U.P. Weekly Fishing Report
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.
Little Bay de Noc: Anglers reported slow perch fishing, but anticipate improvement soon.
Big Bay de Noc: Perch anglers reported good perch fishing. Anglers reported good average sized perch in the 8-to-10-inch range while using minnows and worms.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers in Keweenaw Bay and Huron Bay reported some catches of lake trout, coho and brown trout. Fish were caught mostly while trolling in shallower waters. Fish were caught using many different types of artificial baits and lures. Fish were more often caught in the mornings while weather was favorable.
Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers were fighting the cold and wet weather to get out and fish for splake off the pier in Hessel. There was a good amount of splake caught along with a few Atlantic salmon as well. There were a few anglers out looking for perch. Smelt were a popular bait for fishing off the pier in Hessel.
Traverse Bays/ Portage Canal: Anglers were fishing near and away from shore mostly for lake trout. Some anglers had luck fishing in deeper water and trolling while others found fish in shallow water while also trolling. There were anglers who had good catches of lake trout while jigging in deeper waters off the South Portage Canal entry and out from Big Traverse Bay. There were reports of lake trout biting on both natural and artificial lures. Most anglers were off the water by noon on successful fishing days and when weather permitted.
Au Train: Fishing activity remained high out of the Brownstone Boat Launch. Anglers reported catching coho salmon and brown trout while trolling with spoons near the Rock River and Au Train Island. As for the Rock River, there were a few reports of anglers catching rainbow trout while floating spawn in the river and casting spawn from the river mouth.
Marquette: There was a lot of fishing activity in the lower harbor. Coho salmon took up most of the catch, but there were also some Chinook salmon and brown trout reported. Most anglers were using bright color spoons while trolling in shallower water near the mouth of the Carp River. There was not a lot of fishing activity in the Carp River over the last week, but some anglers reported catching coho from the mouth of the river while still fishing using spawn.
Munising Bay: Boat anglers reported good catches of coho this past week while trolling within the bay to Trout Bay.
Grand Marais: Pier anglers reported low catches of whitefish. Boat anglers reported limits of coho while trolling within the harbor and east toward the Blind Sucker River.
Fishing Tip:
Did you know simple mistakes can make or break your fishing adventures? Check out these basic things to avoid if you want to have better success on the water:
Make sure your reel is filled with line – don’t wait until it gets to half-empty and risk losing a great catch due to an inadequate amount of line.
Check your knots – monitor their strength and durability after each fish. If the strength gets compromised, cut the line down a few feet and start again.
Set the hook – don’t forget to do this each time you even think you’ve got a bite. Why waste a great catch just because you forgot to set the hook?
Want more tips for fishing in Michigan? Visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.