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Weekly Fishing Report - July 31, 2024
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The Family Friendly Fishing Waters map shows family-friendly fishing locations across the state that are easy to access and have a high likelihood of catching fish. You can filter the locations by what type of fish you want to catch, what kind of fishing you are looking for (boat, pier, shore), which amenities you would like (swimming, restrooms, etc.) and entrance fee.
All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license.
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Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lower Saginaw Bay: Anglers reported catching walleye northeast of buoys 1 and 2 in 30 feet of water when trolling with both artificial baits and crawlers. There were also reports of some walleye being caught in the old shipping channel in 18 feet of water on crawlers. Yellow perch, around 7 to 9 inches in size, were caught by anglers near the sailboat buoy F on a small piece of worm.
Sebewaing: Some walleye were caught in the slot in 13 to 14 feet of water as well as past the bar in 25 to 26 feet of water. In both areas, catches of five to eight walleye per boat were common. Anglers who made the run north of the Spark Plug saw better results. Flicker Shads were reported to have worked well.
Quanicassee: Anglers reported catches averaging around nine to 15 walleye per boat. Anglers were catching these fish early in the day in the slot in 14 to 15 feet of water. Other productive areas included east of the Spark Plug in 24 to 27 feet of water and later in the evening on Callahan Reef in 6 to 7 feet of water. Reports show that nightcrawler harnesses yielded the best results. Perch anglers did well in the slot in 13 to 14 feet of water when anchored and fishing with minnows. Anglers fishing for largemouth bass did well along the shallow shoreline when casting artificial baits in 2 to 7 feet of water.
Lake St. Clair: Anglers caught walleye upstream from Grassy Island in 23 feet of water while jigging. Smallmouth bass anglers did fair in Muskamoot Bay. The smallmouth bass were reported to have been in varying depths, from very shallow to a little deeper. White, green and crayfish-colored lures worked well for smallmouth bass. Fishing deeper water near the channel mouths was found to be a great place to start, with the warmer water conditions. Anglers caught some perch between the spillway and dumping grounds in 12 to 15 feet of water.
Port Austin: Anglers reported good catches of walleye when trolling in 40 feet of water in front of the harbor and to the west. Both artificial and crawler harnesses were used; however, crawlers seemed to work better.
Harbor Beach: Salmon and trout were caught deep in 130 to 150 feet of water both east and north of the harbor using downriggers with lead core. Walleye were targeted in 60 to 70 feet of water by anglers using mostly artificial lures. Crawler harnesses also worked well and brough in some nice catches.
Port Sanilac: Salmon and trout were caught in 130 to 160 feet of water both east and northeast of the harbor when running downriggers with lead core. A few walleye were caught in the evening using both artificial baits and crawler harnesses in about 60 feet of water.
Lake Erie: A few lingering walleye were still being caught out from Fermi in around 20 feet of water on crawler harnesses and planer boards. However, the bite was reported to have been slow. Yellow perch were biting out in the dumping grounds directly east of Luna Pier in 24 feet of water on perch rigs with minnows. Largemouth bass were caught right on shore at Sterling State Park with artificial lures.
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Southwest Lower Peninsula
Grand Haven: Decent catches of Chinook and coho salmon were reported 35 to 90 feet down in 70 to 130 feet of water. A mix of glow spoons and white flasher flies worked best. A few salmon were reported to have been caught on glow plugs. No steelhead were reported from the piers due to warm beach temperatures. A few freshwater drum were caught while casting spoons. Early morning and late evening bites seemed to be best.
Muskegon: Boat anglers were catching a good mix of Chinook and coho salmon 30 to 90 feet down in 70 to 150 feet of water. Glow spoons worked well in the colors of green and orange. Anglers also reported that in low light conditions, glow plugs produced some quality-sized Chinook salmon. Deeper in the water column, white flashers with green or white flies did well. Pier anglers caught a few freshwater drum while casting spoons.
South Haven: Boat anglers were reporting successful salmon fishing trips. Mixed bags of Chinook salmon, coho salmon and some steelhead were caught. Most fish were caught on spoons, but a few big Chinook were caught on meat rigs. The most productive water seemed to be between 80 and 90 feet. Pier fishing was slow for all species, but there were a couple freshwater drum caught on live bait. Perch fishing was also reported as slow; however, the best water was south of the piers in around 30 feet of water.
