Interested in learning about how and why fish are stocked in Michigan? We have six state fish hatcheries and five weirs and welcome visitors to observe egg collections, take hatchery tours and more. Visit Michigan.gov/Hatcheries for hours and location information. 

All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Yellow perch fishing slowed slightly as strong winds churned up water and sediment, creating difficult fishing conditions. Waters north of the River Raisin continued to produce larger perch compared to the dumping grounds off Luna Pier. The highest success occurred in deeper water at 19 to 22 feet when using live minnows for bait. A few anglers continued targeting walleye, with minimal catches reported while trolling both artificial swimbaits and nightcrawler harnesses. Largemouth bass were caught in high numbers along shorelines on various artificial lures.

Lower Saginaw Bay: Yellow perch anglers caught a few yellow perch on the east side of Spoils Island near the shore in 10 feet of water. A few walleye anglers jigged the lower section of the Saginaw River with no success reported.

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Some yellow perch were caught midweek offshore by boat anglers in Bayport and off Geiger Road. Fishing over the weekend was very slow due to high winds, and shore angling remained slow across all locations.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Muskegon: Pier anglers were unsuccessful targeting steelhead.

Grand Haven: When weather conditions permitted, boat anglers caught good numbers of immature Chinook salmon and steelhead in 70 to 120 feet of water. Orange and green spoons produced well in the top 50 feet of water. Pier anglers targeting steelhead reported slow action, though a few steelhead were caught on salmon spawn.

South Haven: Lake conditions were very poor over the past week. Adverse weather kept most boats off the water, and few anglers fished from the piers. Pier angling remained slow for all species, with no yellow perch reported.

St. Joseph: Adverse weather kept angling effort low. Pier angling remained slow for all species, and boat anglers targeting salmon also experienced slow action. Yellow perch angling decreased significantly due to poor conditions. A few fish were still caught, though catches were inconsistent.

Black River: Salmon and lake trout fishing was slow.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Tawas/Au Gres: Salmon fishing slowed down, but anglers continued to catch an occasional Chinook salmon out of the Tawas River. Walleye fishing began to pick up, with fish caught in the river and off the pier. In the Standish area, anglers targeting panfish at the marina reported inconsistent results. Yellow perch fishing yielded mostly undersized fish, with very few legal-sized fish reported.

Alpena: Only a few boat anglers were observed near the pierhead targeting walleye with no success. A few anglers targeted yellow perch inside the harbor, without success.

Thunder Bay River: Chinook salmon were caught despite having turned dark. A few coho salmon were caught by anglers casting spinners near the 9th Street Dam and Lamar Park. Steelhead and Atlantic salmon were caught by anglers drifting beads, spawn, and various jigs throughout the day. Anglers targeting yellow perch in the river reported catching only a few small fish.

Cheboygan: Overcast conditions provided good fishing, but the bite slowed as skies cleared over the weekend. Chinook salmon and an occasional steelhead were caught at the Cheboygan Dam spillway. Anglers reported catching up to three salmon per outing while drifting or bottom-bouncing spawn or beads, as well as casting minnow-style crankbaits.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers casting deep-diver minnow plugs and shad-style crankbaits off the pier caught a few walleye at dawn and dusk. Fire tiger and clown patterns were popular lure colors. A few coho salmon and steelhead were caught off the pier by anglers casting spoons in blue/silver and orange/gold. Anglers fishing the river caught a few Atlantic salmon on spinners and streamers, while steelhead and an occasional Chinook salmon were caught by anglers drifting spawn and beads.

Harrisville: Anglers casting in the harbor caught a few Chinook salmon and coho salmon. Body baits, spoons, and skein were popular choices. A few steelhead were also caught by anglers casting smaller spoons and spinners.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Manistee: A limited number of steelhead were caught by anglers using spawn on the pier and from the beaches. Fishing was generally slow.

Ludington: Steelhead fishing on the piers was very slow. The steelhead that were caught were caught by anglers using spawn.

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing the Bear River reported slow catches of dark salmon. Flies, beads, and skein have produced a few results. The occasional steelhead and lake trout were caught on beads. Those fishing the breakwall reported a few fish while casting spoons.

East Grand Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing out of Elk Rapids caught cisco along with a few Chinook salmon while trolling 70 to 90 feet down in 110 to 140 feet of water. Trolling spoons in orange, green, or white produced well. Cisco were also caught around Old Mission by anglers jigging in 80 to 150 feet of water. Lake trout and salmon were caught in the Elk River by anglers drifting beads or spawn bags.

