Upper Peninsula Weekly Fishing Report – June 15, 2022

Little Bay de Noc

Anglers had some success trolling or drifting harnesses. Some anglers were also using crankbaits. Smallmouth bass fishing was good, with anglers using jerk baits and soft plastics.

Manistique

Anglers reported that alewives moved in, which made for a tough walleye bite. Salmon anglers reported cooler surface water temperatures, although salmon had not yet arrived. Some lake trout were caught.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay

Anglers were catching lake trout, coho and king salmon the past week. Most fish were being caught while trolling with artificial bait, mainly spoons. Some lake trout were also caught while jigging with natural and cut bait. Most anglers found their best days on the water starting as early as 6 a.m. on days with decent weather.

Les Cheneaux/Detour

Anglers were catching a few pike and perch off the pier in Hessel. They were also catching some smallmouth bass in Hessel and Cedarville. In Detour, angers were catching a few chinook salmon, along with lake trout and Atlantic salmon. Some anglers were boating to Drummond and catching a few walleye and some smallmouth bass around Maxton and Scott bays.

Lake George

Fishing was more consistent within the shallow bays along the shore of Sugar Island. Anglers reported that walleye, northern pike, perch and smallmouth were caught. When the temperatures in the bays were in the low to mid-50s, the fish were moving shallow, which made trolling for most of the species somewhat difficult, but there were catches reported in the shallow bays. Walleye have been a tough bite as of late, hardly hitting crankbaits or any artificial baits for that matter; crawler harnesses were the most productive, with the occasional pike hit on most of the usual methods as well as by-catch when trolling for walleye. Perch were hitting on perch rigs, and the bite was slowly increasing with temperatures.

Lake Nicolet

There were a couple Atlantic salmon caught along with a couple steelhead up along the rapids. Most of the fishing was producing a good number of harvested fish along the west side of Sugar Island and along the shoreline by Dunbar. In the upper river, whitefish were starting to get caught consistently, but not much fishing for them happened behind the powerhouse yet. Most of the trolling in the area was hit or miss. Try trolling just under the surface if you’re able to or try jigging and rigs, which were more productive in comparison to trolling.

Traverse Bays/South Portage Canal Entry

Anglers had good luck fishing for lake trout in waters 120 feet deep. Coho salmon were also represented in the catch, but lake trout were by far the most commonly caught species. Anglers were fishing a wide range of depths from 30 feet to 230 feet deep, with those fishing deeper than 100 feet straight out from the Portage Canal reporting higher catches. Anglers taking advantage of the early hours were catching most of the fish.

Munising

Boating anglers were mainly trolling within the bay while targeting king and coho salmon. A few anglers reported limits on lake trout, but most are finding tough fishing. Anglers reported good catches earlier in the previous week; however, action slowed during the last four to five days as the temperatures changed. A large sand bar off the Anna River has made fishing there difficult.

Grand Marais

A few anglers and fishing charters reported limits of lake trout while fishing near the Au Sable Lighthouse and Five Mile Reef. Pier fishing for whitefish was slow, with little fishing pressure observed. Angling effort was primarily taking place during dawn and dusk, while the southerly winds have slowed the bite the past few days.

Carp and Pine rivers

Anglers were catching brown trout and brook trout in the headwater reaches of these streams as insect hatches were becoming more frequent. Many of these tributaries and upper reaches hold wild and stocked trout, and anglers using stealthy techniques will catch more fish. Look for fishing to get better as insect hatch frequency increases in the early summer.

Marquette

Fishing pressure has increased over the past week as anglers have reported relatively good success in the Marquette area. Anglers that were trolling between the Carp and Chocolay rivers have had good success in 40 feet and deeper water. King and coho salmon were being caught near “Shot Pointe.” Some of the best success has been reported from anglers fishing with bright orange spoons or flickers. Anglers targeting lake trout should try either jigging in deep water (150 feet or more) or trolling in medium to deep water. A few anglers reported successful trips fishing for lake trout on Stannard Rock while jigging and trolling.

Au Train

Fishing pressure in the Au Train area has been very limited. The Rock and Au Train rivers have seen little fishing activity, and there have been no reports of any catches. Anglers have had some success in the past by casting out a worm or spawn bag from shore. Anglers have also had success catching lake trout and salmon to the east of the Brownstone Boat Launch while trolling orange and multi-color spoons and flickers. Anglers fishing to the west of the launch have primarily caught lake trout. Near the mouth of the Laughing Whitefish River and jigging around Au Train Island in deep water have also proven to be good places to try trolling.

Upper St. Mary’s

Fishing pressure for whitefish remained steady upriver of the Soo Locks. Anglers were reporting more catches of whitefish at smaller sizes (15 to 18 inches) upriver compared to fewer catches, but larger-sized fish downriver. A limited number of round whitefish (Menominee) were being reported in the catch. Jigging with artificial and natural wax worms was producing consistent results for whitefish. At Waishkey Bay, walleye fishing was good while trolling with crawler harnesses after sunset.

Whitefish Bay

Salmon anglers fishing in Whitefish Bay reported catching chinook and coho salmon over the past week. Anglers trolling between 50 to 70 feet down in roughly 100 feet of water using different-colored spoons reported having the best success. Anglers also caught some brown trout and steelhead. Walleye fishing near the mouth of the Tahquamenon River has also been good for anglers trolling crawler harnesses and stick baits. A few muskellunge were caught and released while trolling for walleye and by casting spinner baits.

Fishing Tip:

A little goes a long way … What do the Au Sable, Two Hearted, Kalamazoo and Huron rivers have in common? They are all state-designated Natural Rivers. Select river systems throughout Michigan are afforded protections through zoning regulations that aim to balance the right to reasonable development with preserving, protecting and enhancing the state’s unique rivers. Each additional foot away from the river a new home is built, each additional foot of riverside vegetation left intact, helps preserve Michigan’s world-class aquatic resources for current and future generations.