St. Joseph: Salmon anglers experienced good fishing again this week. Nice catches of Chinook and coho salmon were made. Most fish were caught on spoons, and the most productive water was well beyond 120 feet deep. There were a few nice catches inside 80 feet of water also. Pier fishing was slow for steelhead and salmon. Anglers fishing live bait caught high numbers of freshwater drum and some catfish. Perch fishing was very unpredictable. The best fishing seemed to be in around 40 feet of water, and anglers were fishing both north and south of the piers.
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Northeast Lower Peninsula
Cheboygan: Anglers targeting lake trout brought in a few fish from around Lighthouse Point off Bois Blanc Island (backside of the eastern portion of the island) in 100 to 140 feet of water. However, they did much better at getting their limits off Reynold’s Reef in 90 to 120 feet of water. Trolling spoons was the most effective, but others were successful using dodgers and Spin-n-Glos. Good colors to use were reported to be blues, oranges, purples and chartreuse. Anglers in the river were using nightcrawlers to catch small rock bass, smallmouth bass and perch. Drifting either nightcrawlers or leeches was equally effective at catching walleye from the mouth of the river up to the dam. Good areas to stick around for walleye were the DNR field station, the dam and the Cheboygan city boat launch by the ball fields.
Alpena: Thunder Bay anglers reported the walleye as being well-scattered. The best catches came from 22 to 30 feet of water near Sulfur Island, the shipping lane and the north shore. Crawler harnesses in purple, gold, copper and greens were productive. Night anglers had decent catches while trolling in 10 to 18 feet of water with natural-colored crankbaits. Those trolling outside the bay found lake trout, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, pink salmon and the occasional walleye in 100 to 160 feet of water. Baits run in the middle of the water column produced silver fish. Lake trout were found closer to bottom while using dodgers and Spin-n-Glos. Spoons in green, silver, orange and chartreuse were productive for all species.
Thunder Bay River: Shore anglers reported the fishing as slow for walleye. A few fish were caught early and late in the day while drifting crawlers and leeches. After dark a few fish were caught on shallow-running crank baits. Decent numbers of catfish, freshwater drum and rock bass were also caught. Those trolling had some success using purple, orange and gold crawler harnesses throughout the river.
Rockport: Rockport anglers reported moderate success on all species. Some nice Chinook salmon, coho salmon and steelhead were caught when fishing 60 to 70 feet down over 90 to 120 feet of water. While orange, whites and greens worked well on steelhead and coho salmon, cut bait and larger spoons in chartreuse worked well for Chinook salmon. Lake trout were found in good numbers off Stoneport and Middle Island in 100 to 120 feet of water. Chartreuse Spin-n-Glos and spoons were most productive. Walleye were well-scattered over depths of 40 to 90 feet. Lead core lines with spoons, crank baits and crawler harnesses were all productive when the fish were found. A good number of pink salmon were reported throughout the water column and were biting a wide variety of spoons.
Rogers City: Anglers reported catching lake trout, Chinook salmon, steelhead, pink salmon, walleye, and an occasional Atlantic salmon and coho salmon. The best depths were 65 to 120 feet of water. Anglers were spreading lines though out the entire water column for best results and using lead cores, three, five, six, seven, nine or 10 colors, and copper. They were fishing these off planer boards and getting the lures away from the boat. Dipseys were also reported to have been effective. Anglers were also using spoons, attractors with flies and squids, and cut bait rigs. Good colors were greens, blues, black and white, purple, orange, and glow stuff early and late. The salmon bite was early before sunup and in the evening after sundown. Walleye anglers reported success when fishing in 15 to 30 feet of water and using bandits, deep-diving body baits and crawler harnesses.
Hammond Bay: This port saw very low angler pressure. Those who made it out were fishing straight out of the harbor, the trench, Nine Mile Point or south toward the biological station. The best depths were 60 to 120 feet of water, and deploying lines throughout the water column seemed to work well. Spoons were a good choice, and good colors to use were greens, blues, yellow, orange, black and white, red and white, and glow stuff early and late.
Oscoda/Au Sable River: Out of Oscoda, there were some steelhead caught when running spoons high in the water column in 100 to 120 feet of water. Anglers were marking a lot of fish but had a tough time getting them to bite. Walleye were also caught while targeting silver fish and using spoons. The walleye fishing in the lower Au Sable River was reported to have been slow. Anglers fishing the lower river caught freshwater drum and channel catfish while using cut bait or crawlers on the bottom. Anglers fishing the lower river who were throwing spinner baits or crank baits had success catching good numbers of smallmouth bass with a few pike mixed in.
