Northeast Lower Peninsula

Rogers City:  Was producing a good mix of salmon, steelhead, lake trout and walleye north or south towards Swan Bay.  A good number of salmon were taken in shallow water eight to 30 feet with J-plugs and bombers off planer boards.    Plenty of fish were also caught throughout the water column in 40 to 80 feet with spoons, J-plugs, meat rigs or attractors with flies or squid.  Good colors were green, orange, black and white, blue, purple or glow early and late.  

Alpena:  A few boats had success around Thunder Bay Island or towards Middle Island and the wreck.  They were getting walleye when trolling body baits.  Lake trout were still hitting near the bottom out near the “Humps”.  

Thunder Bay River:  Anglers caught smallmouth bass but not much else.    

Harrisville:  The fish were scattered.  A few walleye, salmon and steelhead were found north of the harbor to Sturgeon Point.  The fish were suspended from top to bottom.  Anglers are reporting large schools of baitfish in the areas where they are catching the most fish with body baits or small spoons.  Blue, orange and yellow were good colors.  Lake trout are moving throughout the area, and seem to be coming into shallower waters.  Again the fish are from top to bottom so running a wide spread of baits throughout will increase your chances.   

Oscoda:  Anglers caught a few salmon and some lake trout in 70 to 100 feet.  The lake trout were in the bottom third of the water column but the salmon and steelhead were suspended.  Anglers are using sliders and dipseys, spoons, body baits, cut bait, flies and squid.  Pier fishing was slow.  

Tawas:  Anglers were trolling in 35 to 50 feet out near Buoy #2 and around the weed beds off Jerry’s Marina but catch rates were not good.  Perch anglers were marking a lot of fish near the weed beds but they would not bite.  Pier fishing was slow with only the odd walleye taken by those walk-trolling off the wall at night.  

Au Gres:  Walleye fishing was slow with only the occasional fish coming from 15 to 40 feet.  Most of the perch fishing was down off the Saganing Bar or the Pinconning Bar but the bite was very slow.  One boat did manage to catch some fish south of the Pinconning Bar in 18 feet.

Au Gres River:  Murky water after the rain was good for catfish and bullhead. 

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Harbor Springs:  Anglers did well for lake trout with fish caught 100 to 140 feet down in waters up to 200 feet deep. 

Petoskey:  Water temperatures finally began to cool with a break reported about 100 feet down.  Lake trout were caught 90 to 150 feet down at Bay Harbor and south as well as inside Little Traverse Bay where a small coho was also taken.  Spoons and meat rigs were taking lake trout.  One Chinook salmon was caught in shallow water just outside the breakwall. 

Bear River:  Has Chinook salmon up at the dam.  A few fish were seen jumping in the falls.  Anglers did manage to catch a couple steelhead and brown trout when using spawn, flies or artificial eggs.  Water levels were up. 

Charlevoix:  Salmon and trout fishing were slow.  A couple Chinook and coho were taken 75 to 90 feet down in 100 to 120 feet between North Point and the cement plant.  A couple salmon were also caught in shallow waters 20 feet deep near the cement plant.  For Medusa Creek, the fence to divert fish into the weir is now in place.  The creek is now closed to fishing within 100 feet of the mouth.  Smallmouth fishing picked up with fish over 14 inches caught in the channel when using worms, leeches, or soft plastics on the bottom.  

Lake Charlevoix:  Boats are starting to fish for salmon near the Belvedere Club which is where the fish begin their run to the Boyne and Jordan Rivers. 

Elk River:  Smallmouth bass and the occasional Chinook or brown trout were caught below the power dam.  Try fresh skein or spawn bags for the trout and salmon.

Traverse City:  Lake trout fishing was fair in the East Bay in 90 to 110 feet.  Salmon fishing was inconsistent for those running gear 60 to 90 feet down over 80 to 160 feet.  Cisco and a few yellow perch have been caught.  Salmon fishing was slow in the West Bay.  Try running plugs near the mouth of the Boardman where fish were starting to stage.  Lake trout fishing was fair in 85 to 120 feet. 

Boardman River:  Salmon are beginning to run but the fishing was slow.  Most anglers are drifting skein under a bobber. 

Frankfort:  Chinook are staging outside the breakwalls and small numbers are entering the river.  Fresh fish are being caught around the Herring Hole and by those jigging in the bay.  Coho salmon were caught on spoons in Platte Bay.  

Onekama:  Anglers trolling the Barrel have caught Chinook on J-plugs and some of the fish have been good size.  Lake trout are also in the area and were hitting on cowbells. 

Portage Lake:  Bass and panfish were caught in 20 feet.  Bluegills were hitting on worms.

Manistee:  Fishing here had good days and bad days.  Boat anglers were heading in all directions but those heading south about halfway to Ludington caught more fish.  Surface water temperatures were 69 degrees.  Anglers caught mainly Chinook but coho, steelhead and lake trout were also taken 80 to 130 feet down in 100 to 300 feet.  Most are running a mix of cut bait, spoons, and J-plugs. 

