U.P. Weekly Fishing Report
Little Bay de Noc: Anglers reported a slight uptick in perch fishing. Anglers fishing near Kipling and the head of the bay were having mixed results, likely due to varying conditions. Smallmouth bass anglers reported encountering fish near inflows and holes near shallower water.
Big Bay de Noc: Yellow perch anglers reported some catches, but not as good as over the past couple of weeks. Anglers reported that the spring perch bite was starting to tail off. Anglers were utilizing perch rigs with and without bobbers. Anglers were using both minnows and worms, with both producing fish.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers in Keweenaw Bay and Huron Bay were seeing an uptick in catches of multiple species as the water warms up. Anglers were able to find coho, lake trout, lake whitefish and brown trout out of the bays. These fish were mostly caught in the mornings or early afternoon while trolling. Trolling was done at a wide range of depths from 150 feet all the way up to 30 feet. Most fish were caught on artificial lures. At night some anglers were having luck with smelt, but the catch was not high.
Hessel/Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers in Hessel were catching a few splake, however the fishing started to slow down due to weather. Perch have yet to come into the marina area and boat anglers were having a hard time finding them too. There were a few pike and smallmouth bass caught and released within Hessel Bay. The Detour area was slow, with very little fishing activity still.
Traverse Bays/ Portage Canal: Anglers were able to catch some lake trout and Chinook salmon when weather was permitting. With the rising water temperature around the Keweenaw Peninsula, fishing pressure and catches were starting to increase. Anglers mostly found their catch during the mornings, with most fish caught before 11am. Fish were caught while trolling and jigging, and a mix of artificial and natural baits were used.
Munising Bay: Boat anglers did well catching coho while mainly trolling within the bay. Fish appeared to be suspended 15 to 20 feet in water depths of over 100 feet. Pier anglers continued to report slow fishing. The recent storm made a lot of changes in the bay near river mouths.
Grand Marais: Boat anglers reported good catches of coho trolling east towards the Blind Sucker River while fishing the breaks in about 15 feet. Lake trout anglers were doing well while jigging for lake trout. Pier anglers reported no consistency for whitefish.
Fishing Tip: How to catch your own nightcrawlers
Are you interested in catching and keeping your own nightcrawlers? It’s fairly easy to do – just follow these simple steps:
Know where to look. Scout locations such as parks, playgrounds and open, grassy areas after a good rain. Look for nightcrawler castings (the little piles of dirt they leave behind) and then plan to visit again following the next good rain.
Know when to collect. Nightcrawlers are best caught an hour or so after dark.
Bring the right equipment. Nightcrawlers are sensitive to vibrations, so wear lightweight shoes. They’re also sensitive to bright light, so consider rigging your flashlight with a red cover over the lens.
Store them properly. When you catch nightcrawlers, just lay them on top of some storage bedding – don’t mix them in. This allows you to remove sick or dead ones more easily.