Harrisville/Black River: Anglers fishing out of Harrisville in 100 to 110 feet of water had success landing Atlantic salmon, steelhead, walleye and a few lake trout. Most fish seemed to be caught when pulling orange spoons and targeting 40 to 60 feet down in the water column. Limits of lake trout were caught out of Harrisville using orange or green Spin-n-Glos while fishing the humps about 12 miles out from the harbor. Boats that were able to make it out of Black River, with the mouth filling in with sand, had luck catching Atlantic salmon when pulling crank baits on a long line.
Tawas: Anglers were able to catch a few walleye and small perch when trolling crawler harnesses in Tawas Bay. Those spear fishing for walleye also saw success. Outside of Tawas Bay, many were heading north or northeast of Charity and were able to catch their limit of walleye in 20 to 30 feet of water on crawler harnesses with bottom bouncers. Spoons and plastics have also seemed to work well. Off the pier, anglers caught some rock bass on worms. Steelhead were also caught in the deep waters out from Tawas.
Au Gres: Many anglers were heading out to Charity and were able to get limits of walleye when trolling crawlers or flickers. Yellow perch were also caught on occasion. Pier anglers caught catfish. Some walleye were caught by those going out from the Pine River, along with the occasional northern pike, some white bass and freshwater drum.
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Northwest Lower Peninsula
Manistee: Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead and lake trout were caught along the shelf both north and south of town in 100 to 130 feet of water, sometimes deeper, while fishing 50 to 65 feet down. Anglers caught fish from just north of Big Sable Point, up to and north of town. Sizes of Chinook salmon varied, but there were some large Chinooks caught in the mix. Spoons and plugs worked the best, but flasher/fly combinations and meat rigs also worked. Green, glow, blue and bloody nose colors did well. The piers only produced a couple Chinook salmon when the water was cool. Early in the week, some nice bass were observed from the north pier.
Ludington: Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead and lake trout were caught to the northwest and at Big Sable Point in 100 to 160 feet of water when fishing 50 to 60 feet down. They were also caught straight out in 35 to 90 feet of water and south off the projects in 70 to 130 feet of water when fishing 40 to 50 feet down. Spoons and plugs worked well, along with flasher/fly combinations and meat rigs. Green and blue colors worked. The piers produced some Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and a brown trout or two when baitfish were close. Alewife and spoons did well.
Frankfort: Cooler water was reported to have moved in, but it quickly set up a temperature break in 60 to 65 feet of water, and more mature Chinook salmon were being landed out from 130 to 160 feet of water. Anglers were heading south to the herring hole and trolling north. Meat rigs in the top 40 feet were reported to have landed larger Chinook salmon. Steelhead, lake trout and a few pink salmon were reported in the same area. Anglers who were jigging in the harbor also reported Chinook salmon after sunset.
Onekama: Anglers heading straight out to 150 feet of water found Chinook salmon in the top 50 feet of water. UV spoons were reported to have worked best on these fish. Lake trout in the Barrel were easy pickings with Spin-n-Glos off the bottom.
Charlevoix: Anglers targeting salmon found slow and consistent success both in the early morning and late evening. Finding the temperature break produced the best results. Cold temperatures ranged between 60 to 90 feet down. Trolling spoons and meat rigs produced the occasional good-sized salmon. Those targeting lake trout found good success trolling near bottom between 90 and 150 feet of water when fishing near North Point. Those targeting bass on the piers reported small-sized fish using live bait.
Little Traverse Bay: Salmon fishing throughout the week was reported as slow, with the occasional good bite. Those trolling in the evening reported better success than those fishing in the mornings. The temperature break within the bay fluctuated throughout the week, producing slow catches of both salmon and lake trout. Those fishing near the lake trout refuge reported slower numbers of trout while fishing the bottom. The occasional steelhead was reported in the Bear River.
Leland: North Manitou Island continued to produce high numbers of Chinook salmon, while South Manitou and the first bank were just starting to produce decent numbers. Anglers were setting up in 200 to 300 feet of water with baits set in around 100 to 150 feet of water. Anglers reported that green spoons, dipsies, flasher/fly combos, Spin Doctors fly combos, and J-plugs all worked well on Chinook salmon.
West Grand Traverse Bay: Anglers were still catching the occasional Chinook salmon in front of the Boardman River. Lake trout continued to be the main target and were caught around Power Island as well as the white walls. Anglers targeting smallmouth bass found luck around Power Island when fishing in the deeper water.
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Upper Peninsula
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers trolling found lake trout and salmon in waters above and below 100 feet deep. Successful trips were most common in the morning. Some anglers spent their mornings in Huron Bay with some success jigging as well.
