Storms that popped up throughout the state definitely altered fishing conditions in many waterbodies. But in some spots perch, salmon and lake trout action was picking up!

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Local storms slowed the perch bite, but a few boats were still able to catch their limits. Fish were found in 22 to 25 feet near the E-Buoy and the Dumping Grounds, in 16 to 18 feet near the red buoy out of Bolles Harbor, in 14 to 16 feet in Brest Bay, and in 25 to 26 feet off Fermi. Most were using minnows on perch rigs with green, orange and chartreuse spinners and crappie rigs. The best fishing was found between 6 and 11 a.m. Walleye limits were reported near the Dumping Grounds on spoons and in 21 to 23 feet between Stony Point and Fermi with green, purple, blue or chartreuse crawler harnesses. While perch fishing anglers also caught white bass, white perch, freshwater drum and large channel catfish. The Hot Ponds produced good numbers of catfish for those using crawlers and those bow fishing the same area got moderately-sized common carp and various sized gar. Smallmouth bass were caught off the mouth of the River Raisin using green pumpkin tubes and drop-shot rigs, and around and within Bolles Harbor. 

Lake St. Clair:  Smallmouth bass action picked up, especially for those fishing Anchor Bay and the main shipping channel. Fish were deep in both sections at around the 12 foot mark. Lighter colored soft plastics, especially tubes, brought up some big fish. Yellow perch were starting to show up in Anchor Bay, as well as at the Mile Roads region. Drifting a crawler off the bottom yielded fish. Walleye action has tapered off but was coming back slightly in the shipping channel. Everything from trolling to drifting was working.   

Port Sanilac: Trollers brought in steelhead, coho and walleye from straight east of the harbor in 125 to 140 feet of water while fishing orange and black spoons at 50 to 80 feet down. 

Lexington: A few white bass were caught off the wall here. 

Port Austin: Lake trout were being caught in 90 to 120 feet of water on spin-glows and green flies fished near the bottom. 

Saginaw Bay: Perch fishing reports were much better than they have been with buoys B, H and G all producing fish up off Linwood. Some anglers tried vertical jigging with spoons and caught a few walleye and big perch. A few trollers had decent walleye catches out of the weed beds along the Slot and inside Wildfowl Bay.   

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Good numbers of perch were being caught around 30 feet of water. Fish were caught both south and north of the piers. Salmon anglers fishing in 80 feet of water were catching lake trout with spin and glows working best. Pier fishing was slow for all species. 

South Haven: Perch fishing is improving. Decent numbers of fish were caught in 20 feet of water. The fish were scattered but could be found. Meanwhile, salmon anglers were still catching lake trout. The most active water was 80 to 100 feet. Traditional gear worked best. Pier fishing was slow for steelhead but drum were being caught on nightcrawlers.   

Grand Haven: Action was slow for those on boats looking for salmon. Some fish were found 60 to 120 feet down in 100 to 175 feet of water. Glow plugs, green meat rigs and orange spoons all worked well. Good numbers of lake trout were caught near the bottom on yellow or green spin-glows. Pier anglers caught smallmouth and largemouth bass.   

Grand River at Lansing: The recent change in weather and heavy rain made reports scarce. 

Muskegon: Salmon action was slow for those with boats, a few Chinook were caught 55 to 120 feet down in 80 to 160 feet of water. Green and orange spoons worked well, along with green meat rigs. Pier anglers caught a few freshwater drum while casting silver spoons.     

Whitehall: Boats trolling 50 to 80 feet down in 130 to 180 feet caught Chinook, steelhead, lake trout and the occasional coho. Blue or white flies worked best, followed by blue, green or bloody nose spoons. Pier anglers caught largemouth bass and bluegill while drifting or still fishing with nightcrawlers or red worms in the channel.    

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: Fishing here has slowed down, however anglers caught lake trout and a few Chinook off Lafayette Point and Lighthouse Point on Bois Blanc Island while using spoons and flies with flashers between 70 and 90 feet of water. Those fishing along the south shoreline of Bois Blanc were also catching 24 to 29 inch pike. 

Cheboygan River: All chutes were still closed at the dam with the water temperature hovering around 78 degrees. Anglers caught a few walleye on worms and leeches downstream and smallmouth between eight to 12 inches were caught on soft baits and leeches.  

Hammond Bay: Fishing picked up off 9 Mile Point with anglers getting a mixed bag of lake trout, Chinook, Atlantics and walleye with spoons and cut bait between 90 and 110 feet of water.  

