This coming weekend, Saturday June 13th and Sunday June 14th will be Michigan’s annual Free Fishing Weekend. Both resident and non-residents can fish without a license on these two days however all the regulations that govern fishing in Michigan will still apply. For a list of statewide fishing events on this special weekend, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr. Warmer weather and less wind will greatly improve fishing success around the state.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Fishing was slow for most anglers. Walleye were caught but not in big numbers. Fish could be found in 25 to 27 feet of water between the Fermi Power Plant and Stoney Point. Dipsey divers and spoons or a purple crawler harness caught fish. A few perch were caught on minnows in 22 to 25 feet of water near the E-Buoy. Those fishing off the Pte. Mouillee State Game Area found some perch in shallow waters near the tubes at the end of Roberts Road. Freshwater drum are hitting on minnows.
Huron River - White bass and some catfish have been caught at Lebo Park. Look for bluegill and crappie in the backwaters.
Detroit River - Some walleye are moving back into the mouth of the river. Fish were caught on crawler harnesses during the day and pencil plugs at night. The white bass action is almost done but a few white perch were caught.
Lexington - Shore and dock anglers have caught a mix of walleye, smallmouth bass, pike, crappie, rock bass and bullhead. This harbor is somewhat more protected so anglers can usually fish on the days that are windy.
Harbor Beach - Smallmouth bass are hitting in the harbor and some walleye were caught in the gap between the breakwalls when fishing at night.
Grindstone City - Has good smallmouth bass action around the harbor and for those wading in Eagle Bay.
Port Austin - Windy conditions have limited those out trolling for salmon and lake trout. Smallmouth bass were caught inside the breakwall.
Saginaw Bay - Walleye continue to hit near the Spark Plug, off the mouth of the Saginaw River, off Jones Road, and near the Callahan Reef. Down near Quanicassee, it appears the fish are moving up towards Sebewaing and Bay Port where anglers have caught good numbers in about 15 feet of water in the Slot and outside the islands. Closer to Caseville, anglers are heading south to the Slot off Sand Point or the weeds in Wildfowl Bay for excellent catches of walleye.
Saginaw River - Walleye are being caught in the lower river.
Quanicassee River - Shore anglers have caught good numbers of channel catfish.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joe - Boat anglers have caught chinook, coho, and steelhead in 100 to 200 feet of water. Lake trout action was slower as the fish have moved to deeper waters. Pier anglers were catching freshwater drum and catfish on the river side. Try worms or cut bait on the bottom.
South Haven - Boats have managed to find a few chinook, coho and steelhead in waters 150 feet or deeper when trolling.
Grand Haven - Salmon and trout have been caught anywhere from 40 to 60 feet down in waters 220 to 320 feet deep. Hot colors were gold and orange. Perch were caught off the North Pier however the fish were small at 6 or 7 inches. Anglers will need to put in some time because the action was not fast and furious.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Anglers continue to catch both large and smallmouth bass. Try crawlers or spinners. Some have limited out on smallmouth. Catfish and carp slowed with the cooler weather. Bluegill, crappie and pike should be in the backwaters.
Grand River at Lansing - Catch rates have not been consistent for walleye, catfish and even carp. It needs to warm up and stay that way. Crappie fishing was fair to good in the backwaters.
Lake Ovid - Is producing some good catfish action. Anglers have caught some nice cats when reeling in their bluegills. More boats are out looking for bluegills, but the fish were running small.
Morrison Lake - Is a good lake to try for crappie and bluegills. Fish a little deeper until the weather warms back up.
Muskegon - Boat anglers are finding fish 40 to 60 feet down in waters up to 300 feet deep. Try trolling with gold and orange spoons or plugs. The fish were suspended in waters about 41 degrees. No perch to report.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Mullett Lake - Smallmouth bass were caught near the drop-offs when using spinners, tube baits or jerk baits. Walleye, northern pike and rainbow trout have also been caught.
Rogers City - Has good lake trout action in 20 to 50 feet of water. Cowbells with spin glo’s and silver dodgers with spin glo’s have caught fish 5 to 10 feet off the bottom. Anglers are highlining with some weight in shallow waters or running downriggers out deeper. Atlantic salmon have started to show up and many boats reported getting at least one when fishing high in the water column of waters 20 to 30 feet deep. Try planer boards with spoons or body baits in bright colors.
Presque Isle - Lake trout fishing was excellent in waters 15 to 30 feet deep. Most anglers are highlining cowbells with spin glo’s, dodgers with spin glo’s and a little bit of weight or they are running downriggers about 10 feet down. The action was red hot in the North Bay and off Big Lighthouse Point.
