Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Poor weather greatly limited fishing activities this last week, however the few who were able to make it out found both lake trout and rainbow trout while trolling. These fish were reported to have been mostly caught near the upper half of the water column.

Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Entry Canal: Anglers had a bit of luck during decent weather days trolling in shallow water and high in the water column. Most of the catch consisted of lake trout with some Chinook and coho salmon caught as well. With the weather continuing to change, look for cooler water temperatures and bait fish, the bigger fish will follow!

St. Ignace: Shore anglers at the Carp River cement footing pier caught a few salmon during the cooler days. They reported using glow spoons in the early morning or after sunset, and spinners. Fishing for walleye at the Pine River drastically slowed as anglers did not see many within the past week. Salmon shore anglers at Nunns Creek caught fish in the early morning using spawn, spoons, or spinner baits.

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers fishing the upper bay reported slow fishing. There were reports of some success near the east bank, Minneapolis Shoal, and near the mouth of the Escanaba River. Little success was had by coho salmon anglers in the Escanaba River and around the mouth. Anglers reported fish sightings in the area, although getting them to bite proved challenging.

Manistique: Anglers targeting Chinook salmon in the river reported slow fishing. Some anglers reported catching a few on skein near the paper mill; however, bites were few and far between. Anglers targeting pink salmon had success drifting beads in runs that were holding pink salmon.

Marquette: Lake trout were still being caught consistently, with the most successful boats making their way out towards the clay banks west of Granite Rock. Reports also show that there were excellent numbers of lake trout still being caught jigging or trolling around the northeast side of White Rocks and out towards Granite Island. A few anglers reported catching a couple salmon near Granite Rock. Steelhead were reported to be around, in approximately 40 to 60 feet of water. Watermelon and fire tiger, along with green and orange Spin-n-Glos or green/silver flasher fly presentations performed well for lake trout. Chartreuse and silver jigs worked well around the northeast side trolling between White Rocks towards Granite Rock or the clay banks in around 130 to 160 feet of water was a popular depth range.

Au Train: Poor weather conditions kept most anglers off the water, but those who made it out did well on lake trout. These fish were caught by anglers jigging in approximately 160 feet of water north to northeast of Au Train Island, especially with cut bait. Most anglers trolling reported lake trout being caught while in waters around 130 to 180 feet north to northwest of the Au Train Island in the flats or out towards the Laughing White Fish Clay Banks. Wonder Bread, multicolored glow spoons or green/silver flasher flies were all good color combinations. A little bit of cut bait jigging or trolling with Wonder Bread or chartreuse cowbells seemed to work very well at deeper depths of 130 to 180 feet of water

Ontonagon River: Fishing on the river was somewhat slow over the past week. Common catches consisted of walleye in low numbers. Anglers reportedly had the best luck when fishing early mornings. Fish were caught by those trolling and jigging alike.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Fishing efforts from these ports were strong over the past week. Reports show that lake trout were caught in good numbers, along with some occasional coho salmon. Anglers had success in finding these fish when trolling across a variety of water depths.

Black River Harbor: Over the past week, fishing efforts from the harbor were low. Strong winds limited reasonable lake access on occasion. Anglers reported catches of lake trout in good numbers. These fish were caught by most when trolling in deeper waters.

Fishing tip: Looking for some fun? Go fishing this fall!

Ask many anglers and they’ll tell you fall is a wonderful time to go fishing, as fish prepare for the colder months by ramping up their feeding efforts. Most will target salmon, walleye, perch, panfish and bass and see much success when doing so.

Salmon

Many fish will return very hungry to their natal streams throughout this month. Learn more about Michigan’s salmon here.

Walleye

Large schools of this species will move inland from the Great Lakes. By the end of September, these fish will really be biting. Visit our walleye page to learn more about techniques for targeting them.

Perch

Both Lake Michigan and Lake Erie provide great opportunities for perch fishing during the fall as large schools head to shallow water. Check out the perch page to find some great spots to fish for them.