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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Eastern Saginaw Bay: Very few ventured out onto the east side of the bay looking for walleye over the weekend. Anglers reported very slow fishing with nothing to show for their efforts. Those targeting yellow perch shared the same experience, with very little to show. Fishing for yellow perch was hit or miss, with one group doing well one day, only to struggle the next in the same area. Anglers who put in numerous days and long hours over the last few weeks had the most success when targeting yellow perch. Shore anglers along the east side also reported very slow fishing.

Lower Saginaw Bay: Anglers caught a few yellow perch on the east side of Spoils Island in 12 to 14 feet of water.

Lake Erie: Although anglers were not yet limiting out on yellow perch, the cooler weather led to improved catches. Anglers continued to report catches east of Stony Point in deeper water, using minnows. Green and orange were good bead colors. Walleye fishing remained slow, but on days when the wind wasn’t from the east and blowing in vegetation, they were caught on crankbaits trolled in about 24 feet of water near the Ohio line, east of Sterling. Largemouth bass were hitting on tubes in and around the Bolles Harbor channel. Many catfish were caught on worms in the hot ponds near the coal plant.

Harbor Beach: Coho salmon were caught from the break wall casting a variety of different lures.

Lexington: Steelhead, a few coho salmon and an occasional Atlantic salmon was caught casting lures and bobber fishing with crawlers and wax worms. A few small perch and blue gills were caught using night crawlers. Lures with the most success were arctic spinners and Cleos.

Port Sanilac: Anglers reported catching a few coho salmon and an occasional steelhead off the pier in Port Sanilac. Mornings were reported as best, and anglers did well casting spoons and spinners of various colors.

Macomb County: With water temperatures dropping, a few yellow perch were reported along the Lake St. Clair shoreline. Lake St. Clair has cooled off, but anglers caught bass, walleye, and pike from shore and trolling along the weed beds.

Monroe County: Channel catfish were caught in the River Raisin near Hellenberg Park. 

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

South Haven: A few boat anglers did well targeting salmon. Anglers found the most success around 80 feet of water. Some small chinook salmon and steelhead were caught on spoons. Pier fishing was very slow for all species. Perch fishing was also very slow last week.

St. Joseph: Salmon anglers reported good fishing last week. The best water was around 100 feet of water. The fish caught were a mixed bag of salmon and trout. Spoons worked best. Pier fishing was very slow for all species. Perch fishing was fair, with the best water around 50 feet of water.

St. Joseph River: Decent numbers of salmon continue to be reported. Anglers casting or trolling the river had the most success.

Black River: There was a few salmon caught trolling the river with crankbaits. Fishing for salmon and lake trout was slow.

Grand Haven: Salmon along with a few steelhead were caught 50 to 90 down in 90 to 140 feet of water. Spoons were reported to have worked the best. Pier anglers found the action to be very slow for salmon and steelhead.

Muskegon: Boat anglers reported a mix of salmon and steelhead 40 to 90 feet down in 100 to 150 feet of water. Spoons have been working the best in either orange or green.

Eaton County: Largemouth bass were reported on inland lakes and Grand River.

Calhoun County: Bluegills were caught in good numbers with both live and plastic bait.

Ionia County: Salmon were caught in the Grand River.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Cheboygan: There was heavy fishing pressure at the Cheboygan Dam spillway, but catch rates slowed down. Many of the salmon began to spawn and became finicky. Most of the fish were dark, but some slightly silver fish were still being caught. Those who caught the fresher fish were floating or bottom-bouncing spawn. Other anglers used deep-diving stick baits and spoons.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers fishing off the pier and catwalk experienced slow salmon fishing this week, although a handful of Atlantic salmon and a few coho salmon were taken on orange #4 spinners and orange/silver K.O. wobblers. Anglers casting deep-diving bandits before sunrise caught walleye off the pier head. In the river, coho salmon were taken by anglers floating skein or spawn bags through deeper runs. Chinook salmon, along with a few coho salmon, moved onto gravel and were taken by anglers bottom-bouncing spawn, flies, and beads. Atlantic salmon were also taken in the river by anglers swinging streamers or casting #3–#5 spinners. A few steelhead also began to show up throughout the river.

