By The Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Walleye fishing remained good. Success was achieved east of Stony Point in 18 to 20 feet of water using artificial dive baits trolled along the mudline. Anglers found great success in the Detroit River, seemingly even more so than around the lake area. Anglers jigged with soft plastics near the Gordie Howe Bridge. Shore fishing was also productive in the Sterling State Park lakes with reports of gizzard shad, channel catfish, and largemouth bass, using a variety of lures and nightcrawlers.
Saginaw River: The river ran high, fast, and dirty from recent rains with a lot of debris coming down as well. Fishing was slow due to such poor conditions; a few channel catfish were caught from shore at Veterans Park in Bay City as well as at the public access site in Zilwaukee using perch rigs and nightcrawlers.
Eastern Saginaw Bay: Fishing activity was slow this past week with windy weather and muddy waters making it difficult. Only a few boat anglers were out targeting walleye, with very little to show for their efforts. A couple walleye were reported to have been caught in muddy water. Other boats marked fish in both muddy water and just stained water farther offshore along the east side.
Lower Saginaw Bay: Fishing pressure was low and anglers reported having very little success.
Lake Huron: High winds and bad weather continued to keep anglers away. There were a couple of windows of opportunity for boats to get onto the lake and troll for salmon and trout. Lexington, Port Sanilac, and Harbor Beach had some fishing activity, with boats trolling using planer boards and body baits. A few boats ran spoons. Mostly coho salmon were caught, with steelhead, walleye, and a few Chinook salmon also reported in anywhere from 15 to 22 feet of water, depending on water clarity. South of Lexington toward the Blue Water Bridge was best.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
South Haven: Boat anglers did not have much success when targeting salmon. There were a few lake trout caught in 60 feet of water. Pier fishing was also reported as slow for all species.
St. Joseph: The weather was poor again this past week, and very few boats made it out on the lake. There were a few coho salmon and Chinook salmon caught in 30 feet of water. The fishing seemed to be on the slow side. Pier fishing was also slow, with a few whitefish caught on spawn. There were a couple of days of very good catfish catches, mostly caught on stink bait.
Muskegon: Poor weather conditions reduced angling effort this past week. Anglers trolling the shoreline found the action to be slow when targeting brown trout and coho salmon. A few brown trout were caught on orange body baits. Pier anglers found the action to be slow for brown trout and coho salmon.
Grand Haven: Due to the recent rains, the nearshore waters were dirty with limited visibility. Pier anglers have found the action to be slow when targeting coho salmon and brown trout. A few brown trout were caught by boat anglers trolling the shoreline. Bright colored body baits produced brown trout. Anglers who ventured out were unsuccessful.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Tawas/Au Gres: Anglers targeting walleye from the pier in the evening caught walleye on jigs and crankbaits. Smallmouth bass were caught by those on the Tawas River. In Au Gres, anglers reported mixed success on walleye when trolling crankbaits in 14 to 22 feet of water with higher success when fishing the dirty water.
Thunder Bay River: Suckers were seen spawning and were caught drifting nightcrawlers. Those targeting steelhead were still finding success near the 9th Street Dam. Drifting beads and spawn were the most productive.
Rogers City: Ice finally left the marina and launch ramp. No docks were in yet.
Presque Isle: Ice finally melted everywhere, including the launch ramp docks and marina. The launch ramp had not been put in yet.
Ocqouec River: The river was unfishable due to a muddy and heavy current.
Alpena: The docks were in at the city harbor. Those trolling for walleye reported that fishing was very slow. A few lake trout were caught in 30 to 40 feet of water while trolling spoons on short lead cores along the north shore. Shore anglers reported a few walleye caught while casting body baits near the yacht club. Evenings were the most productive when using baits in natural colors.
Rockport: The harbor was free of ice and one of the docks was in. Anglers reported very cold water temperatures. A few lake trout were caught in 40 to 60 feet of water trolling spoons and flashers with spin glows.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Manistee: More rain and runoff continued to move dirty and stained water from the big river into Manistee Lake, the river channel, the harbor and outside the pier heads. Many hazards have been floating in and around the harbor and along the piers. Use caution if planning to take a boat out. Pier and shore fishing remained very slow with no action.
Ludington: Both pier and boat anglers reported slow fishing with little to no action. A few smallmouth bass were caught off the stub pier while casting artificial lures. Water temps were in the mid to high 40s.
Charlevoix: Almost all ice had dispersed from Charlevoix. Ferry Beach Launch and most of Lake Charlevoix were free of ice. Two slips were pushed in at the launch. Anglers fishing the Pine River Channel reported no success targeting cisco.
Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing the Petoskey breakwall and near the Bear River mouth reported catching steelhead early in the mornings following warmer days. Fishing spawn, wax worms, and beads produced the best results. The occasional sucker was caught.
West Grand Traverse Bay: Fishing activity was low on the bay and high water on the Boardman River put a pause to steelhead fishing. The dock at the Bowers Harbor boat launch has been put in.
East Grand Traverse Bay: No activity on the bay this past week. Steelhead were caught on the Elk River by those drifting spawn bags or jigs with wax worms. Early morning and after sunset were the best times to try. A few lake trout were also caught. The dock at the east bay boat launch had been put in.
Leland: Fishing continued to be slow. Pier anglers caught some steelhead while drifting spawn bags. Reports of water temperatures outside of pier heads were 38 to 42 degrees.
Frankfort/Lake Michigan: The past weeks’ rain had anglers steering clear of the bay as debris and dark water moved through. Boat anglers tried the shoreline to the south with no luck. Due to weather, anglers were heading to Crystal Lake to pick up a few steelhead close to shore.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Angling pressure was very low. Docks had been put in at the Escanaba River. Other docks will be put in as the remaining ice melts.
Munising: Low fishing activity this past week, a lot of ice was still in the bay as anglers waited for it to push out for open water season. Anglers reported little success at the Anna River mouth with only a few coho salmon being caught.
Keweenaw Bay: The docks remained out of the water. Shore anglers reported the occasional catch of coho salmon and steelhead, although fishing was slow.
Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: The docks remained out of the water at the Traverse Bay and South Portage Entry boat launches. However, anglers were able to launch. Shore anglers reported a slow bite.
Ontonagon River: Docks remained out of the water at the Ontonagon Marina boat launch. Angling efforts on the river were very low. River conditions slightly improved over the past week, but low temperatures seemed to be keeping anglers off the water.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Docks remained out of the water in Ontonagon and Silver City. Access to Union Bay was open as the gate into the Porcupine Mountains boat launch was opened for the season. The fish cleaning station located at the Ontonagon Marina also remained closed for the winter season. Fishing efforts from these ports have been very low. Reports suggest that coho salmon were caught in low numbers.
Black River Harbor: Amenities at the harbor remained closed from the winter off season. Fishing efforts remained low over the past week. Some anglers reported catching coho salmon in low numbers from the harbor breakwalls.
St. Ignace: The Carp River mouth site was accessible. Carp River temperatures fluctuated between 36 and 38 degrees, while Nunns Creek ranged between 38 and 40 degrees. McDonald’s Rapids, the Carp River campground, and the power lines access sites for the Carp River still had snow and were inaccessible to most vehicles. Pine River was accessible for shore fishing at the M-134 overpass bridge, but the DNR boat launch was inaccessible. There was still ice cover at the City of St. Ignace boat launches.
Grand Marais: The boat launch was opened, and the bay still had some ice around in West Bay and near the Sucker River Mouth. Anglers reported catching a few coho salmon off the breakwall with spawn working the best.
Les Cheneaux Islands/DeTour: There was minimal ice fishing activity in Hessel this past week with very little luck finding fish. However, the ice was no longer safe to be on in any of the Les Cheneaux Island areas. DeTour still had ice and saw no fishing activity.
Marquette: This past week saw a large increase in fish almost everywhere. Steelhead were reported going back up the rivers. There were a few more coho salmon caught along the break wall and near the Shiras Power plant. A few brown trout and steelhead were also caught on the break wall this week, and more were expected as it warmed up.
The Carp River produced a few more steelheads. If fishing near the mouth was not productive, anglers moved farther up the river, where a few fish were reported past the prison and near the Marquette Mountain area.
The Chocolay River was slow again this past week due to high water levels and flooding. In the bay, the coho salmon bite improved significantly, with the average catch per boat increasing from three the previous week to six per boat. There was also an increase in fish size, including a 25-inch coho salmon caught while trolling. Most fish were small earlier in the season, but larger fish appeared to move in from deeper water as the bay warmed. Many brown trout were caught while trolling around the mouth of the Chocolay River as well.
Au Train: The Brownstone boat launch was accessible. Coho salmon and steelhead started staging in the river, and the Au Train River mouth had reopened and was fishable again. Many coho salmon were caught there this past week by surf anglers. The fish seen since March were all caught near the mouth of the river along the ice cliffs. Most were caught using jigs with wax worms, floating spawn eggs, or casting spoons.
Manistique: The river this week was extremely high and fast. Most anglers elected to delay their efforts for when the river is lower. The fishing was not successful and the river was dangerous.
