Northeast Lower Peninsula

Anglers are being asked to watch for coded wire tagged fish.  These fish are missing the adipose fin located behind the dorsal fin.  They have a very small piece of wire containing important information for the MDNR.  Anglers are asked to save the head and fill out a short data sheet and put both the head and the sheet into the freezer located at the fish cleaning station in Rogers City.  Bags and data sheets are located in the cleaning station.  

Cheboygan:  Anglers are reporting good numbers of lake trout from Poe Reef to Cordwood Point in 20 to 60 feet using spoons, dodgers and cowbells.  A few Chinook and Atlantic salmon were also caught.  Smallmouth bass are in the shallows.    

Cheboygan River:  A few walleye are still present so anglers were drifting crawler harnesses or trolling crank baits.  Good numbers of smallmouth bass as well as some pike, rock bass, suckers, carp, and a few freshwater drum are also being caught.

Mullett Lake:  Walleye anglers have done well in the evening near the mouth of the Cheboygan River when trolling stick baits in eight feet.  A few limit catches were reported.  Smallmouth bass anglers are still doing well near the rocky points on the west side of the lake and along the sunken islands when using tube jigs or drop-shot fishing.  Pike were caught in Pigeon River Bay when drifting suckers or minnows.

Rogers City:  Anglers are catching lake trout but they have to search for them.  Focus on the bottom 20 feet in 40 to 65 feet.  Some limit catches were taken on green spoons and cowbells or a silver dodger with a spin-glo.  Look for structure and a rocky bottom where gobies like to hang out.  Atlantic, Chinook and pink salmon were also caught on spoons in the top 45 feet in 60 to 120 feet.  Hot colors were green, blue, and white or combinations of green and silver, blue and silver or green and orange.  

Presque Isle:  Lake trout moved into 20 to 40 feet.  The better fishing was between the two lighthouses or south towards Stoneport when using spoons and cowbells or dodgers with spin-glo’s.  A decent number of Atlantic salmon were caught north of the harbor and south towards Stoneport when using bright spoons up high in the water column.  Chinook and pink salmon were also caught but the fish were scattered.  Try the top 45 feet in 60 to 100 feet with green, blue, silver and orange spoons.    

Alpena:  Walleye in Thunder Bay are starting to hit.  Good numbers were reported in the bay and coming up the river.  Anglers are fishing early morning and late evening but the best bites are after dark when using body baits and small spoons.  Lots of lake trout with limit catches in short periods of time.  Try 60 to 80 feet and fish throughout the water column.  

Oscoda:  The walleye are just starting to show up.  Those drifting the river and fishing the pier are picking up a few on crawlers or casting body baits.  Lake trout are just now starting to move out so try 50 to 90 feet.  Work the entire water column with spoons, spin-glo’s and wobble glo’s behind dodgers.     

Au Sable River:  Is still producing a couple steelhead up near Foote Dam.  Walleye are being caught at the mouth in the early morning or late at night.  Those fishing the shallows on Foote Dam Pond are catching bluegills.  Brook trout have been caught in the South Branch.   

Higgins Lake:   Continues to produce lake trout in 80 to 100 feet.  Perch were caught in 40 to 50 feet out near the Sunken Island and the Main Island.  Rock bass are hitting and can be caught just about anywhere.  

Houghton Lake:   Bluegills are on the beds and anglers are doing well.  The crappie bite continues.  Anglers caught both large and smallmouth bass.  A fair to good number of rock bass were caught.  Walleye fishing was fair to good.    

Tawas:  Boat anglers targeting smallmouth bass were doing very well with soft plastics.  Those trolling for walleye reported slow catch rates so most were heading down to Au Gres.  Pier fishing was slow with only a few rock bass or smallmouth bass taken.  

Au Gres:  Had lots of walleye anglers but the best action was south of Pointe Au Gres with some boats going as far south as Linwood to fish.  Fish were caught off the Rifle, Saganing and Pinconning Bars in 15 to 30 feet.  Some were going to Buoys 1 & 2 or further south to the Spark Plug.  Crawler harnesses have replaced crankbaits as the go-to walleye lure.  

Northwest Lower Peninsula

Harbor Springs:  Anglers did well on lake trout from Harbor Point to the west.  More smallmouth anglers are targeting shallow waters along the shoreline and the buoys inside the harbor.  

