Salmon fishing continues to be outstanding, especially on the Lake Michigan. Bluegill and crappie fishing has started to pick up on the inland lakes. This is a good time of year to start catching northern pike which are usually holding in the slower backwaters of the river systems.
 

Lake Erie - Although the east winds have stirred things up a bit, anglers have managed to catch some fish. A few walleye were taken in Brest Bay and in Ohio waters out near West Sister Island. Good numbers of perch have been caught east and southeast of Stony Point in 25 to 27 feet of water. Those fishing off the Sputnik and the E Buoy have taken fish in 22 feet of water. The fish are averaging 7 to 9 inches with a small percentage in the 10 to 11 inch range.

Detroit River - Walleye have been caught at the mouth of the river near the Canadian Border waters and just south of Horse Island in 12 to 14 feet of water. Those jigging with brown rubber worms or leeches have caught fish ranging from 17 to 21 inches. Perch anglers are fishing the southern portion of the river near the mouth as the cooler weather should push more fish into the river. Try fishing southeast of the Metro Park Channel and around Sugar Island. Bass have also been caught on tube baits, live crayfish and imitation gobies. Look for areas with structure such as the Dumping Grounds.

Ford Lake - Green algae can still be seen on the lake. Small bluegills and crappie are still hitting on wax worms or small jigs. Bass fishing was fair on crank baits and tube jigs. Walleye fishing was still poor but a handful of anglers recently started to catch a few small fish on bottom bouncers.

St. Clair River - Those fishing between the Blue Water Bridge and Marysville have caught walleye when drifting crawler harnesses. Shore anglers have also done well when fishing off the rocks near the bridge and off the wall. Bass anglers reported fair to good action when fishing along the weed beds.

Lexington - Few boat anglers have been able to get out, so most are staying inside the harbor and trolling or still-fishing. Some have managed to catch northern pike, bass and bluegills.

Port Sanilac - Rain and windy conditions have hampered fishing efforts. Boat anglers fishing inside the harbor and pier anglers have caught northern pike, largemouth bass, white bass, rock bass and some bluegills. Channel catfish have been caught late at night.

Saginaw Bay - Reported fair perch fishing all week out near Buoys 18 and 22. A few walleye were taken when trolling crawler harnesses or still-fishing with crawlers off the second Spark Plug. Slow action off Sebewaing due to the weather. A few perch were taken in 12 feet of water near Lone Tree Island. At Caseville, a few perch were caught off Oak Point.

Saginaw River - A few bass have been caught on spinner baits or crawlers.
 

St. Joseph River - There is good movement of summer run steelhead and chinook salmon going through the ladder at Berrien Springs. Try drifting small spoons, egg flies or spawn. Good numbers of bass have been caught along the weed beds and areas with good structure.

South Haven - Boat anglers are catching some nice perch in 40 to 60 feet of water. Salmon fishing continues with mostly chinook taken in 60 to 100 feet of water. The majority of fish caught were taken in 85 feet of water.

Grand Haven - Fish have been in 70 to 120 feet of water and are moving in closer with the rain and north wind. Fish have been hitting J-plugs and flies in blue or green and white. Coho are now starting to show up. Many of these fish are missing the adipose fin, which means they have a microscopic coded-wire tag implanted in the head, so anglers need to examine their catch closely. Pier fishing is slow until the salmon show up at the pierheads. Casting green spoons or fishing with alewife and shrimp will produce fish, when they are chasing baitfish around the pierheads.

Grand River at Grand Rapids - Just got a fresh run of salmon in the river. Anglers have done well up near the Sixth Street Dam when using egg flies, spoons, spinners, and spawn bags in the early morning or evening. A few coho, steelhead and brown trout have also been caught. Walleye have been caught west of the fish ladder in the Pole Hole. Anglers will find very good northern pike action in the backwaters.

Thornapple River - Good numbers of crappie have been caught on flathead minnows from the Ada Dam and up.

