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Little Bay de Noc: Walleye fishing was fair to good. Anglers caught fish casting jigs tipped with live bait or artificial bait featuring glow paint, using erratic, darting presentations to trigger strikes. Anglers trolling reported success using crawler harnesses or slender diving baits. Yellow perch fishing yielded mixed results with some anglers near the Escanaba River and harbor having successful outings, locating schools remained difficult. Minnows fished along deep-water structures and flats produced the best results. Coho salmon were frequently observed, but action was generally slow. Trolling artificial lures such as spoons and crankbaits yielded little success, and anglers using forward-facing sonar while jigging also encountered a tough bite. Early morning and low-light periods near or after dark offered the best opportunity for coho salmon.
Munising: Boat anglers reported catching a few coho salmon and splake while trolling the bay. Anglers fishing off the mouth of the Anna River also caught splake and a few coho salmon. Spawn and spinners were the most effective baits.
Ontonagon River: Over the past week, the river saw minimal angling effort. Anglers reported low catches of walleye, primarily caught by jigging. Trolling proved largely ineffective. Inclement weather throughout the week hindered overall fishing conditions.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: The access sites at Ontonagon, Silver City, and Union Bay each saw low angling effort over the past week. High winds and frequent rain showers continued to limit lake access on multiple days. However, fair-weather days produced good fishing, with anglers reporting solid catches of lake trout along with lesser numbers of coho salmon. Fish were taken by trolling across depths ranging from 40 to 150 feet.
Black River Harbor: The harbor saw low angling effort over the past week due to inclement weather limiting lake access. When conditions allowed, anglers reported mixed catches of brown trout, steelhead, coho salmon, and lake trout in low to fair numbers. Lake trout comprised most of these catches. Fish were taken by trolling in depths ranging from 30 to 150 feet.
St. Ignace: Following early-week rain, some additional Chinook salmon moved into the Carp River and the mouth of Nunns Creek. Anglers caught up to two fish per trip when casting small spoons and minnow-style crankbaits, or drifting spawn. The bite slowed heading into the weekend, with anglers experiencing low success rates despite significant effort. Pink salmon were reported in the rapids upstream of the Carp River fishing pier near the river mouth.
Grand Marais: Fishing activity was slow, though boat anglers reported success targeting lake trout when jigging and trolling. Anglers fishing off the breakwall reported a slow salmon bite.
Manistique: River anglers reported catching pink salmon and Chinook salmon. A small run of Chinook salmon entered the river, with fish observed near the mouth and up near the dam. Anglers trolling and casting crankbaits downstream of the paper mill and rapids reported occasional catches, though Chinook salmon fishing was slower overall. Shore anglers landed a few fish drifting skein, egg sacs, and beads, while other anglers caught fish casting shallow-running crankbaits during low-light periods at dusk and into the night.
Marquette: Most anglers continued to troll north of White Rocks toward Granite Rock and the Clay Banks in 80 to 160 feet of water for lake trout. Anglers reported catching lake trout throughout the water column, primarily near the bottom using downriggers. A few anglers trolling near the mouth of the Chocolay and Carp rivers from Lower Harbor caught coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and brown trout at depths around 30 feet in 60 feet of water. Catch rates appeared to increase as water temperatures cooled.
Au Train: Angler participation increased out of Au Train on calm weather days. Lake trout fishing was productive, with several angler limits. Trolling near the bottom in 140 to 180 feet of water out toward the Flats northeast of Au Train Island yielded steady success. Anglers jigging near the bottom off Au Train Island in 40 to 80 feet of water landed lean lake trout weighing 7 to 10 pounds. Anglers targeting brown trout and salmon in 40 to 60 feet of water marked numerous fish on electronics, though no catches were reported. Activity near river mouths and Scott Falls is expected to increase over the coming weeks as water temperatures cool.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers reported fair fishing, with catches consisting of coho salmon, lake trout, and splake, along with a few larger Chinook salmon taken by trolling spoons and flasher-fly combinations. Anglers jigging for lake trout experienced fair action using both natural and artificial presentations in 100 to 140 feet of water. Shore fishing remained slow, though anglers casting from shore managed to catch a few coho salmon.
Lake Independence, Big Bay: Fishing activity slowed, with most anglers targeting walleye and yellow perch. Anglers had the best success jigging in 15 to 20 feet of water using natural bait.
Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: Anglers reported fair to good lake trout fishing while trolling spoons and flasher-fly combinations around structure in 50 to 100 feet of water. A few coho salmon and steelhead were also caught while trolling, though overall numbers remained low. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported good action when using natural presentations, with most fish caught in 80 to 120 feet of water.
Les Cheneaux/DeTour: Anglers in the Les Cheneaux area caught yellow perch in the Cedarville and Government Bay areas, sorting through smaller fish to keep a full limit. Very few splake were present in the Hessel area. Smallmouth bass fishing was good around the islands near Hessel. In DeTour, when weather permitted, anglers had good success trolling for lake trout on the flats while also taking a few pink salmon.
-- By the Michigan Department of Natural Resources