Petoskey:  Those targeting lake trout may want to fish from the breakwall to Bay Harbor with spoons, peanuts or spin-glo’s.  Surface water temperatures were 53 degrees in Little Traverse Bay.   

Bear River:  Steelhead fishing is very slow.  Anglers were finding small brown trout, rock bass and chubs up near the dam.  Those fishing off the rocks and the D Pier caught smallmouth bass, pike, and rock bass.    

Charlevoix:  Lake trout were suspended 35 to 45 feet down and hitting on spoons and spin-glo’s.  Boat anglers picked up a couple lake herring.  Pier anglers in the channel caught a couple lake trout on jigs.  Smallmouth bass were caught here on crawlers, minnows and spoons.  Walleye fishing was slow but a couple fish were caught after dark.  Lake herring were hit-or-miss and those caught were hitting on anything flashy.  There are a lot of carp in the channel.  

Traverse City:  Smallmouth anglers caught fish in both bays and below the dam in the Elk River when using crawlers and leeches.  In the East Bay, bass were caught near the State Park and north of the M-37 launch.  Lake trout were caught off M-37 and to the east.  On the West Bay, fish were caught in the shallows of Bowers Harbor and along the southwest shoreline.  Lake trout were caught north of the M-22 launch and east of the launch near Power Island.  

Boardman River:  Smallmouth anglers have done well below the dam using crawlers and leeches.

Frankfort:  Fishing is starting to get good.  Pier anglers using spawn or dead gobies caught lake trout and brown trout.  Those heading offshore found Chinook down deep in 180 to 300 feet.  The fishing at Platte Bay is very good for lake trout.   

Portage Lake:  Had good panfish action on the east side of the lake.  

Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell:  The panfish bite is on.  Anglers are catching bluegills, crappie, rock bass and a few perch.  Largemouth bass were on the beds and hitting on live or artificial baits.  

Manistee:  Surface water temperatures were about 55 degrees.  The north pier remains closed due to construction on the lighthouse.  Those trolling caught Chinook, steelhead and lake trout in 100 to 300 feet.  A few trout and salmon were caught off the south pier.  Bait fish are still present in the harbor.  Good numbers of walleye were still being caught at night.  

Manistee Lake:  Those heading out for large and smallmouth bass continue to report good numbers of fish.  Most were caught in shallow waters on soft plastic worms or crankbaits.     

Big Manistee River:  The spring steelhead run has come to an end.  A couple legal size brown trout were caught but overall most of the fish were only eight to 14 inches.  Those targeting redhorse and white suckers had excellent catch rates up near Tippy Dam.  Try fishing near the accessible fishing platform or wading down from there.  

Ludington:  Good numbers of lake trout along with some smaller brown trout were caught in 60 to 100 feet.  Chinook and steelhead were caught in 100 to 300 feet.  Walleye were caught in the basin at night.  

Pentwater:  Chinook and some bigger steelhead were caught in 160 to 225 feet.  Pink and blue were hot colors.  Those trolling for lake trout did well in 40 to 70 feet.    

Pentwater Lake:  Bluegills and sunfish were caught in the shallows on red worms and wax worms.  Those targeting smallmouth bass landed some nice fish on crankbaits and soft plastics.  Those trolling for walleye had success after dark when using crawler harnesses.  

Upper Peninsula

Ontonagon:  Had very good lake trout fishing in 13 to 25 feet.  Anglers were trolling pink, orange and green body baits off boards 100 to 125 feet back.  A few Chinook, coho and brown trout were also mixed in.  Walleye fishing in the river was very slow.  

Keweenaw Bay:  Those trolling for salmon did manage to harvest a mix of coho, lake trout, rainbows and the occasional Chinook from the head of the bay north to the red rocks.  They used a variety of lures 20 to 40 feet down in 30 to 60 feet with mini planer boards.  Lake trout were caught in Traverse Bay between Gay Point and Big Louie’s Point in 130 to 150 feet.  Spoons worked best.  

Menominee River:  Anglers are catching walleye, freshwater drum, perch, smallmouth bass, rock bass, and bluegill between the mouth and the Hattie Street Dam.  Boat and shore anglers are using a variety of baits and techniques.  

