By Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake St. Clair: Both walleye and muskie anglers reported that the bite was starting to pick up. Yellow perch anglers continued to have success.
Saginaw Bay: Perch and walleye will likely be the main catches for the next few months.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Grand Haven: Shore and pier anglers were catching steelhead on salmon spawn. No whitefish were reported from anglers jigging in the channel.
Muskegon: When the weather allowed, boat anglers were finding a few steelhead and small Chinook salmon from the breakwalls out to 90 feet of water. Green and orange spoons were found to be the most productive. Anglers jigging in the channel for whitefish were unsuccessful.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Au Sable River: Atlantic salmon fishing was reported to have been good by anglers fishing the river.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Pere Marquette River: The lower portion of the river was reported to have had decent numbers of salmon. Anglers found that floats and skein seemed to work best.
Big Manistee River: Salmon fishing was reported to have been good throughout the river.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Yellow perch anglers reported good fishing. Fish were caught by anglers anchored or “spot-locked” using minnows on perch rigs across from Kipling, in the narrows, and by the Days River. Walleye anglers reported mixed results, with some having success while others struggled. Those that had the most success trolled crankbaits after dark.
Manistique: The Chinook salmon run was reported to be mostly over, with anglers seeing only a few Chinook left in the river. Steelhead anglers reported some success. Shore anglers were targeting the “flumes” and near the lumber yard. Most were drifting floats with beads or spawn.
Fishing tip: Will you be targeting steelhead this fall?
While many people are preparing to head into the woods for the next several weeks, others are taking advantage of another activity: fall steelhead fishing. There are two great strategies to try when targeting steelhead this month, surf fishing the piers and beaches of the Great Lakes and/or river fishing.
If you choose to target the Great Lakes, consider using a slip sinker rig and live bait, such as spawn bags, night crawlers or shiners. You can also try casting small spoons, spinners or body baits. Focus on depths of 12 feet or less as steelhead are hanging in the shallows looking for food. If you choose to target the rivers, consider using wigglers, caddis or wax worms drifted under a slip bobber. The depth below the bobber should be set to present the bait just off the river bottom. Anglers can also be successful this time of year casting spinners and medium diving crank baits into holes or other holding water that provides steelhead with some depth for cover. The retrieval should be as slow as possible to get the lure down to the bottom without snagging up. Many anglers like a downstream cast for these techniques. Anglers looking for an added challenge can also use fly fishing techniques and see some great results!
