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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lower Saginaw Bay: Fishing pressure was reported to have been low; however, shore anglers at Smith Park in Essexville caught a few small yellow perch, smallmouth bass, and channel catfish.

Lake Erie: Yellow perch fishing was reported to have improved. Anglers were catching them out from the Sterling State Park campground in 20 feet of water, down to out from the River Raisin. Perch rigs with live minnows or night crawlers seemed to work best. Those using beads reported that chartreuse was a good color. Walleye remained scarce on the Michigan side, but those with an Ohio license saw more success in deeper waters. 

Lake St. Clair: Walleye anglers caught fish in the mouth of the south channel in 19 feet of water while trolling with crawler harnesses. Smallmouth bass anglers were catching fish in 8 to 10 feet of water in the mouth of the middle channel. Perch anglers caught fish between 9 Mile and the Grosse Point Yacht Club, and near the dumping grounds. Perch rigs with crawlers worked well and the fish were found in various depths. Muskie anglers caught fish near the spillway.

Macomb County: Anglers had success at access sites and in canals and cuts for bluegills and perch. St. Clair River fishing was slow.

Washtenaw County: Anglers on the Portage Lake Chain caught a few bass, but the fishing remained tough after the recent warm temperatures. Anglers on Ford Lake were catching mostly white bass, with a few walleye, and numerous white perch mixed into the catch.

Monroe County: Pointe Mouillee anglers reported largemouth bass and pike being caught in the Humphries Unit. 

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Grand Haven: Boat anglers caught decent numbers of mature salmon from the pierheads out to 60 feet of water. Glow and chrome with red head plugs worked best, along with a white paddle fly combination. Pier anglers were catching coho salmon along with a few Chinook salmon on alewives and while casting glow spoons.

Muskegon: A few mature salmon were caught when trolling the channel and outside the break walls. Chrome or glow j-plugs were found to be productive. Anglers venturing offshore found some salmon and steelhead 30 to 70 down in 150 to 250 feet of water.

South Haven: Perch anglers reported catching a few perch this past week. The best depth was reported to be around 50 feet of water. The fish were very scattered, but a few decent catches were made. Salmon fishing was on the slow side. Pier fishing was very slow for salmon, however, there were a few freshwater drum caught. 

St. Joseph: Salmon fishing was on the slower side. The best water was well beyond 100 feet of water. Perch fishing was slow, but there were a couple good catches reported. The best depth was found to be around 40 feet of water. The fish seemed to be very spread out. Pier fishing was slow for all species except freshwater drum.  

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: Boat anglers were targeting salmon near the buoy markers just outside of the mouth of the Cheboygan River in 55 to 70 feet of water, off the southeast side of Bois Blanc Island in 100 feet of water, and in the river near the Cheboygan County boat launch. Spoons, Spin-n-Glos, and j-plugs were all used on downriggers or dipseys. In the early morning and just after sunset, salmon anglers trolling green and orange glow spoons seemed to do best. Chinook salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, and lake trout were all caught. Walleye anglers saw the most success when using leeches or night crawlers on slip bobbers near the DNR field office, the pedestrian walkway bridge, or at the dam. Anglers were catching bass, freshwater drum, and catfish using night crawlers. 

Alpena: Fishing Thunder Bay was a challenge for most anglers. Walleye became difficult to find and were scattered over waters 20 to 40 feet deep. Crawler harnesses seemed to be most productive with coppers, purples, and chartreuse being the best colors. A few Chinook salmon were caught along with coho salmon in the shipping channels and in the 30 to 45 feet of water range east of the turn buoy. Medium and magnum size spoons in green, oranges, and glows saw success. Those running plugs also found success with white, black/green, and chartreuse. Anglers casting from the pier at night reported a few walleye as well as the random Chinook salmon while casting body baits in green, glows, and oranges. A few nice northern pike were also caught. 

Thunder Bay River: Boat anglers trolling the river reported the salmon harvest as low. Those who were successful stated that glow spoons and plugs worked best. Near the 9th Street dam, a few Chinook salmon were taken while drifting spawn and casting shallow running body baits early and late in the day. Walleye fishing was slow with only a few caught while drifting crawlers and leeches throughout the river. Anglers reported decent catfish action below the 2nd Street bridge while using crawlers on bottom. 

Rockport: Weather permitting, anglers did well on lake trout in 100 to 140 feet of water. The waters between Stoneport and Middle Island were all productive. Bait was found in the area and Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and Atlantic salmon were all in recent catches. Depths of 40 to 60 feet over 90 to 120 feet of water were good for the silver fish. Dodgers and Spin-n-Glos were the most productive for trout, while spoons in watermelon, black/white, green, and chartreuse worked best for salmon. Atlantic salmon and steelhead were found in the top 30 to 40 feet of water and spoons in orange or copper had the best results. 

Rogers City: The salmon were staging off Swan Bay, and the best action was before sunup and after sunset. The best depths were reported to have been from 15 to 60 feet of water. Anglers were deploying downriggers, lead cores, dipsy divers, highlines, and copper and covering the water column. Spoons, attractors with flies and squids, meat rigs, j-plugs and bombers were other popular choices among anglers as well. Good colors to use were whites, greens, blues, black/white, and glow stuff early and late. Anglers fishing outside of Swan Bay or straight out of the harbor and northwest towards 40-Mile Point were rewarded with a mixed bag consisting of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, lake trout, walleye, steelhead and an occasional Atlantic salmon. Anglers who fished around the bait fish saw the best results. The best depths were in 50 to 80 feet of water, and anglers were running lines throughout the water column. Spoons yielded the best results, with regular size and walleye size spoons to match the size of the food. Good colors were whites, blues, greens, blue/green, black/white, orange, and glow stuff early and late. 

