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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lower Saginaw Bay: Walleye anglers reported that fishing during the morning seemed to yield the best results, but overall fishing was slow. Anglers were trolling with crankbaits in 15 to 18 feet of water out in front of Linwood as well as in 23 feet of water by the Sparkplug. A few walleye were caught at the mouth of the Saginaw River when jigging plastic and natural baits.

Saginaw River: Walleye anglers reported decent fishing along the Saginaw River, with several walleye caught by shore anglers at Veterans Memorial Park in Bay City. Elsewhere, walleye were caught by boat anglers jigging upstream of Zilwaukee around the tugboat, at the I-675 bridge, and downstream of Center Street bridge. Anglers were mostly using lead head jigs with twister tails or paddle tails. A few anglers were also tipping them with a minnow. Catches of 3 to 5 per boat were common. More recently, high winds and intermittent rain showers reduced the water clarity, making the river turbid and fishing more challenging.

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Windy conditions limited angling activity along the east side of the bay. Those targeting walleye out from Quanicassee reported very slow fishing with 0 to 2 fish per boat when trolling body baits. Anglers looking for yellow perch from Quanicassee to Caseville also reported slow fishing with most perch caught being too small to keep. 

Port Sanilac/Lexington: Anglers reported catching a mix of coho salmon, steelhead, Atlantic salmon, Chinook salmon, and a couple lake trout in 18 to 25 feet of water from south of Lexington and along the shore to the north up to Port Sanilac. Planer boards with a variety of body baits and an occasional spoon were all reported to have caught fish. Pier fishing was reported as slow.

Harbor Beach: Anglers fishing in 25 feet of water reported catching a few coho salmon on boards and body baits.

Lake St. Clair: Fishing was reported to have been very slow on all fronts. Walleye anglers fishing the mouth of the Detroit River and beyond reported no success. Many smallmouth bass anglers reported no success. However, a few anglers were able to catch a couple in around 6 to 9 feet of water between Memorial Park and 9 mile during the late morning and early afternoon. Other anglers were trolling in the channel in 15 to 16 feet of water with crankbaits picking up some smallmouth. As temperatures begin to rise, look for smallmouth action to pick up. If the sun is strong, shallow water may warm up enough temporarily to elicit some action.

Lake Erie: Walleye fishing seemed to slow down slightly; however, the bite was still good east of Stony Point in around 18 feet of water when trolling artificial swim baits. Anglers who tried unique tricks, like scenting their lures, were rewarded. A few yellow perch were caught on blade baits by anglers fishing for walleye on the Michigan side near Turtle Island, southeast of Luna Pier.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: Pier anglers were landing steelhead and coho salmon on spawn in the mornings in good numbers and sizes. All activity was on the south pier. Perch anglers in Muskegon Lake did well with minnows.

South Haven: Boat anglers had very good fishing this past week. Anglers were fishing from 20 to 60 feet of water. There continued to be good numbers of coho salmon, lake trout and a few Chinook salmon caught. Anything orange colored was catching fish. Pier anglers continued to catch good numbers of coho salmon on spawn fished on the bottom.

St. Joseph: Boat anglers reported good fishing with catches of coho salmon, along with a few bonus Chinook salmon. Anglers were fishing from 15 to 50 feet of water. Small crankbaits and spoons in orange and green worked well. Pier anglers were catching good numbers of coho salmon on spawn bags or skein. 

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: Cheboygan city boat launch is available for use, but the Cheboygan County marina boat launches have not been put in yet. The cleaning station is also closed. Steelhead fishing was reported to have slowed down in the Cheboygan River. Fishing was best in the morning when either drifting beads or bouncing spawn bags near bottom. The current at the Cheboygan dam spillway from all of the water passing through made it difficult to fish. 

Alpena: A few Atlantic salmon were caught by pier anglers while casting orange, silver, and blue/silver spoons. Those targeting walleye had no success. Weather permitting, boat anglers had a mixed bag in 15 to 30 feet of water. Trolling crankbaits produced Atlantic salmon as well as the occasional brown trout and walleye. Lake trout were found near North Point in 30 to 60 feet of water. Spoons in orange, gold, and chartreuse had the best results on short copper and lead core lines.