Frankfort/Lake Michigan: Steelhead moved into the area, with pier anglers reporting moderate catches on spawn off both the North and South piers depending on wind direction. Anglers reported higher catch rates during early morning hours, while the afternoon bite remained spotty.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Angling pressure was down over the past week due to strong winds. Anglers who ventured out caught walleye despite slow conditions, with anglers noting that typical fall catch rates had not yet materialized. Anglers targeting yellow perch reported poor fishing and difficulty locating schools. Smallmouth bass angling produced fair to good results. Anglers targeting northern pike caught fish while casting or trolling near the Escanaba River.

Munising: Anglers did well when targeting coho salmon and splake off the Anna River mouth casting spoons and using spawn. Boat anglers trolling the bay also did well targeting coho salmon.

Ontonagon River: Angling effort on the river was nearly nonexistent over the past week. A few anglers targeted walleye, though these outings yielded minimal success. The fish cleaning station at the Ontonagon Marina closed for the season.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Angling effort at the Ontonagon, Silver City, and Union Bay access sites was very low over the past week. Inclement weather conditions throughout the week significantly limited lake access. Angler reports remained sparse but included low catches of lake trout and coho salmon. The fish cleaning station at the Ontonagon Marina closed for the season.

Black River Harbor: Angling effort from the harbor was very low over the past week. Inclement weather continued to limit lake access throughout the week. A few boat anglers reported low catches of coho salmon and lake trout. Shore anglers fishing from the breakwall and within the harbor reported minimal success.

St. Ignace: South winds and overcast skies created favorable conditions that pushed Chinook salmon closer to the mouth of Nunns Creek. Anglers reported catching up to four salmon per outing under these conditions while drifting spawn bags. Angling pressure was low at the Carp River Footbridge Pier, where anglers targeted Chinook salmon and steelhead by bottom-bouncing or drifting spawn bags.

Grand Marais: Shore anglers did well on rainbow trout and coho salmon off the Sucker River mouth casting spoons and using spawn.

Manistique: Anglers targeting salmon reported seeing Chinook salmon in the river. The run appeared to be nearing its end, though anglers reported experiencing moderate success despite slow action. Anglers targeting steelhead reported no catches.

Marquette: No creel interviews were conducted with boat anglers targeting lake trout while trolling over the past week, though anglers caught fish off the lower breakwall when weather permitted. Reports indicated shore anglers caught lake trout and coho salmon off the lower breakwall near the lighthouse during early morning and late evening hours. Boat anglers trolling near river mouths out of Lower Harbor continued to catch fair numbers of coho salmon and steelhead, along with an occasional Chinook salmon. Brown trout counts remained consistently higher than in previous years across both rivers and river mouths. Coho salmon numbers were excellent throughout the week but began to decline over the past two days alongside rising temperatures. Anglers also reported catching steelhead in the Carp River, with additional reports of a few caught in the Chocolay River, particularly near the river mouth.

Au Train: A few anglers targeted lake trout over the past week near the west side of Au Train Island, as commercial nets set in 20 to 50 feet of water between the Brownstone boat launch and the Au Train River restricted salmon trolling routes in those areas. Trolling for salmon and steelhead remained viable in the limited area from the Au Train River to Scott Falls, extending toward Five Mile Point in 20 to 45 feet of water, as well as near the Rock River and Shelter Bay. Anglers targeting brown trout and salmon in shallow water reported marking high densities of fish on electronics and experiencing good success following recent rain and when weather conditions permitted.

Les Cheneaux/DeTour: Anglers in the Les Cheneaux area caught a few yellow perch off the Cedarville Marina; however, angling pressure decreased significantly. A few shore anglers fished at the marina with minimal success. In DeTour, a few walleye and smallmouth bass were caught upriver. Yellow perch were also reported in Scotts Bay, though no boat anglers were observed from DeTour.

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Fishing tip: Go "hunting" for fish this fall 

Autumn can be one of the best times of year to seek out your favorite fish species for a day of fun angling. Several species to target this October and November include walleye, perch and trout.

Walleye are thought to be in their best condition in the fall and can often be found in the river mouth areas of larger, inland lakes. They’re gathering there to take advantage of baitfish that like to hang out as the weather cools off. Set your sights on 10 to 12 feet deep to find these guys.

Perch will also populate around these same river-mouths, but these fish will likely be much closer to the river than walleye. Check out depths as shallow as four feet to find them.

Trout will be available in some of these larger lakes as well during this time period and can be found in the same areas as the walleye and perch. Try your luck at some great angling this fall. For more information on the numerous opportunities to fish this autumn, visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.

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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.