Grand River at Lansing - No reports of any salmon this far in as it is still a bit early. Catfish and bluegills have been caught when fishing the deeper holes. Stick with the live baits such as large sucker minnows or small bluegills for the catfish. The bluegills are hitting on worms.

Looking Glass River - This is a good time of year to fish for northern pike by boat or when shore fishing at Babcock's Landing. Check the deeper holes for bluegill and perch. Look for bass along the weed beds and near any structure.

Lake Ovid / Sleepy Hollow State Park - Boat anglers drifting have caught catfish in the early evening. Most are drifting cut bait or shrimp about 3 feet under a bobber.

Muskegon - The fish here and are also making their way towards the river due to recent rain and the north winds. Boat anglers are taking trout and salmon in waters 60 to 120 feet deep. J-plugs and spoons in green and white, blue or anything that glows have caught fish. Watch for the trout and salmon with the missing adipose fin. Pier fishing has been slow except for the few fishing showing up in the early morning or late evening. Anglers have been jigging off the short pier with live bait.

Whitehall - Good fishing continues this week with a number of chinook salmon taken in waters 50 to 110 feet deep. Boat anglers are heading both north and south of the pierheads. Pier anglers are drifting spawn for trout and salmon in the early mornings.
 

Rogers City - Rain along with winds from the east, southeast have caused the lake to turnover, and surface temperatures are in the mid 40's. This would be a good time to fish Swan Bay as cold waters are close to shore. Most are using downriggers, planer boards and dipsey divers. Try using spoons, plugs, flies and squid in white, black or glow. Some are trolling in waters 30 to 120 feet deep, but the better fishing has been in 30 to 60 feet of water in the early morning as the salmon are chasing baitfish in the shallows.

Presque Isle - Cold water is here. Good fishing in the shallows 30 to 60 feet deep off Stoneport, North Bay, near the Lighthouse, and straight out from the harbor. Use the same techniques and lures as the anglers at Rogers City, except here spoons have been working better. Look for structure and bait fish.

Rockport - Chinook salmon have been caught in 75 to 80 feet of water out past Middle Island. The hot spot has been right at the temperature break which has been about 70 feet down with sliders set at 50 feet or so. A couple nice chinook were taken on spoons when trolling in a figure eight pattern along the drop-off at the Sink Hole. Those trolling the east side of the Nordmere Wreck have caught good numbers of lake trout in the deeper waters off the Shelf. A few chinook and steelhead were also taken.

Alpena - Due to the inclement weather, fishing effort has been extremely low by both shore and boat anglers. Those few anglers that fished off the docks at the marina, the pier and along the shore of the Thunder Bay River caught rock bass, sunfish and some very small perch. Anglers were casting artificial baits of varying types or using live bait.

Thunder Bay River - There is nothing happening yet up at the Ninth Street Dam. The bridge is out due to major repairs until sometime in November.

Hubbard Lake - Walleye fishing remains good. Anglers are still trolling with Hot-n-Tots and crawlers in 45 to 50 feet of water, right on the bottom. Good numbers of walleye are being brought in from the south end of the lake. Smallmouth bass have been caught in 4 to 12 feet of water. Perch fishing is looking up with anglers catching up to 11 inch fish on the north and south ends of the lake in 12 to 14 feet of water.

Harrisville - Anglers have caught fair to good numbers of lake trout along with the occasional chinook salmon. The better action has been between 50 and 100 feet of water using dodgers with cut bait. A few smaller boats have been fishing out in front of the pierheads early in the morning for chinook.

Tawas - Perch anglers have caught fish off the pier in the early morning, in the weed beds off Jerry?s Marina, and up to Tawas Point. Angler pressure for walleye has been minimal as not many fish were caught. Pier anglers have also caught a few smallmouth bass and northern pike.

