Fishing Michigan

From walleye and trout to bass and pike, fishing statewide is rated good. Before heading to your fishing destination, visit www.AAATraffic.com for the latest traFrom walleye and trout to bass and pike, fishing statewide is rated good. Before heading to your fishing destination, visit www.AAATraffic.com for the latest traffic, construction, weather and road conditions that may affect your route. ——————————————————————————– Upper Peninsula Northwest West Southwest Northeast East Central Southeast Upper Peninsula: Anglers in and around the Bergland area are finding plenty of walleye trolling with planer boards and Reef Runners. Fish are suspended in the Mud Flats. Life is good in the L’Anse area where fishing is good for lake trout and jigging with cut bait. Anglers are most successful when fishing in the early morning or evening hours and in waters 150-170 feet on both Huron Bay and Keweenaw Bay. King salmon seems to be hit-or-miss with anglers fishing in 30-40 feet during the early morning or late evening hours using downriggers, dodgers and spoons. During the day anglers are finding better results fishing in 100 feet of water. Crappie are on beds now. Marquette anglers are finding that the walleye are just starting on many inland lakes. It appears that the cold water has slowed the trout and salmon fishing a bit off of the area. Escanaba anglers are finding that the walleye fishing is either hot or cold but when the fish are biting they are hitting on crawlers and crank baits in good numbers. The fish are pretty spread out with the north end and center reef the best locations. Ford and Escanaba rivers are giving up decent counts of bass and a few perch can be had off of the campground area near Gladstone. A Mayfly hatch in the Manistique area has slowed angling activity. Warmer weather has finally arrived in the area and anglers with plenty of patience are getting a walleye here and there on Indian Lake. It’s a slow go this week for Sault Ste. Marie anglers, very limited angling activity to speak of. Excellent walleye fishing taking place on Munuscong Bay with anglers getting great results with crawler harnesses with a bottom bouncer, Wally Divers and jigging. Excellent walleye action is also taking place at the mouth of the Gogomain River with anglers drifting or trolling. Good fishing for anglers headed to Scott and Maxton bays around Drummond Island for walleye. Anglers are using crawlers, crawler harnesses and stick baits with good results. Pike, small mouth bass and an occasional sunfish are also biting on both bays. Walleye are active at the mouth of the river to the Potanissing Bay. St. Ignace anglers are either getting limits on walleye or getting nothing at all out on Brevort Lake. Warmer weather has finally arrived in the area and the fishing should really start to pick up. Information Providers: Johnson’s Sports-Drummond Island; Bay View Bait & Tackle-Escanaba; Top O’ Lake Sport-Manistique; Hank’s Sporting-Sault Ste. Marie; Wilderness Treasurers-Munuscong Bay; ACE Hardware-St. Ignace; Gogebic Grocery-Bergland and Indian Country Sports-L’Anse. ——————————————————————————– Northwest: Crooked and Pickerel lakes near the Alanson area are producing plentiful walleye, pike and bass on crawlers. Lake trout are biting on Lake Michigan. A Mayfly hatch just happened. Boyne City anglers are finding good luck fishing on Walloon Lake for bass, walleye and northern. Splake, blue gill, crappie and bass are hitting in good quantities on Deer, Susan and Thumb lakes. Body baits and crawler harnesses seem to do the trick. Off of the Lake Charlevoix channel in the late evening hours anglers are getting nice numbers of bass, walleye and northern. Walleye are biting around 4 a.m. and 11 p.m. Torch and Skegemog lakes in the Kalkaska area are both abundant with pike, lake trout and bass. Most inland lakes have a variety of fish bedding such as blue gill, pan fish and sunfish. Overall most rivers and streams in the area are producing good action for trout fishing with spinners. Killer angling action taking place in the Gaylord area, the streams and rivers are alive with activity. The Black, Sturgeon and Pigeon rivers are producing very good counts of steelhead, and Rainbow trout. Several hatches have occurred including Brown Drake, Sulfur, Caddis and Mahogany Dun. Fishing is best mid