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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Yellow perch fishing was slow; however, anglers did catch them near the east buoy on minnow rigs. Walleye fishing was also reported as slow. Anglers caught good-sized smallmouth bass using artificial lures in Breast Bay. 

Lake St. Clair: Anglers caught walleye in the north channel while dragging crawler harnesses. Smallmouth bass anglers did well by Grassy Island and the New Baltimore area. They also reported good smallmouth bass fishing near Brandenburg boat launch a mile and a half to 2 miles from shore. Perch anglers had the most success near the St. Clair Lighthouse and buoys 26, 27 and 28 at the mouth of the south channel. A few walleye were caught by these buoys as well. The perch were deep and in at least 20 feet of water. Anglers were starting to catch muskie and northern pike near the mouth of the Clinton River. The south end was very slow for smallmouth bass fishing, although some anglers caught a few in 15 to 20 feet of water near the 400 Club.

Saginaw Bay: Weather limited fishing activity, but those who made it out found a few yellow perch in 8 to 10 feet of water out from Quanicassee. Anglers did, however, have to move around and sort through many small fish to find keeper-sized fish. Anglers fishing for walleye off Quanicassee reported fishing as slow.

Bayport: Anglers caught some largemouth bass and northern pike in Wildfowl Bay. Anglers did best when casting various artificial baits in 2 to 7 feet of water.

Sebewaing: Anglers reported catching a few northern pike in the Sebewaing River while casting artificial baits.

Lower Saginaw Bay: Anglers reported catching yellow perch at the Sparkplug in 23 feet of water using perch rigs. Yellow perch averaged 7 to 10 inches in size. The lower part of the Saginaw River produced yellow perch as well.

Port Sanilac: Anglers caught a few walleye from the break wall in the evening while casting body baits and spoons. Anglers trolling for salmon and trout were heading out to deep water in around 125 to 145 feet of water. Anglers who used lead core and downriggers caught lake trout and steelhead. A few steelhead were caught in front of the harbor in 40 feet of water while using planer boards and lead core.

Port Austin: Smallmouth bass were caught from the break wall and along the Bird Creek when anglers were casting a variety of artificial lures.

Harbor Beach: Anglers reported that fish were scattered in many depths due to changing water temperatures. Smallmouth bass and walleye were caught in 20 to 30 feet of water, with a few cohos caught in that water as well. Anglers who were trolling with lead core and body baits found success. Anglers who were trolling in 100 to 130 feet of water caught some lake trout close to the bottom with downriggers and caught steelhead with a five-color lead core. A few smallmouth bass were caught from the break wall when casting with artificial lures. 

Lexington: Pike were caught from the beach area and around the docks while casting artificial lures, with an occasional walleye early in the morning while casting body baits.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: Boat anglers who trolled the channel and in front of the pierheads caught a few Chinook salmon. Anglers casting glow spoons from the piers found the action to be slow. Anglers found a good mix of salmon and steelhead 30 to 70 feet down in 150 to 200 feet of water. The best colors to use were green and orange spoons, and chrome or glow J-plugs worked the best near the pierheads.

Grand Haven: Boat anglers were catching a mix of Chinook and coho salmon in the channel and in front of the pierheads. Glow J-plugs and white flasher/flies were very productive. Pier anglers casting glow spoons caught coho salmon along with a few Chinook salmon. Anglers reported the best pier action to be in low light conditions.

South Haven: Due to poor weather, very few anglers made it out. Salmon fishing was slow, but an occasional Chinook was caught when casting spoons. Pier fishing was also reported to be on the slow side. Anglers caught an occasional steelhead on shrimp. The Black River was reported to be slow for salmon.

St. Joseph: Anglers reported perch fishing as slow. Salmon anglers caught a few lake trout and Chinook, with the best fishing in around 110 feet of water. Pier fishing was slow, but pressure was low. Anglers fishing the St. Joseph River caught both Chinook and coho. Anglers reported catching fish while trolling and casting. Fish were also caught at the Berrien Springs Dam.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Presque Isle: Fishing pressure was low; however, those who made it out had good success. North Bay to Black Point was good for Chinook, coho, steelhead and lake trout. Salmon were caught from 40 to 70 feet of water while fishing the middle of the column. Using J-plugs and spoons in yellows, greens and blues was the most productive. Lake trout were found in 50 to 100 feet of water closer to the bottom. Fishing with watermelon, white and chartreuse spoons caught good numbers of fish. Steelhead were scattered in all depths in the top 30 feet of water, with oranges and golds being the most productive colors.

