Weekly Fishing Report October 13

Perch fishing was excellent for boat anglers in Saginaw Bay. It is still too early for perch to be entering the rivers, cuts and marina basins. Shore anglers will fare better with colder weather in November. Trout and salmon fishing continues and the number of fish coming in looks good.
 

SOUTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA

Lake Erie: Some perch were caught between the Dumping Grounds and Stony Point in 18 to 25 feet of water. A few hot spots were straight out from Sterling State Park or a mile northeast of the River Raisin in 24 feet of water. Anglers are seeing lots of perch but will need to sort out the small ones. Those fishing the Hot Pond did very well for catfish and largemouth bass.

Huron River: Water levels need to come up and water temperatures need to go down so steelhead will move into the river. A few fish were taken early or late. Those fishing the backwaters caught crappie and bluegill.

Detroit River: Perch were still hitting on rigs with shiner minnows. For walleye, try jigging around Celeron and Sugar Island. Bass are still being caught.

Lexington: Shore and pier anglers are starting to get some perch inside the harbor. Those putting in the time will end up with enough for a meal after sorting out the small ones. Trout and salmon are cruising in the harbor but will not bite.

Port Sanilac: Is also producing perch for pier and shore anglers. Trout and salmon are in the harbor but will not bite.

Harbor Beach:  Those die-hard trollers found salmon hitting in 150 to 175 feet of water. Perch were caught on minnows inside the harbor.

Grindstone City:  Pier and shore anglers are starting to catch some perch.

Port Austin:  Is also producing some perch for pier and shore anglers.

Saginaw Bay: If you haven’t put your boat away, now is the time to get some perch. Anglers from Linwood to Bay Port were converging to the middle of Saginaw Bay. Good to excellent catches of 7 to 9 inch fish were taken in the vicinity of Buoys 1 & 2, 16 &17 or 11 & 12; and just south of the Black Hole in 17 to 21 feet of water. A few perch were caught near the mouth of the Saginaw River. Bass anglers launching at Bay Port did very well for smallmouth around North Island and the Charity Islands.

Saginaw River: A few walleye were caught below the bridges in Bay City when fishing jigs and twister tails at night.
SOUTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
St. Joseph: Fishing for all species is very slow.  Boat anglers are struggling to find clear water.  There are no perch being caught by boat or pier anglers. The water is still turbid from the last round of storms and visibility is not what it should be.

South Haven:   Fishing is slow and boat anglers are struggling to find clear water. A few perch were caught but the fish are small and the action was slow. Anglers were having a hard time finding minnows. Pier anglers targeting salmon reported slow catch rates.

Kalamazoo River: Is producing salmon and a few walleye up near the Allegan Dam.

Grand Haven: Anglers are catching chinook, coho, steelhead and lake trout. The better fishing was 20 to 70 feet down in 200 to 260 feet of water with orange spoons in the top water or blue and green deeper. Pier fishing is very slow as water temperatures were in the high 50’s and low 60’s. No perch to report.

Grand River at Grand Rapids:  Is producing good steelhead and brown trout action at the dam however this week could be the peak of the brown trout run. Chinook are still moving up into the river but the coho action is winding down. Try spawn bags, spinners, or Hot-n-Tots. Good fishing off Fulton Street for those using a chrome and blue Hot-n-Tot with a red lip. Walleye were caught by those drifting crawlers or body baits. Riverside Park is giving up limit catches of crappie and bluegill and Millennium Park is good for crappie, bluegill, pike and bass.

Grand River at Lansing:  Coho are still being caught at Moore’s Park and the point where the Grand meets the Red Cedar. Try spinners, spoons or spawn. Those fishing near the dam in Eaton Rapids are taking good numbers of smallmouth bass on golden shiners.

Lake Ovid: Is producing panfish on wax worms but the fish are running small.

Morrison Lake: Panfish are hitting on red worms or wax worms in deeper water.

Jordan Lake: Has good panfish action in deeper water.

Muskegon: Boats are fishing out in 150 to 300 feet of water however the better fishing has been 20 to 70 feet down in 200 to 260 feet of water. Orange spoons were taking the fish up high while blue and green were the colors in deeper water. There has been no pier activity.

Muskegon Lake: Has good walleye action. Most are slow trolling with an electric motor while drifting #11 or #12 husky jerks, rapalas or reef runners.

Muskegon River:   Walleye have been caught in the Croton Dam Pond and in the Hardy Dam Pond. Anglers are bouncing spoons or jigging rapalas off the bottom.

Whitehall: Boat anglers are targeting salmon 60 to 90 feet down in waters 180 to 200 feet deep. Steelhead were caught 30 to 40 feet down.

White River: Is still producing a good number of salmon for those using spawn.