to late afternoon. Bradford Lake is doing well for walleye on crank baits and Otsego Lake is a bit slow but some small and large mouth bass are biting. Great fishing for anglers headed for the Cadillac area. Sunfish, blue gill, Rock bass, crappie and perch are plentiful on both Mitchell and Cadillac lakes. A variety of baits and techniques are working. Blue gill still have not bedded and anglers are typically not getting limits, but fishing is steady. Lake Michigan is giving up good numbers of bass and pike. Information providers: Alphorn-Gaylord; Jack’s Sports-Kalkaska; Pilgrim’s Village-Cadillac; Young’s Bait Shop-Alanson and Boyne River Bait Shop-Boyne City. ——————————————————————————– West: Good action off of the Ludington area on Lake Michigan where anglers are fishing in 120 feet of water for steelhead, Brown trout and salmon. Fish are god size and a variety of spoons are working well including Mixed Veggie, Blue/Green Dolphins, Wonder Bread, Kevorkian and Lemon Ice. On Hamlin Lake blue gill, bass and Northern pike are in good numbers. Pike are coming off their beds on the upper portion of the lake and around the bayous. Worms, minnows and jigs seem to be working well. Warmer weather in Baldwin has greatly improved the fishing activity. Trout action is good on the Pere Marquette, Little and Big Manistee rivers. Several streamer patterns are working. Bass Lake some large size bass are being caught, five to six pounds seem to be the norm. Large mouth bass are hitting on crank baits, while rubber worms with a spinner in front is working well on Rock bass. Muskegon area anglers are finding mid-June doldrums with angling activity on the slow side. Some anglers are pulling in a few blue gill on Muskegon Lake using bobbers, wax worms and spikes. Salmon activity is taking place on Lake Michigan in 300-350 feet of water. Anglers fishing the Muskegon River are doing well on trout with flies. Chippewa Lake is really good for pan fish with many anglers obtaining limits easily. A few bass are hitting on crawlers and the fish are good size. Minnows seem to be the bait of choice. Around the Grand Rapids area the Grand River is producing nice numbers of catfish and crawlers are working well. Information providers: Wolf Lake Resort & ATV Rental-Baldwin; King Sports-Baldwin; East Bay General Store-Chippewa Lake; Shoreline Bait & Tackle-Muskegon; P.M. Sports-Ludington and Gander Mountain-Grand Rapids. ——————————————————————————– Southwest: In Benton Harbor the angling is on the slow side but persistent anglers are getting salmon and trout in 200-250 feet of water fishing the top 50-60 feet. North of the pier perch are active in 40-50 feet of water and biting on Yellow Killers, Natural Born Killers, Blue Dolphins, Watermelon, Blue Garden and Spin and Glow. In New Buffalo perch are abundant in 30 feet of water near the Red Roof Inn and Pumping Station with anglers using minnows and getting good results. Coho action is good near the state line and fishing in 60-feet of water with Carmel Dolphins and Monkey Puke spoons. In and around the Kalamazoo area Gunn, Sugarloaf and Austin lakes are giving up nice catches of bass jigging near weed beds and with crank baits. Pan fish are good on Gunn Lake and the blue gills are biting on rubber spiders. Fish are in post-spawn pattern right now. Austin, Gull and Sugarloaf lakes are also good for some nice numbers of crappie and blue gill. Information providers: D.& R. Sports-Kalamazoo; Tackle Haven-Benton Harbor and Captain Cook’s-New Buffalo. ——————————————————————————– Northeast: Around Grayling trout are starting on the Manistee and Au Sable rivers and a Brown Drake hatch has occurred. Lonesome Lake in Crawford County and Guthrie Lake are both producing fair blue gill numbers and some bass can be found in shallow waters. Lake Margrethe is producing nice blue gill in the shallows and near the south end. Oscoda anglers finally have some nice weather and improved fishing conditions. Cooke Dam Pond is producing good blue gill and bass, Foote Dam Pond is giving up pike, perch, lots of bass and a few crappie. Van Etten Lake anglers are reeling in nice numbers of pike, perch and walleye. The Au Sable River has decent walleye and sucker activity and an occasional steelhead in the mix. Overall good fishing in the area and the following baits are popular, minnows, leeches, night