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Outdoors
The Williamston Wanderer
Fishing Reports & DNR News
Fishing Reports & DNR News
Fishing Reports & DNR News
Fishing Reports & DNR News
Fishing Reports & DNR News
The Michigan Outdoorsman
Fishing Reports & DNR News
The Michigan Outdoorsman
The Williamston Wanderer
Rose Lake State Game Area
By: Dave Ferguson
August 12, 2022
Today’s temperature was a bit cooler than recently. The trails were dry and, like usual, I only encountered three others on my hike. The trails were dry and in good condition. I didn’t bother with bug spray. Note that ticks are always a possibility.
I park off Woodbury Rd about ½ mile north of I-69 and enter the trails. The parking lot is not marked and has some good sized potholes. Parking is also available from Bath Rd to the north and Stoll Rd to the west side of the trails.
These trails are not marked and there are multiple options. However, they are well-worn, and, while you may end up wandering a bit, it would be hard to get off trail. The location is popular on evenings and weekends with fat tire bike riders (non-motorized). Note that the north part of the trails are quite hilly and includes portions where passage over wet areas is facilitated by 2” X 12” boards laid across stumps. There’s a photo of one such crossing in the link below along with a map. I use a hiking pole for balance when the boards are slippery.
This area is popular with small game and deer hunters and that should be respected. Winter is nice, but the fat tire bike traffic quickly turns the trails into ice. Cleats of some type are needed.
This is my 14th trip to Rose Lake this year. Today’s theme was mushrooms that have been encouraged by the recent rain and warm weather. Because of the hills, this can be a bit challenging. I like the options for short hikes, longer hikes and the variety of the terrain. Photos are here: https://adobe.ly/3bNiqTO
Dansville State Game Area – Hewes Lake
By: Dave Ferguson
August 6, 2022
We started early on Saturday, but it was humid, hot and we encountered a lot of bugs (i.e., another great hike).
The trails at this part of the Dansville State Game Area are mowed two tracks. They are easy to follow and easy to traverse. It’s basically flat with a few gradual inclines. Our 5-mile hike today was initiated from the parking area that’s located by turning south from E. Dexter Trail (go through Dansville & turn west).
While this is a popular hunting area, we saw no wildlife other than a couple sandhill cranes overhead. Hewes Lake itself has a modest boat launch but no one was fishing today.
There were a couple Cardinal Flowers and several plots of Jewel Weed. Mushrooms were the theme of today’s hike with many appearing to have erupted overnight.
Be aware that you can encounter small game hunters. Respect the deer hunters, avoid this area during both firearm, and bow seasons. Photos are here: https://adobe.ly/3oZvzvF
More about the site is here: https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/sga/Dansville_SGA_map.pdf
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
By: Dave Ferguson
August 1, 2022
There is no charge to access the trails at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute and it took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes from our house. Once past Charlotte, the road is two lanes through rolling farmland.
Per the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute website:
“Set on 850 acres in rural Barry County Michigan, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, a mix between an environmental education center, nature center and biological field station, provides visitors opportunities for education, recreation, research and exposure to a blend of diverse habitats including wetlands, forests, marshes, streams, lakes, and prairies.”
Our hike of about 5.5 miles covered about half of the trails at the Institute. The theme for today was rolling hills (lots of hills) and flowers. The paths are wide, clear, and well-marked. It reminded me of a challenging cross-country course.
Trails are open dawn to dusk, and restrooms are available at the visitor center. For those so inclined, the route home goes right by MOO-ville in Nashville, MI (closed on Sundays). Photos are here: https://daveferguson.zenfolio.com/2022-0801pierce More about the site is here: https://cedarcreekinstitute.org/index.html
Kensington Metropark
By: Dave Ferguson
Kensington Metropark
4570 Huron River Parkway
Milford, MI 48381
Today’s hike was from the Nature Center at Kensington Metropark. New signage asks visitors to not feed the wildlife. This is a change from my last visit. In the past, many visitors hand fed expectant, and in some cases demanding, birds along the trails.