Thunder Bay River: Steelhead action remained good in the river. Bottom bouncing beads and spawn were productive throughout the day at the 9th Street dam. Off Lamar Park, anglers drifting beads and spawn had sporadic success. A few suckers started to show up in the river and were caught when using crawlers in the slower moving water. 

Harrisville: Boat anglers fishing in around 50 feet of water while trolling spoons caught a handful of nice lake trout. Those fishing in the harbor caught the occasional steelhead or coho salmon. Using wigglers or spawn bags under a float worked well. Anglers steelhead fishing the Black River found mixed success. A couple steelhead were caught on beads and hair jigs.

Oscoda/Ausable River: Boat anglers were catching a mixed bag including Atlantic salmon, steelhead, coho salmon, and the occasional brown trout while trolling spoons or plugs in 15 to 30 feet of water. Hot ‘N Tots and orange/gold spoons were producing a few fish a day. Anglers fishing the pier were starting to see some Atlantic salmon show up with a handful taken on orange/gold K.O Wobblers. Those looking for walleye off the pier caught a few at dawn/dusk on minnows or deep thunder sticks.

Tawas: Boat anglers heading south from Tawas reported catching a few walleyes, along with some lake trout when trolling body baits. Walleye fishing from shore was slow overall. A few suckers and smallmouth bass were caught from the Tawas River. 

Au Gres: Perch fishing in the Standish area was slow with only small perch caught. Walleye fishing out from the Pine River was also reported as slow. Those heading out from Au Gres reported catching a few walleye. Most anglers ventured north past the point to find fish, however a couple were also caught out in front of the river mouth. 

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing in Petoskey found early morning success targeting steelhead. Fishing beads or spawn produced the best results while fishing the piers and near the mouth of the Bear River. Those fishing the Bear River reported some success bouncing artificials in the fast-moving current.

Charlevoix: Weather and ice kept most anglers off of the water. Those that made it out reported little to no success for lake trout and perch. One slip dock at Ferry Beach launch has been pushed in. 

East Grand Traverse Bay: Anglers found mixed bags of lake trout and cisco when jigging off deepwater point. Those targeting steelhead on the Elk River had the best success around sunrise while floating spawn bags. 

West Grand Traverse Bay:  Angers had good success on lake trout while jigging in 120 to 160 feet of water. Pink and silver jigging spoons as well as white tube jigs yielded the best results. Those targeting cisco had no success. On the Boardman River, the steelhead action was steady in the morning and anglers had the most success when float fishing spawn bags and wax worms.

Suttons Bay/Northport: Few boat anglers found success jigging for lake trout in Northport. Anglers were fishing near and past the buoys as well as Omena Bay. Anglers reported that the lake trout were biting aggressively in around 100 to 150 feet of water.  

Leland: Poor weather conditions limited fishing activity. A few anglers were float fishing for steelhead by the dam but had no success.

Frankfort: Pier anglers reported good numbers of chrome steelhead, a few brown trout and the occasional coho salmon hitting on fresh spawn halfway to the elbow. Anglers trolling the shoreline in 10 to 15 feet of water with body baits reported that they’ve been seeing a rise in brown trout numbers this year. In the harbor, anglers picked up brown trout and steelhead with water temperatures still in the high 30s. Anglers also reported that mornings seemed to be more productive.

Portage Lake: Anglers fishing in 25 to 32 feet of water just west of the city boat launch were landing nice catches of perch on mostly minnows and wigglers. Anglers were dropping the bait down slow and getting hits on the way down.  

Manistee: Pier anglers reported slower catches this past week but were still able to catch a few brown trout and steelhead using spawn bags. In the mix came a couple Menominee on skein. Those trolling caught a couple brown trout while fishing the harbor and south near Magoon and Gurney Creeks. In general, the water was reported to still be very cold. Body baits worked while fishing in 8 to 15 feet of water.

Ludington: Boat anglers caught a few brown trout while trolling the harbor and near the Lincoln River mouth using body baits. A few lake trout were caught from the pier heads out to 50 feet of water while using spoons. Brown trout and lake trout also came from the Pentwater and Montague area. Catch and release smallmouth bass were reported from the harbor and near structure to the north. The water temperatures were still reported to be very cold, low 40s at best. 