Rockport - Anglers were catching lake trout along the shoreline in front of the harbor and also around Middle Island.
Alpena - Boat anglers are heading out to the bay at night to fish for walleye. A lot of boats have been heading out so anglers must be catching fish.
Thunder Bay River - Walleye have been taken from the Ninth Street Bridge and beside the bridge behind the Boys and Girls Club. Mischley’s Hole which is downstream near the foot bridge has also been a good spot. Try leeches and worms.
Harrisville - Has been productive and continues to improve. Lake trout have been caught in 30 to 100 feet of water between the Black River and the Greenbush water tower. Salmon and steelhead have been caught north and south of the harbor. Walleye fishing was slow.
Higgins Lake - Anglers are going out for perch but no reports had come in. Try the usual spots such as up near the North State Park, and around the Sunken Island.
Houghton Lake - Walleye anglers are doing well when trolling or drifting in 6 to 8 feet of water with crawler harnesses and leeches or crawlers. Those using Hot-n-Tots have also taken a few fish. Northern pike were caught but the fish are small. Crappie were hitting on minnows along the west side of the lake in Muddy Bay.
Oscoda - Salmon and lake trout have been caught in 50 to 100 feet of water.
Au Sable River - Walleye fishing has slowed. This might be from the work being done upstream or because water temperatures are not where they should be. Those lucky enough to catch some fish did so when using crawlers or leeches.
Tawas - Walleye fishing was slow but those out trolling did mange to pick up a few fish along the reef and out near Buoy #2. Smallmouth bass fishing was good between the two large piers when using tube baits. Pier anglers fishing at night caught a few walleye and some rock bass.
Au Gres - Has excellent walleye fishing with lots of limits reported when trolling crawler harnesses, spoons or crank baits in 35 feet of water.
Au Gres River - Bass, walleye and a few perch have been caught but the catfish action was slow, most likely due to the cool water temperatures. Everything is running about two weeks late this year due to the lack of warm weather.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Charlevoix - When boats can get out, anglers found good numbers of lake trout hitting on cowbells. The water is cold so look for fish either in the shallows, suspended or near the bottom.
Lake Charlevoix - Anglers were catching perch and bass. Try trolling along the weeds for bass. Shore anglers caught perch off the docks. The water is warming up so it should be a good time for the kids to target rock bass near shore.
Lake Bellaire - Water temperatures were in the low 60’s. Walleye fishing was slow but fish were caught in the evening when trolling near the Grass River outlet, the Intermediate River inlet and between the Narrows and the access site at Eckertly Road. Most are trolling crawler harnesses, jigs, leeches or rapalas in 10 to 30 feet of water. For smallmouth bass, anglers are casting spinners, tube baits, stick baits and grubs in 3 to 12 feet of water along the west side of the lake, near the flats, and along the drop-offs on the north side of the lake. Northern pike were caught near the Intermediate River in 8 to 10 feet of water. Rock bass have also been caught.
Traverse City - Boats trolling in 40 to 100 feet of water have caught lake trout when using spoons, flashers and flies, or peanuts. For the West Bay, windy conditions have kept many on shore.
Elk River - Smallmouth bass and the occasional steelhead were caught on crawlers.
Boardman River - Smallmouth bass are starting to show up in good numbers. Anglers are catching them on crawlers and artificial baits. Some big carp have been caught on corn, shredded wheat or cornmeal balls. Those looking to take kids out this weekend will find fair to good perch fishing below the Union Street Dam.
Frankfort - Boats trolling from the piers up to Pt. Betsie have caught chinook, lake trout and steelhead about 30 to 60 feet down in waters 100 to 120 feet deep. Chinook were also caught on the outside edge of the Herring Hole. Those trolling in the harbor on windy days caught chinook and brown trout. There is bait in the harbor and those fishing alewife off the pier have caught salmon.
Arcadia - Boat anglers are still catching chinook salmon when trolling spoons in waters up to 200 feet deep.
Onekama - A mix of chinook, lake trout and steelhead were caught in front of the piers. The Barrel has been producing good catches of chinook. Target fish about 35 to 45 feet down in waters 80 to 150 feet deep.
Portage Lake - Bass fishing continues to be good throughout the lake, though the recent cold temperatures pushed the fish back out into deeper waters. Largemouth bass were caught around the channel rocks. The panfish are also out deep, try 25 to 35 feet of water. Walleye have been caught at night and lots of northern pike have been caught along the weeds during the day. Try trolling small spoons and crawler harnesses along the drop-offs and near the channel.