It was cloudy and about 70° at the start of our hike, just under 5 miles today. Like all the Metropark trails that I’ve been on, there are helpful maps along the route. Many of the paths at Kensington are gravel. The paths are configured in a series of loops that allows for hikes of varying distances.
Today was dry and featured some interesting milkweed, the usual sandhill cranes including parents with their colt, and a not too skittish doe and fawn near the trail.
It’s an easy hike and Kensington is about 40 minutes from Williamston.
Photos from today’s hike are here: https://adobe.ly/3BDeLCz
Park information and fees are here: https://www.metroparks.com/kensington-metropark
Ferguson Bayou Trail & Wildlife Drive
By: Dave Ferguson
Ferguson Bayou Trail & Wildlife Drive
Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
6000 Bishop Rd Saginaw, MI 48601
Trail
· Open year-round: Walking spring to fall, snow shoeing and cross-country skiing in winter. Seasonal closures during periods in the fall due to hunting.
· Not open to dogs or horseback riding.
· 4.5 miles
· Flat, dirt and gravel
· This trail follows graveled roads on the tops of dikes and offers views of croplands, sloughs, forests, fields, wetlands, and pools. Two observation towers, equipped with spotting scopes, are located along this trail so you can take a closer look at ducks, geese, deer, and other wildlife. These trails are popular with hikers, skiers, and casual bicyclers.
Wildlife Drive
· Open June 1 to September 30 during daylight hours including all federal holidays. Gates open at sunrise and close one hour before sunset. All vehicles must exit the drive by sunset.
· 6.5 miles – Plan at least an hour. While there are a number of pull off spots, it is a one-lane road. The speed limit is 15 mph, and you will have to wait while those in front of you stop to view wildlife.
· Flat, dirt and gravel
· The wildlife drive is typically open from June 1 - September 30, from sunrise to one hour before sunset. Please note that the route may be closed due to flooding, soft roads, or other special conditions such as events or wildlife needs, like nesting bald eagles.
· The wildlife drive meanders past forests, grasslands, marshes, open water pools and the Shiawassee River. Visitors will have the opportunity to see a great diversity of wildlife.
· The usage of bikes is prohibited on the Wildlife Drive.
July 23, 2022 – the Hike
We arrived at the trailhead about 8:00 am. It was about 72° and only one other car in the parking area. In anticipation of bugs and protection against ticks, we applied Deet based spray.
While I try to capture photos, today was a day of slow reactions and wrong settings. However, that just means that I look forward to a return trip to do better next time.
Water levels in the bayou were as low as I have ever seen. Areas that are typically populated with turtles, egrets, and herons were broad mud flats. I did spot a family of racoons and the elderberries
were nearly ripe. The trail has a lot of milkweed that attracts monarch butterflies. It was easy to spot muskrat trails in the green algae covering the sluggish waterways.
There were several turtle nests with eggshells along the gravel path. I’m not sure if the eggs had been destroyed by the racoons or if they had successfully hatched.
The two deer that I spotted near the viewing platform were heard snorting before I saw them. They froze for a few moments before leaving with the signature whitetail backside.
Today, there were three immature eagles perched in trees to the west of the far rest rooms. That is the norm for my recent hikes. The trees are close enough to identify the eagles, but too far for good photos with my equipment. My hike was 5.35 miles in just under 2.5 hours with one “no injury” stumble into a patch of poison ivy. A good day.
July 23, 2022 – the Drive
The Wildlife Drive is a popular place on weekends and patience is required. This trip featured the usual egrets and herons, A rough count today was about 30 or 40 egrets and 15 or so herons.
Along the river, we were lucky enough to see Common Terns diving into the water and an eagle perched near the road. Numerous swallows circled around – just doing their thing. There’s a log in the middle of the river that seems to be the home of a couple of Cormorants.