Rockport: Anglers caught their limits of lake trout while fishing in anywhere from 90 to 130 feet of water. The walleye bite slowed, but anglers reported the best bite being at night. Salmon were caught, but not in great numbers. Anglers found the majority of them in 30 to 60 feet of water.

Alpena: Walleye anglers had success fishing from Whitefish Point to Thunder Bay Island. Gold, purple and black/silver body baits caught fish in the evenings from 15 to 25 feet of water. Partridge Point and Sulphur Island produced walleye after dark on crankbaits in 10 to 15 feet of water. Anglers had luck catching Chinook in the bay while running longlines with plugs, body baits and spoons on short lead cores. Black, purple and chartreuse were most productive early and late in the day. Pier anglers had success casting glow spoons and body baits after dark.

Thunder Bay River: A few walleye were caught near Mill Island Park while casting body baits after dark, with fire tiger patterns yielding the best results. Anglers who targeted Chinook had hit-or-miss success trolling plugs and casting spoons early and late in the day. A few fish were caught by anglers who drifted spawn between the dam and 9th Avenue Bridge. Due to warm water temperatures, no large numbers of fish were reported.

Rogers City: Chinook salmon were staging off Swan Bay. Early in the morning or later in the day seemed to be better fishing. Anglers were long-lining bombers and J-plugs off planer boards. The best depths were inside 40 feet of water. Anglers reported heavy presence of bait fish, with immature salmon, steelhead, lake trout and walleye feeding on them. The best bite was reported to be in the evening as the sun is going down, with the best depths being where the bait was located, in around 50 to 70 feet of water. Anglers who used greens, yellows, blues and glow stuff early and late have had good success. Anglers used downriggers, dipsies and lead core as well. 

Au Gres: Perch anglers did not seem to have much luck, but those who did reported using natural bait, such as jigging minnows.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Not many anglers were out on the water, but those who made it out reported catching steelhead and walleye in around 100 feet of water. Pier anglers reported an increase in the amount of Chinook and coho salmon caught off the pier. Anglers reported that using spoons at dawn and dusk seemed to work best.

Cheboygan: Salmon fishing improved in Cheboygan, but the run was not yet in full swing. Both the pier and the dam produced fish for shore anglers, with spawn, spoons and jointed crankbaits being the most popular lures. The current was fast due to three dam gates being open, which made floating a bobber more difficult. Boat anglers targeted salmon in the river channel and lake trout around the nearby reefs. The best salmon fishing continued to be at night or early morning, though they could be caught at any time.

Tawas: Walleye anglers were content with their catch when trolling both natural and artificial bait at around 70 feet of water. A couple coho salmon made an appearance and were caught by anglers using spoons.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Charlevoix: Salmon anglers had most of their success fishing near Medusa in the early morning. A variety of casting and trolling spoons, jigging and drifting spawn produced results. Rains earlier in the week pushed fish inland, resulting in several bites near the pier heads and into Lake Charlevoix. Good numbers of Chinook salmon, some coho and a few extra steelhead were reported. Those targeting bass in the channel reported slow results on keepers.

Petoskey/Harbor Springs: Anglers targeting salmon in front of the Bear River had some success trolling a variety of plugs, flies and spoons. Chinook, coho and a few nice steelhead were reported while fishing from boats. Those fishing in the Bear River found success during and immediately after the heavy rains. Slow but steady success following the rains produced good-sized Chinook, small coho and a few steelhead. Anglers fishing on the north side of Little Traverse Bay reported a few lake trout, Chinook and the occasional bass up shallow.

Frankfort: The Chinook were moving into the river as lower numbers were caught out in front of the pier heads and off the break walls. Anglers did, however, report good numbers in the harbor. In Platte Bay, coho numbers were at peak, as anglers reported catching their limit in the early morning while trolling, jigging and casting.

Onekama: Anglers reported Chinook activity out front and in the Barrel in 40 to 60 feet of water and set lines in the top 30 feet of water. Darker Chinooks were reported, resulting in slowed angler pressure.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Perch anglers reported catching a few, although success and location of active schools varied from day to day. It was not uncommon for areas that held fish one day to be scarce the next, with searches required for any degree of success. Walleye anglers reported a tough bite, likely due to the unstable weather conditions. Anglers also reported having limited success farther south, by the Cedar or Bark rivers.

Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth bass anglers out of Nahma had some luck and reported catching a few large smallmouth bass. Both perch and walleye anglers reported fishing as slow.

