For those fishing or paddling in the 12-county disaster area encompassing Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle counties, please be aware that waterways may contain new obstructions, including downed trees and branches. Please also be aware of possible boating access site closures.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lower Saginaw Bay: Walleye were caught trolling in 6 feet of water from Jones Road to Callahan Reef with night crawlers. Trolling northeast of Spoils Island in 15 to 18 feet of water with bandits was very good for walleye, along with trolling in 23 feet of water in front of Linwood with flicker minnows. A few black crappie were also caught in the marina next to the DNR launch.

Saginaw River: A few walleye were caught from shore casting jigs at Veterans Park, but action was spotty. Also some white bass, freshwater drum, and channel catfish were caught through downtown Saginaw, fishing with night crawlers. 

Eastern Saginaw Bay: The winds have finally calmed and that has allowed anglers to finally get out on the bay. Walleye fishing was very good with numerous limits caught. Those fishing around Callahan reef in 8 to 12 feet, Quanicassee in 8 to 14 feet, and the south end of the slot in 10 to 15 feet had success. Not many reports from deeper waters. Both crawler harnesses and a variety of body baits caught limits of walleye, with bright colors like pink, chartreuse, orange doing well.

Tittabawassee River: It seems walleye fishing was about done. Anglers caught a few white bass in the vicinity of Center Road Boat Launch and Caldwell Boat Launch, casting various artificial baits, but not in large numbers; 5–10 per angler was common.

Lake St. Clair: Smallmouth bass fishing was slow, but anglers had fair performance in Ford’s Cove. Metro Beach was the hot spot of the week, some anglers also did well on Anchor Bay near Fairhaven. There was primarily a morning bite, dark colors and goby colored tubes worked the best. Many bass anglers reported catches of legal and sublegal northern pike and muskie. Bluegill action in the canals near Selfridge was very good, live bait worked best. Walleye action was strong, most anglers were trolling with crawler harnesses, but others have had luck with crankbaits and body baits. Hot colors were purple, yellow, blue, and white. Anglers had better luck while fishing the edge of the mud line; clear water is not your friend with walleye. Walleye anglers were catching fish between the Metropark and Memorial Park.

Lake Erie: Walleye fishing improved this week from last. Anglers were catching them in 20 feet of water, east of the DTE coal power plant. Those trolling with crawler harnesses had the most success. Harnesses with pink beads and gold blades were said to be doing well, some anglers got an occasional yellow perch while walleye fishing, but most were too small to keep.

Lake Huron: Boats trolling for salmon and trout were having a hard time getting on the water due to windy conditions. The few times boats did get out, fish were scattered from 30 to 50 feet of water and anglers were catching only a few fish. There was a mix of coho salmon, lake trout, steelhead, and an occasional Chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon. Anglers used both planer boards and downriggers with a variety of body sits and spoons. Pier and shore anglers mostly caught smallmouth bass while casting small lures. Conditions were the same all along the shoreline.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: Fishing off the piers was very slow this week. The north wind cooled the lake temp down a bit, with the channel having warmer water than the lake. A fair number of Chinook salmon were caught with a few coho salmon and brown trout along with steelhead mixed in. Boats trolling in 40 to 50 feet of water, 13 feet down did well. A few boats caught fish right in the channel. Blue, green, and orange spoons all did well, along with crankbaits.

South Haven: Boats anglers had another good week of fishing. The fish spread out a little. Anglers were fishing from 40 feet out, well beyond 100 feet of water. Anglers were catching coho salmon and Chinook salmon. The fish were caught primarily on spoons and small crankbaits; pier anglers also reported catching fish. There were also a few walleye caught. Almost all the fish were caught casting lures. No perch reports.

