Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Anglers were finding yellow perch at buoy 1 and buoy 2. Largemouth bass were caught near the Point Moulliee, banana dike rock walls and out from River Raisin. Yellow perch were caught in 17 feet of water out from River Raisin and in 25 feet of water perpendicular to Sterling State Park. Bass were biting well on stick baits.
Lake St. Clair: Anglers were catching perch in about 18 feet of water on crawlers in the dumping grounds and between the St. Clair Light and Metro Beach. Smallmouth bass action was good near the St. Clair Light in 21 feet of water while trolling with Bandits. Walleye and smallmouth bass anglers performed well near the channel mouths. Bass and walleye were mostly found where the water was cooler.
Harbor Beach: A good mix of lake trout, steelhead, walleye, Atlantic salmon and an occasional Chinook were caught in 80 to 120 feet using leadcore, mini streaks, downriggers with dodger and squid and silver streaks. A few smallmouth bass were caught inside the harbor from the break wall and from boat anglers casting lures.
Saginaw Bay: In lower Saginaw Bay, anglers were catching yellow perch at the Old Shipping Channel in 16 feet of water. They were also catching yellow perch between the Saganing Bar and Pinconning Bar in 12 to 15 feet of water. Walleye were caught in 10 to 13 feet of water on crawlers at the Finn Road boat access site.
Fishing for walleye on the eastern side of the bay was slow. Some walleye were caught in the southern end of the slot in 12 to 15 feet of water. Walleye were also caught in 12 to 14 feet of water from Sunset Marina and up towards Sebewaing, and a few were caught out over the bar in 18 to 22 feet of water. Crawler harnesses were producing most of the walleye, but flicker shads worked well too.
At Quanicassee, some perch were caught straight out and north in 13 feet of water. Anglers were doing some sorting and fishing a half a day to keep 10 to 15 perch.
Port Sanilac: Steelhead were caught consistently straight out in 70 feet of water while trolling spoons 49 feet down. Steelhead, walleye, lake trout and a few Atlantic salmon were caught in 80 to 110 feet while using leadcore, downriggers and dipsy divers with mini spoons and silver streaks. A few walleye were caught in shallower waters in about 40 feet of water while using crankbaits.
Lexington: Some anglers were catching some small perch in about 15 feet of water in various weed beds along the shoreline.
Grindstone: Lake trout, steelhead and walleye were caught in deep water from 120 to 150 feet while trolling with downriggers and spoons.
Port Austin: Smallmouth bass were caught from the breakwall while casting small artificial lures. Some walleye were caught in 20 feet of water to the west and around the lighthouse while trolling with both crawlers and body baits.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph: Perch fishing continued to be very strong. Nice size fish were caught both north and south of the piers. The fish were caught in 35 to 55 feet of water. Pier fishing was slow for all species. Salmon fishing for boat anglers was slow. There were some lake trout and an occasional coho caught. The most productive water was well beyond 100 feet of water.
South Haven: Pier fishing was slow for all species. Perch and salmon fishing was slow. Some fish were caught in 45 feet of water. There were a few lake trout caught around 100 feet of water.
Grand Haven: Salmon fishing was slow for boat anglers. The best action was 60 to 120 feet down in 140 to 250 feet of water. Glow spoons and J-Plugs worked well. Pier anglers were catching freshwater drum and catfish on worms. The morning bites were the best.
Muskegon: Salmon runs are now under way. Some streams were high and dark from the recent rains, but salmon were present in the rivers. Anglers should fish low light conditions for adult Chinook salmon in rivers as they seem to be most aggressive during these times. Boat anglers found salmon in 60 to 100 feet down in 120 to 220 feet of water. A combination of spoons, plugs, flies and meat rigs all produced salmon.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Ocqueoc River: Anglers fishing at the Ocqueoc River mouth were catching largemouth bass. Anglers were having the most luck in the early morning and midday. Night anglers caught northern pike of varying lengths. Crawlers were providing anglers the best chance with bass, while bait fish performed best for northern pike.
Rogers City: The best depths were anywhere from 30 to 90 feet of water. Anglers were running lines throughout the water column for best results. Anglers were using spoons, J-Plugs, flashers with squids, flies and cut bait. Good colors to use were greens, blues, pearl, white, black and white, white on white and glow stuff early and late. The Chinook salmon were biting best very early or very late.
