The ports of Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Whitehall/Montague are now under single-pointed hook regulations from Nov. 1 – Nov. 30 (see pp. 30- 31 of the 2025 Michigan Fishing Regulations). Plus, on these same waters, it is unlawful to spear or possess spearing gear from Nov. 1 – Nov. 30 (see pp. 16-17 of the 2025 Michigan Fishing Regulations).

Due to our seasonal creel clerks finishing up for the season, the Weekly Fishing Report will be suspended following next week’s report. Early next year, when ice fishing picks up and we begin to receive more reports, the Weekly Fishing Report will resume. In the interim, we recommend calling your local bait shop for information on current fishing conditions.

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: Yellow perch fishing picked up over the weekend. At Buoys 3 and 4, 11–14-inch yellow perch were caught, and 7–9-inch fish had been caught out in front of Bay Harbor Marina. Some anglers had tried to catch walleye in the lower end of the Saginaw River, but none were caught.

Lake Erie: Yellow perch fishing was hit or miss, with many anglers still heading east of Stony Point to fish in 22 feet of water. The majority of boats returned with fewer than 20 yellow perch per boat after a day of fishing, and many smaller yellow perch had been thrown back. A few boats managed to find the schools and caught more than 60 perch per boat for two or more anglers. These boats were in the same area but must have located the active schools. Everyone was using minnows on perch spreaders. Walleye were also targeted in Brest Bay, but without success. However, walleye in the southern part of the Detroit River, off Lake Erie Metropark, were caught while jigging.

Ingham County: On Hewes Lake, crappie were active with good sizes.

Lake Huron: Not much had changed, salmon and steelhead showed up in larger numbers and stayed in the harbors at Port Sanilac and Lexington. Anglers had good luck catching steelhead from the docks. They were casting a variety of small spoons and body baits and using wax worms or pieces of night crawlers on small jigs. A few coho salmon were caught while casting lures, but very few Atlantic salmon.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

South Haven: Boat anglers caught a few salmon around 100 feet of water. The lake kept most boats in shallow where the fishing was slower. Pier anglers caught a few steelhead on spawn and casting. Overall, the pier fishing is on the slow side.

St. Joseph: Salmon fishing was on the slow side. Very few boats had gone out to fish the lake. A few salmon were caught in deeper water, but fishing pressure had been very low. Pier fishing had also been slow. A couple of steelhead were caught on spawn, but overall fishing was slow. Perch fishing was very slow for the boats that went out.

St. Joseph River: The salmon fishing in the lower river was very slow. Anglers caught a few steelhead. There were some steelhead caught towards the Berrien Springs dam.

Muskegon: Anglers found a mix of steelhead and chinook salmon in 40 to 100 feet of water. Orange spoons worked best from the surface down to 80 feet.

Black River: Anglers targeting steelhead, salmon and lake trout had very slow fishing.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: The majority of salmon were spawning and showed little interest in biting. Anglers occasionally caught salmon while floating or bottom bouncing spawn. Catch rates for steelhead increased over the past week. Steelhead anglers did best when floating beads, and those floating spawn occasionally caught fish as well.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers fishing off the pier reported a slow bite last week. Smallmouth bass and channel catfish were caught on minnows off the pier head. Steelhead and coho salmon were caught by anglers bottom-bouncing or floating spawn and beads. Anglers using plugs also had success. A few Atlantic salmon were caught on streamers, spinners, and small spoons. Anglers casting Thundersticks below Foote Dam landed a few Chinook salmon.

Harrisville: Salmon were scattered around the harbor. Fishing remained somewhat slow with a few coho salmon caught on chunks of skein or small orange spoons.

Tawas/Au Gres: Not many boats went out due to the weather. Shore fishing remained slow. Only a few perch and other panfish were caught, most of which were throwbacks. Anglers reported that pier fishing for walleye in the evenings had been slow overall, with only a few being caught.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Frankfort/Lake Michigan: Anglers fishing the piers and shoreline on the inside and outside both North and South piers reported low numbers of steelhead on spawn. With water temperatures cooling off, coho are smashing bags, but anglers are just not finding the numbers yet.

West Grand Traverse Bay: Perch were caught in Bowers Harbor and by anglers fishing south of Greilickville in 30 to 50 feet of water. Cisco were caught by those trolling near Power Island in 140 to 200 feet of water. Gold and white spoons were the most productive colors.

