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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Anglers were out looking for yellow perch along the east side of the bay from Sebewaing to Caseville. Those who put in the time caught mostly small perch, with the occasional keeper. With water levels being low, many of the cuts were not holding much water. Early morning and late afternoon seemed to be the best times for perch.

Saginaw River: The river continued to have fast current making walleye fishing difficult. There were a few walleye caught by boat anglers vertical jigging in downtown Saginaw using twister tails tipped with a minnow.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

South Haven: The weather was poor again the past week. Pier fishing was also slow for coho salmon. Fishing pressure was low overall.

St. Joseph: Conditions were poor for most of the week. Boat anglers saw slow fishing, with most anglers finding only a couple of fish in shallow water. The water was very dirty. A few boats ventured out deeper to fish clearer water but struggled to find fish.

Pier fishing was slow. Anglers caught coho salmon, a few brown trout, and the occasional whitefish. The most productive method was fishing with skein.

St. Joseph River: Fishing pressure was low for steelhead in the lower river. 

Muskegon: When the weather allowed, pier and shore anglers caught a few steelhead and brown trout. The best bait was fresh steelhead spawn. Boat anglers trolling the shoreline for brown trout found the action to be slow. Snug Harbor boat launch had one dock in the water.

Grand Haven: A few pier anglers made it out and found the action to be slow. A couple of steelhead and brown trout were caught on spawn. Water clarity near the piers remained poor due to the rains. Boat anglers trolling the shoreline for brown trout and steelhead were unsuccessful. Harbor Island boat launch had one dock in the water.

Black River: The river was very dirty this week. Most anglers caught suckers, along with a few steelhead. 

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Tawas/Au Gres: In Tawas, ice around Tawas Bay was still lingering, but most of it was hopefully done and gone for the season. When fishable, lake trout were caught off the pier. The docks were not yet in at Gateway Park, but a few boats were still able to get out and reported catching lake trout and walleye.

In Au Gres, ice on the bay kept boats off the water over the last week. However, most of the ice cleared from in front of the mouth of the Au Gres River, and there was one dock in at the DNR launch. In the Standish area, only a few anglers targeted yellow perch from shore. Those fishing the Pine River, as well as the shallow cuts, reported slow fishing, reporting only a few smaller fish.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers fishing the pier head and catwalk experienced slow fishing, with a few lake trout and the occasional steelhead being caught. Gold and orange spoons and Bandits were popular for casting, along with spawn bags fished on the bottom.

Anglers fishing the river reported a slow week. Some found a few steelhead on spawn bags or 8 mm–10 mm orange or pink beads, using both bottom bouncing and float fishing techniques. A few Atlantic salmon were still being caught in the river on spawn and hair jigs.

Thunder Bay River: Cold temperatures slowed the runoff in the river. Anglers had success catching steelhead from the Ninth Street Dam downstream to Lamar Park. Drifting beads and spawn were the most productive methods on and off throughout the day. Anglers also had success drifting small jigs with wax worms.

Anglers reported that fishing for Atlantic salmon was slow. While fish were seen, very few were caught. Stone flies and spinners in gold, green, silver, and orange had some success early and late in the day.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Manistee: Cold temperatures, windy weather and cold water kept the steelhead action very slow this past week. Ice remains on the piers so please use caution.

Ludington: Icy cold, stained water and ice along the piers kept fishing slow this past week. Although some boats made it out over the weekend, the brown trout bite was very slow. The docks at Loomis St. were not in, but the ramp had open water. Those fishing from the pier were unsuccessful. Ice remains so please use caution.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers reported slow fishing when targeting perch and attributed the slow fishing to the cold front that moved in this week. Anglers used wigglers and minnows on jigs, as well as small shiny bait holder style lures, such as spoons with wax worms or cut bait. Most anglers fished the upper bay where they felt the ice was more trustworthy.

Munising: The coho salmon bite was good for anglers throughout the bay. Anglers targeting perch did well, catching good numbers. Anglers reported many undersized splake, with a few larger ones mixed in. The whitefish bite was slow but picked up slightly. For nighttime anglers, the smelt and burbot bite was steady. Popular baits included wax worms and minnows.

Keweenaw Bay: Anglers reported fair numbers of lake trout, cisco, and coho salmon being caught. Success was also noted by those targeting burbot and smelt while night fishing during the last week. Some anglers had success catching splake, along with the occasional rainbow trout. Whitefish anglers reported slow fishing.

Marquette: Fishing in all areas was slow due to ice from inclement weather received during the week. There were a few coho salmon caught out on the breakwall on days when the ice allowed. There were a few brown trout and steelhead caught on the breakwall this week.

The Carp River was too shallow and icy early in the week, but as it warmed up, there was more area to cast. Steelhead were expected to start moving back up the river as the river mouth began to open. If fishing around the mouth did not produce, anglers moved further up the river, as a few fish had been reported moving past the prison.

The Chocolay River was slow this week since water levels dropped. The only good action reported came from boat anglers heading upriver. Once the ice pushed out and the river mouth opened up, more fish made their way back up the river.

Au Train: The Au Train River mouth was blocked by ice, making it inaccessible as of Tuesday and leaving no real area to fish. As soon as the river opened back up, coho salmon fishing returned to the excellent conditions seen before the storm. The fish that had been observed were all caught near the mouth of the river along the ice cliffs. Most were caught using jigs with wax worms or floating spawn eggs.

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Fishing tip: Warming temperatures

Focus on shallow, warm areas in the afternoon. As temperatures rise, fish like bass and panfish move toward shallower water especially spots that warm up faster, like north-facing banks, dark-bottom ponds, and areas with emerging vegetation. The best bite is often midday to late afternoon, when the sun has had time to heat things up a few degrees.

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This report is intended to give you an idea of fishing conditions around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and conservation officers. With nearly 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams in Michigan, not all locations can be listed.