Au Gres - Has excellent perch fishing when the north winds are not blowing. Some nice large fish have been caught in 35 to 45 feet of water near the Shipping Channel and off the Hotel. Some have reported catching perch in waters 25 to 30 feet deep. A few walleye were caught south of Point Au Gres.

Higgins Lake - Perch have been caught along the drop-offs in 35 to 40 feet of water around the entire lake. Good perch fishing was reported north of Sunken Island when using perch rigs with perch minnows. Lake trout have been caught when trolling spoons or plugs. Rumor has it that brown trout were spotted in shallow waters south of the DNR Boat Launch. Smallmouth bass continue to bit, and good numbers of rock bass have been caught.

Houghton Lake - Walleye have been caught when drifting crawler harnesses in 9 to 12 feet of water. Northern pike fishing has been slow but should improve with the cooler temperatures. Good numbers of large rock bass have been caught on worms.
 

Lake Charlevoix - Salmon in the 15 to 17 pound range have been caught when trolling spoons, J-plugs and Hootchie Mama's 30 to 40 feet down in waters 70 feet deep. Most boats are trolling the area between Whiting Point, Young State Park and the Power Plant. Walleye fishing was slow and the fish are running small. Boat anglers are trolling and drifting crawler harnesses, rapalas and Hot-n-Tots in 15 to 30 feet of water. Smallmouth bass fishing was slow and the fish were only running 8 to 14 inches. Try casting tube jigs, leeches, crawlers, spinners and body baits. Anglers targeting perch continue to do well. Favorite locations include the Belvedere Club and Horton Bay. Best baits have been shrimp, minnow or crawlers in 10 to 25 feet of water.

Traverse City - Salmon fishing has been good on both Grand Traverse Bays. On the East Bay, stay along Old Mission Peninsula and fish between the launch site at Center Road and the Walls. Other areas to fish are near Elk Rapids and Yuba. The fish are 60 to 80 feet down in waters 110 to 130 feet deep. A few whitefish were taken off Deepwater Point and the Walls when jigging Swedish Pimples or still-fishing with spawn in 60 feet of water. In the West Bay, anglers have caught fish at the mouth of the Boardman River and by the Red Buoy off Grelickville.

Frankfort - Reports great salmon fishing. Chinook and coho are being caught just offshore when trolling in 45 to 165 feet of water from the Herring Hole all the way up to Point Betsie. A few lake trout, steelhead and brown trout were caught in deeper waters. Spoons and plugs in a variety of colors including orange crush and mongoose have caught fish. Pier fishing has started to pick up as the chinook have started to move into Betsie Bay. Early morning or just at sunset have been the best times to fish using green or glow spoons and spawn.

Betsie River - Fish are starting to show up in the river. Anglers casting spawn near the M-22 Bridge and as far up as the Homestead Dam are starting to catch chinook and some steelhead. Recent rains have turned the water dark and water levels are a couple inches higher than normal.

Onekama - Good numbers of chinook salmon have been caught when trolling from the pierheads north towards Arcadia in 80 to 165 feet of water. Good baits this week have been meat rigs or any spoon or fly combination. Hot colors have been green, white, yellow, pink or blue. Pier anglers reported slow fishing.

Portage Lake - Anglers are catching some nice bluegills and crappie in 30 to 40 feet of water using crawlers, wax worms and minnows. Decent catches of bass were taken near the piers and on the edge of the weed beds in the early morning and evening hours.

Manistee - Very good fishing to report. Those trolling in and around the harbor caught chinook and coho in waters 30 to 100 feet deep using spoons and flies. The fish have been holding in the top 30 feet of water. Pier anglers are casting spoons.

Manistee Lake - Boat anglers are starting to catch salmon.

Little Manistee River - Recent rains have pushed more fish into the river. The tubes at Stronach continue to hold good numbers of fish. Those fishing further inland are dong well when fly fishing.

Ludington - Ludington has been good as well. Chinook and coho have been caught in waters 40 to 120 feet deep. Pier anglers have caught fish when casting spoons in the early morning or late evening.