Harrisville: A few coho salmon and a couple of Chinook salmon were caught in the harbor this week, along with a few steelhead. There were a lot of fish in the harbor, but few were willing to bite. Fire-tiger spoons, #3 pink Mepps, and chunks of skein under a bobber produced the most fish.

Tawas/Au Gres: Not many boats were able to make it on the water. Fishing was slow both out on the water and from shore. Walleye and perch fishing was slow in Au Gres. A few walleyes were caught by casting in approximately 30 feet of water around structure. Freshwater drum and a few small perch were reported as well. Out from the Pine River, perch fishing was slow, with only a couple of keepers caught per boat. Largemouth bass and a few northern pike were caught in the shallows. Bluegill fishing in the marina was very hit or miss.

Alpena: Those targeting salmon from the pier reported fishing as very slow. The occasional Atlantic salmon was caught while casting spoons in green/silver, blue/silver, and orange.

Thunder Bay River: Good numbers of Chinook salmon and coho salmon were reported throughout the river. Drifting spawn under bobbers and beads was reported as successful. A few Atlantic salmon were caught while casting spinners and small spoons, with bright colors being the most effective. A fair number of smallmouth bass were caught throughout the river while casting spinners, crankbaits, and tube jigs.

Northeast Lower Peninsula Counties: Anglers reported panfish and smallmouth bass on Long Lake. The salmon run started with a few Chinook salmon caught in the Au Sable River and Tawas River. Anglers using orange spinners did well. Crappie were caught on Budd Lake using soft plastics with jig heads.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Leland: Pier and shore anglers caught Chinook salmon and coho salmon while drifting skein throughout the morning and evening. Anglers targeting salmon at night had success casting glow-in-the-dark spoons near the pier heads and by the dam.

Northport/Suttons Bay: Anglers targeting yellow perch reported large schools throughout Suttons Bay, Omena Bay, and Northport. The best spots for perch were in Suttons Bay in 45 to 60 feet of water just south of Stoney Point, as well as in the southern parts of Northport. The bait of choice was wigglers.

Frankfort/Lake Michigan: Pier anglers setting spawn reported low numbers of steelhead, as water temperatures were still on the warm side. Anglers running out front in 100 to 140 feet of water and trolling the top 80 feet reported a few coho salmon, immature Chinook salmon, and the occasional ateelhead on spoons. Coho salmon numbers in Platte Bay started to pick up.

Onekama/Lake Michigan: Dredging in the channel continued as coho salmon started to move in; several were reported rolling at the mouth.

West Grand Traverse Bay: Salmon were caught in the lower Boardman River by those drifting skein or casting crankbaits.

East Grand Traverse Bay: Salmon were being caught in the Elk River by those drifting skein or spawn bags.

Charlevoix: Anglers targeting salmon near Medusa reported little to no success. Bass anglers fishing in the Pine River Channel found the occasional smallmouth bass while fishing with natural bait on bottom.

Manistee: Very few steelhead were caught off the piers while using spawn. Fishing remained slow. Most salmon were caught in the Big Manistee River, but boats trolling in 100 feet of water to the south found a few coho salmon and steelhead on spoons in the top 60 feet of water.

Ludington: Anglers trolling Lake Michigan reported slow fishing. Those fishing the harbor picked up a couple of late-running salmon on spoons, with the occasional pike and freshwater drum mixed in. The piers were slow, but a couple of nice pike were caught using crawlers and artificial lures. Most salmon were caught in the Pere Marquette River.

Benzie County: There were salmon caught in the Betsie and Platte Rivers.

Leelanau County: Shalda Creek anglers were still targeting salmon but reported that the salmon run was slowing down.

Oceana County: Chinook salmon were running heavy in the White River and the North Branch of the White River. Anglers had success targeting them with spawn, hard-bodied lures, beads, and spinners. The South Branch of the Pere Marquette River was slower for salmon activity in the Ruby Creek area.

Newaygo County: Anglers reported catching Chinook salmon, rainbow trout and some brown trout in the Muskegon River using beads and worms. Some steelhead are starting to run, but few were caught.