Rockport: Anglers were fishing the Stone Port area or the far side of middle island in deeper water targeting salmon and trout. Anglers were getting a mix of lake trout, steelhead, coho, and the occasional Chinook, walleye and Atlantic salmon. The best depths were 60 to 130 feet of water. Lake trout were found in the bottom 15 feet of water. Anglers were using spoons, J-Plugs, flashers with squids, flies and cut bait. Good colors to use were greens, blues, pearl, white, black and white, white on white, and glow stuff early and late. Walleye were caught in 15 to 40 feet of water. Anglers were trolling with deep diver cranks or crawler harnesses for best results.
Houghton Lake: Bluegill were found in the weeds and were caught on worms and leeches.
Tawas: Boat anglers were catching walleye, steelhead, coho and Atlantic salmon out past buoy 2 in 50 to 70 feet off spoons and crawlers. There were a few walleye caught inside the bay near buoys 4 & 6 off crawlers. A few smallmouth and largemouth bass were caught on the Tawas River at Gateway Park while casting jigs, spinners, crawlers and body baits. Fishing was good with some limits of walleye and some steelhead also being caught in the same place. Walleye anglers were trolling off Tawas Point in 60 to 75 feet of water while running night crawler harnesses. Steelhead anglers were trolling with spoons in 50 to 55 feet of water.
Au Gres: Some walleye were caught out near the bell buoy and straight out of the river mouth in 40 to 50 feet of water while using body baits and crawlers.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Harbor Springs: A couple lake trout were caught around Harbor Point and up north of 7 Mile. The lake trout were found in 90 to 100 feet of water. Flashers and fly combos performed the best while trolling.
West Grand Traverse Bay: Salmon were caught in the hole in front of the Boardman River by anglers who were jigging and trolling. J-Plugs and flasher/flies performed well for salmon anglers who were trolling. Lake trout fishing was slow. Anglers were looking for perch in Suttons Bay, Northport and at Bowers Harbor but no big catches yet. Smallmouth bass were caught in 15 to 35 feet of water.
East Grand Traverse Bay: Salmon were caught along the banks on the south end of the bay, from Bluff Road all the way around to Deep Water Point. Fish were caught in depths anywhere from 100 to 300 feet of water. Lake trout fishing was slow, but a few were caught by those trying for salmon.
Charlevoix: Smallmouth bass anglers fishing in the channel in Charlevoix did well. A couple freshwater drum were also caught. Anglers were primarily fishing the bottom with real and artificial worms.
Petoskey: A few Chinook salmon were caught from the breakwall to Bay Harbor from 70 to 80 feet down over 120 to 140 feet of water. The Bear River was running at a good level, but there were not a lot of fish at the dam. Anglers were catching some smallmouth bass at the mouth of the river and off the breakwall. There were also a couple of freshwater drum and rock bass in these areas as well.
Upper Peninsula
Ontonagon: Anglers found lake trout in 80 to 120 feet of water with spoons.
Union Bay: Lake trout were very active with the average fish coming in between three and five pounds but there were some 10 to 15 pound fish caught. Typical water depths that performed well ranged from 100 to 150 feet of water.
Black River Harbor: Anglers were finding good numbers of lake trout while using spoons in 100 feet of water. A few pink salmon were caught as well.
Big Traverse Bay/ South Portage Entry: Salmon and lake trout were caught out from the South Entry Canal as well as up in Big Traverse Bay. Salmon and lake trout were caught while trolling in depths of water ranging from 80 to 140 feet of water. Fish were found near the top and bottom of the water column. Shore anglers caught northern pike as well as bluegill and rock bass.
Marquette: Good numbers of lake trout were caught. Limits were caught during the fishing tournament. However, very few salmon were caught. Some brown trout and small steelhead were also caught.
Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers were experiencing good fishing. Anglers were reporting catches when trolling around Minneapolis Shoals and other areas in the bay with baitfish concentrations. Some anglers were spotted trolling north of Gladstone. Perch anglers were having mixed success. Trolling with crankbaits and crawler harnesses performed well.
Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth bass anglers fished around the islands and on the shallow side of the drop offs. Most adult Chinooks made the trek towards Manistique. Soft plastics used close to the bottom were productive. Anglers should try looking for rock structure as many smallmouth bass were found in the rocky areas.
St. Ignace/Les Cheneaux: Anglers were catching lake trout and Chinook on the back side of Mackinac Island. They were also catching pink salmon by Lafayette Point off of Bois Blanc Island. The two rivers continued to be slow with little to no fishing activity. In the Les Cheneaux area, anglers were catching Chinook, along with a few pike in and around Nunns Creek and St. Martins Bay. Anglers were catching a few perch at the pier.
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.
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