If you’re headed out fishing, please do your part to keep yourself and others safe by following COVID-19 public health and safety guidelines. Go fishing only if you're feeling well. Practice proper social distancing (at least 6 feet away from people who don’t live in your household) and keep a face covering handy for when social distancing cannot be maintained. Frequently wash your hands with soap and warm water, or use hand sanitizer.

With the windy conditions, fewer anglers have been out. Those heading to the rivers to find salmon are getting some fish. On the inland lakes, fish will soon be starting their feeding frenzy before winter sets in.

All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: The few anglers that have been out caught white bass, freshwater drum and very few perch. The few walleye anglers out had no catches, as the fish were scattered.  As fall approaches and water temperatures begin to cool, anglers should see a few more walleye and perch fishing should improve. 

Detroit River: Smallmouth bass can be found along the weed beds in the early morning. No word on walleye. Perch anglers will want to try around Celeron Island and Sugar Island with shiners or worms. 

Lake St. Clair: With the transition to fall, both the weather and the fishing have been inconsistent. Anglers have had a difficult time getting out with the windy days. Look for increased fish activity with the cooler water temperatures once the weather stabilizes. 

St. Clair River: Sturgeon fishing is heating up. Cooler evening temperatures have lowered water temperatures and shut down the mosquitos. Lots of anglers are having luck catching multiple fish, including one measuring 78 inches. Try crawlers or cut bait fished with heavy sinkers on the bottom. 

Saginaw Bay: Windy conditions made fishing difficult. Yellow perch anglers are still getting a few just east of Spoils Island and in the old shipping channel. A few perch were caught out from Quanicassee and Geiger Road in 6 to 10 feet. Be prepared to move around and spend five hours or more to get a decent number. Anglers are sorting through a lot of small ones to get some keepers. Caseville had no report.    

Saginaw River: Walleye anglers are starting to catch a few, along with some yellow perch, in the lower river when using perch rigs. 

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Water temperatures around the pierheads were still on the warm side. 

Boat anglers targeting salmon reported slow fishing for the most part. A few did manage to catch a couple trout and salmon, but they were fishing very deep. Pier fishing was also slow, with only a couple fish taken on spoons. There was very little perch effort. 

St. Joseph River: Berrien Springs had a good run of coho, with increasing numbers of steelhead and a few Chinook in the mix. Though fishing was slow, a decent number of these fish should be moving through Buchanan and Niles this week. 

South Haven: Boat anglers were fishing south of the piers in 55 feet. Lake trout were found in 80 feet, but windy conditions have kept anglers off the lake. Perch fishing was slow. Pier anglers targeting salmon caught a few when casting spoons. 

Black River: Those trolling for salmon reported slow catch rates. 

Holland: Pier anglers casting for Chinook salmon reported slow catch rates. A few freshwater drum were caught on glow spoons. 

Lake Macatawa: The DNR boat launch will most likely be closed the rest of the season due to high water.

Port Sheldon: Boat anglers targeting salmon reported slow catch rates. Lake trout were caught on the bottom in 100 to 160 feet with yellow spin-glo’s. 

Grand Haven: The launch at Harbor Island remains closed. 

Grand River near Grand Rapids: A good run of coho, along with a couple steelhead, were reported at the 6^th Street Dam. Coho should be starting to show up in the Lyons area this week. 

Grand River near Lansing: Anglers should start to see some coho in the Portland area soon. 

Muskegon: Fishing was slow for boat and pier anglers. Those able to get out did find a couple salmon inside the breakwalls out to 60 feet when trolling green J-plugs. 

Muskegon Lake: The salmon action was slow for those trolling or jigging.

Muskegon River: Salmon numbers are still low, but anglers may see more fish in the lower river by the weekend as temperatures drop. Those fishing the weed beds and near structure continue to take smallmouth bass.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: Lake trout were caught around the red and green cans when trolling spoons and crankbaits, but no salmon were caught. Boat anglers casting crankbaits and soft baits along the shoreline in Duncan Bay and near the river mouth caught smallmouth bass. 

Cheboygan River: Water temperature at the dam was 65 degrees. Chinook salmon were caught when drifting skein and casting spoons or crankbaits at the DNR office and at the dam. Smallmouth bass were also caught on crankbaits at the dam.   

Rogers City: The weather has been an issue, with winds constantly blowing and switching direction. There appear to be a lot of baitfish in the area, including smelt and young alewife. Lots of Chinook are now staging between Sway Bay and Adams Point.  Anglers did well in 30 to 60 feet with spoons, J-plugs, attractors with flies and squid.  The best bite was very early or late. Those fishing outside Swan Bay and north toward Forty Mile Point caught lake trout, steelhead, young salmon and the occasional walleye when trolling spoons. 

Presque Isle: Had very good fishing for trout, salmon and walleye when targeting the areas where baitfish were found. Run lines throughout the water column in 40 to 90 feet. Anglers were north between the two lighthouses or south toward Stoneport.   

Alpena: Had slow fishing. Chinook and coho salmon should be staging off the river mouth, and some steelhead should be moving into the bay as the lake cools.   

Thunder Bay River: A few Chinook, coho, Atlantic salmon and brown trout have been caught when casting spoons and body baits or floating skein. A couple Chinook were also caught when trolling body baits and plugs. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and bullhead were caught when still fishing or floating crawlers.  

Oscoda: Fishing was hit or miss, with only a few lake trout, steelhead, walleye, Atlantic, coho and young Chinook caught on spoons, spin-glo’s and body baits. The fish were scattered in 60 to 160 feet, with the odd steelhead found as shallow as 30 feet. Pier anglers caught the occasional Chinook when casting spoons and crankbaits in the early morning. Smallmouth, channel cats and freshwater drum were hitting crawlers and jigs.   