Rogers City: Reports from this area were mixed with anglers catching Chinook, lake trout, steelhead, Atlantics, walleye and the occasional coho. The best depths seemed to be anywhere from 50 to 100 feet of water with anglers deploying lines throughout the water column using downriggers, dipseys, lead cores and copper. Spoons worked better with the cold water while flashers with flies, cut bait and j-plugs worked better when the water was warm. Good spoon colors included bloody nose, black and white, purple, blues, greens, oranges and glow stuff early or late. 

Alpena: The humps produced for lake trout and anglers did well fishing the Nordemeer Wreck. The best depths were 80 to 130 feet and fishing near the bottom. A couple steelhead were also caught on higher lines. Walleye did well at Rockport and Presque Isle with anglers fishing them suspended with crank baits or crawler harnesses in 30 to 80 feet of water while fishing the top 30 feet.  

Thunder Bay River: Shore anglers used live bait and caught lots of smaller rock bass, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum and the occasional walleye. Overall, fishing was slow.  

Black River: Northern pike were caught while casting cranks at the river mouth and channel catfish were caught while still fishing night crawlers in the late evening and early morning. Those trolling stick baits found walleye around structure between Black River and South Point in the dawn and dusk hours.  

Harrisville: Those targeting salmon and trout found lake trout near bottom or 40 to 60 feet down in 85 to 150 feet of water between the harbor and Sturgeon Point. Spoons and spin-glows worked best. The occasional Atlantic was caught in the early morning hours by anglers trolling spoons on lead core 30 to 50 feet down. Walleye were caught while suspending in 60 to 120 feet or in 20 to 35 feet during low-light hours. 

Oscoda: Lake trout were caught while trolling spoons, spin-glows and meat rigs near bottom or 50 to 70 feet down in 85 to 12 feet, or as far out as 140 feet. Steelhead and the odd Atlantic were taken on spoons 30 to 70 feet down. Walleye were caught on spoons while suspended over 60 to 120 feet. Pier anglers fishing late at night and early in the morning had a few channel catfish catches while still fishing stink baits or night crawlers. Freshwater drum, smallmouth bass and rock bass were also caught.  

Au Sable River: Channel catfish, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum, rock bass, bowfin, sunfish, yellow perch and undersize walleye were all caught by anglers while still fishing night crawlers and minnows. Northern pike were found by anglers casting spoons in the weedy still waters.  

Houghton Lake: Fishing slowed down but anglers were still finding some walleye, bass and bluegill. Popular timeframes have been early morning and late afternoon/early evening. Walleye were found in the deeper parts of most drop-offs with crawlers, leeches or crank baits in greens, chartreuse or fire tiger. Bluegill were liking wax worms or leeches in eight to 10 feet and bass were active in six to 10 feet with anglers casting worm rigs or spinners.  

Tawas: Walleye anglers fishing around the weed beds up in the “armpit” of Tawas Bay took a few walleye near buoys 4 and 6. Those targeting perch found a few small ones but nothing big enough to keep. Outside of the bay trollers caught walleye on harnesses beyond buoy 2 and down by the Bell Buoy in 35 to 50 feet of water. Some steelhead were taken from 70 feet around Tawas Point and up to Au Sable Point. 

Au Gres: Walleye trollers were fishing in 30 to 40 feet of water with some success, as well as going north to the vicinity of the Bell Buoy off Whitestone Point. Off Eagle Bay Marina, some walleye were taken in 15 to 20 feet of water on harnesses and some yellow perch were caught on minnows off the Saganing and Pinconning bars.  

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Harbor Springs: Most salmon and trout fishing occurred from inside of Harbor Point all the way up to 5 and 7 miles. A few Chinook were caught over the weekend around Harbor Point, while further north lake trout fishing was reported as good. Anglers caught some big lakers about 100 feet down.

Petoskey: Angling pressure increased a lot over the past week – a good thermocline was setting up higher in the water column. Most boats caught at least one Chinook and some fish were close to 30 pounds. Fish were caught anywhere from 50 to 100 feet down over 80 to 140 feet of water. Flies, spoons and meat rigs all worked well. Lake trout and cisco were also caught from 80 to 140 feet down. Most anglers fished from the Breakwall to Bay Harbor, in front of the waste water treatment plant and the hospital. A few anglers were fishing the mouth of the Bear River but they didn’t catch much. A few small bluegill and smallmouth bass were reported.   

