Fishing improved with the warmer temperatures, but strong storms this week may have the fish scattered by the weekend. Bass season on the Michigan-Wisconsin Boundary Waters is now open. The season to take both snapping turtles and soft shell turtles in the Lower Peninsula will open on July 1st. Size and possession limits can be found on page 13 in the 2006-2007 Michigan Fishing Guide.
 

Lake Erie - Good walleye fishing continues in deeper waters. Anglers are catching fish in waters 22 feet or deeper off of the Fermi Power Plant and in 25 to 28 feet of water off Stony Point and east of Brest Bay. Fish were also caught near the Sputnik. Most anglers are doing best when trolling, although drifting is working well when the lake is choppy. While most lures seem to be producing fish, harnesses and spoons may be hotter than the rest. The Mayfly hatch has started, but catch rates should improve in the shallow waters once the hatch is done.

Detroit River - Good catches of walleye were reported when jigging. Bass are being taken while fishing for walleye. White bass are also being taken, along with an occasional musky.

Lake St. Clair - Walleye have been caught in the southern end of the lake near the mouth of the Detroit River and off Seven Mile and Eight Mile Roads in the early morning. Walleye have also been taken near the 400 Club, off Metro Beach, and the mouth of the Clinton River. Yellow perch have been caught off Metro Beach.

St. Clair River - Walleye are being caught from Lake Huron down to and including the North, South and Middle Channels when drifting crawler harnesses, jigging or hand-lining with spoons during the day or using Rapalas and Pencil Plugs at night.

Harbor Beach - Fair to good salmon fishing straight out and north of the harbor in waters 80 to 100 feet deep. Try Dodgers with squids and magnum spoons. Lake trout were caught both north and south of the harbor or straight out in waters 90 to 120 feet of water. Dodgers with Action Flys or Dodgers with Spin-n-Glows fished just off the bottom have been working best. Steelhead fishing has been slow. Try color lines with bright colored spoons for best results. Yellow perch fishing was slow however good numbers of northern pike and bass have been caught when casting body baits around the weed beds just inside the harbor.

Saginaw Bay - Walleye fishing has been good all over the bay using crawler harnesses and Hot-n-Tot's. If you are interested in catfish, try the Quanicassee River or the Sebewaing River.
 

St. Joseph - Fishing for summer run rainbow trout remains hot off the piers and in the mud lines of the river. Favorite baits are live alewives or shrimp.

St. Joseph River - Overall fishing is slow from the Berrien Springs Dam to Jasper Dairy Boat Launch. Steelhead anglers can find a few fish downstream of the dam. Try targeting the creek mouths. Catfish anglers are fishing through the night using live or cut bait.

South Haven - Rainbow trout are being caught off the north pier with shrimp or alewives as the favorite bait. Perch fishing has been very slow.

Kalamazoo River - Walleye are being taken while drifting live bait, although patience is required as the fishing is spotty.

Grand Haven - Pier fishing is still somewhat slow. Anglers are catching a few steelhead using cooked shrimp. Freshwater drum are also being caught. Boat anglers are taking a few steelhead and salmon in the top 50 feet of water in waters 50 to 80 feet deep on downriggers. The best colors are orange, yellow or green.

Grand River at Grand Rapids - Walleye are being taken by floating a lead headed jig in glow, chartreuse or red. There is good bluegill action off the walls on the east and west side of the river close to the bank using wax and trout worms. Some good sized smallmouth bass have been taken using a variety of lures. Fishing remains good for flathead catfish off the bridges at Ada and Lowell using suckers with a stinger hook. Pike are being taken by floating a bluegill 2 feet under water. Shiners are being used for crappie in the river.

Reeds Lake - Perch are biting in 15 to 20 feet of water. Fishing remains good for crappie behind the Firehouse.

Grand River at Lansing - There is plenty of catfish activity in the river. Gar are being taken at the North Lansing Dam on small minnows. At Moores Park Dam fishing is good for bass, crappie and bluegill.

Muskegon - Due to the weather very few anglers have been out. Salmon have been taken south of the breakwall while fishing 17 to 80 feet down at dawn. During the day the fish can be found in 100 to 130 feet of water fishing 70 to 100 feet down, trolling with herring rigs behind a flasher fly. The best flies are blues and orange, and the best spoons are blue dolphins and glow spins with accents of orange.

Muskegon Lake - Perch fishing is good using bits of nightcrawlers and red worms along the weed beds in 4 to 8 feet of water on the north side of lake. Bluegills are being taken on the flats in 8 to 12 feet of water using wax worms and spikes. Some largemouth bass are being taken by the marinas.
 

