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.

Fishing Tip:

Summer is a great time to target panfish (bluegill, pumpkinseed, sunfish) – in fact, all year is a great time to target them! This species is an especially good target for beginning anglers.

Little Bay de Noc

Walleye fishing throughout the bay was good. Anglers reported catching fish out of Kipling, “black bottom”, the mouth of the Escanaba River, south of Aronson Island, and areas from the Ford River to No See-um Creek. A lot of anglers were casting artificial snap jig types of lures, as well as jig heads. Trolling was effective with crankbaits or crawler harnesses. Anglers were targeting the bottom of drop-offs and moving closer to or on top of the drop-off during the dawn and dusk prime time. Smallmouth anglers reported good fishing.

Big Bay de Noc

Smallmouth bass fishing was good. Anglers reported catching quality fish and frequent bites.

Fairport

Salmon angler pressure was down this week. Anglers that did go out reported fair to good fishing.

Marquette

The winds and rain prevented many anglers from making it out on the water. Anglers who did make it out reported the best places for catching fish were near the southwest side of the White Islands and trolling out towards Granite Island. Anglers trolling around 120 to 160 feet of water were harvesting the most lake trout near the White Islands. There were no reports of Chinook, coho, or steelhead harvested. Anglers trolling for lake trout around Granite Rock were having the most luck trolling at around 120 to 150 feet of water. Yellow tails, silver and pearl multicolored spoons, cowbells, and green and blue flasher flies were good lures for lake trout and Chinook salmon near White Rocks. Mostly lake trout were harvested out by Granite Island.

Au Train

Anglers who made it out seemed to catch near their limit. The best places for anglers to catch fish were near the northeast side of Au Train Island. Anglers trolling or jigging around 160 feet of water along the flats were harvesting the most lake trout. Trolling cowbells around 145 feet of water with sucker meat or smelt had good success for some anglers.

Manistique

No report.

St. Ignance

Anglers were catching a good mix of lake trout and Chinook salmon.  Anglers were fishing deep as well as shallow when running long lines.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay

Lake trout was the major harvest on Keweenaw Bay and Huron Bay over the last week. Reports coming off the water indicated water temperatures in the bays were dropping and more fish may be moving up in the water column and back south into the bays. During successful fishing trips, anglers were trolling for lake trout and caught many. Some lucky anglers were also able to catch some coho and Chinook salmon during these trips. Most anglers were trolling in water shallower than 150 feet and caught fish around 60 feet down. Anglers suggested trolling with green, purple or orange spoons.

Les Cheneaux/Detour

Anglers in the Detour area were catching lake trout and Chinook salmon while trolling spoons south of the lighthouse when the weather allowed them to do so. The winds and pop-up storms made it hard to fish the area recently. In Hessel, anglers were catching a few pike, perch and smallmouth bass at the marina, but fishing was very slow there as well. There were a few successful anglers perch fishing in and around McKay Bay in Cedarville. There were also a few anglers in the west entrance catching Chinook salmon and lake trout.

Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Canal

Anglers were catching lake trout and some coho in Big Traverse Bay and around the Portage entry canal. Anglers were mostly trolling with flasher flies and spoons in 100 feet of water. Some anglers had more luck during the morning hours however catches didn’t seem to be connected to a time of day right now. The cooler waters were holding more bait fish.

Pine River

Small numbers of salmon began to run up the Carp River. Walleye fishing activity slowed down greatly on the Pine and Carp Rivers.

Carp River

See Pine River.

Munising Bay

The fishing pressure was low. Anglers were catching a few nice quality coho with an occasional Chinook salmon. The best times were at dawn and anglers were fishing within the bay and towards Trout Bay and Wood Island. There were some nice lean lake trout caught near Wood Island.

Grand Marais

No report.

Ontonagon River

Fishing on the river was good over the past week. Anglers had luck in finding respectable numbers of walleye and the occasional rock bass. Success occurred primarily in the morning hours, with the bite seeming to slow as the day went on. Reports showed that the methods of jigging and trolling yielded similar results.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay

These ports stayed fairly busy over the past week despite some choppy conditions out on the lake. A good mix of lake trout and the occasional coho salmon were the regular catch for most successful trips. Anglers reported that trolling artificial lures across a variety of depths was the key to success as fish seemed to be dispersed randomly throughout the water column. Anglers had luck catching fish at all times of the day.

Black River Harbor

Fishing efforts at the harbor were low over the past week. Anglers that did make it out on the lake were rewarded with good numbers of lake trout and an occasional coho salmon. Successful trips occurred primarily in the morning hours and were usually finished before noon. Reports indicated that fish were being caught in a variety of depths when trolling artificial lures.

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