East Grand Traverse Bay: A few anglers found success while trolling for cisco in 120 to 150 feet of water along the west bank. Those trolling north of Sayler Park also caught a few cisco in 100 to 140 feet of water. Lake trout were caught at the dam on the Elk River by anglers drifting spawn bags or beads.

Charlevoix: Anglers targeting smallmouth bass in the Pine River Channel reported slow numbers while sitting natural bait off the bottom.

Manistee: A few steelhead were caught off the piers and beach while using spawn, but fishing was very slow over the weekend. Boat anglers trolling for chinook salmon and steelhead did well from outside the pier heads to over 300 feet of water. Anglers fished all depths in the water column, primarily using spoons, though flasher-fly combos and plugs had also been effective.

Ludington: The piers were slow but steelhead were reported while using spawn. There was no boat activity to report.

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing the Bear River in Petoskey reported slow numbers of salmon. Those who caught salmon caught a few dark fish while bottom bouncing beads, flies, and spawn. Anglers floating spawn near the mouth of the river and off the piers had reported slow numbers of small steelhead.

Leland: Pier fishing continued as more salmon entered the river, and fish were staging near the dam. When weather permitted, anglers who made it to North Manitou Island had reported successful trips. Fishing in front of the docks in 120 to 200 feet of water, with baits set 75 to 97 feet down, had produced quick limits of Chinook salmon. Anglers reported that green spoons and meat rigs were very successful. Anglers mentioned seeing an excessive amount of bait in the area.

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Upper Peninsula

Ontonagon River: The river saw very little angling activity over the past week. The floating docks in the Ontonagon Marina had been removed from the river for the season, and the fish cleaning station at the marina was closed for the season.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Angling efforts from Ontonagon remained very low over the past week. Efforts from Union Bay and Silver City were strong on days when the weather permitted reasonable lake access. Catches consisted primarily of lake trout in high numbers. A few anglers found great success while jigging in depths of approximately 60 feet, and those trolling experienced the best luck in water depths of about 90 to 120 feet.

Black River Harbor: Angling efforts from the harbor were fair over the past week. Reported catches consisted of lake trout in good numbers, with occasional coho salmon caught in lesser numbers. Anglers reported having the best luck when trolling in water depths of 100 to 120 feet.

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye fishing was tough for most anglers, although some had caught a few walleye at the head of the bay. Those who targeted deeper depths during late mornings had little success. Perch anglers had reported mixed results, with most finding schools of perch, but only some were able to coax them into biting. Anglers had fished the narrows and the reefs in the upper bay.

Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth anglers had reported good fishing. They had caught high numbers of smallmouth, as well as numerous large fish. Tactics that had proven successful around Garden and Fayette included dragging suckers close to the bottom and drop-shotting artificial soft plastics. Yellow perch anglers had reported fair fishing.

Grand Marais: Fishing activity was low over the past week. Anglers reported a few rainbow trout and coho salmon at the mouth of the Sucker River while casting and using spawn. Off the breakwall, a small number of round whitefish and lake whitefish were caught by anglers using spawn.

Munising: The salmon bite slowed down over the past week. Boat anglers caught a few coho salmon while trolling the bay, with some splake mixed in. Anglers reported catching splake, coho salmon, and rainbow trout off the mouth of the Anna River, with spawn and casting spoons working best.

St. Ignace: At the Carp River mouth cement footing pier, steelhead were caught while floating beads or bottom-bouncing spawn. There were no reports of salmon, but anglers had continued to cast spoons in hopes of catching late-run fish. At Nunns Creek, the majority of salmon had spawned out.

U.P Counties: Thompson Creek had a lot of fish, but they are getting rough. Salmon were reported in the rivers. Inland lakes were good for walleye and pan fish.

Inland lakes showed mixed reports, with lakes near the northern Alger and Schoolcraft County line showing more success for pike, bass, and panfish than southern lakes. Good numbers of walleye and perch were reported on the Manistique Lakes. Salmon began showing up in the upper reaches of rivers in Mackinac County. The coho salmon run on the Two Hearted River proved difficult for most anglers with some anglers experiencing success.

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Fishing tip: Bigger fish, bigger meals

Fall is prime time for targeting bigger fish that are feeding heavily before winter. Try using larger baits or lures than you would in summer—fish are looking for a bigger meal. Focus near drop-offs, river mouths, and areas with current breaks where baitfish gather. A little patience pays off this time of year—slow, steady presentations often produce the best results.

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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.