 

 

NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA

Rogers City: Is full of baitfish and they are everywhere from shallow waters all the way out to 120 feet. Fish caught were full small alewife and smelt. Try small spoons about halfway down in waters 50 to 80 feet deep. Blue, green, gray, white and black were good colors. Steelhead were caught high in the water column with downriggers and lead core. Orange and silver or bright pink were good colors. Those fishing off the wall caught the occasional salmon or brown trout when casting spoons or body baits. There is still plenty of good fishing out on the big lake and the fish look nice and healthy.

Alpena: A few anglers in the bay were targeting walleye but no fish were caught.

Thunder Bay River: Most of the activity has been at the Ninth Street Dam where anglers have caught chinook and the occasional steelhead. No brown trout to report.   A few perch were caught in the marina.

Harrisville: Salmon are still coming into the harbor and the fish are bright silver. Early morning and late evening were best when using spawn or spoons. The warm weather has the fish moving in and heading back out. Shore and boat anglers seem to be having the same amount of luck with most fish caught inside the harbor. A few walleye were also caught but more fish will show up as soon as the water temperatures start to drop.

Higgins Lake: Perch fishing was good out from Big Creek and west of the main island in 30 to 40 feet of water. Lake trout have been caught at the north end of the lake when jigging or trolling.

Oscoda: Salmon are starting to make their way up into the river and the fish look good and healthy. A few boats have been out but those fishing around the mouth of the river caught fish on spoons and body baits.

Au Sable River: Most of the fish have been caught up near Whirlpool, High Banks and Foot Dam. The fish that have made it up to the dam are turning dark. Spawn, spoons and flies seem to be the most productive. If the sun is out the fish are shutting down, but they bite all day if it is overcast. There were reports of steelhead caught by those floating spawn. Try the deeper holes up around High Banks and the Boy Scout Camp.  Look for more steelhead to show up later in the month.

Tawas: Pier anglers can catch enough decent sized perch for dinner if you’re willing to sort out the small ones. A couple walleye and chinook salmon were also caught off the pier at night.

Tawas River: Several chinook salmon have been caught at the mouth.

Au Gres: Had excellent perch fishing out near the shipping channel between Pointe Au Gres and Point Lookout in 30 to 40 feet of water. Everyone caught fish and some reported limit catches. The perch ranged 6 to 9 inches with some up to 12. Smallmouth bass anglers did well when casting around the Charity Islands. Perch anglers off the Eagle Bay Marina did well in the Catfish Hole in 18 feet of water.

Au Gres River: Several salmon and steelhead were caught near the mouth of Whitney Drain when casting or floating spawn bags.
NORTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Petoskey: Look for steelhead action to start picking up inside the pier and around the mouth of the river in the next few weeks.

Bear River: Anglers can find plenty of salmon in the river and down near the mouth. A cold front coming to the area by the end of the week should fill the river up one more time before the salmon run starts to wind down.

Charlevoix: Salmon fishing is coming to an end as most of the fish are now spawning in the rivers. Perch action should start picking up in the next few weeks.

Pine River: Had fair to good smallmouth bass fishing.

Traverse City: Perch and whitefish have been caught in the East Bay. For perch, try still-fishing with minnows or worms. For whitefish, try jigging in waters up to 100 feet deep. Bass anglers caught a few fish. In the West Bay, boat anglers had limited success for perch when still-fishing with wigglers or shrimp.

Elk River: Shore anglers continue to catch salmon below the power dam when using skein or spawn bags. A few lake trout were also caught.

Boardman River: Shore anglers are still catching salmon. A lot of fish were in the river but it looks like the run may be coming to an end.

Frankfort: Has good fishing for boat, pier and shore anglers. Boat anglers are taking limits of chinook, coho and steelhead. The salmon are hitting on spoons 70 to 90 feet down while steelhead are hitting anything orange in the top 40 feet.   On the north pier, try between shore and the elbow when using fresh spawn. Several fish over eight pounds have been caught. Those surf-casting are starting to catch fish.

Onekama: Steelhead and coho anglers are heading straight out from the pier in 250 feet of water or trolling north in 35 to 55 feet of water. Several ten to thirteen pound coho were landed with females still holding their eggs.

Portage Lake: Nice weather jump started catch rates for bass with several smallmouth over five pounds taken and largemouth bass willing to put up a great fight, especially along the shoreline and around the buoy. Those trolling the south shoreline just after dark were starting to catch a few walleye on body baits.

Manistee: Boat anglers are still catching chinook, coho and steelhead. Some of the better fishing was found in the top 50 to 60 feet in waters up to 100 feet deep.

Manistee River: Fresh fish are still moving all the way up to Tippy Dam. A few coho are still around along with a fair number of steelhead. This weekend could still be good but the run is nearing its peak and could be on the downslide by next week.