Traverse Bay/South Portage Entry Canal: Trolling anglers found lake trout, Chinook salmon, coho salmon and brown trout. Fish were caught throughout the water column, with most of the kept fish being caught in around 120 feet of water. Some anglers also found luck jigging for lake trout.
St. Ignace: Anglers were trolling spoons and Spin-n-Glos off the southeast and northeast shores of Mackinac Island between 80 and 100 feet of water. Good colors to use were blues, purples, oranges and chartreuse. At the Carp and Pine rivers, walleye and perch anglers were using nightcrawlers and leeches on slip bobbers when drifting or casting. Good colors to use when trolling nightcrawler harnesses were reported to be golds, purples, chartreuse and bronze. At the Pine River, shore anglers caught bullheads and suckers using nightcrawlers.
Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers reported fair fishing. Anglers had success jigging or drifting live bait. Another successful method was casting gliding, snap-style lures. Anglers were targeting “black bottom” and center reef first, as well as in front of the Escanaba River. Anglers fishing near the Escanaba River reported catching white bass.
Manistique: Anglers were targeting areas from 80 to 150 feet of water with success, catching both steelhead and Chinook salmon. Salmon were starting to head toward rivers, and anglers reported catching fewer adult salmon in areas that had been productive earlier this month.
Les Cheneaux/DeTour: Anglers reported doing well on lake trout in both areas. In Hessel, anglers were going out the west entrance, and in DeTour they were trolling in the flats. There were a few pink salmon as well as an Atlantic salmon caught in DeTour by anglers trolling around the lighthouse with spoons. The walleye bite seemed to slow in Scott's Bay, but anglers were still going out around 11 p.m. for the night bite. In Hessel, anglers were catching a few small pike at the marina as well as in Mismer Bay and in the middle entrance. The smallmouth bass bite was tough, but there were a few days that anglers were able to find some nice ones. There were also a few Chinook salmon caught out of the east entrance. Perch anglers fishing in the marina reported that the perch were there, but they had trouble getting them to bite. However, there were some good catches out of a few of the channels in the area as well.
Marquette: Good numbers of lake trout were caught while jigging or trolling around White Rocks and out toward Granite Island. The most successful boats made their way out toward the Clay Banks west of Granite Rock. Watermelon was still very good, along with green and orange Spin-n-Glo spoons or green/silver flasher/fly presentations, for lake trout. White plugs or chartreuse and silver jigs were still hot around the northeast side of White Rocks, especially with a little cut bait. Trolling between White Rocks toward Granite Rock or Clay Banks at lower speeds of 2.0 to 2.2 mph in around 160 to 180 feet of water was a popular combination for success.
Au Train: Lake trout sizes and numbers continued to do well from anglers jigging in approximately 160 feet of water north to northeast of Au Train Island, especially with cut bait. Big lake trout were caught while trolling in deeper waters around 160 to 180 feet north to northwest of the Au Train Island in the flats or out toward the Laughing White Fish Clay Banks. Wonder bread, multicolored glow spoons or green/silver flasher flies were good color combinations. A little bit of cut bait jigging or trolling with cowbells did very well at deeper depths as well.
Ontonagon River: Fishing on the river was good over the past week, as many anglers reported successful trips. Walleye were caught in good numbers throughout the day. Anglers recently had the most luck finding fish when jigging.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Over the past week, these ports saw a fair number of anglers as fishing efforts remained healthy. Lake trout were caught in good numbers, with an occasional coho salmon in the mix as well. Reports show that anglers had the best luck finding fish when trolling in deeper waters.
Black River Harbor: Recent catches consisted of lake trout in fair numbers. The fish that were caught were found by those trolling deeper waters.
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Fishing tip: Catching big pike in the summer
Most anglers consider winter the best time to catch a trophy-sized pike, but following a few key pointers can make summer pike fishing worthwhile.
When it’s very warm out, think about where pike will hide – places with cooler water. These spots include along the thermocline (the transition layer between the warmer surface water and the cooler, deep water below), where cold-water streams/rivers flow into lakes or around springs.
Look for bodies of water that aren’t densely populated with pike, so those present may have a chance to grow fairly large. Also consider locations that have special regulations like size limits.
Lastly, focus on bodies of water that have a good pike forage (prey fish) base – particularly other species that prefer cooler water.
Want to learn even more about fishing for this species? Check out the northern pike page on the DNR’s website.
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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.
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