crawlers, wax worms and leaf worms. Houghton Lake anglers continue to find good walleye action while drifting and trolling along with a few blue gill, Northern Pike and crappie. Anglers fishing from shore are getting carp with bows. Higgins Lake anglers are finding Rock bass everywhere on the lake using crawlers. Perch fishing is good in 30 to 40 feet of water. Lake trout fishing is good using Swedish Pimples. Good fishing in the Au Gres area for walleye. Anglers are going straight out from the boat launch in 30-40 feet of water and using crawler harnesses with good results. The Au Gres River is giving up some pike, bass and an occasional walleye. Information providers: Skips-Grayling; Lyman’s-Houghton Lake; Sports Barn-Higgins Lake; Wright’s Sport Shop-Au Gres and The Dam Store-Oscoda. ——————————————————————————– East: Straight out from Standish and towards the north, anglers are fishing in 14-18 feet of water for some nice walleye catches. Purple spoons are working well. Night crawlers are working ok for Linwood anglers fishing Saginaw Bay in 16 to 20 feet of water. Bay City anglers are fishing the Saginaw River for catfish using crawlers with harnesses and walleye catches remain good off Quanicassee and Finn Road. Anglers fishing straight out from Quanicassee are also doing well on catfish with cut bait and limiting out on perch using minnows. Sand Point off of the Bay Port area is producing good numbers of walleye and anglers using Hot-N- Tots and crawler harnesses are limiting out. A few walleye are being caught close to shore off the Long Dock. Walleye are good size too. Off of the Bay Port Public Access the catfish and bass fishing is good. Off of Port Austin, Saginaw Bay is producing nice numbers of walleye particularly around the Pointe. Anglers are doing well trolling with crawler harnesses in 8-15 feet of water. Off of Harbor Beach Lake Huron is giving up good numbers of perch and walleye in 45 feet of water. A few Kings, Coho and steelhead remain and the lake trout fishing is great along with plentiful bass. Butterscotch spoons are hot. Off of Lexington and Port Sanilac, King fishing is decent in 70 feet of water. Water temperatures have improved greatly. A smelt run is coming up the river bringing a lot of other fish with them. Perch are starting to show up as well. Perch are starting to hit off of Lakeport. In Port Huron anglers fishing off the boardwalk continue to pull in good numbers of walleye and an occasional Brown. The water clarity has improved. Walleye fishing above the bridge while drifting is getting good results and when using crawler harnesses, Chartreuse and Copper Blades. Huge numbers of Silver bass are biting all along the mouth of the Black River and near the filtration plant. Minnows and crappie rigs seem to be working well. Pike and small mouth bass have really turned on in the Black River and Mill Creek. Local ponds are producing good numbers of bass. Information providers: Frank’s Place-Harbor Beach; 1st & Main-Bay Port; Michigan Sportsman-Bay City; Eagle Bay Marina-Standish; Anderson’s Pro Bait-Port Huron; Frank’s Great Outdoors-Linwood and Gander Mountain-Saginaw. ——————————————————————————– Central: Warmer weather has improved angling activity around the Mount Pleasant area. The Chippewa River is producing decent catches of pike on shiners around Deerfield Nature Park. Hot action is taking place for anglers fishing the Grand River, particularly in Downtown Lansing. Anglers are slamming Rock bass and carp using Red Wigglers under a float and corn. Park Lake is giving up decent numbers of bass and blue gill but the water is high and not the best visibility. Lake Ovid and the Grand River are both producing decent numbers of blue gill, hit or miss catfish and the pan fish are off and on. Vineyard and Wamplers lakes in Brooklyn are producing good numbers of blue gill, a few pike and crappie. Successful baits include jumbo pan fish worms, wax worms and night crawlers. Information providers: Jake’s outdoors-Mt. Pleasant; Knutson’s Live Bait-Brooklyn and Grand River Bait and Tackle-Lansing. ——————————————————————————– Southeast: Algonac anglers are finding plenty of perch starting to hit in Lake St. Clair. Lots of bass are being caught and this weekend bass opens on the American side. A few walleye are being caught in the North Channel, St. Clair River