Here’s a look at this week’s fishing report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources:
Little Bay de Noc: Smallmouth bass fishing was good. Walleye anglers were having some success when trolling around the reefs. Anglers that launched out of the Ford River were able to find some active fish.
Manistique: Windy conditions resulted in limited fishing on the lake. Salmon anglers did not have much success but reported a good amount of bait fish moving in. Some lake trout were caught out by the green buoy marker. Walleye anglers were having mixed success in the river and around the mouth.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers were catching lake trout and some salmon with the focus on lake trout. Anglers reported catching lake trout while trolling and were in varied depths from 70 to 150 feet of water. Some salmon were caught in waters around 50 feet however the catch was much slower than that of lake trout. Try trolling spoons and flasher flies for lake trout when the water is cold on the surface.
Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers were catching a few perch and pike off the pier in Hessel, however the recent fly hatch slowed the fishing down. Detour was producing a few Atlantic salmon and lake trout, however it slowed down as well.
Traverse Bays/ South Portage Canal Entry: Anglers reported catches of lake trout. Some salmon were caught in the early morning light however most of the catches were of lake trout. Successful fishing for lake trout was done mostly while trolling and in waters around 100 feet. Anglers reported that the water column was full of smelt and the water was 45 degrees down to roughly 50 feet deep. Anglers had luck fishing live bait for pike off piers and docks.
Munising: Anglers were primarily fishing in the morning for coho and Chinook salmon. Anglers reported large schools of baitfish scattered throughout the bay. Anglers were catching a mix bag including Chinook, coho, splake and lake trout. Fish were located in shallower waters, mainly less than 80 feet. A few boats did well near White Rocks, at the west channel area and at Wood Island for lake trout.
Grand Marais: Lake trout fishing was excellent with limits reported by anglers fishing mainly towards Five Mile Reef and near the shipping channels. Very few anglers were fishing the pier with slow results.
Marquette: Anglers had success catching lake trout and salmon in the lower/upper harbor areas. Anglers fishing offshore near the Carp and Chocolay rivers had success catching mostly lake trout. There were some reports of salmon catches in the area as well. For lake trout, try trolling the bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water. For salmon, try running high lines using bright, tri-color spoons. Some anglers had success catching lake trout in about 150 feet of water near white rocks. Fishing pressure in the Carp, Chocolay and Dead rivers was slow. For best chances in the Carp River, try casting spawn or crawlers out from the mouth. In the Chocolay and Dead rivers, try floating spawn or worms.
Au Train: Fishing activity was minimal in the Rock and Au Train rivers, as well as at the Brownstone boat launch. There were a couple reports of lake trout being caught in 40 to 50 feet of water to the east of the launch. There were fewer reports to the west of the launch, but in previous weeks, anglers had success catching lake trout near Au Train Island in around 150+ feet of water. For anglers fishing to the east of the launch, try trolling in 40 to 50 feet of water using spoons or bright colored flickers. For anglers fishing to the west of the launch, try jigging cut-baits in around 150 feet of water.
Upper St. Mary’s: There were limited catches of whitefish reported near the Soo Locks and the occasional rainbow trout was caught. Jigging 3 to 5 feet above the bottom of the river with wax worms produced the best results. With water temperatures slightly warming up, some anglers were targeting northern pike and bass with limited success. Angler’s near Brimley were fishing for walleye in Waishkey Bay while trolling with crawler harnesses. The bite was slow.