Mecosta County: Martiny Chain of Lakes fishing was steady during the warm weather for panfish and pike.

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Upper Peninsula

Ontonagon River: Angling efforts on the river remained extremely low over the past week. Reports suggested that very few fish were being caught. The floating docks in the Ontonagon Marina were removed from the river for the season.

Marquette: This past week’s weather was a bit windier, but anglers had good success both trolling and jigging for lake trout from northwest of the White Rocks out toward north of Granite Island. Anglers did well in both deep waters around 180 feet and shallower waters near 120 feet. Numerous boat anglers caught fish north of White Rocks. Anglers also caught coho salmon at around 60 feet deep while trolling in front of both the Carp and Chocolay Rivers. Steelhead were observed caught at the mouths of some rivers, so they are expected to start moving upriver soon. Lake trout fishing was good.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Angling efforts out of Ontonagon were very low over the past week. Efforts from Union Bay and Silver City were also low. Reported catches consisted of lake trout and coho salmon in low numbers. Anglers reported finding fish while trolling in water depths of approximately 80 to 100 feet of water.

Black River Harbor: The harbor experienced very low fishing efforts over the past week. Recent catches have consisted of lake trout and coho salmon in low numbers. Reports suggested that anglers had the best luck when trolling in water depths of 60 to 80 feet. Anglers fishing at the mouth of the river have had some success in catching coho salmon when casting spoons.

Little Bay de Noc: Smallmouth anglers reported good fishing. Anglers reported having some success near shallow vegetation and rocks. Perch anglers reported good fishing in the shallows using perch rigs. There were some reports of fish caught deeper, but most success occurred at shallower depths.

Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth anglers fished out of Garden Bay’s launch with good success. Most anglers caught numerous large smallmouth bass. Some anglers fished sucker minnows close to the bottom; others used soft plastics.

Keweenaw Bay/ Huron Bay: Anglers reported fair to good numbers of salmon caught. Anglers caught coho salmon and occasionally Chinook salmon while trolling spoons, crankbaits, and flasher/flies in the upper portion of the water column. Shore anglers also reported some success catching coho salmon.

Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: There was low fishing effort from these ports during the last week. Anglers reported fair to good lake trout fishing. Anglers trolling spoons and flasher/flies reported most fish were caught between 50 and 100 feet of water, while those jigging reported most fish were caught around 100 feet of water.

Grand Marais: There was low fishing activity this past week. However, anglers reported a few coho salmon at the mouth of the Sucker River that were caught when casting spoons and spinners or using spawn.

Munising: Boat anglers reported a steady bite for coho salmon when trolling the bay at shallower depths. Anglers fishing off the Anna River fishing pier did well on coho salmon and splake. There was also a good number of coho salmon in the Anna River. Anglers did well when casting spoons and using spawn.

St. Ignace: At the Carp River mouth, there were no reports of salmon or Steelhead this week. At Nunns Creek, most of the salmon were quite dark in color. Salmon were surfacing just outside of the creek’s mouth. Anglers had success in the early mornings and late evenings while either floating spawn or casting glow lures.

Au Train: There was a decrease in the number of anglers observed this week in Au Train, mostly due to the poor weather. Most anglers went northwest of Au Train Island out to the flats around 120 to 160 feet of water. Both trolling and jigging were found to be effective.  

U.P Counties: Salmon were stacked up in the Manistique and Milakokia Rivers getting ready to spawn. Thompson Creek also saw many salmon. Perch and walleye were caught on Indian Lake. Inland lakes are saw mixed reports, with lakes near the northern Alger County/Schoolcraft County line showing more success targeting pike, bass, and panfish. Perch were caught near Kipling. Inland lakes in Luce and Mackinac Counties are produced a mixed bag of perch, walleye and northern pike.

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Fishing tip: Lure color

Change lure colors frequently if the bite slows down. Light conditions, water clarity, and fish activity can all affect which colors are most effective. Start with natural colors in clear water and switch to brighter or glow patterns if the water is stained or the sun is low.

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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.