Hammond Bay: Angler pressure was reported to be low out of Hammond Bay. Those that went out were fishing straight out of the harbor, near the trench, Nine Mile Point, or south towards the biological station. The best depths were reported to have been 60 to 120 feet of water and deploying lines throughout the water column seemed to work best. Spoons were the popular choice among anglers, and good colors to use were greens, blues, yellow, orange, black/white, red/white, and glow stuff early and late.

Oscoda/Au Sable River: A few Chinook salmon seemed to make their way into the lower river with a couple fish hooked on spoons. There were some walleye caught from the pier using crawlers and jig heads with paddle tails along with deep husky jerks. Channel catfish angling remained strong in the lower Au Sable River with fish being caught using crawlers and cut bait on the bottom with a pyramid weight. 

Harrisville/Black River: Lake trout were caught in 120 to 140 feet of water running downriggers right off the bottom. Using green Spin-n-Glos seemed to produce the most fish. A few Atlantic salmon were caught out of Harrisville in 90 to 130 feet of water when running spoons 30 to 60 feet down. Walleye fishing was decent when trolling bandits and deep husky jerks in 20 to 30 feet of water

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Frankfort: Anglers were still reporting good numbers of Chinook salmon out front as many darker Chinooks move into the bay and river. The coho salmon in Platte Bay continued to hold strong as the weather turned a bit cooler. Switching over to plugs for the evening was reported to have worked well for anglers.

Anglers are reminded to be considerate of private property when accessing rivers and streams while targeting salmon. Conservation officers in Benzie County have responded to numerous complaints of recreational trespass along the Betsie River. The private lands adjacent to Homestead Dam and west of the Village of Elberta’s Waterfront Park located on the south side of Betsie Lake at the end of Furnace Street have been two locations officers have been issuing citations for trespass at the landowners' request.

Charlevoix: Salmon anglers found success trolling spoons, plugs and meat rigs. Targeting salmon anywhere near Medusa and the pier heads produced results. Fishing towards the evening and early morning anywhere from 50 to 90 feet down caught a mix of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and the occasional steelhead and pink salmon.

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers targeting salmon in the bay reported slower numbers. A mix of coho, Chinook, and the occasional pink salmon were reported. Trolling spoons, meat rigs, and plugs produced results anywhere between 40 and 80 feet down. Those fishing the Bear River in Petoskey reported the occasional salmon making its way up the river.

Manistee: Warm water temperatures made fishing hit or miss. Chinook salmon were caught in 100 to 180 feet of water while fishing 60 to 100 feet down. J-plugs, flasher fly combos, and spoons all worked well. Very few Chinook salmon were caught off the pier or in the harbor while casting, jigging or trolling. 

Leland: Anglers reported a decent number of fish out around the islands. Chinook salmon were starting to thin out in larger numbers. Fish were reported to have been in the area, but anglers were working harder to catch their limits. Anglers marked fish around the North Manitou Island, first bank (north of the port), and around Good Harbor. Coho salmon were reported to have been caught in few numbers around the islands. 

Pere Marquette River: Salmon have been coming up, but there were no heavy numbers. 

Mecosta County: Bass, pike, and panfish were caught steadily throughout the county on many lakes.

Oceana County: Chinook salmon were reportedly close to pushing into the Pentwater River from Lake Michigan. Chinook and coho salmon were reported caught in 90 to 120 feet of water off of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Lake Michigan.

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Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers this last week had a difficult time finding a good day to get on Lake Superior with the strong winds and weather. Anglers who were able to find a few safe hours to fish mostly caught lake trout. Successful trips were mixed between jigging and trolling. Both successful methods caught the most fish in the mornings, however, fish were caught through all times of the day.

Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Entry Canal: Anglers spent most of the fish-able hours of the last week trolling. Those hours were few and far between, but anglers were able to capitalize on them. Those who were able to get out found lake trout in decent numbers throughout the water column. Spoons seemed to be the most common lure that was successful while trolling.

St. Ignace: Boat anglers caught salmon and lake trout between the Wawatam Lighthouse and the Coast Guard Pier boat launch. Within 30 to 50 feet of water, anglers were trolling spoons and Spin-n-Glos. Good colors to use were blues, greens, oranges, and chartreuse. Salmon were jumping at the Carp River, and anglers were successful with casting green or orange glow-in-the-dark spoons. At Nunns Creek, anglers were using spawn bags and spinner baits. At both locations, the most successful time to fish was an hour before sunrise or an hour after sunset. Good sized perch were caught underneath the Pine River bridge when using night crawlers on slip bobbers. 

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting walleye reported fair to good fishing. Anglers were primarily drifting crawler harnesses at slow speeds near drop-offs as well as in relatively shallow water. Walleye catches were reported in the reefs in the upper bay, south of the Ford River, and Minneapolis Shoal. Smallmouth anglers reported good fishing in the upper bay, as well as other places with rocky structure.

Manistique: Anglers reported some salmon success by the “red can” and Barques Point. Anglers fishing near the river mouth for salmon reported slow fishing. There was little salmon activity reported in the river.

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Fishing tip: Fishing for muskellunge is a premier challenge

Known as “the fish of 10,000 casts,” muskellunge are a tremendous game fish native to the lakes and streams of Michigan. They are a prized catch to many anglers but present many challenges. But if you do your research and are patient — you could possibly land a big one!

Muskie anglers can choose from a variety of methods, such as trolling, casting or still fishing with live bait. Tackle requirements for muskellunge are stouter than equipment generally used for walleyes and bass. Larger, bulkier lures and fish that exceed 30 pounds or more call for heavier lines and stronger rods. It should be noted that muskie fishing success usually requires more dedication and persistence than for other species.

For more information on muskellunge in Michigan, click here. 

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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.