The waterway along the drive near the exit is usually a good spot to see turtles hanging out on logs. On this trip, the algae was so prevalent that those we saw were not the usual shiny shells, but covered in a manner that blended into the algae.
Photos can be viewed here: https://adobe.ly/3Beivdt
DNR
The Magician’s Trick
“Sometimes, the silence can be like thunder,” – Bob Dylan
By JOHN PEPIN
On a day threatening rain showers, I find myself alone walking a familiar path, looking for truth, honesty and reason amid the heavenly confines of nature.
This is a strange and mysterious pursuit.
Sometimes, like spending time in the company of good friends, just walking a familiar trail can bring feelings of relief, regeneration and recovery. So, returning to places well-known can sometimes inspire the sentiments, reorganization and recompense I’m seeking.
Other times, the adjustment to get me back on track in my mind and in my heart is more elusive. I can feel like a broken wheel, or a bent rim that won’t spin straight anymore. I can be surprisingly clumsy on certain days, dropping things unpredictably left and right – leaving me hesitant to touch vital parts of my body in fear that they might drop off and roll into a corner of the room to shatter.
There are days when I need to try four times as hard to get one thing to go right. For some reason, these instances of miscues, mistakes and misunderstanding often occur most when I have had only limited time spent out in the wilds of nature.
Something out there is dramatically different than what goes on in the other scenes in this sad, hurting and troubled world. Nature clearly supports and cultivates healing and hope. How it does this exactly is unclear, though there are certain elements that appear to play significant roles in this phenomenon.
These elements are all, in one way or another or in combination, connected to the senses of touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. Putting my hand in an icy stream and then touching my cold, wet hand to my cheeks or covering my eyes with my hand can immediately cool the burning questions or the racing in my brain.
Tasting and smelling the sweet, ripe berries of summertime provides an enjoyment of something so pure and wild and rare it’s exhilarating. I could sit for hours in peace watching nothing more than the stillness on a secluded pond or lake, feeling the rays of the setting sun’s radiance warm me as I listen to the birds in the surrounding forest singing, or the slurp sounds of fish rising or jumping.
Evening wears on and the descending cool of twilight drops a curtain or a cloak of soothing cool around my shoulders, urging me to lay down under the quaking aspen trees to fall fast asleep in the soft, long grass. So sacred are moments like these that I somehow think even mosquitoes know better than to interrupt the transfiguration taking place.
I sleep without dreams, dead to the world like a rock – granite chipped and worn, but still present with a sense of permanence after all. It is in this slumber that nature turns loose its fairies and sprites to bare their darning needles and spider silk to bind up my wounds and shortcomings. This is also often the time when seeds of truth are sown.
The waking is like what I think returning from a coma might be like. I immediately wonder where I am, what time it is and what day is it. How did I happen to get here? Then I’ll hear the bright, bubbling sound of a chickadee singing to me. This will break the spell. I then recall that I came here myself, looking for this place. I chose to lie beneath the aspen tree to hear its leaves fluttering and whispering in the wind.
The grasses were cool after the heat of the day, and I became so tired. It was a weariness beyond my realization. Though once I settled prone in the grass, it became clear I was meant to retire to this place of shelter and sustenance, of repair and renewal. There are times when doing things in nature becomes a tonic for whatever ails me, whether it’s fishing, hiking, picnicking, taking pictures, stargazing or picking berries.
But there are other times when nature seems to be telling me to not do anything – to sit, be quiet and believe, like the old scripture verse says: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Clouds bring healing and help, just by their presence. It’s hard to watch a fleet of big, puffy cumulus clouds parade overhead on a warm summer day and feel anxious, tense or frustrated.
Can there be a more obvious mental, emotional and physical connection between the showering rain from a rumbling thunderhead and the cleansing and renewal felt by the person soaked below? Beyond these things, I think there is a sense of the intangible working in concert with the conscious and the subconscious to adjust my awareness of where and who I am.
