Attention Anglers:  The fishing report will not be updated the week of December 4. 

The catch-and-release season for lake sturgeon on the Great Lakes and connecting waters will close on November 30.  Strong winds continue to hamper fishing along the Great Lakes.  A major cool down the end of next week should help start the freezing process.  

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake St. Clair:  The fishing season for lake sturgeon closes on November 30th.  Anglers were still taking some yellow perch in and around the marinas.  

St. Clair River:  The fishing season for lake sturgeon closes on November 30th.  Boat and shore anglers were still picking up a few walleye.  

Lexington and Port Sanilac:  Pier fishing was slow and sporadic.  A few rainbows were caught when casting spoons.  A couple Atlantic salmon were taken by those vertical jigging a small marabou jig off the docks at Lexington.  

Harbor Beach:  Some lake trout were caught by pier anglers casting spoons at the north gap.    

Saginaw Bay:  Boat and shore anglers continue to be limited because of strong winds.  Perch are in the river mouths and the cuts.  Fish have been caught in the Pine and the Kawkawlin Rivers on the west side of the bay and in the Quanicassee and Sebewaing Rivers as well as the Thomas Cut on the east side.  The perch move in and out, so try a spot for an hour or so and if no luck, move on to the next river or cut.  Perch anglers are also fishing in the public harbor at Caseville.  Some were casting for lake trout at the mouth of the Pigeon River.  

Saginaw River:  Anglers fishing the lower river from the Independence Bridge downstream to the mouth are catching walleye when vertical jigging with jig-heads tipped with minnows.  Some perch were caught down near the mouth.  

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: The few boat and shore anglers taking advantage of the warm weather have caught bluegills, bass, pike and even walleye from the inland lakes.  

St. Joseph River:  Water levels have come down.  Steelhead were caught by those floating spawn and flies or casting spoons. 

Grand Haven:  Pier anglers were taking some whitefish.  Try a small hook with a wax worm or single egg.     

Grand River at Grand Rapids:  Steelhead continue to be caught up near the 6th Street Dam.  Walleye have also been taken by those fishing off the wall and up near the dam.  

Muskegon:  Pier anglers caught some whitefish.  

Muskegon River:  With water levels receding, those targeting steelhead have caught some nice fish all the way up to Croton Dam.  Walleye and perch were still being caught in both Croton Pond and Hardy Pond.   

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Alpena:  Boat anglers target whitefish in the shallows this time of year.  Try a small hook with a wax worm or single egg.  Those spearing usually do so at night with the aid of a light.    

Au Sable River:  Water levels dropped and cleared up over the last week.  Those fly casting or drifting caught steelhead and brown trout.  

Tawas:  Shore anglers target whitefish off the State Dock this time of year.  The better fishing is usually in the early morning when using a small hook tipped with a wax worm or single egg.  

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: Fishing will completely depend on the weather.  Moderate temperatures this week means no ice fishing.  Lakes in the area have some skim ice but no safe ice.  Walleye will bite right up until ice up, so those trolling or casting for late fall walleye could find some fish.  Steelhead fishing should be good in the rivers.  

Betsie River:  Steelhead fishing continues.  Most are using flies and beads or spawn.      

Manistee:  Surf fishing and pier fishing for steelhead should remain good if the weather allows anglers to get out.  

Big Manistee River:  Was producing steelhead.  Many are hold-overs but rain by the end of the week should bring in some fresh fish.  

Ludington:  Surf fishing and pier fishing for steelhead should remain good here as well.

Pere Marquette River:  Steelhead fishing continues with a good number of fish in the river.         

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Upper Peninsula

Overall: Thin ice has formed on most of the smaller inland lakes on the west end.  The ice is thin and not safe for foot travel.  Colder weather is predicted for the end of next week and beyond which should help with the freezing process and could provide some early ice fishing.    

Little Bay De Noc:  Had walleye anglers with fair to good catches reported.  The best catches were in the northern parts of the Bay. Night anglers trolled stick baits in the shallow waters with best catches in 9 to 20 feet.  Day anglers did best a little deeper with crank baits and stick baits in 24 to 35 feet.  Most reported a good mix of large and small fish.  The early ice season should be good when it gets here.   

Tahquamenon River:  Had no reports other than some of the river and the Dollarville Flooding had skim ice.    

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Fishing Tip: Save-the-Date for 2018 Winter Free Fishing Weekend

The 2018 Winter Free Fishing Weekend – February 17 and 18 – provides a perfect time to get more individuals and families out trying the sport of ice fishing. 

As part of this weekend, all fishing license fees are waived for the two days with residents and out-of-state visitors allowed to enjoy fishing on both inland and Great Lakes' waters for all species of fish during their respective open seasons. Please note all regulations still apply during that time. 

To encourage involvement in the 2018 Winter Free Fishing Weekend, organized activities are often offered in communities across the state. These activities are coordinated by constituent groups, schools, parks (local/state), businesses and others. Will you be joining them and planning an event?

We've compiled numerous resources to help you plan and execute an event in your community. Simply visit Michigan.gov/freefishing and look through the Free Fishing Weekend Event Planning e-Toolkit. If you've already been hosting Free Fishing Weekend events, thank you! We've got tools to help you as well via the Free Fishing Weekend Event Promotion e-Toolkit located at the website listed previously. Resources in this e-Toolkit include outreach and public relations materials.

Come fishing with us this February – for more information, visit Michigan.gov/freefishing. 

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