Carp River/Nunns Creek: The Carp River was reported to be producing more fish than Nunns Creek. Anglers at both locations were most successful when wading and casting spoons or drifting salmon eggs. The most popular access points for the Carp River were at the mouth or just upstream a few miles at the McDonald Rapids.

Marquette: Anglers reported that the best place for catching lake trout was near the northeast side of the White Islands. Warm weather seemed to push fish back out into deeper waters. Anglers who were trolling in 120 to 180 feet of water caught the most lake trout near the White Islands, while anglers who trolled for lake trout around Granite Rock had the most luck trolling or jigging at around 120 to 200 feet of water. Anglers reported catching Chinook and coho salmon in 100 or more feet of water. Watermelon, silver and red multicolored spoons, cow bells, and bright green and blue flasher flies were good lures for lake trout while gold spoons, lime or green crank baits, and moonshine glows were hot colors for salmon.

Au Train: Several anglers reported catching near their limit of lake trout. Fish were being caught in deeper water, with the best places for anglers to catch fish being near the northwest side of Au Train Island and out toward the Shelter Bay clay banks. Green spin and glows in around 80 to 120 feet were successful for lake trout by the clay banks. Anglers who were trolling or jigging in 70 to 120 feet of water or were trolling along the flats caught the most lake trout. Also, trolling cowbells in around 145 feet of water with sucker meat or smelt had good success for some anglers north of Au Train Island. Chinook and coho salmon were caught at around 70 feet of water while trolling at a slower speed of around 1.8 mph. Anglers reported that black/gold or orange spoons and a pink flasher fly was hot for the coho and Chinook.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers were steadily bringing in lake trout with the occasional coho. Anglers reported most fishing taking place during morning hours, with most fish caught near the top or bottom of the water column regardless of depth. Anglers had most of their catch on artificial lures such as spoons and while trolling. Water temps were moving between cool and warm, and some angler reports indicated fish moving toward the bays.

Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Canal: Anglers continued to catch scores of lake trout, with silver fish being found farther north. Those fish are expected to be moving into closer water in the coming weeks, with the changing season. Water cooling off showed some fishing moving slightly south following those cool temps. Anglers were mostly trolling with spoons and flies, and fish were caught in the upper third of the water column. Anglers reported morning trips being the most successful.

Ontonagon River: Fishing on the river was slow over the past week. Anglers had some luck in finding walleye and the occasional yellow perch. Anglers reported success mostly in the morning hours, with the bite slowing as the day went on. Anglers reported that both jigging and trolling yielded similar results.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Anglers brought in a good mix of lake trout, coho salmon and the occasional brown trout. Anglers reported that trolling artificial lures across a variety of depths was the key to this success, as fish seemed to be dispersed randomly throughout the water column. Anglers had luck catching fish at all times of day. 

Black River Harbor: Fishing efforts out of the harbor were high over the past week. Anglers who made it out on the lake were rewarded with good numbers of lake trout and an occasional coho salmon. Successful trips occurred at all times of day, and fish were caught in a variety of depths when trolling artificial lures.

Munising Bay: Fishing pressure was low, but a few anglers reported catching small numbers of cohos. Pier fishing off the Anna was slow, with no reports of any coho or splake.

Grand Marais: Fishing pressure was low, with very few coho caught by boat anglers who did make it out. Anglers did, however, report that the coho were good-sized, with fish over 6 pounds. A few boat anglers tried for lake trout and did well offshore near the shipping channels. Large clouds of baitfish were still reported to be present.

Les Cheneaux/Detour: Fishing pressure was slow in the area; however, anglers in Hessel managed to catch a few perch around the marina and around and within Musky Bay. Splake were not caught yet, and the pike fishing from the pier was reported as very slow. Anglers reported catching a few lake trout around the east entrance. In Detour, anglers were catching a mixed bag of salmon and lake trout along with a few walleye. Anglers mainly trolled around the lighthouse and in the flats. There were also a few pike caught toward the north around the islands.

Escanaba: The Escanaba River was giving up limits of coho salmon from the dam down to the bay.

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Fishing tip:

Do you carry a first-aid kit with you while you’re out fishing? You never know what can happen, so it never hurts to be prepared. If you’re interested in putting together a kit, be sure to include the following:

Rubber gloves
Scissors
Tweezers
Thermometer
Hemostat
Compresses
Adhesive bandages
Medical tape
Compression bandage
Antibiotic ointment
Hydrocortisone cream
Antibiotic wipes
Eye-wash fluid
Aspirin/ibuprofen

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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.