Fishing Report

Lake trout have been caught when trolling spoons with attractors in waters 60 to 80 feet deep. A few chinook and pink salmon have also been caught. Pier anglers have caught walleye on crawlers in the early morning. Freshwater drum, catfish and rock bass have also been caught.

Boat anglers are getting some walleye when trolling out near Buoy 2 and down towards Alabaster in 25 to 35 feet of water. Body baits and crank baits worked best. Smallmouth bass, rock bass and the occasional walleye were also caught.

Has good walleye fishing with limit catches reported. Fish ranging from 15 to 18 inches have been caught about 3 miles out from the mouth of the Au Gres River. Crawler harnesses in 30 to 35 feet of water worked best. Those looking for bigger fish should try out near the Charity Islands.

Very good walleye fishing from various locations around the inner bay using crawler harnesses. Local hotspots include just west of the Spark Plug, the Callahan Reef, the Coreyeon Reef and the Slot off Sebewaing. A good number of boats are fishing just off the mouth of the Saginaw River and the Quanicassee River.

Anglers are trolling for walleye west of the port near Hat Point Reef. Warmer weather should bring in the salmon and lake trout.

Salmon fishing is slow. Try fishing straight out and north of the harbor in 80 to 120 feet of water with spoons and dodgers. Green and yellow were good colors. Good lake trout fishing in 120 feet of water using cut bait fished near the bottom. Steelhead and yellow perch fishing were slow. Northern pike and bass fishing continues to be good inside the harbor when casting spoons or body baits.

Good perch fishing was reported in 30 to 40 feet of water. Pier anglers are taking mostly rock bass, bluegills and a few smallmouth bass. Salmon and trout fishing were spotty in the big lake as the fish are scattered. Those trolling have caught a few chinook, pink salmon, steelhead and lake trout.

Is still the hot spot when it comes to catching chinook and atlantic salmon. A few lake trout have also been caught when trolling from the Shipping Channel to the #3 Green Can and around the Lighthouse. Lures in color the color combinations gold and green or blue and green have worked best.

Slow fishing over the last week for chinook and coho. A few lake trout were taken, but catch rates were inconsistent. Shore and pier anglers have caught several smaller splake, but a few lucky anglers have managed to catch and land a few legal fish.

Boat anglers have caught lake trout in waters 140 to 200 feet deep in the Upper Harbor. Some reported taking light numbers of chinook salmon, lake trout, and splake near the breakwall in the Lower Harbor.

Walleye have dominated the catch over the last week in the lower river. The better catches came from the Train Bridge downstream to the Ogden Street Bridge. Northern pike, musky, and freshwater drum were also caught. Fair catches of yellow perch were taken off the piers in the Menominee Marina and near the Lighthouse while still-fishing with worms or crawlers. Boat anglers trolling about a mile north in waters 15 to 20 feet deep reported fair catches of walleye.

Boat anglers are trolling orange, gold, white and purple spoons. Try 30 to 65 feet down in waters 50 to 70 feet of water between Sand Point and Carla's Cafe on US-41, or between the L'Anse Marina and the Township Park. Chinook, coho and lake trout have been caught when slow trolling. Some are jigging for lake trout in 150 to 200 ft of water near Newton's Reef. In Traverse Bay, lake trout were caught when jigging in 140 to 250 feet of water using jigs and cut bait.

Reported excellent walleye fishing. Anglers have been fishing an hour before dark with leeches and a slip bobber. Bass fishing has also been excellent. Anglers are casting rattle traps, crank baits and spinner baits into the shallow waters near shore.

Good numbers of largemouth bass have been caught either suspended in deep waters or on the beds. Bluegills were caught in shallow waters on both the north and south ends of the lake. Black crappie were taken along the weeds in 6 to 10 feet of water east of Little Cove.

Crappies are still biting near the Junior High School in 6 to 8 feet of water. The bluegills and pumpkinseed are on the beds. Try the south shore along M-55 in 3 to 4 feet of water using jigs with plastic tails and worms.

Walleye and bass have been caught along the edge of the weeds. Bluegill and rock bass have been caught on the east end of the lake.

