in 12 to 14 feet of water and a few perch were caught off Quanicassee.
Port Austin: A few smallmouth bass were caught while casting various artificial baits in the shallow areas near shore.
Fish Point: Some bluegills and sunfish were caught while using worms in some of the various cuts.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph: Pier anglers were catching a few salmon by casting spoons. Some freshwater drum and a few catfish were also caught. Perch anglers continued to do well. Most fish were caught south of the piers in 45 feet of water. Boat anglers targeting salmon were catching fish in 30 feet of water. There were many boats fishing inside the pier heads.
South Haven: A few lake trout were caught around 100 feet of water.
Grand Haven: Boat anglers were catching a few salmon while trolling near the pierheads. The baits that were performing well were white plugs and glow spoons. Pier anglers were catching a few salmon while casting glow spoons.
Muskegon: A few salmon were caught by boats anglers trolling in and near the harbor. Glow plugs were performing best. Pier anglers were catching a few freshwater drum while casting spoons.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Alpena: Anglers were seeing success with mixed bag limits mostly consisting of lake trout, a few steelhead and various species of salmon. Some walleye anglers caught limits. Trolling spoons and spin and glow in various depths was popular with anglers when targeting salmon and trout. Walleye anglers were trolling body baits or crawlers in the bay.
Cheboygan: Anglers saw a decrease in fishing activity along the Cheboygan River and on Lake Huron. The few Chinook salmon that anglers caught were on darker colored spoons at depths of around 60 to 100 feet between the Cheboygan River mouth and Bois Blanc, as well as east of Bois Blanc. Darker colored spoons or flashers were the primary means of catching Chinook in Lake Huron.
Thunder Bay River: Anglers were catching panfish, bass, pike, catfish and the very occasional walleye. Common methods used by anglers were casting stick baits, body baits, and spinners or drifting leeches and night crawlers. While targeting catfish, drop-shot rigs were the most common method.
Oscoda: Anglers were catching lake trout, steelhead and walleye. Pier anglers were catching mostly bass with the few occasional walleye and catfish. Trolling spoons of various colors around 80 to 100 feet of water was the popular method when targeting salmon and trout. Off the pier, common methods for targeting bass, walleye and catfish were floating leeches and nightcrawlers, casting stick baits or body baits, and using drop-shot rigs for catfish.
Au Sable River: Anglers were seeing success with bass, pike, panfish and some catfish. Various methods were seeing success. Most commonly was the use of casting or trolling body baits. Catfish and panfish were caught while using drop-shot rigs with night crawlers around dusk.
Rogers City: Lake trout fishing continued to be good with the use of spoons off Swan Point. Salmon were caught in Swan Bay while trolling spoons in 6 to 8 feet down depending on water depth with 120 to 150 feet of line out.
Houghton Lake: Bluegill and crappie were caught in the weed beds. Leeches, wax worms and minnows performed best. A few bass were also caught.
Tawas: Boat anglers caught walleye, steelhead and lake trout out past buoy 2 in 40 to 60 feet of water while using spoons and crawlers. There were also a few walleye caught inside the bay off the weed beds near buoys 4 & 6 while using body baits and crawlers. Shore and dock anglers at Gateway Park on the Tawas River caught a few perch, bluegill and largemouth bass while using minnows, crawlers and body baits. Pier anglers at Tawas Harbor caught a few small perch while using minnows.
Au Gres: Boat anglers caught some perch in 30 to 40 feet of water between Pt. Lookout and Pt. Au Gres and south toward the hotel off minnows. Anglers were sorting through smaller fish but were catching some 8-to-10-inch fish and a few bigger. Shore and dock anglers were catching small bluegill and sunfish off worms and pier anglers caught some catfish, freshwater drum and bowfin off crawlers and cut bait.
Pine River Access: Boat anglers were catching some nice catches of perch in 12 to 20 feet of water out near the Rifle, Saganing and Pinconning bars off minnows. Shore and dock anglers caught some smaller perch and sunfish off minnows and crawlers.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Frankfort: Chinook salmon were moving into Betsie Bay and up the river. Coho were reported in Platte Bay.
Manistee: Boat anglers targeting salmon caught a mix of Chinook and coho. The best offshore catches were in 120 to 250 feet of water. Boat anglers were also catching Chinook in the Big Manistee River and in Manistee Lake. Catches in Manistee Lake were from using jigs, offshore J-Plugs, spoons and meat rigs.
