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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Saginaw Bay: Due to cold weather, fishing pressure was low. Those who made it out struggled to catch fish. A few panfish and yellow perch were reported to be caught from Sebewaing to Caseville in the marinas and cuts.

Lower Saginaw Bay: Fishing was reported to be slow. Yellow perch anglers caught a few at Finn Road and at the mouth of the Saginaw River. Walleye anglers reported catching a couple fish in 14 feet of water west of Spoils Island.

Saginaw River: Overall, fishing on the Saginaw River was good in some locations and slow in others. Bay City saw slow fishing, however anglers fishing in Zilwaukee and Saginaw reported fishing to be decent. In Zilwaukee, anglers averaged anywhere from 4 to 12 walleye per boat when fishing downstream of the Zilwaukee Bridge and upstream near the tugboat. Jigging with a bright color jig head and minnow seemed to work best. Those fishing in Saginaw saw good catches of walleye near First Street, I-675, Rust Avenue Bridge and downstream of Center Street Bridge. Orange jig heads tipped with a minnow was reported to fish well.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: Pier anglers reported catching a few steelhead and brown trout on spawn. Boat anglers who trolled the shoreline caught brown trout as well. Orange and pink were good colors to use for both spoons and body baits.

Grand Haven: Pier anglers found the action to be slow for steelhead and brown trout. A few were reported to be caught on spawn or when casting orange spoons. Boat anglers who trolled the shoreline found a fair number of brown trout, with the most success coming when using orange spoons and body baits.

South Haven: Weather kept most boat anglers off the lake. The few boats that made it out reported catching a few lake trout in 50 feet of water. Those targeting coho salmon had slow fishing. Pier anglers caught a few coho salmon and steelhead while using spawn. Overall, fishing was reported to be slow, but a few fish were caught every day.  

St. Joeseph: Poor weather conditions kept many boat anglers off the water. Those that were able to make it out caught both coho salmon and brown trout. The best fishing seemed to be in 20 feet of water or shallower. Small spoons and crank baits worked best. Pier anglers made catches of coho salmon and brown trout, but the fishing was slow and inconsistent. Anglers caught fish if they were willing to fish longer and put in the time.

St. Joeseph River:  Anglers reported good action near the Berrien Springs Dam. They were catching steelhead when using spawn and casting lures.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Au Gres: Snow and cold weather resulted in low fishing pressure. Those who made it out reported catching large numbers of small perch at Palmer Road, however there were not many keepers.

Oscoda: Pier fishing remained good. Anglers fishing with spawn did well on steelhead from early morning on. Those fishing large minnows on the bottom had success when targeting lake trout. Atlantic and coho salmon were caught from the pier when using crankbaits, spoons, and minnows on bobbers. Natural colored crankbaits worked well, while spoons in green/silver, blue/silver, and golds worked best. Weather permitting, boat anglers had success fishing for lake trout, coho salmon, and Atlantic salmon in 15 to 30 feet of water. Short lead cores off planer boards had the best results using spoons in watermelon, orange and greens. Slower trolling speeds worked best as water temperatures were around 39 to 40 degrees.

Au Sable River: The river was reported to be producing good numbers of steelhead below Foote Dam when drifting spawn, beads and wax worms. Early morning was the most productive time of day. Boat anglers targeted the deep runs in the lower portion of the river with moderate success. Plugs, spoons, and fresh spawn were all reported to be productive.

Tawas: Pier anglers reported fishing to be slow and only caught a few lake trout and whitefish. The few boat anglers that made it out reported marking fish but, had trouble getting them to bite.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Frankfort: Anglers who fished the north pier reported lower numbers of steelhead, and a few coho salmon hitting on spawn. Anglers who trolled between the pierheads reported catching a couple of brown trout in the morning hours on body baits. Anglers reported that fresh spawn seemed to work best.

Manistee: Fishing was reported to be on the slower side. Pier anglers caught mostly steelhead with a couple brown trout in the mix. Those trolling outside the harbor didn't have any luck as water temperatures were very cold along the beach.

Ludington: Fishing was hit or miss. Very few brown trout and coho were caught while trolling in the harbor. A couple steelhead were caught off the north pier while using spawn. Water temperatures outside the pier heads and along the beach were very cold resulting in low catch rates.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Weather created tough fishing conditions and limited pressure from anglers. Perch anglers that made it out were able to catch fish and reported good fishing when using perch rigs with worms or minnows. The Kipling, Rapid River, and Escanaba River docks are in, although there was shore ice reported at the Rapid River launch.

Marquette: Anglers fishing along the breakwall reported doing well when fishing for coho salmon. Due to weather, there were very few boats that were able to make it out on the water. Anglers who were floating down the Chocolay River did quite well catching steelhead and brown trout. Anglers fishing the Carp River reported consistently catching steelhead. Spawn and wax worms on jigs worked well for steelhead in both the Carp and Chocolay rivers. Trolling blue and silver spoons as well as tiger striped patterned Rapalas seemed to be popular colors for catching coho salmon in the lower harbor as well as buckeye jigs off the breakwall.

Au Train: Winter weather kept boats off Lake Superior. Anglers also reported slowed numbers of coho salmon being caught. Blue and silver spoons did well for coho. Tiger striped or bright orange and gold double jointed Rapalas were reported to work well for brown trout and steelhead out by northwest side of the island.

Keweenaw Bay: Angling pressure was low due to inclement weather. Anglers who were able to brave the cold and rain were rewarded with splake, rainbow trout and brown trout caught mostly from shore. Anglers who had the most success fishing from shore were using spawn and casting near river mouths. In coming weeks expect more precipitation and more fish staging near to river mouths.

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Fishing tip:

Many anglers have their go-to spots for springtime fishing, but what about checking out the Detroit River?

According to many, in late March and early April the lower Detroit River is a great location to catch walleye in decent quantities. As April moves on fish move further upriver, but the opportunities are still bountiful.

As many are aware, several of Michigan’s Great Lakes waters have become world famous for walleye. The Lake Erie-Detroit River-Lake St. Clair-St. Clair River system is outstanding, drawing anglers from across the country in spring and early summer – will you be joining them?

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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.