Ludington:  With warm water in the area, catch rates were up and down.  Anglers were still trolling 80 to 100 feet down in 130 feet south to the project or north to Big Sable Point at 80 to 120 feet down in 120 to 300 feet.  Most fish were taken about halfway between Ludington and Manistee.  J-plugs and cut bait worked best with most catching Chinook followed by the occasional coho, steelhead and lake trout.  On the good days, anglers were averaging five to eight fish but the bad days were zero to two.  Those coming in with more fish said trolling in a certain direction has helped.   

Pere Marquette River:  Rain and cooler temperatures will help push salmon up into the river.     

Pentwater:  Boat anglers did best when trolling in the waters around Little Sable Point.  Fish were taken 100 feet down in 200 feet.  There was no pier action to report. 

Pentwater River:  Rumor has it a few salmon were caught.

Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay:  Salmon anglers had a slow week.  Those heading out did pick up a few lake trout when trolling near Pequaming and those jigging off the Township Park in 180 to 240 feet.  Boat anglers are still finding baitfish with bigger fish mixed in but they would not hit. The South Portage Entry had a few more anglers jigging in 150 to 280 feet off Newton’s Reef and Farmers Reef or the south end of Big Reef in 260 feet for lake trout.  In Traverse Bay, those jigging in 240 to 260 feet off Big Louie’s Point had some good catches of lake trout.  Anglers also fished Hermits Cove, Gay Point, 6 and 7-Mile Reefs, or straight out from the Big Traverse Bay Pier when trolling in 100 to 150 feet.  A mix of lake trout, coho and steelhead were taken north or south of the pier in 30 to 60 feet.

Menominee River:  Fishing improved with the recent rain.  Shore anglers caught perch, walleye, panfish, catfish, smallmouth bass and freshwater drum.  Live bait on the bottom worked best.  Boat anglers fishing off the mouth caught a few trout and salmon about 40 feet down in 60 feet with J-plugs.  

Little Bay De Noc:  Walleye anglers reported better catches in the northern Bay as some of the larger fish have migrated in.  Catch rates were fair for those trolling stick baits in the late evening in 10 to 14 feet between the Second and Third Reefs or day anglers drifting and trolling crawler harnesses in 22 to 35 feet between the “Narrows” and the Center Reef.  Fair to good catches south near Round Island when trolling stick baits in 12 to 25 feet.  Several good perch catches were reported in the Kipling area when using minnows in and around 10 feet.  A couple brown trout were caught off the mouth of the Escanaba Yacht Harbor when casting rapalas.  Northern pike anglers reported slower catch rates but fish were still taken out from Brach’s Cabins in 10 to 12 feet, the Gladstone coal pile in eight to 14 feet and the mouth of the rivers.  Bass anglers caught fish on plastics in 12 to 18 feet south of the Ford River.  

Big Bay De Noc:  The better smallmouth action was in the shallows off Garden Bluff.  Anglers used slip bobbers with crawlers or plastics in four to eight feet.  Perch anglers marked fish off the mouth of Garden Bay but only a few catches were reported.

Munising:  Boat anglers were light this past week with no luck for coho.  Surface water temperatures were in the low 60’s and will stay that way until winds turn from the north.  The salmon were suspended in deep water and were not hitting.  Shore anglers fishing the Anna River dock had little success.  Catch rates were slow out near Big Reef with only a few lake trout taken.  

Grand Marais:  Anglers were mainly targeting lake trout.  The better action was straight out about four miles with spoons 180 to 220 feet down.  Lake trout averaged 3 pounds.  Most anglers are waiting for winds out of the north to bring in cooler water.  

DeTour:  Pink salmon and lake trout were caught in and around the Detour Lighthouse when trolling flashers and sliders 55 to 60 down in 80 feet.  A few coho were caught 55 to 60 feet down in over 90 feet between the green buoy and the lighthouse. The occasional Atlantic was caught when trolling the 80 foot flat straight south of the lighthouse about two miles.  Use sliders 60 feet down in over 80 feet of water.  The fish seem to favor three to four inch spoons in chartreuse and white.  

Drummond Island:  Perch anglers had very little success.  Most were targeting 12 to 14 feet around Ashman Island.  Anglers might want to try the weed beds in five to six feet.  Walleye fishing was fair for those trolling from Paw Pointe to Peck Island with planer boards and stick baits in the early morning or late evening.  Good smallmouth action around Bruce Point when jigging brown or dark green tube jigs in five to seven feet on the downwind side of the rock piles.  Northern pike were caught just off the weed beds at the DNR boat launch in Maxton Bay when trolling black and yellow bucktail spinners in four to six feet in the early morning, late afternoon or evening.  Good rock bass fishing off the old dock pilings on the west side of the parking lot.  Try small spinners with white twister tails and worms.     

Cedarville & Hessel:  Still had good pike fishing around the Les Cheneaux Islands. Anglers are casting, trolling or still-fishing with chubs.  The Hessel Marina is also good for pike.  Perch fishing in the Moscoe Channel has slowed but was good on the east end of Cedarville Bay and Conner’s Point in Musky Bay.  Large and smallmouth bass fishing was good from Cedarville to Hessel.  Good lake trout action in the deeper waters off Hessel.  Salmon fishing was slow.    

St. Ignace:  Angling pressure was low.  Some are fishing the Carp River from the mouth to Mackinac Trail.  Catch rates were slow during the mid-day so try crawlers and lures early morning or late evening.