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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Yellow perch anglers experienced a slight resurgence over the past week. Anglers fishing east of Sterling State Park toward the Ohio state line in 24 feet of water caught decent-sized yellow perch on minnows. Multiple limits were not reported for multi-person boats. Water temperatures continued to drop, helping improve activity. A few walleye were caught in the same area on nightcrawler harnesses, though catches were scattered. Smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Erie was good using various artificial lures.

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Fishing pressure was low over the past week. A few yellow perch were caught east of the Spark Plug in 20 feet of water, with morning hours being most productive.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: When weather permitted, boat anglers caught immature Chinook salmon and steelhead in 50 to110 feet of water. Orange and green spoons fished in the top 50 feet of water worked best. Anglers casting from the breakwalls were unsuccessful targeting mature Chinook salmon.

Grand Haven: Decent numbers of immature Chinook salmon and steelhead were caught in 60 to 150 feet of water. Orange, green, and yellow spoons worked best when targeting the top 60 feet of water. Pier anglers targeting Chinook salmon were unsuccessful.

South Haven: Boat anglers caught good numbers of fish. Anglers targeted fish in approximately 100 feet of water. Pier fishing slowed, though an occasional salmon was still caught. Casting spoons was the most productive method. Overall fishing was very slow, and no yellow perch were reported.

St. Joseph: Boat anglers caught a few fish, with the most productive water located around 80 feet of water. Fishing was slow overall, but that remained the most effective depth. Pier fishing was very slow for all species. Yellow perch fishing continued to produce good results. Fish remained scattered, with 40 to 60 feet of water proving to be the most productive range.

St. Joseph River: Decent numbers of salmon were caught in the lower river as well as at the Berrien Springs dam.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Tawas/Au Gres: Coho salmon and Chinook salmon were caught in the Tawas River. A few yellow perch were caught off Standish. Otherwise, fishing effort was light.

Alpena: Very little boat activity was observed over the past week. Anglers who targeted deeper water reported catching lake trout, steelhead, Atlantic salmon, and an occasional walleye. Standard-sized spoons trolled in 30 to 50 feet of water yielded inconsistent success. No fishing activity was reported on the pier.

Thunder Bay River: Anglers reported a slow bite. Spinners, small crankbaits, and drifted beads yielded some success for coho salmon and Atlantic salmon. Chinook salmon turned dark, but anglers continued to catch fish on spoons and spawn. A few steelhead were taken on drifted beads and small spawn bags.

Rockport: Boat anglers reported a few steelhead and immature Chinook salmon while trolling in 40 to 80 feet of water. With cold water temperatures, the best results came in the top 25 feet of the water column.

Cheboygan: There was a mixture of silver and dark Chinook salmon at the Cheboygan Dam spillway. Anglers who floated or bottom-bounced spawn were the most successful, landing up to three salmon. Spoons and minnow-style crankbaits were productive as well.

Oscoda: Anglers targeting salmon off the pier experienced a slow week, with a few Chinook salmon and coho salmon caught. Glow spoons and body baits such as bandits, flicker shads, and Rapala J-13s were popular choices. Anglers targeting channel catfish off the pier with nightcrawlers and cut bait had decent success.

Harrisville: Anglers casting Rapala J-13s, flicker shads, and Jr. ThunderSticks in black/silver and fire tiger colors caught a few Chinook salmon. Glow spoons and skein were also successful. A few steelhead and coho salmon were caught on spinners.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Manistee: Pier fishing was slow. Anglers fishing straight out and south caught a limited number of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead in 150 to 200 feet of water at various depths. Fish were caught from 20 to over 100 feet down on plugs and spoons.

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing the Bear River reported slow fishing for Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead. Anglers had success using spawn and skein in the Bobber Hole early in the morning. Those casting from piers reported occasional bites using spoons.

East Grand Traverse Bay: Anglers launching at the Center Road boat launch caught a few cisco along with a few Chinook salmon when trolling in 110 to 140 feet of water. Anglers who had success trolled a mix of spoons and plugs roughly 60 to 80 feet down. A few smallmouth bass were also caught along the breaks in 25 to 45 feet of water.

Frankfort/Lake Michigan: Anglers targeted steelhead off the piers as water temperatures cooled, though action was slow. Coho salmon and Chinook salmon remained in the area as they slowly moved toward river mouths. The Betsie River continued to hold good numbers of Chinook salmon in deep holes and near Homestead Dam. Boat anglers caught a few Chinook salmon and coho salmon in front of the piers early in the morning on spoons. As morning conditions cleared, anglers moved out to the shelf to target steelhead in the top 30 feet of water.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting yellow perch reported scattered schools and had difficulty locating fish. Some anglers reported catching yellow perch in shallow water using worms. Walleye anglers reported slow fishing, though fishing overall was good. Drifting or trolling crawler harnesses worked well. Anglers also reported having success using jigheads tipped with nightcrawlers or leeches. Coho salmon anglers reported slow fishing and fewer fish sightings. Anglers fishing the Escanaba River had success.