and South Channel. Off of the Fair Haven area the St. Clair River is producing decent numbers of walleye. Walleye activity is good near Sans Souci and Marine City as well. Anglers are vertical jigging and using crawler harnesses. Perch action is picking up around Harsen’s Island. Walleye action remains strong around the Harrison Township area near Metro Beach, Gino’s Surf, and the 400 Club. Anglers are fishing on Lake St. Clair in about 14 feet of water and drifting crawlers. Small mouth bass and musky action is excellent around 9 Mile Road near the shallows. Green tubes are working today, but some anglers are starting to transition to light green or greenish/brown. St. Clair Shores anglers are heading right out in front of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club for some pretty good walleye action on the Detroit River. Off of the Melvindale, River Rouge and Ecorse areas the fishing has slowed a bit on the Detroit River; possibly due to a transition of many fish heading out to the lake. Silver bass may be slowing down some and the walleye that are left seem easier to catch. Perch are starting to run in the Detroit River and are biting in most canals and around marinas and yacht clubs. Near Fighting Island and down to Buoy 94 anglers continue to jig for walleye with decent success. Fish are deep in the channel and generally smaller in size. A Mayfly hatch is just starting. Walleye fishing is decent around Celeron and Calf Islands using Chartreuse jig heads. When the fish are biting, hand liners are doing great. Popular baits include bottom bouncers, crawler harnesses and a variety of spoons with no particular color. FLW Walleye League Tournament takes place this Saturday on Lake Erie. Call 313-388-3474 for details. In the Rock Wood area the Huron River is producing good numbers of large and small mouth bass. Perch action is picking up and anglers should find good numbers in front of Lake Erie Metro Park and towards the shipping channels. Silver bass are still on the heavy side in certain areas of the Detroit River and walleye remain in the river but overall the majority seems to have moved out from the Gibraltar area to deeper waters of Lake Erie. This may change as walleye follow spawning shiner minnows back into shallow water once the water temperature gets to about 70 degrees, right now the water is 65 degrees. Popular baits include bottom bouncers with harnesses and jigs with Wyandotte worms as well as Jet Divers and Michigan Stinger Spoons. Straight out from Monroe heavy walleye fishing is taking place in 24-30 feet of water on Lake Erie near the Turn-Around Buoy out in front of the Fermi Plant. Bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses are working well, especially in purple and pink. Perch activity is really good around Luna Pier, E-Buoy and the Dumping Grounds. Stony Pointe and Brest Bay anglers will still find a few walleye. Trolling is better than drifting right now. Worms and minnows are still popular. Further out near the Michigan/Ohio/Canadian line and the Sputnik Buoy walleye fishing is great however Mayflies and bugs are really bad on the lake. The FLW Walleye League Tournament comes to Sterling State Park in Monroe Saturday, June 20. Call 313-910-0229 for details. Anglers are finding hot walleye action in Ohio waters three to five miles northwest of West Sister Island and just east of Buoy #1 in the Toledo shipping channel. Anglers are getting results in 27 to 30 feet of water. Purple and watermelon colored crawler harnesses and one ounce in-line weights 40-55 feet back seem to take most fish, but a few are hitting on bottom bouncers. In the same area, charter boat services are doing well trolling spoons and jet divers 80-100 feet. Blue gill are hitting in good numbers on Belleville and Ford lakes. Otherwise fishing overall is steady but don’t expect huge quantities of any fish. Jumbo and baby night crawlers, leeches, wax worms, Fathead minnows and worms are popular baits working on a variety of species. Information providers: Bluewater Bait-Fairhaven; Lakeside Fishing Shop-St. Clair Shores; Pro-Fishing & Archery-Harrison Township; South Street Tackle-Belleville; Bottom Line Bait & Tackle-Rock Wood; Erie Party Shop-Monroe; Andy’s Tackle Box-Melvindale; WalleyeKid.com-Canton; Lance Valentine’s Walleye 101 and Mackie’s Bait & Tackle-Algonac.