There was an occasion this past week, when in the middle of the day, it was so quiet it was stunning. It was in the middle of the afternoon. There was no wind. I couldn’t hear any birds, any cars, anything. It was a profound moment. My ears strained as I wondered what might have been occurring. Was this a blank moment in time when everything stopped and the clock itself took a brief rest?
Do such moments occur regularly but I am unaware?
Those few scant minutes or seconds or whatever it was were oddly unsettling for me, yet still deeply soothing. Another time I was struck by nature’s silence this week was on a couple of occurrences when I happened to be out under the starry skies. The night air was cool and pleasant.
It was very early morning, in the wee, wee hours.
Again, there was no sound at all. I stood staring into the blackened night skies. Then, with its tremendous instrument of a voice, I heard the haunting and prehistoric lone, long wail of a loon. The sound seemed to stretch like a rainbow from out on the lake, arcing all the way over the trees and houses and backyards and highway, to my waiting ears.
It was at once glorious, soul-stirring and peaceful, this voice of nature’s primeval dating back about 10,000 years. The loon would continue to call sporadically throughout the next couple of hours, sounding like it was lonely and forlorn, sad and weary.
I found a kinship in that mournful song, something I could know and understand. That sound was something I had felt and lived on more than one occasion. I think that most often when I come to nature looking for renewal, I find it without ever clearly understanding how. It appears to soak into my being somehow by just immersing myself in the bigness and holiness of nature.
Perhaps all the sensory experiences work in concert to provide a peaceful numbing for my weary heart, soul and mind? I also sense there is a knowing or a recognition of my presence in nature by nature. I know this might sound weird, but I don’t think nature welcomes me into its arms as a stranger.
I think I have been known since I was little kid, when I first sought to explore the wonder of a stream or pond or to be outside when it was nighttime. My guess is nature knows
I’m on my way before I even think about going out.
I sometimes wonder if I am not summoned by nature to come “back to the garden,” so to speak, to reconvene, to reconnect, to re-establish things lost, forgotten or obscured by the trivial nature of my social and worldly trappings. Maybe nature is like a boxing coach who pulls me back to my corner before I get punch- drunk or an attentive parent, with a watchful eye, who sits close by when I begin to drift out into deeper water alone.
I probably will never truly understand.
But do I need to?
Sometimes I feel compelled to know how it works to keep me functioning, connected and still willing to try in this world. Maybe in the end, it’s like a magician’s sleight of hand, the magic of the aurora borealis, a glorious sunrise or the song of that loon. Deconstructing or distilling these things to cold, hard facts and figures would spoil the wonderment, the surprise, endurance and affinity.
In which case, I prefer not to know.
The one thing I can say with certainty is that the power of nature is real, and it works again and again and again. Check out previous Showcasing the DNR stories at Michigan.gov/DNRStories. To subscribe to upcoming Showcasing articles, sign up for free email delivery at Michigan.gov/DNR.
Story Compliments of the Michigan DNR
#RecreateResponsibly with just a few simple steps
During the pandemic, people across the country ventured outdoors in record numbers, to destinations including Michigan state parks, trails and waterways. In fact, visitation to state parks went up 30% over the past two years, with annual visitation jumping from approximately 28 million to 35 million people.
While the outdoors is an important component of many people's leisure activities and healthy lifestyles, it's just as critical that we each do our part to take care of these outdoor spaces so they are protected and here for future generations to enjoy and use.
"We've seen record numbers of both established and new visitors over the last couple years," said Jason Fleming, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division's Resources Section. "Many visitors have grown up coming to state parks and others are new to outdoor recreation. We're always excited to provide these opportunities to create new memories, but we also need everyone's help to work together to maintain these natural and historical spaces."
A new "Recreate Responsibly" video series highlights guidelines and steps people can follow to protect Michigan's woods, water and wildlife, while also keeping themselves and other visitors safe. Those tips include:
- Plan ahead.
- Build an inclusive outdoors.
- Leave no trace.
- Be a kind visitor.
- Play it safe.