Rogers City - Salmon fishing has been good up around Forty Mile Point with most boats bringing in fish averaging 5 to 10 pounds. Steelhead and lake trout have also been caught. Downriggers have been set 25 to 50 feet down in waters 55 to 120 feet deep. Dipsey divers set 25 to 45 feet down have also caught fish. Good lure colors have been yellow, blue, green and white. Cut bait and flashers have also been successful.

Presque Isle - Trout and salmon anglers have been fishing straight out of the harbor or between the Lighthouses. Try 40 to 60 feet down in waters 60 to 90 feet deep. Green has been the hot color, followed by blue, black, purple and white. Look for the thermocline and any structure as the chinook like the colder water. Try fishing the shallow waters in the early mornings or late into the evening, as that is where the bait fish are.

Rockport - Anglers fishing up towards Stoneport have caught chinook salmon averaging 7 pounds when trolling 33 to 37 feet down in waters 50 feet deep.

Alpena - Boat anglers have caught trout and salmon in 130 to 185 feet of water northeast of the Nordmere Wreck. Chinook, lake trout and pink salmon have been caught when trolling spoons. Most of the boats going out continue to target walleye, especially at night. The fish are averaging 4 pounds and 17 to 24 inches long. Trolling along the end of Sulfur Island or inside Grass Island might be your best bet for catching the large walleye. Freshwater drum have been caught on crawlers off the end of the pier.

Thunder Bay River - Boats are still trolling the entire river for walleye, freshwater drum and channel catfish, which are still present in smaller concentrations. Fishing from Mill Island is usually good for panfish. Freshwater drum and catfish can usually be caught behind the DNR Office and near the launch site.

Hubbard Lake - Smallmouth bass action has been fair to slow. Anglers are using spinner baits and natural worms just off the shoreline in 6 to 8 feet of water. Walleye action seems to have died off for now as it seems the mayfly hatch has slowed fishing.

Harrisville - Lake trout fishing has been fair in waters 110 to 150 feet deep.

Oscoda - Anglers are having fair success for walleye in the morning hours using night crawlers. Boat anglers reported fair catches of lake trout in waters 100 to 140 feet deep.

Tawas - Lake trout are out in 110 feet of water. A few salmon have been caught off Tawas Point. Walleye are being taken in the bay.

Houghton Lake - Good catches of bluegill, yellow perch and crappie were taken when fishing the weed beds near the Middle Ground and along the south shoreline. Leaf worms, wax worms, leeches and live minnows seemed to work best. Walleye are being taken every day in the early morning or late evening on crawler harnesses with leeches or minnows. Northern pike have also been caught, though the fish are running small.
 

Lake Charlevoix - Fishing pressure for walleye remains high, but the bite did slow a bit. Fish were caught when trolling crawler harnesses or Rapalas in 13 to 17 feet of water near the access site in Dutchman's Bay and near the foundry in East Jordan. Anglers reported very good smallmouth bass fishing around most of the lake. Try fishing the harbor near Boyne City, Young State Park, Oyster Bay, Horton Bay and along Lakeshore Drive while casting tube baits, leeches, or Rapalas in shallow waters or trolling crawler harnesses and Rapalas in waters 10 to 20 feet deep. Yellow perch were caught in waters 20 to 45 feet deep near the public access site in Charlevoix and off the Coast Guard Station, but the fish are running small.

Intermediate Lake - Located 3 miles north of Bellaire in Antrim County has produced some catches of largemouth bass and northern pike, but the fish were running small.

Traverse City - On the East Bay, boat anglers have been catching a good number of lake trout along the South Bank in 70 feet of water using spoons and cowbells. A few chinook salmon have also been caught in shallow waters 15 to 30 feet deep. Good whitefish action this past week south of Elk Rapids in 40 to 50 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were caught in shallow waters along Deepwater Point. On the West Bay, boat anglers continued to catch a fair number of lake trout along the Brush Grounds and the White Walls in 70 to 110 feet of water. Whitefish were taken on spawn and wigglers in 40 to 70 feet of water near the mouth of the Boardman River.

Crystal Lake - Anglers are reporting some decent catches of lake trout, and good numbers of rock bass have been caught near the drop-offs. Live bait fished in 10 to 20 feet of water worked best.

Frankfort - Pier fishing has been slow, but a few chinook were caught off the very end of the pier when using alewife. Trolling was best to the north near Point Betsie and straight out in front of the piers, though the fish seem scattered. Try trolling in 150 to 350 feet of water with spoons in the colors green, blue, red or purple.

Onekama - Pier fishing from the blue rail back into Portage Lake has been good for rock bass and largemouth bass. Trolling for trout and salmon has paid off for a few boats near the Barrel or straight out from the piers. Good catches of chinook and lake trout have come on green, blue, or glow spoons in waters 135 to 250 feet deep. Look for the temperature breaks.