A good number of anglers have been fishing for walleye from the access site at Dutchman's Bay to the park in East Jordan. Fish ranging from 12 to 24 inches were caught when trolling in 15 to 20 feet of water. Walleye were also taken near Young State Park and the Ironton Channel in 10 to 20 feet of water. Northern pike and smallmouth bass are hitting on minnow plugs when trolling around the points and drop-offs. Boat anglers trolling for trout are fishing the entire water column of waters 15 to 80 feet deep in Horton Bay, Oyster Bay, Hemingway Point, and the launch site at Charlevoix. Channel catfish ranging from 14 to 24 inches have been caught in 15 feet of water. Freshwater drum and rock bass have also been caught.

Is in the mist of a May-fly hatch. Panfish catches were slow as the fish appear to be suspended in 6 to 8 feet of water. Anglers reported fair walleye fishing 3 to 4 feet down in waters 8 to 10 feet deep. Leeches on slip bobbers or slow trolling with crawlers seemed to work best.

Walleye fishing continues to be very good, especially from Algonac up to Lake Huron. Boat anglers are trolling with crawler harnesses off Port Huron. Walleye have also been caught in both the Middle Channel and the North Channel. Chinook and steelhead are in the lower end of Lake Huron feeding on minnows.

Good walleye fishing from Trenton all the way down to Lake Erie with limit catches reported. Anglers are reminded that the possession limit is 5 fish. Bright colored jigs with a brown plastic worm or a real crawler have caught fish.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been excellent. Fish have been caught 2 miles N of Beaver Creek, 3 miles N of the Chagrin River in 24’ to 40’ of water, N of the Cleveland Crib in 60’ of water, 1 to 2 miles NE of Fairport Harbor in 25 to 30’ of water, and 1 to 2 miles NW of Geneva in 25 to 30’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons trolled with dipsy or jet divers. Yellow perch fishing has been good less than 1 mile out of Lorain, in the Cleveland area 2 miles N of E 55th St. in 34’ of water, 3 miles N of Willowick in 38' feet of water, 2 miles NW of Fairport Harbor in 30 to 35’ of water, and less than 1 mile NW of Ashtabula in 24’ of water. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish. Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent from Fairport Harbor to Perry in 10 to 24’ of water. Fish have been caught on tube jigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

Walleye fishing continues to be excellent with many limits being caught. Fishing has been best W of West Sister Island in the Gravel Pit and around the turnaround buoy of the Toledo shipping channel, along the northern cans (A, B and C) of the Camp Perry firing range, and N of Kelleys Island to the Canadian border. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or worm harnesses with bottom bouncers, while trollers are using worm harnesses with inline weights or bottom bouncers and jet or dipsy divers with spoons. The best yellow perch fishing in the western basin has been around Lucy’s point of Middle Bass Island, E of Kelleys Island, and SW of Gull Island Shoal. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Walleye fishing has picked up from the mouth of the Detroit River to Sterling State Park, with limit catches reported. Fish are being caught in 20 feet of water with crawler harnesses and various lures. A few fish were taken at the southern end of the lake at the usual hot spots such as Bolles Harbor, E buoy, Dumping Grounds, Luna Pier, and Turtle Island. Good catches were taken in 20 to 27 feet of water near Stony Point, the Fermi Power Plant and east of Brest Bay. Most are trolling harnesses, spoons, Hot-n-Tots or Wiggle Warts. Weekend anglers launching at Sterling or Bolles Harbor should expect long lines at the launch sites. Large freshwater drum and white bass can be found from Point Mouillee south. White perch are hanging out around Sugar Island and the Five Mile Light while northern pike prefer Stony Island.

Is still the hot spot for catching chinook, lake trout and atlantic salmon. Most of the action is coming from the Shipping Channel to the #3 Green Can and around the Lighthouse on gold and green or blue and green lures.

Slow catch rates for coho in this area of the state. A few chinook were taken, but catch rates were spotty overall. Lake trout fishing was fair in the deeper waters, but splake fishing was slow. A couple steelhead were also caught.