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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lower Saginaw Bay: Anglers trolling out in front of Linwood in 15 feet of water reported decent fishing in the morning, with afternoons slowing down. A few anglers had luck catching walleye on blade baits. Anglers fishing the shore for yellow perch reported catching lots of small fish.

Saginaw River: Recent rain left the Saginaw River running high, muddy, and fast. These conditions limited fishing efforts. The few anglers who found success reported catching a few channel catfish from shore in Zilwaukee while using night crawlers on the bottom.

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Angler activity on the east side of the bay was light the last week due to poor weather conditions and tough fishing. Those targeting yellow perch did not have much to show for their efforts with mostly small perch to release from Caseville to Quanicassee. A few walleye were caught on body baits trolled slow from 12 to 20 feet of water by anglers fishing near Quanicassee.  

Port Sanilac: Anglers were trolling to the south towards Lexington in 15 to 20 feet of water and reported catching mostly steelhead and coho salmon with the occasional Atlantic salmon mixed in.  Body baits were reported to have worked well. Anglers fishing from the breakwall caught a few coho salmon and steelhead while casting body baits and using minnows with a bobber.

Lexington: Boat anglers reported catching coho salmon, a few steelhead and an occasional Atlantic and Chinook salmon. Anglers were trolling in 12 to 20 feet of water south of the harbor and up to a few miles north of the harbor. Body baits seemed to work best. Shad Raps and ThinFins with orange coloration in them were the favorite. Anglers fishing from shore and the docks caught coho salmon and steelhead when casting body baits and small spoons.

Lake St. Clair: Anglers reported catching smallmouth in 6 to 9 feet of water in Muskamoot Bay and the south channel mouth; however, they were few in number. Walleye anglers were heading down to the mouth but reported very slow fishing. Anglers reported catching bluegill in the canals near Harley Ensign on minnow looking plastics.

Lake Erie: Anglers were catching large spring walleye in 16 feet of water in Brest Bay while trolling at a speed of about 1.3 to 1.6 mph. Using artificial swim-bait lures worked well, with chrome and electric zebra being good color choices. Anglers were pulling the lures 35 feet back. 

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon River: Improved numbers of steelhead were seen this past week for anglers fishing upstream of Newaygo.

Grand Haven:  Fishing was reported as slow off the pier. Anglers were catching a mixed bag of brown trout, coho salmon and steelhead while using spawn. Boat anglers reported perch fishing as slow.

South Haven: Anglers reported good fishing. Boat anglers were catching a mixed bag of fish. Lake trout were caught in 40 to 60 feet of water, while coho salmon and a few brown trout and steelhead were caught in around 15 feet of water. Those fishing in 30 feet of water also caught a few coho salmon and the occasional Chinook salmon. Pier anglers reported catching coho salmon and steelhead on spawn or skein. Anglers fishing the beach reported catching a few fish on spawn.

St. Joseph: Anglers reported that fishing was a little inconsistent at times but was good overall. Boat anglers were targeting 30 feet of water and shallower. Most fish were caught on small crankbaits. Pier fishing was a little up and down. The majority of fish caught were coho salmon. Spawn fished on the bottom seemed to work best. Those fishing the beach also reported good fishing with skein catching most fish.

St. Joseph River: A good push of fresh steelhead were reported to have moved through the fish ladder at Berrien Springs.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: The Cheboygan city boat launch is available for use, however the Cheboygan County marina boat launches have yet to be put in. The fish cleaning station is also closed. Steelhead anglers were equally successful by the Cheboygan dam spillway when using beads or spawn bags near bottom. The current at the spillway was difficult to fish due to how much water was passing through the Cheboygan dam’s gates. 

Rockport: Docks were still not in; however, a couple boats made it out but reported no success. Anglers reported that water temperatures were between 33 and 34 degrees. 

Alpena: Weather permitting a few boat anglers went out but had very little success. A few Atlantic salmon were caught near the cement plant while trolling smaller spoons in orange, gold, and green. Those targeting lake trout and walleye reported no success.

Thunder Bay River: The steelhead action was reported to have been good over the past week. Anglers had success drifting spawn and beads throughout the day from the 9th Street dam to Island Park. Bottom bouncing beads in chartreuse, orange, and pink colors was productive. A few anglers casting spinners caught steelhead and the occasional Atlantic salmon with orange and gold being the most productive colors. 

Harrisville: Anglers fishing the harbor caught the occasional steelhead and coho salmon. The water in the harbor was reported to have been dirty this past week but was starting to clear up. A few coho salmon were also taken on wigglers under a float. 