Western Basin
 
Walleye fishing was good in the western basin during the week of June 8.  The best fishing continues to be around the island complex including north of North Bass Island, west of Rattlesnake Island, Gull Island Shoal, and north of Kelleys Island Shoal.  Farther west the fishing has been good north of West Sister Island to the Canadian Line and around the gravel pit.  Drifters are using bottom bouncers with worm harnesses or are casting mayfly rigs.  Trollers were catching fish on crankbaits, worm harnesses fished with inline weights or bottom bouncers, and also on spoons fished with dipsy divers or jet divers.
 
Yellow perch fishing has been best off of Cedar Point and around Kelleys Island.  Perch spreaders or crappie rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

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.

If you haven’t already tried your hand at angling, this weekend is a great opportunity to do it free. No license required for Michigan residents or out of state visitors on June 13 and 14. Fishing regulations will still apply on all inland and Great Lakes’. Before heading to your fishing destination, visit www.AAATraffic.com for the latest traffic, construction, weather and road conditions that may affect your route.
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Upper Peninsula:

In the Bergland area anglers are getting out to fish despite the chilly weather. Lake Gogebic is producing a few small walleye found in the deeper waters. Leeches and small minnows work best.

The Fourth Annual Baraga County Lake Trout Festival takes place Saturday at the Waterfront Park and Marina in downtown L’Anse. For details call 906-524-6518. Lake Superior is giving up nice numbers of lake trout on a variety of baits that include jigging with cut bait or trolling with dodgers or flies.

Chilly weather seems to be lingering around the Escanaba area but anglers that are getting out and drifting or trolling are pulling in some nice size walleye on crank bait. North of Gladstone seems to be the hot location. Participate in the local walleye tournament on Sunday. Call 906-786-1488 for details.

Manistique anglers are dealing with chilly temperatures and rain this week, but when anglers can get out the fishing is good on Indian Lake for decent counts of walleye.

Sault Ste. Marie anglers have had their fair share of rain and wind this week and angling activity is minimal, but a few whitefish can be found near the Power House. Walleye are still in the Bay and have not moved into the St. Mary’s River as of yet.

Munuscong Lake is starting to pick up for walleye and hard baits seem to be popular.

Drummond Island anglers have had minimal opportunity to fish due to rain and windy conditions creating rough waters. A few anglers are getting some pike on Scott and Maxton bays.

Brevort Lake near Allenville and north of St. Ignace is producing walleye and anglers are doing well when they can get out. Wind, rain and chilly temperatures limited angling activity this week but the weekend is looking up.

Information Providers: Johnson’s Sports-Drummond Island; Bay View Bait & Tackle-Escanaba; Top O’ Lake Sport-Manistique; Hank’s Sporting-Sault Ste. Marie; Wilderness Treasurers-Munuscong Bay; ACE Hardware-St. Ignace; Gogebic Grocery-Bergland and Indian Country Sports-Baraga.

Burt Lake near Alanson is producing good amounts of crappie near the north arm despite the chilly temperatures. Crawlers and floating jig heads seem to be working well. Pike and musky are active near the mouth of Crooked Lake. The Michigan Walleye Tour takes place on Burt and Mullet lakes this Saturday and Sunday. For details call 231-929-5590.

Crystal Lake near the Frankfort area is giving up a few perch and whitefish along with decent amounts of small mouth bass and Rock bass. Off of Frankfort, Lake Michigan is producing some salmon. Anglers fishing Big Platt are finding some walleye and pan fish, while upper Herring Lake is producing decent walleye and bass.