Charlevoix: Salmon fishing picked up with some boats reporting one or two Chinook per trip. They were caught anywhere from North Point to Fisherman’s Island, 65 to 85 feet down over 80 to 120 feet of water. Anglers were using spoons, flies and meat rigs. A few lake trout and cisco were caught around the same depths plus lake trout were caught deeper, from 100 to 120 feet down. In the channel, smallmouth bass fishing was reported as good. Anglers were catching quite a few freshwater drum there as well, using real and artificial worms and leeches.  

Traverse City: In the East Bay lake trout fishing was good around Deepwater Point and north of Willow Point along Bluff Road. Lakers and Chinook were also caught while trolling along the western edge, south bank and out from Acme. Those jigging caught a few cisco and even a couple lake whitefish out from Yuba and Deepwater Point. Bass were caught in various depths ranging from 12 to 40 feet of water north of Yuba Creek and north of the M-37 boat launch. Those jigging north of Old Mission caught a few lake trout. In the West Bay smallmouth bass were caught in deep water around Power Island. Small perch were caught south of the West Arm boat launch and south of Elmwood Marina. Salmon were caught trolling at the south end in the mornings and evenings while lake trout were caught in Bowers Harbor, south of the island and in Sutton’s Bay. In the Elk River a few undersized smallmouth were caught at the dam, the point and at the end of the sidewalk on the rocks. Leeches and soft plastics worked best. Fishing on the Boardman River was slow but some small bass and panfish were caught at the Union Street Dam and at the mouth.  

Frankfort: Large Chinook were reported by anglers trolling north and from out front. Most worked the shallow water from 50 to 100 feet with the top 30 to 65 feet having the best results. Fish hit on spoons, j-plugs and meat rigs. Six Mile was still producing nice lake trout when anglers bounced the bottom with spin-glows.  

Onekama: Fishing straight out front of the golf course and in the barrel saw hit-or-miss activity with most anglers hanging out in 120 feet of water. Most bites came off meat rigs. Lake trout were biting on spin-glows on the bottom of the barrel.  

Portage Lake: Water temps were very warm, so most anglers were having a hard time finding fish. Those fishing deeper holes or drops in 18 to 25 feet of water were picking up some panfish and perch.  

Glen Arbor: Anglers caught anywhere from one to four salmon per trip around South Manitou Island. Limits of lake trout were caught out of this area. Flashers, flies, meat rigs and j-plugs worked best.

Arcadia: One to three salmon per trip were being caught here in 100 to 130 feet of water with most fish being taken in the top 50 feet. The occasional boat caught lake trout as well. Flashers, flies, meat rigs and glow spoons worked best. Early morning or late night had the best salmon bite. 

Manistee: Surface water temps were at 74 degrees and the south pier is now open. Dredging in the area continues so anglers should be cautious while leaving pier heads. Chinook fishing slowed but some fish were picked up in 60 to 100 feet, 40 to 50 feet down. J-plugs, spoons and meat rigs were most successful. Coho finally started to arrive and were caught in the same depths as Chinook. Lake trout were caught in 120 to 180 feet of water, 50 to 100 feet down. Pier fishing was slow.  

Ludington: Chinook started to move down this way with surface water temperatures reading at about 75 degrees. Fish were found in 60 to 100 feet of water, 40 to 50 feet down. J-plugs, meat rigs and spoons were most successful. Lake trout, steelhead and small numbers of coho were caught in 150 to 200 feet of water, 50 to 70 feet down. Pier fishing was slow.  

Pentwater: Those trolling 40 to 80 feet down in 70 to 130 feet in front of the dunes caught Chinook, coho, lake trout and the occasional steelhead on flies, spoons and meat rigs. Bloody nose and raspberry carbon spoons fished well, along with red or blue meat rigs and blue or green flies.  

Pentwater Lake: Drifting live bait through the channel helped anglers catch smallmouth bass and the occasional freshwater drum. Those fishing from Longbridge Road caught bluegill, rock bass and the occasional smallmouth while drifting nightcrawlers or red worms under a bobber.    

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Upper Peninsula

Lac Vieux Desert: Fishing slowed in this area but anglers have been chasing panfish using natural or artificial bait. Sublegal walleye were being caught, but overall fishing for them was slow. 