Visit Michigan.gov/RecreateResponsibly to check out the videos and learn more about getting involved. If you'd like to help promote the "Recreate Responsibly" principle and video series, consider sharing them on social media. You can also share your stewardship ideas by using the #RecreateResponsibly, #MiOutdoorIdea and #MiDNR hashtags. We'll see you outside!
Questions?
Contact Stephanie Yancer, social media coordinator, at YancerS@Michigan.gov.
Fishing Report
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Fishing was slow with the weather and algae bloom in full effect. Anglers were catching yellow perch on minnow rigs in 15 to 20 feet of water. Some walleye were still hanging on out around Fermi in 23 feet of water. Anglers who were catching walleye were using crawler harness rigs. Bass fishing slowed down with the murky water. Catfish catches were still showing success out from the hot ponds.
Detroit River: Anglers were catching walleye while trolling with crawlers and jigging with jig heads tipped with crawlers. The main action was in the mouth of the river at Lake Erie and in the Trenton channel. Most fish were caught in 15 to 20 feet of water. Anglers were beginning to catch perch in the mouth of the river and in front of the Lake Erie Metropark Marina. Anglers were anchored and still fished with minnows.
Lake St. Clair: Anglers reported catching catfish near the Spillway. Smallmouth were caught in 10 to 12 feet, especially in the north end of the lake.
St. Clair River: Anglers were catching sturgeon in the evening. Walleye were caught near the channel, mostly small but there were some good-sized fish caught.
Saginaw Bay: Anglers found walleye scattered throughout the east side from waters around 10 feet and out to 30+ feet deep, but catches were inconsistent. More consistent fishing was over the bar in 22 to 24 feet and east of the shipping channel in 25 to 30 feet of water. Body baits, spoons and crawlers all produced walleye at times. Walleye were also caught near buoy 1 and buoy 2 while trolling in 25 feet of water with crankbaits and crawlers. Just north of Spoils Island, walleye were caught while trolling in 15 feet of water on crawlers. Near the old shipping channel and near buoy’s A, H and F, yellow perch were caught on crawlers and minnows.
Harbor Beach: A few walleye were caught in different depths, anywhere from 18 to 40 feet of water while using both artificial lures and crawler harnesses. A couple boat anglers were trolling for salmon and trout and caught lake trout in 100 to 120 feet while using downriggers with spoons and Dodgers and squid.
Grindstone: Walleye were caught straight out from the harbor in 30 to 40 feet while using both artificial lures and crawler harnesses. Some lake trout were caught way out towards Yankee Reef in 120 to 130 feet of running downriggers and spoons.
Port Austin: Walleye were scattered at all different depths, mostly caught with crawler harnesses. A couple boats trolling for steelhead in 90 to 110 feet of water also caught walleye along with Atlantic salmon and steelhead while using spoons fishing the top 30 feet. A couple boats went west to Charity Island and caught their limit of walleye using crawler harnesses.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Muskegon: Boats anglers were catching Chinook salmon 55 to 130 feet down in 120 to 240 feet of water. Glow spoons, green meat rigs and flies all produced good numbers of salmon. The best salmon bite occurred in low light conditions. Pier anglers were finding the freshwater drum action to be slow.
Grand Haven: Chinook salmon were caught 55 to 140 feet down in 130 to 220 feet of water. Green flies and meat rigs worked well along with glow spoons. Pier anglers were catching a few largemouth and smallmouth bass while using plastics or casting body baits. Freshwater drum action continued to be slow.
St. Joseph: Boat anglers targeting salmon had a good week. There were three bands of active fish. Anglers fishing 80 to 100 feet of water were catching lake trout and a few salmon. The deeper anglers caught more salmon and less lake trout. Spin Doctors, flies and meat rigs were working best. Perch anglers were doing decent. The perch were in 35 feet of water but as the week progressed the fish moved deeper. The best water seemed to be around 45 feet of water. Pier anglers had slow fishing for all species.