Lake Skegemog near Kalkaska is producing bass and pan fish on wax worms, night crawlers, sucker and perch minnows. Elk Rapids Dam has some nice blue gill fishing available. Guernsey Lake has decent trout activity.

Around Cadillac, anglers are doing well fishing for small and large mouth bass on both Mitchell and Cadillac lakes with artificial baits and leeches are working well. Pike and pan fish action has slowed. It seems that spawning for several species is two to three weeks behind schedule.

Information providers: Backcast-Frankfort; Alphorn-Gaylord; Jack’s Sports-Kalkaska; Pilgrim’s Village-Cadillac; Young’s Bait Shop-Alanson and Gander Mountain-Traverse City.

Ludington anglers will find that the blue gill are bedding on Hamlin Lake as well as most inland lakes in the area. Crawlers and worms seem to work well. Off of Ludington, Lake Michigan is producing Kings in 100 feet of water and anglers fishing 50-60 feet down are finding decent results with Blue Dolphin and Wonder Bread spoons. Bass are in good numbers when using spinners or tubes. The Pere Marquette River is producing nice counts of Brown, Brook and Rainbow trout east of Custer.

In Baldwin the rain has subsided and the temperatures are finally getting back to normal but angling activity is slow to pick up. All lakes and rivers are producing fish, just not in great quantities. Trout are available everywhere but again the quantities are not very big. The water on the river is high and dirty.

Very limited activity for anglers in the Muskegon area thanks to cool temperatures and rain.

Anglers fishing Chippewa Lake are pulling in decent numbers of walleye and perch are starting to bed and anglers are getting good results with minnows and crawlers.

Information providers: Wolf Lake Resort & ATV Rental-Baldwin; King Sports-Baldwin; East Bay General Store-Chippewa Lake; Shoreline Bait & Tackle-Muskegon and P.M. Sports-Ludington.

Off of the Benton Harbor area anglers are doing well for salmon in 130-140 feet of water on Lake Michigan despite some nasty weather. Orange Crush, Blue Dolphins, Watermelon and Freakin’ Veggie spoons are working well. Perch are hitting near the north pier in 40-50 feet of water.

Despite adverse weather, windy conditions and rough waters, some anglers around New Buffalo are pulling in a few perch near the Pumping Station.

Kalamazoo anglers are doing very well on a variety of species. Below the Allegan Dam on the Kalamazoo River, catfish in the 24-pound range are being caught mostly at night. Shiners and small blue gill are working well for bait. Walleye action on the River has slowed a bit. Pike action is good on Huzzy Lake, Long Lake and Morrow Pond. Shiner minnows and Rapalas are working well. Crooked and Pine lakes are producing nice numbers of crappie during the evening hours on slider grubs and minnows. Small mouth bass are biting on plastic grubs, and pink tubes, especially watermelon and cotton candy on Gull and Gunn lakes. Twin and Cedar Lake anglers are doing well for large mouth bass using spinner baits with fish averaging five pounds. On Cedar Lake the morning is the best in the top waters. Blue gill are skittish with some on their beds and some in 14 feet of water on Sugarloaf, Sunset and Cora lakes. Best bet for bait is little green or black gnats and leaf worms. Several local bass tournaments are taking place over the weekend,call 269-372-2277 for details.

Off of South Haven, Lake Michigan is producing nice numbers of lake trout in 120 feet of water and south of the pier. Anglers are also pulling in some perch in 50-feet of water on minnows, with fish averaging 10-11 inches.

Information providers: D.& R. Sports-Kalamazoo; Tackle Haven-Benton Harbor and Captain Cook’s-New Buffalo.

Rain hasn’t stopped Oscoda anglers from pulling in a few steelhead from the Au Sable River below Foote Dam Pond. Walleye action is decent around the mouth of the Au Sable. Above Foote Dam Pond a variety of fish are being caught including pike, bass, walleye and pan fish.

Lake Margrethe near the Grayling area is giving up fair to good catches of walleye in 15-18 feet of water. Live leeches and drift fishing seems to work well. Pan fish and blue gill are hitting in good numbers on wax worms, Chubby Jigs and live bait. Small mouth bass are biting in shallow waters on most inland lakes in Crawford County.