Oscoda/Ausable River: Anglers fishing the pier experienced somewhat slow steelhead fishing, however a few were caught when fishing spawn bags on the bottom. Anglers reported catching some nice Atlantic salmon and coho salmon when casting spoons. Orange/silver and blue/silver 3/4oz K.O wobblers or little Cleo’s worked well. Anglers also reported catching a few walleye off the end of the pier when casting spoons for salmon. Throughout the lower Au Sable River, anglers found mixed success for steelhead fishing. Those who caught fish were bottom bouncing spawn or floating beads/spawn. A few anglers also caught steelhead by plugging.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Little Traverse Bay: The Petoskey Marina boat launch was close to being cleared of ice. Those wanting to launch out of Harbor Springs public launch should also have access in the coming week. Both main launches have not had their docks pushed in. Anglers fishing near the Bear River reported slow numbers of steelhead. 

Charlevoix: Ferry Beach boat launch was now free from ice; however, docks have not been pushed in yet. Medusa Creek launch was still unusable due to ice piled up. 

East Grand Traverse Bay: Poor weather conditions resulted in very little boat angling activity out on the bay. Those who were able to make it out had success when targeting cisco and lake trout in 100-plus feet of water. Anglers fishing below the dam on the Elk River reported that the steelhead bite was slow due to cold water temperatures. Float drifting spawn bags yielded the best results.

West Grand Traverse Bay: Snowy and windy conditions kept most boat anglers off the bay as fishing conditions were poor. The steelhead action on the Boardman River was slow due to poor river conditions. Anglers who put the time in found success while float drifting spawn bags and bright colored beads. Look for action to pick up as water temperatures start to increase.

Suttons Bay: Fishing activity was limited due to weather. A few boat anglers were able to make it out and try for yellow perch and lake trout but found no success.

Leland: Poor weather conditions limited all modes of fishing (shore, pier, boat). A few anglers tried their luck shore fishing on Van’s Beach for steelhead and weren’t successful.

Frankfort: Anglers fishing the north pier reported moderate catches, when the weather cooperated. Steelhead and brown trout were hitting on spawn. Anglers trolling the shoreline, and in the harbor, reported low numbers of steelhead, brown trout and lake trout on body baits. All docks are in place at the city boat launch.

Manistee: Pier anglers reported slower catches this past week; however, a few steelhead and brown trout were caught while using spawn. Cold water slowed things down a bit. Those trolling also reported slow fishing but were able to catch a couple brown trout and steelhead while trolling the harbor and along the coastline near creek mouths. Anglers reported that body baits worked well while fishing in 8 to 15 feet of water.

Tippy Dam/Big Manistee River: Steelhead anglers found wonderful success from the dam down to High Bridge. Winter runoff and heavy rains were finally starting to recede, though the overflow spillway of the dam was still open. The water was fairly muddy with low visibility. Plenty of fresh fish were reported to still have been entering the system. High discharge waters were requiring a bit more weight to get to the bottom. 

Ludington: Boat anglers reported a few brown trout and steelhead while trolling the harbor and near the Lincoln River mouth using body baits. A few lake trout were caught as well. Anglers fishing the piers caught a fair number of brown trout and steelhead. Fish were found on the Lake Michigan side of the piers while using spawn.

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Upper Peninsula

Munising/Grand Marais: Anglers in Munising were still on the ice catching coho salmon. In Grand Marais, whitefish were being caught off the break wall. Jigging with cut bait seemed to work well for anglers who were ice fishing for coho salmon, and spawn was the preferred bait for whitefish in Grand Marais. 

Ontonagon River: Docks remained out of the water at the Ontonagon Marina Boat Launch. Angling efforts on the river were low to nonexistent over the past week. The river water was reported to have been extremely turbid as a result of spring runoff from melting snow upstream.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Docks remained out of the water at each of these locations. Access to the Union Bay boat ramp was limited as the gate into the Union Bay Campground had not yet been opened for the season. The mouth of the Big Iron River in Silver City was still occasionally obstructed by ice drifts from upstream. The marina in Ontonagon was still frozen over with a thin layer of ice. The fish cleaning station at the Ontonagon Marina was still closed for the winter season. Fishing efforts from these ports were extremely low.

Little Bay de Noc: Fishing pressure was very minimal, as anglers are waiting for the ice to leave so they can get out on their boats.

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Fishing tip: Fishing the Detroit River

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 plentiful.

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?

Get more information for fishing for walleye and other species at Michigan.gov/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.