South Haven: Perch anglers were catching a few fish in 48 feet of water. The fish were moving a lot. The few boat anglers that made it out were catching a mixed bag of lake trout and salmon. Most boat anglers were forced to stay inside of 100 feet of water due to lake conditions. Spoons were working best for salmon. Pier fishing was very slow for all species. The piers were closed to fishing due to red flag lake conditions for several days.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Tawas: Some rock bass, largemouth bass and catfish were caught off the pier while casting spinners and body baits or still fishing with crawlers. There were some Chinook salmon, coho salmon, brown trout, steelhead and walleye caught out past buoy 2 in 50 to 60 feet of water while trolling spoons and body baits. Fishing was slow on the Tawas River at Gateway Park. There were a few largemouth bass and bluegill caught while casting spinners and plastics or still fishing with crawlers.
Oscoda: Anglers were catching rock bass and smallmouth bass in the river while using crawlers. In the late evening hours, catfish were also caught on crawlers with the occasional walleye caught as well. In Lake Huron, anglers were catching lake trout, steelhead, pink salmon and Chinook salmon in 90 to 160 feet of water.
Alpena: Lake trout fishing continued to be consistent. Anglers were fishing the humps, Nordmeer Wreck or Thunder Bay Island. The best depths were in 85 to 120 feet of water and fishing within the bottom 10 feet. Anglers were using attractors with Spin-N-Glos or Spin-N-Glo flies. Anglers were also running a few lines higher in the water column getting an occasional pink salmon, coho or steelhead. Walleye fishing was slow in the bay. Good places to try were Thunder Bay Island, North Shore, North Point, Sulphur Island and Scarecrow Island. The main basin seemed to be a little better than inside of the bay. Anglers were trolling body baits or using night crawler harnesses. Anglers were seeing more success while night fishing.
Thunder Bay River: Anglers were using live bait or casting with an assortment of lures catching small panfish of several varieties. There were catches of rock bass and under size bass and freshwater drum.
Au Gres: There were some good numbers of walleye caught out near the Charity Islands, as well as out in front of the river, near the bell buoy, and shipwreck in 15 to 30 feet while trolling flicker shads or crawlers. Down further to the south, there were some walleye caught near the Saganing and Pinconning bars while trolling flicker shads and crawlers in 12 to 20 feet of water.
Rogers City: A few Chinook salmon were starting to show up in angler catches, not a lot of fish but high-quality fish were caught with many reaching 15 pounds or more. When cooler water was present the fish were biting much better than when the warm water was stacked in this area. The best depth of water was 50 to 90 feet. Anglers were running lines throughout the water column. The best baits were spoons, J-Plugs, Dodgers with flies or squids and meat rigs. Meat rigs worked better in warmer water. Good colors were black and white, greens, blue, white or pearl, and glow stuff early and late. The salmon were hitting very early or late.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Frankfort: Chinook catches were picking up straight out on the bank in 160 to 200 feet of water and trolling 60 to 80 down. The best action occurred at first light and at dusk on green spoons and flies. Platte Bay anglers reported good numbers of lake trout while trolling and jigging near the bottom.
Onekama: Anglers trolling the barrel and off the golf course were reporting Chinook in 130 to 150 feet of water and working the top 100 feet. Anglers reported that the fish were a bit deeper as water temperatures were rising. Lake trout were also reported by anglers bouncing the bottom.
Portage Lake: Water temperatures were on the warm side so bass anglers were working drops. Panfish and perch anglers were seeing action in 18 to 22 feet of water on the west end of the lake.
Manistee: Chinook and a few lake trout were caught straight out along the shelf in 120 to 175 feet of water when fishing 80 to 100 feet down. Spoons and flies worked along with some meat rigs. Pier fishing was slow.
Ludington: Salmon were caught straight out and south off the projects in 170 to 220 feet of water when fishing 60 to 90 feet down and in 140 to150 fishing 70 to 90 down. Spoons, flies and plugs worked well. Pier fishing was slow.
