Northeast Lower Peninsula
Tawas: Anglers caught coho, Chinook, Atlantic salmon, lake trout and rainbow trout while trolling spoons and body baits in 40 to 70 feet out past buoy # 2. Some walleye were caught out near the Charity Islands in 10 to 25 feet while trolling crawlers and body baits. At Gateway Park on the Tawas River, there were some smallmouth and largemouth bass caught while casting plastics, spinners and body baits. Some small perch and catfish were caught off minnows and crawlers.
Alpena: Lake trout fishing improved, and the best was around Thunder Bay Island. Best water depths were from 30 to 70 feet of water. There were some reports of a couple of limits of lake trout. Anglers were running a variety of lines, some high, some 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 caught. Good spoon colors were bright colors, greens, oranges, blue and silver.
Thunder Bay River: Steelhead were finishing up their spawning and heading back to the lake. 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: Walleye fishing was good with some limits caught out past near the Charity Islands in 10 to 20 feet, near Point Au Gres in 20 to 30 feet and south anywhere from the Rifle River to the Pine River and out near the Pinconning and Saganing bars in 5 to 12 feet while trolling crawlers and body baits. There were some good largemouth and smallmouth bass and pike fishing near the Charities, and near the weeds along the shore and near the mouth of the Au Gres River as well as near the Pine River while casting plastic, spinners and body baits. There were some crappies caught inside the Eagle Bay Marina while still fishing minnows.
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
Duck Lake: Perch were biting in 18 to 20 feet of water. The fish were actively taking chunks of nightcrawlers on perch rigs fished tight to the bottom just before the holiday weekend. The significantly warmer conditions we are seeing now might make it necessary to go out a bit deeper to find the fish.
Ludington: Anglers trolling for Chinook caught a few in the harbor and just outside the pierheads while trolling spoons. Chinook were caught at Big Sable Point in 80 to 200 feet of water when fishing 30 to 80 feet down; spoons and flies worked best. A few lake trout were caught south of the harbor. Pier fishing was slow.
East Grand Traverse bays: Cisco were caught near Deepwater Point and Yuba in 50 to 75 feet of water. Smallmouth bass fishing remained slow, very little bedding activity so far.
Manistee: When weather cooperated, anglers were finding some smaller Chinook along the shelf and south of the port toward Big Sable Point. Catches were hit or miss. Depths ranged from 130 to 180 feet of water and out to 300 feet of water while fishing 30 to 80 feet down. Spoons and flies worked well. Pier fishing was slow but plenty of bait was around.
Frankfort: Chinook salmon arrived in small numbers, but anglers were impressed with the sizes as several weighed in from 15 to 20 pounds. Anglers were trolling in 200 to 250 feet of water and working 70 to 90 down with spoons. Lake trout were also hitting in the same area. For better numbers, anglers were heading north to Platte Bay.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Walleye fishing was good. Anglers reported success when trolling or drifting crawler harnesses. Primary areas of focus for walleye anglers included south of Gladstone, out of the Ford River, as well as near the mouth of the Whitefish River. Additionally, some anglers had success at the first reef. Smallmouth anglers reported good fishing when casting soft plastics or crank baits. Perch anglers had mixed results fishing the upper portion of the bay.
Manistique: Steelhead anglers reported a slight decline in success, but there were still some fish in the river. Walleye anglers had some success, although fishing was generally slow.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers had success in both bays over the past week. Multiple catches of Chinook, coho and lake trout were reported. Most successful angling was while trolling however some anglers did have luck jigging. Most trolling was done in water between the depths of 40 and 170 feet. Anglers had luck trolling with artificial baits as well.
Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers were catching pike off the pier in Hessel. In Detour, anglers were catching Atlantic salmon and lake trout around the lighthouse. Anglers were also catching walleye and smallmouth bass around Drummond Island. The bass and walleye fishing was good around the island when anglers were using artificial and live bait.
Traverse Bays/ South Portage Canal Entry: Anglers had success fishing for lake trout this past week. Fishing pressure was split evenly between jigging and trolling with them being equally successful. A few coho and Chinook were also caught however lake trout dominated the catch. Anglers had luck using natural baits while jigging and artificial baits while trolling. Near shore waters seemed to produce the most fish while trolling and some near shore and some deep areas produced fish while jigging.
Munising: Fishing pressure was low with only a few boat anglers fishing mainly in the mornings. Anglers were targeting coho with reports of a few Chinook being caught averaging around 5 to 9 pounds. Anglers were mainly trolling within the bay and the west channel areas and then towards Five Mile Point and in the Au Train area. Shore fishing pressure was low due to low water conditions on Lake Superior.
Grand Marais: Whitefish anglers continued to do well with limits as long as there was a northwest wind. South winds were not favorable for any kind of bite. Anglers reporting limits in the early morning and were also doing well at dusk and just shortly after. Anglers were using mainly single eggs with a few anglers trying spawn, or worms and also casting with assorted spoons or heavy jigs. Whitefish were averaging around 13 inches with some incidental fish over 15 inches. Boat anglers were starting to target lake trout and did well with some reports of limits near the drop off just outside of harbor to the Five Mile reef area and shipping channels with most fish averaging around 3 to 4 pounds.
Marquette: Fishing pressure remained slow. Anglers were switching from salmon fishing to lake trout fishing as the Chinook and coho seemed to be slowing down. There was relative success catching coho, Chinook and lake trout offshore trolling in between the Carp and Chocolay rivers. Anglers should try trolling using a spoon while moving at a speed of just under 2 miles per hour. Anglers had success catching lake trout and brown trout from near the break wall in lower harbor. Try trolling near the break wall moving at slow speeds using spoons, stick baits or flickers. Lake trout were also caught from the upper harbor area. Lake trout were caught in a variety of depths of water but try fishing deeper water for better success.