Manistee - Boats fishing along the Shelf have caught trout and salmon in the top 60 feet of water. Most were still using green or blue spoons. Those casting off the pier have managed to catch a couple chinook and brown trout.
Ludington - Some limit catches of trout and salmon were reported in 60 to 120 feet of water. Green, blue and orange spoons were taking fish.
UPPER PENINSULA
Copper Harbor - The splake fishing is good but you have to fish through the small fingerlings that were planted a few weeks back. Try body baits, rapalas, crawlers or cut bait on jigs.
Eagle Harbor - Jigging in 75 feet of water for lake trout has produced some nice catches when using bucktail jigs or cut bait.
Keweenaw Bay - Chinook and coho have been caught when anglers can get out. Catch rates were up and down however some limits were reported. Early mornings were best. Lake trout were caught in the South Portage Entry when jigging in 170 to 240 feet of water near and south of the Big Reef.
Marquette - Some limits of lake trout have been caught in certain areas like the White Rocks. Anglers are taking the occasional steelhead near the Carp River. Catch rates were better in the morning.
Menominee - Some nice smallmouth bass were caught near the lighthouse when casting crank baits. Pier anglers caught catfish. Try minnows or crawlers. Boats trolling in both Michigan and Wisconsin waters did manage to catch a few walleye in 15 to 25 feet of water.
Menominee River - Those seeking walleye found the better action in the early morning or at night when trolling in waters up to 10 feet deep with different colored rapalas. Walleye were caught on the Wisconsin side near the Hattie Street Dam when using crawlers. Freshwater drum and suckers were also caught. Those looking for musky found some fish when trolling with large spoons.
Cedar River - Those fishing between the mouth and the first rapids have caught good numbers of smallmouth bass however many were small. Try drifting or jigging crawlers and casting different colored plugs. Some northern pike were caught down near the mouth.
Little Bay De Noc - Water temperatures are still in the mid 50’s, which makes for slower catch rates. A few walleye were taken north of the Narrows but more fish were found near the Second Reef in 20 to 35 feet of water. Those trolling at night with crank baits or crawlers found fish in the shallows between Garth Point and the Center Reef. Perch anglers have been struggling. A few jumbos were caught off Saunders Point when jigging crawlers in 30 feet of water. Sub-legal walleye were also caught. Good smallmouth bass action especially near the mouth of the Ford River and along the shoreline off Gladstone, Garth Point and Strawberry Island. Anglers are casting crank baits, crawlers and tube baits.
Big Bay De Noc - Walleye were caught especially in the north end of the bay when trolling or drifting crawlers in 8 to 20 feet of water. Bass were caught near Ogontz when trolling or drifting crawlers in 6 to 10 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were on the beds in South River Bay and some perch were caught in 8 to 12 feet of water in Garden Bay.
Sturgeon River - Had reports of steelhead as far up as nine miles in the river.
Au Train - Chinook, coho and lake trout have been caught in the bay. The better catch rates were in the early morning.
Munising - Catch rates in the bay have started to increase with more chinook along with a few coho and steelhead caught. Night fishing seems to produce more fish than early morning. Lake trout were still caught in the West Channel and Trout Bay.
Grand Marais - Whitefish action remains fair. A northwest wind still produces the best results. The better fishing has been in the early morning or just before dark.
De Tour - Cold water is still an issue however anglers are fishing from the City Launch to the #3 Green Can, around both Red Cans on the Drummond Island side, around the lighthouse reef, and 3 to 5 miles south of the lighthouse. Anglers are catching a mixed bag of chinook, lake trout, rainbow trout, and atlantic salmon. Try smaller stick baits in dark colors.
Cedarville and Hessel - Northern pike action has been good in shallow waters when casting stick baits along the weed beds. The Moscoe Channel was the hot spot and smaller fish were caught in Cedarville Bay. Pier anglers at Hessel have caught smallmouth bass and northern pike. Look for splake in the deeper waters.
St. Ignace - Some have started casting off the primitive launch for smallmouth bass and northern pike. Boat anglers are fishing from the Coast Guard Station to the back side of Bois Blanc Island for lake trout and chinook salmon. The lake trout can be found in the deeper holes 20 to 50 feet deep. The salmon are hitting on lead core, three colors down in waters 25 feet deep. Anglers are using flashers, flies and spoons in lime green or darker shades like purple.