Upper Peninsula
Little Bay de Noc: Walleye fishing was slow. Anglers were having good success when perch fishing, although sorting through small fish was particularly challenging. Anglers were using minnows and worms. Areas around the Kipling boat launch produced fish.
Manistique: Salmon anglers reported mixed results. Anglers were catching mainly smaller Chinook salmon, but some adults remained. Areas that were productive include waters around the “red can” and Pointe Aux Barques. Anglers were using a combination of flasher flies and spoons.
Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers were catching walleye up towards Drummond Island and some perch were caught from shore. In the Les Cheneaux area, anglers were catching a few nice perch at the marina while using minnows. There were a few pike and splake around the area as well. The Chinook salmon fishing in the Hessel area was very productive. The smallmouth bass and pike fishing around the Hessel area was also great.
Marquette: Fishing activity was down this week. Anglers reported catching only lake trout in the Marquette area. Most reports came from around White Rocks, and some reports of lake trout came from Shot Point. When fishing near White Rocks, try to find deep water (around 130 to 160 feet) and try using bright colored spoons while trolling just under 2 mph. For Shot Point, try trolling in 40 to 60 feet of water while using spoons or flickers.
Munising: Fishing was slow, however there were catches of splake reported. Lake trout fishing was fair to good in the west channel towards White Rocks and Wood Island Reef. Common depths were around 150 feet. Water temperatures remained cool for this time of year with surface temps in the mid to upper 60s, however offshore temps remained in the low 60s on surface.
Grand Marais: Fishing pressure increased with mainly lake trout anglers. Fish were averaging around 3 to 4 pounds. Some of the common areas producing were towards AuSable Point and near the fishing channel near Five Mile Reef with common depths fished around 200+ feet. Surface water temps remained in mid to upper 60s to some areas near 70 degrees within the harbor.
Keweenaw Bay/ Huron Bay: Anglers in Keweenaw and Huron bays were fishing mostly for lake trout in the last week. Anglers were mostly trolling for lake trout and success was spotty unless weather was favorable. The most used lures/baits continued to be spoons and flasher flies with no natural bait on them. These baits seemed to be the best option for trolling in and around Keweenaw and Huron bays. Most successful fishing was in the early morning hours while temperatures were low, and the fish were most active.
Traverse Bays/ South Portage Entry Canal: Most anglers were trolling for lake trout however they were strongly anticipating coho moving into the near shore waters soon. Shore anglers were catching northern pike, yellow perch and bullheads. Shore anglers were casting a variety of baits including worms and top water baits. Anglers trolling reported a few coho in near shore waters. Anglers were trolling while using spoons and flasher flies in mid depth waters for salmon and deeper water for the lake trout. Try fishing as early or late in the day as you can since the water temps will be lower during those times and the fish should be in shallower waters.
Au Train: Au Train Island was the most popular location for anglers to catch lake trout. Anglers reported catching lake trout in deep pockets of water that were in about 60 to 80 feet. While fishing around Au Train Island, try trolling or jigging in about 130 to 150 feet of water. Try trolling around 2 mph while using spoons or try jigging cut-baits.
Upper St. Mary's/Whitefish Bay: Fishing pressure was low over the weekend near the Soo Locks. Anglers were targeting whitefish and perch with limited success. Near Waishkey Bay, anglers were targeting Chinook, coho and lake trout. Anglers were successful in 120 feet of water fishing at a depth of around 60 feet while using spoons. Anglers were successful catching bullheads and some perch in the bay.
Fishing Tip: Glow lures can be popular with Great Lakes salmon
One tactic that can be particularly useful when targeting Chinook is fishing with glow lures. This species often can be caught near the surface in low-light conditions, and glow lures make that opportunity even more appealing. In particular, glow lures work well in the early morning hours before the sun comes up or at night. Many believe this type of lure attracts salmon because it can be seen in the dark from longer distances and encourages them to strike.
Mike Sills is The Michigan Outdoorsman