Pere Marquette River - The rain and cooler temperatures have pushed a good number of fresh fish into the river. Those fishing between the Indian Bridge and Gleason's Landing have caught fish on flies or spawn.
 

Ontonagon - Boat anglers trolling spoons reported good catch rates in the early morning or late evening. The salmon are now starting to show up. While they are not in big numbers yet, anglers are still catching a few fish on a daily basis.

Keweenaw Bay - Boat anglers have caught a few coho when running spoons about 28 feet down in 40 feet of water. In Traverse Bay, lake trout were hitting off Big Louie's Point and several miles out on the east side of Big Reef. Anglers were trolling spoons 80 to 140 feet down in waters 100 to 150 feet deep. A few limits were taken. Those jigging for lake trout were having a tough time due to rough seas and strong currents.

Lake Michigamme - Walleye have been caught drifting or jigging with crawlers and leeches. Better areas to fish are the East Arm near the islands, south of the islands and off the launch site at Brown Road. Perch were taken on worms when still-fishing in the East Arm near Van Riper State Park and in the South Arm. Smallmouth bass were found throughout the lake.

Marquette - A good number of boats have been out trolling for salmon. Fishing was on the slow side for chinook, coho and steelhead, while the lake trout fishing remains fair to good.

Green Bay - Salmon, trout and steelhead have been caught off the north side of Green Island and just south of the island near Trout Bar. Lots of freshwater drum have been caught while trolling for trout and salmon. Fair to good walleye catches were reported off Chambers Island. Those working the deeper waters reported good catches between Stephenson Island and the Railroad Bridge. Anglers reported fair yellow perch fishing in the Menominee Marina.

Little Bay De Noc - Good numbers of walleye along with several reports of large fish taken have come from the southern end of the Bay near the Black Bottom, Portage Point and Breezy Point. Anglers are trolling crawlers along the structure or breaks in 12 to 25 feet of water. Those fishing at night off Gladstone have caught fish ranging from 15 to 18 inches when jigging crawlers in 12 to 23 feet of water. Perch were taken by those drifting for walleye. Salmon anglers fishing out by the Ford River Can only marked a few fish and catch rates were light. Good smallmouth bass fishing off the mouth of the Ford River and the Day's River. Try jigging or casting in 10 to 20 feet of water.

Big Bay De Noc - The perch anglers are out. Those fishing in Garden Bay caught lots of small fish when jigging worms in 8 to 12 feet of water while those fishing near Ogontz produced fewer fish, some nice jumbo's were taken in 8 to 14 feet of water. Smallmouth bass fishing was good and will only continue to get better. Try Kate's Bay and straight out to Big Bay Shoal when jigging or casting in 14 to 23 feet of water. Salmon anglers are trolling spoons about 20 feet off the bottom in waters 110 to 140 feet of water off Fairport. Fish caught over the last week were smaller.

St. Mary's River - The cool nights and much needed rain has helped improve fishing on the river. A good number of chinook salmon are moving up the river and limits have been taken at the mouth of the Garden River, which empties into Lake George on the Canadian side. The fish are hitting J-plugs in 16 to 20 feet of water. Orange and yellow have been hot colors. Limits of yellow perch have been caught at the first green buoy on the north end of Lake George. Anglers using perch spreaders tipped with half a crawler in 14 to 18 feet of water have caught fish averaging 9 to 11 inches. Limits of smaller perch are being caught on minnows along the weed beds on the south end of Sugar Island.

De Tour - Chinook salmon and lake trout have been caught from the Shipping Channel to the #3 Green Can and around the Lighthouse. Salmon have been averaging 4 to 12 pounds with a few up near 18 pounds. Anglers are using lime flies, lime squid, spoons or silver J-plugs. Yellow perch are biting at Squaw Island, Pigeon Cove, Harbor Island and Yacht Haven. Anglers are fishing 15 to 20 feet of water using worms and wild minnows.