Little Bay De Noc:  Walleye fishing was slow however it is possible the fish were still up in the rivers and exiting just now.  The mouth of the Whitefish and Ford Rivers could be promising areas to explore this week.  Walleye catches varied across the bay with the better catches generally in 20 to 35 feet when trolling crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers or stick baits.  Good pike action especially around Butler Island when trolling or casting crankbaits, spoons or spinners in eight to 14 feet.  The bass opener was fair to good with most fishing the Ford River area.  Boat and shore anglers were using crankbaits, plastics and spinners.  Those fishing Hunters Point caught smallmouth when casting tube baits along the gravel in four to 10 feet.  

Big Bay De Noc:  Good numbers of walleye were caught by bass anglers fishing near the mouth of the Ogontz River.  The walleyes late exit from the river surprised the bass anglers.  Walleye catches were fair to good when trolling stick baits in six to eight feet.  Ogontz was good for smallmouth bass.  Most were using plastics, spinners or crankbaits in four to eight feet but a few did well with crawlers in Garden Bay, Puffy Bay and north to the Fish Dam Rivers.   Pike fishing was also good but many were undersize.   

Marquette:  Anglers caught lake trout and steelhead near the “White Rocks”.  Boat anglers trolling north of the Upper Harbor caught some coho.  The Carp River had higher water levels but those using spinners and worms caught brook trout.  

Munising:  Boat anglers targeting lake trout were having a tough time and it may have been because of the large mayfly hatch.  The few caught were taken off Trout Bay and towards Wood Island Reef.  Water temperatures were in the mid 40’s.  

Grand Marais:  Strong southerly winds made trolling difficult.  Catch rates for lake trout were slow with most fish averaging 18 to 20 inches.  Some of the lake trout caught have been eating sticklebacks.   Pier anglers caught a few whitefish.  Some did better in the early morning as the night bite was a bit slower.  

St. Mary’s River:  Fair catches of rainbow trout were taken at the Portage Street Bridge when drifting a four ounce sinker with a 10 inch leader.  Try chrome with blue or burgundy flat fish in the early morning hours.  A few whitefish were caught on the discharge side when drifting a wax worm or a small red worm in 10 to 12 feet.  Munuscong Bay had excellent walleye fishing at the mouth of the Munuscong River when trolling small crankbaits in four feet.  Water temperatures in Raber Bay were a warm 62 degrees on the north shore.  Walleye and smallmouth bass were caught when casting or drifting split body crankbaits in four to six feet.  A couple undersize pike were caught on the east side of Lime Island.  Those fishing around Drummond Island caught walleye including a few limit catches when trolling crawler harnesses with white blades and orange or green crankbaits along the north shore of Scott Bay between Paw Point and the McCormick Marsh in four feet.  The bass opener was productive with smallmouth taken in four to six feet around Bruce Point.  Spinners or small crankbaits in fire-tiger worked best.  Bruce Point is excellent for bass fishing when the wind is out of the south or southeast.  

Detour:  Atlantic salmon and trout fishing started and a couple Chinook were caught.  

Cedarville and Hessel:  In the Les Cheneaux Islands, splake moved out to water 20 to 30 feet deep.  Pike fishing was good for those using smelt or chubs.  Hessel Bay and Muskie Bay were the most productive when casting spinners.  Not much for perch yet however bass fishing was very good in the shallow bays.  

St. Ignace:  Still has good lake trout fishing around Mackinac Island.  Fish were caught on spoons, dodger and cowbells in 30 to 60 feet.  The fish cleaning station was still closed.  A few walleye were starting to hit in both the Carp and the Pine Rivers.  Those drifting or still-fishing with crawlers or leeches did best.  A few pike and suckers were also caught.  

Fishing Tip: Fall in love with fishing - hook, line & sinker

Have you ever wanted to learn how to fish? Partake in the DNR’s Hook, Line and Sinker program and you’ll be equipped with the skills to become an excellent angler!

This program is available weekly at more than 30 state parks and fish hatcheries from mid-June until the end of summer. The program teaches participants casting and fishing basics and equipment and bait are provided. 

Participants under the age of 17 do not need a fishing license. Programs are free, but a Recreation Passport is required for entry.