Portage Lake - Fishing has been good for largemouth bass, but only light numbers of smallmouth were taken. Walleye were caught when fishing along the edge of the weed beds in evening.

Manistee - Fishing was a bit slow with only light numbers of chinook, lake trout and steelhead taken off the Shelf. Those fishing in the harbor and off the piers had no luck because of all the bait fish in the area.

Manistee Lake - Bluegills and sunfish have been caught in shallow waters. Both the largemouth and the smallmouth bass are on the beds.

Mainistee River - The Hexagenia hatch has started on parts of the river and should continue for the next two weeks.

Lake Cadillac - Has very good fishing, with anglers taking good numbers of bluegill and crappie along the south shore in 6 to 8 feet of water. Artificial jigs, worms and minnows have caught fish. Fishing along the shore in the northeast corner of the lake near the Junior High School continues to be good. A few walleye have been caught along the drop-off in the late evening.

Lake Mitchell - Has good fishing on both the north end and the south end of the lake near M-55 using jigs and live bait in 4 to 10 feet of water. Walleye have been caught along the northeast shore on jigs with minnows in 12 to 20 feet of water.

Ludington - Recent south/southwest winds have pushed warmer waters into the area, and the fish are starting to move in closer. Boat anglers are fishing both south and north to the point in waters 150 feet deep and catching lake trout and steelhead. A few smaller chinook salmon have also been caught, but not many. Pier anglers had no luck.

Keweenaw Bay - Anglers are still picking up salmon and lake trout in the 50 to 70 feet of water between Sand Point and Carla's Cafe on U.S. 41, and between the L'Anse Marina and Township Park. Some nice catches of northern pike and yellow perch were taken in the marina at Baraga. The perch were hitting on worms and the pike on minnows and crank baits. In Traverse Bay, lake trout were taken in 130 to 150 feet of water.

Lake Mary - Located about 6 miles southeast of Crystal Falls in Iron County has good bluegill fishing. A few northern pike were also caught.

Lake Michigamme - Anglers are looking for walleye all over the lake. Try casting, drifting or still-fishing near the islands and rock piles, or in the bays. Live baits such as crawlers, minnows and leeches worked best. Smallmouth bass are hitting on surface plugs or Rapalas in the bays and along the south end of the lake. Those casting spinner baits near the dam and around the islands have landed a few northern pike.

Menominee River - Yellow perch have been caught in the marina at Menominee. Fair walleye fishing was reported along the entire lower river when fishing in the evening. Smallmouth bass, freshwater drum and northern pike were also caught.

Green Bay - Boat anglers had fair success taking salmon, brown trout and the occasional steelhead when fishing the area around Green Island. Up near the Cedar River, salmon have been caught near the #1 Green Buoy and the Whaleback Shoal. Walleye have been caught when trolling bottom bouncers in 20 feet of water from Henes Park south to Seagull Bar.

Big Bay De Noc - Excellent walleye catches were reported this week with most of the fish caught ranging from 24 to 29 inches. Good fishing was reported in 15 feet of water off Big Bay Shoals and in 14 to 22 feet of water just north of Kate's Bay. Drifting and trolling with crawlers worked best. Fair catches were reported from Porcupine Point and Nahma Beach. Fair to good smallmouth bass fishing was also reported in Kate's Bay, Puffy Bay, near Ogontz and at the head of the Bay just off the weed beds. Salmon fishing is still warming up. Boats are trolling spoons and plugs in various colors about 20 feet off the bottom in waters 80 to 120 feet deep.

Marquette - Lake trout fishing has slowed a bit for boaters heading out of both the Upper and Lower Harbors. There were reports of strong currents which can make deep water lake trout fishing difficult. Most of the boats are heading north off Presque Isle Point and trolling spoons or cut bait in waters 140 to 200 feet deep.

Au Train / Munising - Salmon fishing over the past week has been slow. Lake trout in the 2 to 5 pound range were caught in 150 to 200 feet of water. Several sub-legal splake have also been caught as the large ones have been hard to come by. Whitefish action was slow.

St. Mary's River - At Sault Ste. Marie, those fishing behind the Edison Power Plant reported excellent catches of whitefish. Most are anchoring their boats in 12 to 14 feet of water and casting or drifting a wire fly, wax worms or small minnows. Northern pike fishing has been real productive when trolling or casting blue and chrome rattle traps on the edge of the weed beds along the drop-off in 6 to 8 feet of water all around Lake George.

De Tour - Boat anglers continue to catch both chinook and atlantic salmon from the Shipping Channel to the #3 Green Can and around the Lighthouse. Spoons in color combinations green and white or green and blue seem to catch fish.

Cedarville / Hessel - Chinook salmon have been caught around Goose Island. A few yellow perch were caught in the Snows Channel and around Little Joe Island.