Little Bay De Noc: Walleye anglers reported good catches from the Escanaba River area south to Round Island. The bite was best in early morning or late evenings, usually in and around eight feet of water. Perch anglers reported fair catches with some large size fish coming in. Catches at Kipling were reported in 22 to 30 feet using minnows or crawlers while at Gladstone Beach they were in 18 to 25 feet. At the ship docks in Escanaba anglers reported spotty catches with still fishing with minnows in 28 to 32 feet. Northern pike were active, especially around the river mouths. Smallmouth bass anglers reported good catches throughout the bay with the best areas are Squaw Point in 10 to 12 feet, the mouth of the Escanaba River in 16 to 20 feet, and south of the Ford River along the weed lines in six to 10 feet using plastics, crawlers or minnows. Those targeting salmon found a few out by the Ford River buoy, mostly in 90 to 110 feet and 50 to 80 feet down.

Big Bay De Noc: This past week’s smallmouth bass fishing was reported as fantastic. The Ogontz area and south to Martins Bay reported catches in three to 10 feet using plastics, cranks, minnows and leeches. In the Nahma area, straight out to the Rock was also good in and around eight feet. Garden, Puffy and Kates bays reported good catches using the same gear in four to 10 feet.  

Fairport: Salmon numbers were low but anglers reported better catches in 105 to 130 feet and 60 to 80 feet down from the Gap and north off Point De Tour. Smallmouth bass anglers reported fish off the west side of Little Summer Island while casting plastics in two to six feet. 

Marquette: Most boats found good numbers of lake trout in deeper water between White Rocks and Granite Island in 130 to 200 feet while trolling dodgers, spin-glows and various spoons. A couple Chinook were caught on high lines running 40 to 60 feet down. Lake trout were caught out at Stannard Rock as well.  

Au Train: Lake trout were being caught east and north of the Au Train Island, however most catches were hit-or-miss. Most anglers trolled in 130 to 150 feet. Wood Island Reef was still producing good catch rates.  

Munising: Surface water temperatures have been increasing coming in in the mid-60s to almost 70 degrees offshore and nearshore in the low 70s. Pressure was low from boat anglers but those out were reporting lake trout in fair numbers.  

Grand Marais: Water temperatures offshore were in the upper 60s to near 70 degrees. Lake trout fishing was good, however very few boats were out. Lake trout were biting from Big Reef to Five Mile Reef. No salmon were reported.  

Detour: Fishing slowed during the past week, but anglers did catch lake trout 1.5 miles south of Detour Lighthouse. Most fish were found at the 90-foot flat that runs east and west for two miles. Spin-glow lures with 24-inch leaders, behind flashers, worked best. Preferred colors were orange and chartreuse. Those trolling planner boards for walleye in and around Pipe Island had fair results while using bottom bouncers with crawler harnesses. Anglers targeting salmon hung out around Fry Pan Island just south of the ferry boat lane to Drummond Island. Both Atlantics and Chinook were reported coming in at eight to 12 pounds. Most trolled within 12 feet of the island with baits set at 60 feet over 90 feet. Orange and gold four-inch spoons worked best for Atlantics while five to six-inch purple or black spoons attracted Chinook best. 

Cedarville and Hessel: Anglers reported a few catches of yellow perch measuring eight to 10 inches. They were found while drift fishing the 12-foot channel that runs between La Salle Island and Islington Road on the main land. They were biting on small worms and shiner minnows. Largemouth bass were reported throughout Cedarville Bay with willow leaf spinner blades working best. Northern pike were found while still fishing with chubs in 12 to 20 feet of water, between Little La Salle Island and Peck Bay. At Hessel anglers reported northern pike catches, 25 to 27 inches, while fishing with creek chubs in the early morning hours off the marina fishing pier. Good panfish numbers were reported in Mackinaw Bay one mile east of Hessel Marina. Small worms worked best in six feet of water just off weeds.    

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Fishing Tip: Glow lures can be popular with Great Lakes salmon

Salmon fishing on the Great Lakes is really hitting its stride as many species are getting ready to begin their upstream migration. 

One tactic that can be particularly useful when targeting Chinook is fishing with glow lures. This species can often be caught near the surface in low-light conditions and glow lures make that opportunity even more appealing.

In particular, glow lures work well in the early morning hours before the sun comes up or at night. Many believe this type of lure attracts salmon because it can be seen in the dark from longer distances and encourages them to strike.

Are you interested in targeting Chinook salmon this later summer/early fall? Check out their page online. 

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Note: 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.