Pentwater: Fishing has slowed with most of the fish already up the river. Those still trolling south of the pier are catching big steelhead, three year old chinook and a few small coho. Try halfway down in waters 80 to 150 feet deep with spoons. Red, orange and copper were good colors.
UPPER PENINSULA

Copper Harbor: Good numbers of splake are coming into the harbor and large schools of fish can be seen in the marina. Remember, splake are not very aggressive in shallow water. Fishing by boat was spotty but more productive than shore fishing. Try casting or trolling stick baits.

Keweenaw Bay:  Had low angler participation and no reports. In Traverse Bay, anglers caught lake trout on spoons in 70 to 130 feet of water between Big Louie’s Point and Gay Point. Trolling speed was 1.9 up to 2.4 mph. Along the South Portage Entry, lake trout were caught in 80 to 120 feet of water when trolling near Farmers and Newton’s Reef. Those jigging did well in 240 to 260 feet of water around Newton’s Reef and the south end of Big Reef.

Falls River: Coho and pink salmon were spotted as they try to make their way up past some of the falls.

Gratiot Lake: Is producing some perch for those using a crawler or minnow under a slip bobber in 30 feet of water. Walleye fishing was fair when trolling crawler harnesses along the edge of the weed beds.

Marquette: Surface water temperatures are still warm. A few boats did manage to catch lake trout near the White Rocks and the Clay Banks when using small spoons in 130 to 150 feet of water. Salmon fishing was slow with only a few fish caught near the Dead River and the Carp River.

Menominee:   A few boats heading out to Green Island reported fair walleye action when trolling a crawler harness. A few lake whitefish were also caught.

Menominee River: Some anglers are still-fishing with spawn off the marina or casting spoons off the outside breakwall. They have caught the occasional chinook or steelhead. Those wading near the first dam have caught a couple steelhead and brown trout. Some are drifting spawn or yarn while others are casting spoons or rapalas. Slow fishing behind K-Mart as water levels were low.

Little Bay De Noc: A few walleye anglers were out fishing between the “Narrows” and the ship docks at Escanaba. Fish were marked in 10 to 30 feet of water but few were caught during the warm weather.   Perch anglers did a little better around Butler Island when still-fishing with minnows or crawlers in 30 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were caught between the “Narrows” and Farmers Dock when using crank baits or minnows in 15 to 25 feet of water.

Day’s River: Shore anglers caught chinook on spawn, spoons and crank baits.

Escanaba River: Is also producing chinook salmon.

Ford River: Chinook salmon are hitting on spoons, crank baits or spawn. Shore anglers did best in the early morning or evening.

Big Bay De Noc:  Smallmouth bass anglers reported fair to good catch rates when trolling minnows between Snail Shell Harbor and Snake Island. Anglers were fishing 15 to 30 feet down along the break. Rumor has it perch were caught in Garden Bay.

Munising: Boat anglers are targeting coho in the bay. Catch rates were fair in the early morning in 20 to 50 feet of water with dodgers and flies or spoons. The fish range from two to four pounds. Pier anglers caught salmon and splake when casting spoons, spinners or spawn. Bright colored spinners and little cleo’s worked best.

Grand Marais: Some boats trolling in the bay had limited success for coho and steelhead. The coho ranged from two to five pounds. Shore anglers fishing near the mouth of the Sucker River caught a couple steelhead when using spoons or spinners.

Manistique: Chinook salmon are being caught by boat anglers near the mouth of the river and just past the breakwall when trolling small spoons and rapalas.

Manistique River: Anglers wading at the first dam are targeting trout and salmon. The shoreline is filling up with anglers casting the smaller double jointed floating rapala’s. Perch and a blue/silver combination worked best. Some are fly fishing and some are drifting orange colored yarn near the fast water. A couple steelhead and brown trout were also caught.

St. Mary’s River: The weeds are still thick and the walleye are slow to bite in Raber Bay and around Lime Island.

Detour: A few walleye were caught along Swedes Point in 8 to 12 feet of water when using bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. Purple seems to be the hot color. A few yellow perch were caught just west of the Sportsmen Club in Maxton Bay. Water temperature is still 60 degrees around Drummond Island.

Cedarville and Hessel: Anglers caught perch in Musky Bay, the north shore of Middle Entrance and Urie Bay in 12 to 14 feet of water. Crawlers and minnows are both producing. Some are targeting perch off Cedarville and Little Joe Island.

Beaver Tail Creek: The salmon run is nearing its peak. Try spawn or small spoons.

Carp River: Anglers fishing the mouth for rainbow trout are using two rods and drifting one with spawn while casting the other with small spoons. Salmon are up stream near the Mackinac Bridge Trail and McDonald Rapids.