Adverse weather this week has limited fishing on Houghton Lake. Anglers fishing despite the weather are pulling in a few perch, blue gill and crappie on teardrops and leaf worms. Walleye can be found in 7-10 feet of water. Crawlers and leeches fished below slip bobbers or drifted through the weeds seems to be taking a lot of fish. Look for the heavier green weeds in deeper water. The northern part of the lake seems to be more productive than the south end.

Once the nasty weather leaves the area, Higgins Lake anglers will be out in force fishing for Rock bass and small mouth bass. Night crawlers are popular.

Adverse weather curtailed a majority of fishing activity this week. Anglers are hopeful that the weekend outlook will cooperate and walleye action will resume with anglers finding good results with crawler harnesses out on Saginaw Bay.

Information providers: Skips-Grayling; Lyman’s-Houghton Lake; WalleyeKid.com; Sports Barn-Higgins Lake; Wright’s Sport Shop-Au Gres and The Dam Store-Oscoda.

Standish anglers are doing well for walleye on Saginaw Bay near the Catfish Hole and in waters 14-feet deep. Crawler harnesses in green and yellow seem to be working well. Saginaw Bay around the Linwood area continues to be hot for walleye in 16-feet of water. Plastics, spoons and crawlers are very popular. Overall walleye on Saginaw Bay is strong and steady and bottom bouncers, sinkers and in-line planer boards will do the trick. Deeper water 16-24 feet deep and north of Pinconning is producing good sized walleye on crawler harnesses and gold spoons. Anglers are doing well trolling at speeds between 1.5 and 2.0. Good action around Sebewaing, Quanicassee, Finn Road and Thomas Road in 7-10 feet of water, try using crawler harnesses with gold blades. Many anglers are obtaining limits. Catfish action is pretty hot too. Bay Port Anglers are limiting out for walleye near Sand Point on crawlers. The Saginaw River has decent fishing for white bass, sheephead and small mouth bass on crank baits.

Wixom Lake and Sanford Lake are both producing nice numbers of blue gill and crappie, fish are spawning. Try using tube jigs, micro-soft plastics, wax worms and Fat Head minnows.

Holloway Reservoir is producing some good catches of walleye for anglers trolling on both the lower and upper reservoir. Try shad style crank baits in 4 to 8 feet of water. Both sides of Goose Point productive and following the river channel in the upper reservoir near Columbiaville.

Off of Port Sanilac and Harbor Beach the Coho are in tight and lake trout are fairly active. Water remains about 10 degrees cooler than it should be for this time of year.

Port Huron anglers are finding a lot of walleye near the boardwalk and near the parkways. Pencil plugs and blue ladder backs with pink heads are working well, chrome is also an option. Some anglers are finding success in the evening hours. Out in Lake Huron anglers are drifting for walleye and getting good results using silver and copper blades, pretty much any variation.

The mouth of the Black River has a few perch, walleye and steelhead and the silver bass are just starting. The Black River is very good for a variety of fish with small mouth bass consistent. Most ponds in the area have fish on the beds and close to shore and spinners are working well.

Information providers: 1st & Main-Bay Port; Michigan Sportsman-Bay City; Eagle Bay Marina-Standish; Anderson’s Pro Bait-Port Huron; Frank’s Great Outdoors-Linwood; Lance Valentine’s Walleye 101; WalleyeKid.com and Gander Mountain-Saginaw.

Mount Pleasant anglers haven’t seen a great improvement in weather or fishing conditions this week but a few walleye are being taken from Lake Isabella and near the Hubsher Gravel Pit on the Chippewa River. Leeches and crawlers are popular.

Lansing anglers are landing monster carp on the Grand River, particularly between the two dams. Walleye action is good at the Moores River Dam with anglers using leeches. Small mouth bass are running like crazy on the Grand River, anglers are getting excellent results on Curly Tail jigs and minnows. Blue gill bedding down on several inland lakes and rivers with butter worms the hot bait.

