Northeast Lower Peninsula
Tawas: Pier fishing was slow with a few walleye caught at night while casting jigs and body baits. At Gateway Park on the Tawas River, there were some pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, and crappie caught while casting jigs, body baits and crawlers. There were some coho salmon, lake trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and walleye caught while trolling spoons and body baits in 30 to 70 feet of water out past buoy #2. Smallmouth bass anglers were catching fish along the shore, out near the point and south near the Charity Islands while casting jigs and plastics.
Alpena: Lake trout fishing improved, and the best was around Thunder Bay Island in depths anywhere from 30 to 70 feet of water. There were a couple of limits of lake trout caught. Anglers were running a variety of lines, some high, low and some in between. Spoons were on the higher lines while flashers and Spin-n-Glo type flies were on the deeper lines. There were a few stray Atlantic salmon and steelhead taken. Anglers were fishing lines high off planer boards. Good spoon colors were greens, oranges, blue and silver, and brighter colors.
Thunder Bay River: Anglers were catching smallmouth bass and bullheads while targeting walleye. The walleye fishing was very slow. Anglers were casting body baits late in the evening with very little success. They were also jigging and drifting with live bait.
Au Gres: There were some walleye caught while trolling crawlers and body baits in 10 to 35 feet of water out in front of the river, between Point Lookout and Point Au Gres, near the green can and out near the Big Charity Island. There were some pike caught on the south side of the break wall of the Au Gres River while casting spinners. There were some reports of walleye caught out in front of the Pine River while trolling crawlers in 10 to 20 feet of water.
Houghton Lake: Anglers reported catches of crappie. Walleye were caught in the evening along the shoreline.
Rogers City: Anglers were catching lake trout with a few limits reported. The best water depths were 30 to 60 feet of water. Anglers were using spoons off planer boards or using downriggers with dodgers and cowbells with Spin-n-Glos. The fish were still scattered and anglers had to do a little searching for them but once anglers got one, they were fishing that same spot where they picked up the first fish. The lake trout were hanging around structured areas such as 40 Mi Point and Adams Point.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Portage Lake: Bass and panfish numbers were picking up but the bite was still on the slow side.
Onekama: Anglers were reporting lake trout around the banks of the barrel and off the golf course. There was a report of a Chinook caught.
Ludington: Anglers trolling for Chinook caught a few in the harbor and just outside the pierheads while trolling spoons. Decent catches of Chinook were caught at Big Sable Point in 80 to 150 feet of water when fishing 40 to 80 feet down. Spoons and flies were working best. A few lake trout were found in 80 feet of water, outside the harbor and at Big Sable point.
Manistee: Anglers found Chinook along the shelf and south of the port towards Big Sable Point. Depths ranged from 90 to 130 feet of water and out to 200 feet of water while fishing 30 to 70 feet down. Anglers reported spoons and flies worked best. Although there were a lot of bait around the harbor, pier fishing was slow. A brown trout was caught but no Chinook were reported.
Frankfort: Alewives were reported throughout the area as the water temperatures started to increase. Anglers were marking fish, but the bite was slow due to the amount of bait fish in the area. Lake trout were hitting good up north off the bottom in 80 to 120 feet of water.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers reported fair to good fishing success. Anglers were having results with a variety of tactics, including casting jerk baits or jigs, as well as trolling. The mouths of the Escanaba and Whitefish rivers were the primary focus areas for many anglers. Smallmouth bass fishing increased throughout the Bay, with many targeting the Ford River. Bass anglers were casting soft plastics and jerk baits. Yellow perch anglers reported fair catches in the upper Bay, as well as having some success near the Escanaba River.
Manistique: Anglers reported good results steelhead fishing with a good number of fish still in the river. Beads were the preferred presentation. Walleye anglers reported fair to good catch rates with most drifting or trolling crawlers.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers were finding fish mostly while trolling in mid-depth waters, 25 to 175 feet of water. Some anglers had success with lake trout while jigging in the deeper end of that depth range. Fish caught jigging were on cut bait while most fish caught trolling were caught on artificial baits.
Traverse Bays/ South Portage Canal Entry: Anglers were able to find fish in near shore waters while casting lures and spoons. While trolling, other anglers found brown trout, coho and lake trout. Most of these fish were caught near the Jacobsville Lighthouse in waters below 15 feet and above 75 feet. Silver and blue baits were showing the most success in the past week, but other patterns and colors were showing promise too.
Munising: Boat anglers were mainly fishing for coho and Chinook west of Munising towards Au Train with an occasional Chinook with a mix of coho. A few lake trout anglers ventured out however the winds were not favorable for fishing. Shore fishing continued to be low fishing pressure as there was a large sand bar from the winter season and water levels continued to be low.
Grand Marais: Whitefish pier anglers continued to do well with majority of anglers fishing in the morning and towards dusk/evening. Single eggs did best for the whitefish. A few coho were caught off the pier while casting with assorted deep running crank baits. Boat anglers were doing well for coho with a few small Chinook and brown trout mixed in. Majority of anglers were trolling just outside the harbor, trolling east in about 30 feet of water. Boat anglers were targeting lake trout and doing well. Anglers were fishing from the first break in less than 80 feet towards the Sable and west. A few boat anglers were out to Five Mile Reef and beyond and did well.