Ontonagon River: Over the past week, the river experienced very light angling effort. Rough weather conditions throughout the week hindered fishing conditions on occasion. Catches of walleye were reported in very low numbers.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: The Ontonagon, Silver City, and Union Bay access sites all experienced light angling effort over the past week. Heavy winds and frequent rain showers limited lake access on multiple days. Anglers reported catches of lake trout, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and brown trout in low to fair numbers. Fish were caught by anglers trolling in depths ranging from 30 to 150 feet of water.

Black River Harbor: Angling effort from the harbor was light over the past week. Inclement weather limited lake access. When weather permitted, anglers reported mixed catches of brown trout, steelhead, coho salmon, and lake trout in low numbers. These fish were caught by anglers trolling in depths of 30 to 150 feet of water.

St. Ignace: Overcast conditions made for good fishing, with anglers catching fish throughout the day. Most anglers caught at least one fish, while a few others landed up to 10 fish. Floating or bottom-bouncing skein produced the best results. Salmon were actively moving in and out of Nunns Creek, while a fresh push at the Carp River provided anglers with an opportunity to hook into a silver Chinook salmon at the Carp River cement footing pier. Salmon were caught throughout the stretch between McDonald Rapids and the Carp River cement footing pier. Other productive bait options included spoons, minnow-style crankbaits, and spinners. Glow baits were effective before daybreak and after sunset.

Grand Marais: Shore anglers caught coho salmon and rainbow trout at the mouth of the Sucker River. Fishing with spawn and casting spoons brought success. Boat anglers did well jigging for lake trout.

Manistique: Anglers reported Chinook salmon and pink salmon in the river. Anglers reported having the most success using skein, though some anglers had success using spinners and shallow-diving crankbaits. Orange, chartreuse, and pink were popular lure colors. The best success occurred at night and early in the morning.

Marquette: Anglers caught lake trout in 80 to 160 feet of water. Most anglers continued to troll north of White Rocks out toward Granite Rock and the Clay Banks, as reports west of the Chocolay River yielded poor results. Anglers reported catching lake trout throughout the water column, primarily near the bottom using downriggers. A few reports indicated anglers caught lake trout and coho salmon off the lower breakwall early in the morning and near sunset. Anglers trolling the river mouths near Lower Harbor caught decent numbers of coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Brown trout and coho salmon were caught in both the Chocolay River and Carp River. Fish numbers increased with cooler evening temperatures.

Au Train: The tribal nets were removed, opening the Flats northwest of Au Train Island toward Five Mile Point for lake trout fishing. The Wood Island Reef and areas northwest of Au Train Island out toward the Laughing Whitefish River also remained available for lake trout fishing, while Au Train Bay to the Laughing Whitefish River was open for salmon, brown trout, and steelhead. Anglers jigging near Au Train Island in 40 to 80 feet of water had good success catching lean lake trout. All lake trout caught were near the bottom while trolling or jigging. Anglers targeting brown trout and salmon in 10 to 60 feet of water marked numerous fish.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers reported fair to good fishing, with catches consisting primarily of coho salmon and splake while trolling near river mouths, along with a few brown trout. Shore anglers reported that the bite picked up, with many anglers successfully catching coho salmon and splake. Anglers jigging for lake trout and lake whitefish reported a slow bite.

Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: Anglers reported fair fishing for lake trout when trolling spoons and flasher/fly rigs around structure in 50 to 100 feet of water. Anglers reported a few coho salmon, but in very low numbers. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported a fair bite when using natural presentations, with most fish caught in 80 to 120 feet of water.

Les Cheneaux/DeTour: Anglers in Hessel caught a few yellow perch near the buoy straight out from the Cedarville boat launch. A few northern pike were caught off the pier in Hessel. Smallmouth bass anglers had good success fishing around island rock piles and points. Splake fishing was slow due to 66-degree water temperatures within the marina. Splake season is now closed. In DeTour, anglers caught good numbers of lake trout prior to the season closing. Lake trout season is now closed, and fishing pressure in DeTour was minimal.

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Fishing tip: Finding steelhead in the thick of fall 

Although many folks have hunting on the brain, there are some anglers who are enjoying a few more trips to the streams right now to find steelhead. Those having success are probably following a few basic tips:

• Target lesser-known streams that may have been stocked in the past few years.
• Don’t fish on the weekends – when everyone else is – rather, go mid-week if you can.
• Tough out the weather; some of the best fishing occurs when the weather is the worst.
• Focus on early morning or at night.

Want even more information on targeting steelhead? Check out their page on Michigan.gov/FishID.

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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 nearly 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.