St. Joseph: Boats had a good week of fishing. The boats were mostly fishing 40 to 70 feet of water. Some good catches were reported as well beyond 100 feet of water. Spoons were the most successful lure for these fish. Pier anglers were catching a few coho salmon and an occasional steelhead. Anglers used shrimp and alewife fished under bobbers. No perch reports.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: All boat launches are available for use, but the cleaning station is closed. In the Cheboygan River, steelhead anglers had luck with floating beads at the Cheboygan Dam spillway. Walleye anglers had the best luck when drifting live bait, jigging soft plastic minnows, or using crank baits. Good spots to target walleye were at the Cheboygan Dam spillway, the drawbridge nearby the DNR field station, and nearby the pedestrian walkway bridge. A lot of suckers were caught from the drawbridge up to the Cheboygan Dam spillway. Lake trout anglers were running lines all over the water column while trolling dodgers or dipseys with spoons. Greens, silvers, whites, and purples produced the best results. Anglers targeting lake trout found them at Poe Reef and Reynolds Reef.

Rockport: Little action was observed over the last week. Those who did venture out found very good lake trout fishing in depths of 20 to 40 feet of water while using dodger-spin-n-glo combinations. White, chartreuse, and watermelon were the best colors.

Alpena: Anglers in Thunder Bay continued to have success while targeting lake trout in 30 to 60 feet of water near north point and Thunder Bay Island. Orange, watermelon, and white spoons worked well throughout the water column. A handful of Atlantic salmon were caught while trolling high lead cores with gold, orange, and copper spoons. Walleye anglers reported action as hit and miss, while the best bite was after dark. Natural color crank baits trolled in 10 to 15 feet of water had the most success. Walleye, bass, pike, and a few Atlantic salmon were caught off the pier while casting spoons, crank baits, and plastic swim baits. Those fishing crawlers reported a few catfish moving into the river mouth.

Thunder Bay River: Walleye were caught from the river mouth as far as the 9th Street bridge. While some anglers had success using leeches and crawlers, others had mixed results casting crank baits in chartreuse, green, and natural colors. Those targeting smallmouth bass used jigs tipped with plastic swim baits with moderate success. Some nice northern pike were also caught while casting large spinnerbaits in bright colors.

Oscoda/Au Sable River: Walleye fishing off the pier/catwalk at dusk and dawn produced decent numbers of fish. Most anglers were jigging plastics, drifting a crawler or casting deep crank baits for walleye. There were Atlantic salmon being caught in the lower river by anglers casting spoons and drifting minnows 4–5 feet under a bobber. There were still steelhead to be caught. Anglers bottom bouncing flies or beads took a decent number of steelhead. Lake trout were caught in 60 to 75 feet of water by those pulling spoons.

Tawas/Au Gres: Walleye fishing was still slow off the pier; the Tawas River only saw a few fish being caught. Walleye anglers from boats had success in both Tawas and Au Gres, with both artificial and natural bait. Au Gres perch fishing was still slow, with only one or two anglers reporting to have heard of people catching them. However, lake trout were caught in Tawas while fishing for walleye. The shore anglers caught carp, bowfin, and the occasional northern pike as well as a couple largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Lake Michigan/Frankfort: Anglers reported Chinook salmon in the area during the early morning bite in 60 to 90 feet of water, hitting on spoons and moving out as the sun comes up. Lake trout were hitting in the same area. Brown Trout were still being reported trolling the shoreline.

Onekama/Lake Michigan: Anglers reported lake trout in “The Barrel” working the outer edges on spoons and spin-n-glos.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing the Bear River in Petoskey reported limited steelhead with the very occasional push of fish. Fishing the morning while drifting spawn bags in the river or near the river mouth produced results. Many suckers were reported. Those making it out on the bay reported a slow lake trout bite while trolling.

East Grand Traverse Bay: Bite was slow this week due to the cold-water temperatures staying between 35-40 degrees. A few Cisco were caught while jigging in 80 feet of water. White and gold were the best colors to try. Both steelhead and lake trout were caught on the Elk River downstream of the dam. Smallmouth bass started to move in the river as well.