Throughout the Brooklyn, Coldwater, and Grass Lake areas several species of fish are now on their beds on local inland lakes. Crickets are hot and fishing is successful in shallow waters typically 8 to 10 feet. Pan fish are hitting on Red Ears. Anglers are catching a few walleye daily on Wamplers Lake with fish ranging around three to four pounds.

Information providers: Jake’s outdoors-Mt. Pleasant; Knutson’s Live Bait-Brooklyn and Grand River Bait and Tackle-Lansing.

Note: Boat traffic will be banned or limited along a portion of the Detroit River roughly between the Joe Louis Arena and Chene Park for the “Red Bull Air Races” Thursday through Sunday. The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard will enforce the safety zones, visit www.DetroitAirRacing.com for time restraints.

Harrison anglers are finding phenomenal fishing in the area just below Metro Beach on Lake St. Clair in five to seven feet of water and between Nine and 16 Mile Roads. Small mouth bass are extremely active, walleye is fair to good and musky is excellent. Anglers are catching and release up to a 100 bass in a day, fish are averaging five pounds. Walleye are hitting on night crawlers and crank baits in 12 to 15 feet of water. Musky are biting on Buck Tails are the hot location is near 14 Mile Road or Masonic. Fish are large in size up to 30 pounds. Off of the St. Clair Shores area the walleye are hit-or-miss on the Detroit River with best results jigging or hand lining. Silver bass continue to cover the entire stretch of the River.

From River Rouge and Ecorse to Gibraltar and Grosse Ile, the Detroit River still has plenty of silver bass and walleye activity taking place. Anglers will find that when the walleye are on limits can be had, when they aren’t plenty of patience is needed. Hand liners are doing ok. Sugar Island anglers are jigging with crawler harnesses and getting a mixture of walleye and silver bass. Anglers are catching decent amounts of blue gill on the north side of the cross-dyke. Carp are spawning and creating a stir in several of the yacht clubs on Grosse Ile and averaging 20 to 25 pounds and right along with them silver bass are in abundance. Rooster Tails are hot for silver bass.

Near Rock Wood, right out in front of Lake Erie Metro Park the walleye action is good as well as south of Calf Island. Also straight out from Lake Erie Metro Park the perch action is good and further out towards the shipping channels and around Buoy 3. Perch minnows are the bait of choice. The Gibraltar Rotary Walleye Tournament takes place June 14 out of the Lake Erie Metro Park with check in at 6:30 a.m. For details call 734-379-9762.

Off of Monroe, anglers fishing Lake Erie for walleye are doing well near Stoney Point in 23-27 feet of water, near Estral Beach in 19-20 feet and near the north side of the Banana Dyke in 15-18 feet of water. Crawler harnesses, bottom bouncers, purple and chartreuse spoons all are working well including Michigan Stinger Spoons with a Jet or Dipsy Diver and Wolverine Tackle Jr. Streaks. Off shore fishing is great off Pointe Mouille at night for catfish and on the Huron River for large and small mouth bass. Bass are biting on spinner baits, Kelly worms and Rapala Shad Wraps.

Further out on Lake Erie the walleye action is good around West Sister in 24-28 feet of water, around the shipping channels, near the Sputnik, Turn-Around and E Buoys, and near the Dumping Grounds, worms and minnows work well.

Belleville anglers are finding that fishing is picking up on Ford and Belleville lakes. Walleye, bass and crappie are hitting on leeches and worms. The Huron River between Ford and Belleville lakes is producing good amounts of walleye and silver bass. Nearby, Kent Lake is also great for walleye, bass and crappie fishing.

Information providers: Lakeside Fishing Shop-St. Clair Shores; Pro-Fishing & Archery-Harrison Township; South Street Tackle-Belleville; Bottom Line Bait & Tackle-Rock Wood; Erie Party Shop-Monroe; Andy’s Tackle Box-Melvindale and Gander Mountain-Taylor.