Marquette: Fishing pressure was low. However, anglers had success catching Chinook and coho while trolling near the mouth of the Carp River. For most success, try trolling at speeds just under 2 miles per hour. Also, try using flickers and spoons for best chances. Anglers trolling in the upper harbor area had success catching lake trout. For lake trout in the upper harbor, try trolling bottom at slow speeds using spoons. Fishing pressure on the Carp and Chocolay rivers remained limited. For best success, try using natural bait or a shiny lure in the river. For fishing out of the mouth of the Carp River, try using spawn or crawlers for best results.
Au Train: Salmon fishing slowed down. Anglers were still reporting catches of Chinook and coho. For boat anglers, try fishing east of the Brownstone Boat Launch while using top-water or mid-water lures. Anglers fishing west of the Brownstone were catching mainly lake trout, but there were some reports of Chinook salmon and brown trout. Trolling bottom in deep waters (120+ feet) seemed to have had the most success at catching lake trout and brown trout. Fishing pressure was very limited at the Rock and Au Train rivers. Try drifting spawn bags in the river or try casting out spawn/crawlers into Lake Superior for best results.
Upper St. Mary’s: The perch bite slowed down, making room for walleye and whitefish. Anglers were trolling and jigging for walleye and whitefish while using different natural bait setups. A recent drop in water temperature slowed whitefish fishing. There were positive reports from walleye tournaments in the area. Some small steelhead were caught from shore locations. Anglers were having success fishing about 3 feet off the bottom of the river.
Whitefish Bay: Some anglers fishing near the Tahquamenon River mouth caught limits of walleye in a short time. Anglers were trolling with crawler harnesses in 3 to 5 five feet of water, which produced good results.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Walleye fishing was good not far out from the rock wall out of Bartnik boat launch at Sterling State Park in 16 to 22 feet of water. Anglers were seeing success with crawler harnesses on bottom bouncers while using planar boards with 2 oz of weight 30 feet back trolling at 2mph. Yellow was a successful color. The dumping grounds to the south was a hot location for walleye. Largemouth bass anglers had great success with artificial tube PowerBaits.
Detroit River: Anglers were doing well catching walleye, with many anglers getting limits. Anglers fishing between the Ambassador Bridge and Ecorse were trolling with crawlers in 35 to 40 feet of water. Anglers fishing between the Trenton channel and Lake Erie Metropark were having the best luck in high current areas in 10 to 11 feet of water while trolling with crawlers and bandits. Many anglers were catching large numbers of white bass near the Trenton channel but were reporting that the females were not in, so the run had not peaked yet.
Saginaw Bay: Walleye were caught while trolling with crawler harnesses out in front of the Bay City State Park in 10 to 12 feet of water. Anglers reported walleye catches out near buoy’s A-B while using crawler harnesses in 20 feet of water and while trolling out on the west side of the Spark Plug in 23 feet of water. All the marinas were producing smallmouth bass on spinner baits and tube baits. Off Quanicassee, walleye were caught in 8 to 12 feet of water on crawler harnesses and body baits. Fishing in the slot from Sunset up to Sebewaing was a good spot. Crawlers performed better in the slot, but body baits were also working. From Quanicassee to Caseville, bass were caught and released in the shallows on a variety of artificial baits. Anglers fishing for panfish caught bluegill, pumpkinseed, and a few black crappie in the shallows all along the east side.
Tittabawassee River: Boat anglers were catching and releasing good numbers of smallmouth bass near Dow Dam while casting various artificial baits. Downstream near Center Road both boat and shore anglers were catching a few white bass on live bait and while casting artificial baits, but only a few. Anglers were catching a few freshwater drum while jigging and drifting with both artificial and live bait.
Port Austin: There were a few anglers fishing from the break wall and from the banks and platforms along Bird Creek. They were catching northern pike, catching and releasing smallmouth while casting artificial lures and with minnows. A few walleye were caught in the early morning and late evening from the break wall while casting body baits.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph: Boat anglers continued to have good salmon fishing. Anglers were catching coho and a few Chinook salmon. The fish were very spread out, but 80 to 100 feet of water seemed to be the most consistent. Most of the fish were caught while trolling spoons. Pier anglers were catching good numbers of channel catfish. Night crawlers were catching most of the catfish. There were a few steelhead around the pierheads. Anglers were catching a few fish, but fishing was on the slow side. Anglers on the St. Joe River were doing well with fishing for walleye. Anglers were catching most of the walleye drifting night crawlers, but a few were caught trolling.
South Haven: Boat anglers targeting salmon had slow fishing. There were a few lake trout and salmon caught and the fish were very spread out. Boats were fishing from 60 feet of water to well beyond 100 feet of water. Fishing pressure was low. Pier anglers were catching an occasional coho. Spawn fished on the bottom were catching the coho. Overall, the pier fishing was slow.
Muskegon: Boat anglers were finding decent action for salmon 35 to 90 feet down in 60 to 190 feet of water. Green and blue spoons worked well.
Grand Haven: The salmon action was good 30 to 90 feet down in 80 to 180 feet of water. Spoons worked best in either green, orange or blue. Boats were finding the yellow perch action to be slow. Pier anglers were catching a few coho salmon on spoons or alewives. A few freshwater drum were caught in the channel while casting spoons.
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.