West Grand Traverse Bay / Boardman River: Not much fishing effort to report this week due to the cold water temperature, so the bite remained slow. On the Boardman River, steelhead continued to be caught, but the success was slowing down as the remaining fish lock into spawning.

Manistee: A few brown trout were still being caught off the piers while fishing with spawn bags. Those trolling for Chinook salmon reported limited success again. The few that were caught were seen outside the pier heads in 35 feet of water as well as along the shelf in 100 to 150 feet of water. Lake trout were caught in 100 feet of water and along the shoreline in 30 feet of water while trolling spoons.

Ludington: A couple brown trout were caught in the harbor by way of trolling, but it was hit or miss. Those looking for Chinook salmon reported slow fishing but found a few in 100 to 150 feet of water at Big Sable Point. A few lake trout were caught in 40 to 70 feet of water straight out and south. No action to report from the piers.

Leland: Fishing pressure continued to be low. Pier anglers targeted steelhead, smallmouth bass, and pike with limited success. A few steelhead were caught earlier morning while float fishing using small beads.

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Upper Peninsula

St. Ignace: Just off the Wawatam Lighthouse and in front of Mackinac Island, lake trout anglers were successful trolling downriggers with spoons. Greens, silvers, whites, and purples were good colors to use. Suckers were in at the Carp River.

Grand Marais: When strong winds were not prevalent this past week, boat anglers who went out had the best success trolling west of the breakwall picking up some coho salmon and steelhead. It was also reported that boat anglers had success jigging for lake trout. Anglers fishing early morning off the breakwall had very good success on whitefish, with only a few coho salmon reported caught. Anglers on the breakwall had the best success when using spawn. Few steelhead and coho were reported caught by shore anglers on the mouth of the Sucker River.

Munising: Anglers fishing off the Anna River Dock reported some splake and whitefish using spawn and casting spoons. Anglers trolling the bay were still catching good numbers of coho salmon and also caught a few splake and Chinook salmon mixed in. Boat anglers jigging for lake trout did well outside of the bay.

Ontonagon River: Over the past week, the river saw very little pressure from anglers. Reports suggest that very few fish were caught.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Fishing efforts from these ports was fair over the past week. Strong winds limited access to the lake on occasion. Anglers had luck in catching mixed bags of coho salmon, lake trout, and brown trout. These fish were caught in low numbers by those trolling shallow waters. The Silver City boat launch dock remains out of the water.

Black River Harbor: Over the past week, the harbor experienced a low amount of angling efforts. This is likely due to recent weather limiting fishing activity. Boats trolling shallow waters reported mixed catches consisting of coho salmon, Chinook salmon, lake trout, and brown trout in low numbers.

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers that went out for yellow perch this week had mixed results; some anglers had success catching their limit or close to it, while others had trouble staying on active schools. Perch anglers used minnows and small, soft plastics. Anglers targeting smallmouth reported good fishing around river mouths and in relatively shallow water.

Big Bay de Noc: Anglers reported good smallmouth fishing in Ogontz Bay, near the mouth of Fishdam River, Garden Bay, as well as near Nahma. Anglers targeting smallmouth in the shallows used soft plastics and jerk baits. Reports of slow perch fishing in Garden Bay.

Les Cheneaux Islands: Anglers in Hessel were still having some luck catching perch at the marina, but they were tight-lipped and there was a lot of sorting required. There were a few splake caught off the docks on the inside and outside, caught on minnows, smelt and spawn. Anglers going out in boats were trolling for splake and mostly catching pike. There were good numbers of smallmouth bass caught around the bays of Hessel as well. Detour is still slow with little to no activity.

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Fishing tip: Try using polarized sunglasses

Polarized sunglasses on sunny and even overcast days can make spotting fish much easier. The lenses used eliminate any glare on the water made by the sun, allowing you to cast at fish you may have never known were there otherwise.

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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.