Au Train: The salmon fishing slowed down, but there were some anglers with some success at catching coho and Chinook salmon. For best chance at catching Chinook or coho salmon, try trolling or casting using flickers or spoons. For Chinook and coho, try fishing east of the Brownstone Boat Launch as that seemed to be where most of the success has come from. Try fishing to the west of the Brownstone for lake trout and brown trout. Anglers had success catching lake trout and brown trout while trolling and jigging in deep water (about 150+ feet). Try trolling using spoons, or also try jigging using cut bait/smelt. Fishing pressure in the Au Train River was very low. The Rock River had a limited number of people as well, but there were a few reports of coho being caught from shore. Try casting out using spawn or crawlers for best success.
Upper St. Mary’s: Whitefish anglers were jigging in 3 to 5 feet off the bottom of the river for whitefish, which produced good results using different types of artificial and natural wax worms, as well as crawlers. Some anglers were occasionally catching steelhead near the Locks on crawlers or single eggs setups.
Whitefish Bay: Over the weekend, Chinook salmon fishing was producing. Multiple anglers reported several fish including the occasional coho. Trolling at low speeds with different colors of spoons at 30 to 80 feet was successful. Anglers were fishing within 1 to 10 miles from Whitefish Harbor. The walleye fishing pressure near the Tahquamenon River mouth continued to stay high. Boats traveling in and out of the river mouth and out into Lake Superior reported walleye, musky, pike and different types of bass. With the Tahquamenon River mouth campground now fully open, many shore anglers are out, primarily catching small panfish and bullhead.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: At Sterling State Park, anglers fishing in 20 to 22 feet of water were doing well with yellow or green spoons while trolling at 2 mph in Brest Bay. Anglers in the same area using antifreeze color crawler harnesses in 50 feet were also successful. Florescent green was also a hot color. Shore anglers at Pointe Mouillee reported catches of largemouth bass, spotted gar and bowfin. Largemouth bass were caught mostly on wacky worms and spinners. Anglers reported channel catfish catches just south of Bolles Harbor while using minnows or crawlers.
Detroit River: Walleye anglers were catching limits. Water near Mud Island continued to be a hot spot. Anglers were trolling with crawlers and bottom bouncers in 35 feet of water. The Trenton Channel to the mouth of Lake Erie was decent. Successful anglers trolled in 40 to 45 feet of water. White bass were caught everywhere, and anglers were casting with live minnows and small artificial baits. The smallmouth bass action was beginning to pick up. Purple and gold were hot colors.
Saginaw Bay: Walleye fishing on the eastern side of the bay was good this week. Walleye were caught in 8 to 12 feet of water off Quanicassee. The slot from Sunset to the islands in 13 to 14 feet and out deeper in 16 to 18 feet was very good. Most walleye were caught on crawler harnesses, but body baits were catching fish as well. Shallower near shore areas had good bass fishing with lots of pike mixed in on a variety of artificial baits. A few walleye were caught in Wildfowl Bay. Walleye were caught at Linwood in 8 to 15 feet on crawler harnesses and at Sailboat Buoy B in 18 to 20 feet of water on crawlers. Anglers also caught walleye out in front of Farley Road in 10 feet of water on crawlers and some were caught in the lower part of the Saginaw River while trolling with crawlers. At Smith Park in Essexville, shore anglers were catching some smallmouth bass and pike on Chartreuse Twister Tales.
Tittabawassee River: Some anglers were looking for both white bass and smallmouth bass with little success. At Dow Dam, boat anglers casting various jigs and plugs caught a few channel catfish and smallmouth bass. Downstream around Center Road Boat Launch, shore anglers were catching a few drum and white bass while using night crawlers. Boat anglers were catching a few white bass and drum while casting various artificial baits.
Lexington: Boat anglers were trolling a few miles south of the harbor and straight out north in 40 to 60 feet of water while using downriggers with bright colored silver streaks. Anglers were catching coho, lake trout and steelhead.
Port Sanilac: Some coho, Atlantic salmon and steelhead were caught from the break wall in the early morning and in the evening while casting spinners, small spoons and still fishing live bait. Boat anglers were fishing anywhere from 40 to 130 feet of water. They were using three color leadcore, downriggers with bright colored spoons.
Harbor Beach: Smallmouth bass were caught from the break wall and from boats inside the harbor while casting artificial lures. A few steelhead were taken from the break wall while casting small spoons and body baits.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph: Boat anglers had another good week. There were good catches of coho and Chinook salmon in 80 to 100 feet of water. A few steelhead and lake trout were mixed in. Most fish were caught on spoons. Pier fishing was also good. Anglers fishing shrimp and alewife were catching steelhead. Anglers were catching good numbers of catfish and drum. Night crawlers fished on the bottom were catching most of these fish. Perch fishing was slow. Anglers fishing the St. Joe River continued to have good success catching walleye. Most of the walleye were caught while drifting crawlers. There were nice catches of smallmouth bass.
South Haven: Fishing pressure was low. Pier anglers were catching a few steelhead. Shrimp fished under bobbers were catching most of these fish. Live alewives caught some fish also. Boat anglers targeting salmon caught a few fish. Most catches were a mix of salmon and trout. Spoons were working best.
Muskegon: Boat anglers were finding good numbers of salmon 30 to 90 feet down in 120 to 200 feet of water. Orange and green spoons performed well.
Grand Haven: Excellent fishing continued for boat anglers targeting salmon. Boat anglers were finding salmon in front of the pierheads and out in 120 to 200 feet of water. Pier anglers were catching coho salmon and a few steelhead. Shrimp and alewives worked best. Salmon were biting on green, blue and orange spoons. Green or white flies also produced well.
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.