Au Sable River: Channel cats, rock bass and smallmouth bass were hitting crawlers. 

Higgins Lake: Those looking for lake trout caught few, as the fish are scattered. Anglers will still find smallmouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. No word yet on the trout fishing that usually takes place near Big Creek around this time of year.

Tawas: Walleye were caught out past Buoy #2 with spoons and body baits in 50 to 60 feet. Fish were caught inside the bay with crawlers in 15 to 20 feet. 

Tawas River: A few Chinook salmon were caught when casting spoons.

Au Gres: Had slow walleye fishing. Some perch were caught out past the mouth of the river and down near the Rifle Bar, the Pine River and in front of Eagle Bay Marina when using minnows in 7 to 15 feet. Largemouth bass were caught near the weed beds when casting or jigging plastics and crawlers near the Pine River. Some nice bluegills were caught on worms inside Northport Marina. 

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Petoskey: Before fishing slowed, lake trout were caught in 100 feet and Chinook in 60 feet or so. Salmon are jumping around the marina and breakwall. Pier anglers and those surf casting caught very few fish. In the Bear River, those fishing at the dam caught a few salmon with spawn and flies.    

Charlevoix: Some were fishing the sheltered areas near the cement plant. Boat anglers casting spoons and stick baits or floating spawn in shallow waters had some luck. Few were wading around the cement plant due to the high water levels. The Medusa Weir is not harvesting fish at this time, but there is a fence in the creek to keep the salmon out, so there is no fishing allowed within 100 feet of the mouth of the creek.   

Boyne River: Continues to produce some salmon at the dam and near the mouth. 

Traverse City: Salmon action slowed in the East Bay, but anglers did manage to get the occasional Chinook or coho. Cisco fishing was on fire at Yuba and Deepwater Point for those trolling or jigging in 100 to 140 feet. No word on perch. In the West Bay, a few salmon were caught in the hole near the river. A few perch were caught in 25 to 40 feet near the Hilltop Road launch. No word on perch in Bowers Harbor yet.

Boardman River: Anglers are catching coho at Union Street Dam. A few Chinook have been caught, but there are not many in the river yet. 

Betsie River: Chinook salmon are being caught on spawn and flies.

Manistee: Only a few Chinook were caught in the harbor and outside the pier heads when anglers could get out. J-Plugs worked best. A couple steelhead were caught out on the Shelf and in slightly deeper water. North of the harbor, a couple coho were caught in 50 feet. Pier anglers had little luck.     

Manistee River: A fair number of salmon are being caught in the lower river.      

Ludington: Fishing on the big lake and in Pere Marquette Lake slowed. A couple coho, steelhead and the odd Chinook were caught straight out and off Big Sable Point, but it was hit or miss. Pier anglers had little luck. 

Pere Marquette River: Also had decent salmon fishing, especially in the lower stretches. A couple nice steelhead have also been caught.

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Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay: Those trolling caught a few salmon along with the occasional steelhead and brown trout, but on average, most are getting lake trout. 

Marquette: Boat anglers caught lake trout. No limits but three to four fish per trip. No major reports of coho in the area; however, a few were caught, along with the occasional steelhead and brown trout. Shore anglers fishing the Carp River and the Chocolay River reported slow fishing, with only a few coho caught. 

Menominee River: Walleye and pink salmon were reported in the lower river. 

Detour: Had no report due to strong winds along the St. Marys River and northern Lake Huron. 

Drummond Island: When they could get out, anglers caught yellow perch throughout Maxton Bay and Scott Bay. Try still fishing with worms and shiners at the south end of James Island in 8 to 10 feet. Fish were caught at Ashman Island in 8 feet and just off the weed beds at Harbor Island. Try a jig with a white twister tail. Smallmouth bass fishing was good on the north side of Burnt Island near the red buoy with a dark orange or green speckled tube jig.   

Cedarville and Hessel: Good pike action continues at the Middle Entrance to the Les Cheneaux Islands when using chubs in 18 to 20 feet. Fish were also caught when trolling between Little La Salle Island and Peck Bay in 8 feet. Yellow perch were found in Musky Bay when drifting worms and shiners in 8 to 10 feet and when jigging a small white or chartreuse twister tail off the weed beds in 4 to 6 feet near Connors Point. For Hessel, a good number of splake were caught off the finger docks in the marina when jigging both natural and artificial spawn bags. Good catches of rock bass and sunfish were taken between Hessel Point and Highway M-134.

Carp River: Anglers caught smaller Chinook salmon when drifting skein and spawn bags or casting crankbaits and spoons at the sea wall. Skein worked the best. Boat anglers caught pike at the mouth when trolling or casting along the shoreline. 

Nunn’s Creek: Some have taken limit catches of Chinook salmon when drifting skein or casting spoons and crankbaits at the mouth. 

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Fishing Tip: When fishing for trout in Michigan’s rivers and streams – cast into the seams  

A “seam” is area where two currents converge, and it looks like a line or bubble trail in the water. Trout like seams because the joining currents create feeding lanes that collect drifting food – insects and larvae. 

Before casting, take a moment to read the river and observe structures in the water such as rocks and logs, then locate any seams. With some experience, you’ll be able to detect seams as subtle lines along the surface where slower current meets with fast current, and in the seam is one of the places you’ll find trout!

Visit Michigan.gov/TroutTrails to learn about lesser-known sites for excellent trout fishing. 

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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.