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. 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:
Do you carry a first-aid kit with you while you’re out fishing? You never know what can happen, so it never hurts to be prepared. If you’re interested in putting together a kit, be sure to include the following:
Rubber gloves
Scissors
Tweezers
Thermometer
Hemostat
Compresses
Adhesive bandages
Medical tape
Compression bandage
Antibiotic ointment
Hydrocortisone cream
Antibiotic wipes
Eye-wash fluid
Aspirin/ibuprofen
Little Bay de Noc
Perch anglers reported catching a few, although the success and location of active schools varied from day to day. It was not uncommon for areas that held fish one day to be scarce the next, with searches required for any degree of success. Walleye anglers reported a tough bite, likely due to the unstable weather conditions. Anglers also reported having limited success farther south, by the Cedar or Bark rivers.
Big Bay de Noc
Smallmouth bass anglers out of Nahma had some luck and reported catching a few large smallmouth bass. Both perch and walleye anglers reported fishing as slow.
Carp River and Nunns Creek
The Carp River was reported to be producing more fish than Nunns Creek. Anglers at both locations were most successful when wading and casting spoons or drifting salmon eggs. The most popular access points for the Carp River were at the mouth or just upstream a few miles at the McDonald Rapids.
Fairport
No report.
Marquette
Anglers reported that the best place for catching lake trout was near the northeast side of the White Islands. Warm weather seemed to push fish back out into deeper waters. Anglers who were trolling in 120 to 180 feet of water caught the most lake trout near the White Islands, while anglers who trolled for lake trout around Granite Rock had the most luck trolling or jigging at around 120 to 200 feet of water. Anglers reported catching Chinook and coho salmon in 100 or more feet of water. Watermelon, silver, and red multicolored spoons, cowbells, and bright green and blue flasher flies were good lures for lake trout while gold spoons, lime or green crankbaits, and moonshine glows were hot colors for salmon.
Au Train
Several anglers reported catching near their limit of lake trout. Fish were being caught in deeper water, with the best places for anglers to catch fish being near the northwest side of Au Train Island and out toward the Shelter Bay clay banks. Green spin and glows at around 80 to 120 feet were successful for lake trout by the clay banks. Anglers who were trolling or jigging in 70 to 120 feet of water or were trolling along the flats caught the most lake trout. Also, trolling cowbells in around 145 feet of water with sucker meat or smelt had good success for some anglers north of Au Train Island. Chinook and coho salmon were caught at around 70 feet of water while trolling at a slower speed of around 1.8 mph. Anglers reported that black/gold or orange spoons and a pink flasher fly were hot for the coho and Chinook.
Manistique
No report.
St. Ignance
No report.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay
Anglers were steadily bringing in lake trout with the occasional coho. Anglers reported most fishing taking place during morning hours, with most fish caught near the top or bottom of the water column regardless of depth. Anglers had most of their catch on artificial lures such as spoons and while trolling. Water temps were moving between cool and warm, and some angler reports indicated fish moving toward the bays.
Les Cheneaux/Detour
Fishing pressure was slow in the area; however, anglers in Hessel managed to catch a few perch around the marina and around and within Musky Bay. Splakes were not caught yet, and the pike fishing from the pier was reported as very slow. Anglers reported catching a few lake trout around the east entrance. In Detour, anglers were catching a mixed bag of salmon and lake trout along with a few walleye. Anglers mainly trolled around the lighthouse and in the flats. There were also a few pikes caught toward the north around the islands.
Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Canal
Anglers continued to catch scores of lake trout, with silverfish being found farther north. Those fish are expected to be moving into closer water in the coming weeks, with the changing season. Water cooling off showed some fishing moving slightly south following those cool temps. Anglers were mostly trolling with spoons and flies, and fish were caught in the upper third of the water column. Anglers reported morning trips being the most successful.
Pine and Rivers
No report.
Munising Bay
Fishing pressure was low, but a few anglers reported catching small numbers of cohos. Pier fishing off the Anna was slow, with no reports of any coho or splake.
Grand Marais
Fishing pressure was low, with very few coho caught by boat anglers who did make it out. Anglers did, however, report that the coho were good-sized, with fish over 6 pounds. A few boat anglers tried for lake trout and did well offshore near the shipping channels. Large clouds of baitfish were still reported to be present.
Ontonagon River
Fishing on the river was slow over the past week. Anglers had some luck in finding walleye and the occasional yellow perch. Anglers reported success mostly in the morning hours, with the bite slowing as the day went on. Anglers reported that both jigging and trolling yielded similar results.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay
Anglers brought in a good mix of lake trout, coho salmon, and the occasional brown trout. Anglers reported that trolling artificial lures across a variety of depths was the key to this 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 out of the harbor were high over the past week. Anglers who made it out on the lake were rewarded with good numbers of lake trout and an occasional coho salmon. Successful trips occurred at all times of day, and fish were caught in a variety of depths when trolling artificial lures.
Escanaba
The Escanaba River was giving up limits of coho salmon from the dam down to the bay.
