By The Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: The switch to crawlers for walleye this year came quickly. Some anglers tried them and had the same success as those using artificial lures while trolling. Both methods worked well for walleye in water off Stony Point. Largemouth bass fishing just outside the Bolles Harbor boat launch channel was okay, with some anglers reporting having success casting artificial lures and soft plastics. Shore fishing off the rock wall by the beach at Sterling State Park also produced largemouth bass that were released.
Saginaw River: A few walleye were caught by boat anglers jigging with jig head and twister tail combinations in the upper Saginaw River at the convergence. Most anglers caught one to three walleye per boat, with most fish being smaller males in the 20-inch range. A few white bass were caught in the upper Saginaw River.
Eastern Saginaw Bay: Windy conditions over the weekend and into the beginning of the week kept angling activity low along the east side of the bay. The boats that got out were able to catch a few walleye trolling, casting, and jigging. Anglers were scattered throughout the area with no clear pattern of where to fish. Walleye were caught around Callahan Reef, the slot, the bar, and out front of Quanicassee. Both artificial baits and crawlers caught a few walleye.
Lower Saginaw Bay: On the west side of the bay, Nyanquing Point boat anglers were trolling in 9 to 10 feet of water using flicker shads. Northeast of Spoils Island, in 18 to 20 feet of water, anglers were trolling in 18 to 22 feet of water using flicker shads.
Tittabawassee River: A few walleye were caught in the vicinity of the M-46 bridge with 2 to 4 fish being caught per boat on average. Anglers did best trolling and casting body baits.
Port Austin/Grindstone: North of Port Austin, in 60 to 80 feet of water, some good-sized lake trout were caught using downriggers with spoons and lead core. The same gear and water depth were used out of Grindstone, to the northwest of the harbor.
Harbor Beach: Boats trolling for salmon and trout were in 20 to 40 feet of water using planer boards with crankbaits and downriggers with spoons, catching a mix of coho salmon, steelhead, lake trout, and occasionally walleye and Chinook salmon.
Port Sanilac/Lexington: Over the weekend, boat anglers fished in 13 to 25 feet of water using planer boards with thin fins and other body baits, as well as downriggers with spoons. They reported a mix of coho salmon, steelhead, and trout. Pier anglers reported a few smallmouth bass.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
South Haven: Boat anglers targeting salmon caught a few fish. The fishing was not good, but anglers caught some salmon and a few trout. The fish were scattered from 40 feet of water out well beyond 120 feet of water. The most consistent depths seemed to be between 80 and 100 feet of water. Most fish were caught on spoons. Pier fishing was on the slow side for all species.
St. Joseph: Pier fishing was slow for salmon and steelhead. Anglers caught good numbers of freshwater drum and catfish. Nightcrawlers caught most of these fish. Due to lake conditions, opportunities were very limited.
Muskegon: Boat anglers reported Chinook salmon, along with a few coho salmon, in 40 to 70 feet of water. The best action was 20 to 60 feet down on orange and chartreuse spoons. Anglers trolling the shoreline for brown trout were unsuccessful. A few Chinook salmon were caught on green flies.
Grand Haven: Chinook salmon were caught 20 to 60 feet down in 40 to 70 feet of water. Bright-colored spoons worked best. Pier anglers targeting brown trout and coho salmon were unsuccessful.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Tawas/Au Gres: Strong winds kept most anglers off the water over the weekend. Those who went out caught decent numbers of walleye, along with an occasional lake trout in the Tawas area. There was minimal fishing pressure from Au Gres to Standish over the weekend. A few walleye, smallmouth bass, and catfish were caught by those who went out trolling and casting in 6 to 9 feet of water off the Pine River.
Thunder Bay River: Good numbers of steelhead were caught over the last week following a push of fresh fish. Drifting beads was productive throughout the day, as well as casting smaller spinners near the 9th Street Dam. Anglers reported smallmouth bass in the river, as well as fair numbers of walleye. Crankbaits in natural colors worked well early and late in the day, as did jigging plastics. A few northern pike were caught while casting large spinnerbaits in chartreuse, orange, and white.
Alpena: Pier anglers reported walleye fishing as slow. Decent numbers of smallmouth bass were taken while jigging various plastic swim baits, along with a few northern pike. When winds allowed, boat anglers found success on lake trout in 30 to 60 feet of water using spin-N-glos and spoons. Fish were well scattered throughout the water column due to the cooler water temperatures. Anglers trolling for walleye reported that fishing was slow.
Rockport: Very little fishing activity was observed over the last week. A few boats were successful trolling in 40 to 70 feet of water near Middle Island. Dodgers and spin-N-glos were productive, as well as spoons in orange, green, and white. Water temperatures were 37 to 39 degrees, so covering different depths was key to success.
Cheboygan: The Cheboygan lock and dam were closed to the public. Cheboygan County boat launches and the cleaning station were also closed. However, the city boat launch by the pedestrian walkway bridge was open. Anglers occasionally caught steelhead, walleye, pike, and suckers in the Cheboygan River. These anglers shore fished between the pedestrian walkway bridge and the drawbridge. Soft plastic swimbaits, jig and minnows, and curly tail grubs were productive for walleye and pike. Steelhead anglers did well when drifting beads.
Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers targeting walleye off the pier did well in the mornings and into the night. Casting bandits and other deep-diving body baits was productive, with fire tiger and clown being popular colors. Anglers also caught walleye while jigging plastics or crawlers. A few steelhead and Atlantic salmon were caught this week by anglers fishing minnows or casting spoons off the pier. Steelhead were found upriver by anglers bottom bouncing or floating beads, flies, and spawn. Eight-millimeter orange, green/yellow, and white beads were productive. Ten-millimeter beads also produced fish for anglers.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Manistee: Boat anglers caught mostly lake trout, with a few Chinook salmon mixed in, while fishing the shelf and along the shoreline with spoons. A few brown trout were also reported, but fishing was slow overall.
Ludington: The lake trout bite continued to be good from Ludington to Bass Lake near Pentwater. The most consistent depth was 40 to 60 feet of water for trolling spoons and spin-N-glos near the bottom. In the mix were a couple of chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead. Brown trout fishing was slower this week, and there was very little action on the piers.
Charlevoix: Dredging in the Pine River channel kept angling activity to a minimum. There were no cisco to report. All slips at the Ferry Beach launch were pushed in.
Little Traverse Bay: Anglers targeting steelhead in the Bear River reported decent numbers of fish moving in. Fishing beads, flies, and spawn all produced results. Anglers also reported a surge of small, planted fish that landed throughout the week. All launches in the bay were free of ice.
West Grand Traverse Bay: Steelhead were caught on the Boardman River by those drifting jigs with wax worms, and a more natural colored bead. Anglers also reported a fair amount of suckers caught as well.
Leland: Anglers had luck catching steelhead in earlier morning hours while fishing spawn bags.
Frankfort/Lake Michigan: Boat anglers reported better numbers this week as the weather began to cooperate a little. Anglers trolling inside the piers reported brown trout, steelhead, walleye, and the first Chinook salmon of the season. The most popular bait was body baits, with orange being the color. Anglers heading out to deeper waters in 50 to 90 feet of water and trolling 40 to 50 feet down reported good numbers of lake trout.
Onekama/ Lake Michigan: Anglers heading straight out from the pier heads into 40 to 60 feet of water reported moderate numbers of lake trout when the weather held. Water temperatures were in the upper 40s.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Smallmouth anglers reported good fishing. Anglers reported large fish near river mouths, points, and in shallow bays. Anglers reported fish around last year’s dead reeds and cattails. The new growth had not yet emerged above the water, so last year’s growth created visual casting points. Shore anglers at the Ford River reported good bass fishing; pier anglers at the Escanaba River caught some smallmouth bass and yellow perch.
Munising: Boating anglers trolling the bay and around Grand Island did well catching coho salmon with a few splake mixed in. Boat anglers targeting lake trout had success around Grand Island by jigging. Anglers fishing off the Anna River mouth reported catching some good-sized splake, with spawn working best.
Keweenaw Bay: Anglers reported fair numbers of coho salmon, with an occasional steelhead and lake trout caught while trolling stickbaits and spoons in the upper portion of the water column. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported good numbers caught within the last week. Shore anglers reported fair catches of coho salmon and splake using both natural bait and artificial presentations.
Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: Anglers reported fair fishing while trolling spoons and body baits for both lake trout and coho salmon nearshore. Anglers also reported the occasional brown trout or steelhead being caught. Shore anglers reported slow fishing, with only a few coho being caught over the last week.
Ontonagon River: All docks were in the water at the Ontonagon Marina boat launch. The fish cleaning station has yet to be opened for the season. Fishing efforts on the river were very low over the past week.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: The dock remained out of the water at the Silver City boat launch. Both the Ontonagon and Union Bay boat launches were open with docks in the water. The fish cleaning station located at the Ontonagon Marina had yet to be opened for the season. Fishing efforts from these ports were fair over the past week, with Union Bay drawing the most anglers. Recent reports showed catches primarily consisting of coho salmon and brown trout, with occasional steelhead and Chinook salmon also being caught. Anglers found the most success trolling in shallow waters. Shore anglers fishing in Union Bay also had some luck catching a mix of coho salmon, brown trout, and an occasional steelhead.
Black River Harbor: Amenities at the harbor remained closed for the winter offseason. Over the past week, fishing efforts remained steady from the harbor. Angler reports were good, with catches consisting of coho salmon, brown trout, and steelhead. A mix of these species was also caught in low numbers from the harbor breakwalls.
St. Ignace: Steelhead fishing pressure was limited at the Carp River. All of the major access sites to the Carp River were clear of snow. The Pine River DNR boat launch was available for boats to launch from. There was one boat launch available at the City of St. Ignace launch area, but the cleaning station was closed.
Grand Marais: Anglers fishing off the breakwall reported a good coho salmon bite, along with the lake whitefish bite starting to pick up. Spawn was the preferred bait. Boat anglers trolling did well catching coho salmon east and west of the breakwall at shallow depths.
Les Cheneaux Islands/DeTour: Anglers in the Les Cheneaux area started to see and catch some perch in the Hessel Marina from the docks using worms and minnows. Anglers also caught a few northern pike off the wall; however, pike season remains closed until May 15. A few smallmouth bass were also caught. Splake were very hard to find and had been nonexistent off the Hessel pier, with one boat angler having some luck catching a variety of species away from the harbor.
Manistique: Anglers targeting steelhead drifted beads, and some cast spinners or brightly colored crankbaits. Suckers were a common bycatch for those drifting beads. Overall, fishing was fair to good this week.