Tippy Dam: A nice push of fresh fish made their way up; lots of steelhead being caught. Water is starting to clear up and the weather is looking nicer. Easter weekend could make for some great outdoor action.

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Upper Peninsula

St. Ignace: St. Ignace City boat launches have not been put into the water yet, but the cleaning station is open. Fishing activity at the Carp and Pine Rivers is unknown due to limited accessibility to those sites. The roads leading to the Carp River mouth still have deep snow in some areas or deeply rutted spots. The Pine River boat launch has not been put in and is not plowed. 

Les Cheneaux Islands/Detour: Due to unsafe ice conditions and iced up boat launches and bays, there has been no fishing activity in either location. The pier in Hessel is also still surrounded by ice. 

Grand Marais: Boat anglers trolling east of the break wall saw good action for coho salmon. The township ramp is now open, and West Bay is free of ice.

Munising: Anglers had great success on coho salmon when ice fishing the bay in Munising. The occasional splake and whitefish were also caught. Jigging Swedish pimples and spoons were reported to work well. Ice conditions are worsening in the bay so precede with caution.

Marquette: Anglers fishing from the lower harbor reported a mixture of success. Several boat anglers were successful in catching a few coho salmon in 7 to 20 feet of water. Brown trout were caught from the pier and trolling in the bay as well. The upper harbor is open and many anglers who decided to make their way out did quite well for coho salmon and brown trout around White Rocks. The steelhead numbers continued to be constant in both rivers. All of the river water levels were reported to be high due to snowmelt from rain and increasing temperatures, be careful of flooding in some areas. Natural baits seemed to work best in the rivers and along the shoreline in Marquette. Bright orange or chartreuse jigs worked well on the break wall. Most of the steelhead were caught on spawn while brown trout were loving the night crawlers. Bright orange and yellow Rapalas worked well for trolling for coho salmon along with bouncing jigs or trolling out by the Laughing White Fish.

Au Train: The mouth of the Au Train River and the Brownstone boat launch is now open; however, the dock is not in yet. The coho salmon and brown trout fishing was reported to have been very good this past week. Several boat anglers trolling around the river mouths in 7 to 30 feet of water were successful for both brown trout and coho salmon. Bright green or orange Rapalas, Fire Tiger, and Rainbow Trout were hot color schemes.

Ontonagon River: One dock is now in the water at the Ontonagon Marina Boat Launch. Angling efforts on the river remained extremely low over the past week. River conditions were not ideal for fishing as recent snow melt and precipitation kept the water clarity very poor.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: One dock is now in the water at the Ontonagon Marina Boat Launch. Docks remain out of the water at the Silver City and Porcupine Mountains boat launches. The gate into the Union Bay Campground has also not yet been opened for the season. The marina in Ontonagon remains frozen over with a thin layer of ice. The fish cleaning station at the Ontonagon Marina also remains closed for the winter season. Fishing efforts from these ports have been low. Anglers fishing from the shores of Union Bay had little luck when targeting coho salmon and steelhead in shallow waters.

Black River Harbor: The harbor saw a good amount of angling effort in the past week. Boats trolling shallow waters reported fair catches consisting of coho salmon and brown trout. Anglers also tried targeting these salmon and trout from the harbor break walls with relatively little success. Shore anglers reported that natural baits seemed to work best.

Little Bay de Noc: Docks are starting to go in. Windy conditions this past week limited fishing efforts.

Big Bay de Noc: There is still ice on Garden Bay. Boat launches should be getting docks in soon.

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Fishing tip: Use a spinnerbait to target bass

As water temperatures rise, both largemouth and smallmouth bass will start to hang out in shallower water and stick close to areas with cover. Want to know a great tool to target them there? Try a spinnerbait.

Seek out cover, such as logs, boulders or weed patches and cast your spinnerbait in that direction. Often, you’ll entice a bass ready to strike unsuspecting prey.

Want to learn more about one of Michigan’s most popular fish species? Check out Michigan.gov/Fish-Id.

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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.