Ludington: Offshore fishing produced Chinook and coho. The best fishing was in 150 to 250 feet of water. Boat anglers were catching Chinook in the channel and in Pere Marquette Lake. Jigging produced the highest catch rates in Pere Marquette Lake. Offshore spoons, J-Plugs and meat rigs performed well.
Harbor Springs: Chinook and coho were caught in 60 to 100 feet down over 100 to 130 feet of water. Lake trout were caught as shallow as 85 feet down. Boat anglers were fishing from Wequetonsing to the Point mainly for salmon. Some anglers were going north around the Point for lake trout. A few smallmouth bass were caught in the shallows along the shoreline in the bay.
Charlevoix: Boat anglers were fishing around the cement plant and mainly using spoons, plugs and flasher/flies. A couple Chinook were caught 60 to 70 feet down over 90 to 100 feet of water. Anglers fishing the channel in Charlevoix for smallmouth bass caught quite a few large fish. A couple freshwater drum were also caught. Anglers primarily fished the bottom with real and artificial worms.
Petoskey: Boats were mainly targeting the area just outside of the Breakwall for salmon, with some fishing as far as Bay Harbor. The early morning bite was productive for salmon. Salmon were caught 60 to 70 feet down and some lake trout were caught around 100 feet down near bottom. The Bear River was running at a good level. A couple salmon were spotted. Anglers were using flies, artificial single eggs and spawn at the dam.
Upper Peninsula
Ontonagon: Lake trout fishing was productive. Near limits of three-to-five-pound fish were seen with a few 10+ pound fish reported. Spoons were the lure of choice between 80 and 120 feet of water. On Ontonagon River, dock anglers were catching rock bass, bullhead and a few small walleye.
Union Bay: Anglers were finding decent success while trolling for lake trout with a few heavier fishing being caught.
Black River Harbor: Success was moderate for lake trout. Some anglers were fishing in 60 feet of water, while others were out in 200 feet.
Keweenaw Bay: Most anglers were marking plenty of fish from 60 feet to the surface. Most anglers who had success were trolling from 100 feet up. Anglers were catching mostly Chinook salmon, but they also caught coho, lake tout, rainbow trout and pike. Most of the catches were on artificial bait and anglers were successful on average in the mornings.
Munising Bay: Boat fishing pressure was low with scattered boats out for coho and lake trout. Trolling performed the best with a combination of spoons – try watermelon colors, florescent colors and moonshine spoons. Lake trout anglers reported some decent catches in around 120 to 150 feet of water near White Rocks and Wood Island Reef, but catches were scattered. A few splake were reported by boat anglers trolling for coho. Shore anglers on the Anna River dock caught a few splake.
Grand Marais: Boat anglers reported nice catches of lake trout with most fish averaging around three to four pounds with a few fish over 15 pounds. Anglers were fishing towards AuSable Reefs and west towards the Hurricane and Five Mile Reef. A few boat anglers were trying for coho with only a few fish reported.
Big Traverse Bay/ South Portage Entry: Fishing in Big Traverse and South Portage Entry picked up slightly with salmon and trout. Anglers were catching pike while casting in weed beds and in shallows. Trolling had been most successful in deeper water and mostly in the upper half of the water column. Most fish were caught around the evening.
Marquette: Good amounts of lake trout were caught. Anglers were out looking for salmon and a handful were reported.
Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting walleye had mixed results. Most anglers were trolling, but some were jigging with minnows. Efforts seemed to be concentrated around Portage Point and north of Gladstone. Some anglers trolled around Minneapolis Shoal when wind permitted. Perch fishing was slow for most, with some enjoying limited success when using minnows. Crawler harnesses trolled or drifted were the most effective way to target walleye.
St. Ignace/Les Cheneaux: Anglers were fishing St. Martins Bay area and Nunns Creek for Chinook salmon. Anglers were catching a few pike throughout the Hessel and Cedarville areas. Splake have not made their way into the marina in Hessel yet, however anglers are starting to look for them.
This report is intended to give you an idea of what is going on around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and conservation officers. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams, not all locations can be listed. However, it is safe to say if a species is being caught in some waters in the area, they are likely being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species.
