Lake trout in respectable numbers: DNR’s weekly U.P. fishing report

UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WJMN) — It was a decent week for most anglers in the Upper Peninsula, according to the Department of Natural Resources’ latest fishing report.

Off the shore from Escanaba, alewives are suspected to have created more competition for anyone targeting walleye in Little Bay de Noc. Bass anglers in the same area, however, continued their success last week in deeper waters.

In Manistique, the bite from salmon was good while using flasher/fly combos and spoons. The report says most anglers were using a typical salmon spread with a mix of line lengths , dipsy divers and rigger rods.

In Lake Superior, anglers around the Keweenaw and Huron Bays had easy luck with lake trout and whitefish, and even salmon in deeper parts of the bays. The Traverse Bay also yielded lake trout consistently both for trollers ad jiggers, all across the water column. Anglers reported their catches toward the shallows in the mornings, and deeper in the evening.

You can get the latest fishing reports and other DNR resources on the department’s Michigan DNR Hunt Fish App . Here’s the full report:

Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers reported a tough bite, likely due to the presence of lots of bait such as alewives. Most anglers trolled crawler harnesses or crank baits; however, some also had success jigging.

Bass anglers reported fair to good fishing. Some used reaction baits that resembled bait fish, while others used soft plastics that imitated gobies. Anglers found that most of the large bass moved out of the shallow spawning areas and were targeting deeper, cooler water. Anglers also reported encountering smallmouth bass feeding on alewives over deep water.

Manistique: Anglers targeting Chinook salmon reported fair to good fishing. Anglers were catching a variety of year classes. Fish were caught on both flasher/fly combinations and spoons. The typical salmon trolling spread, with a mixture of long lines, dipsy divers and rigger rods, was most prevalent.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers in both bays had success while trolling and jigging recently. Anglers who were jigging caught lake trout and lake whitefish. Whitefish were caught with bare hooks, while lake trout were caught with a mix of artificial and natural baits. Salmon were caught while trolling in the deeper areas of the bays. Most major salmon catches were during the later hours of the day.

Traverse Bay/ South Portage Entry Canal: Anglers fishing out of South Portage Entry reported catching lake trout consistently. Fish were caught while both trolling and jigging. While trolling, flies and spoons were the most common tackle that produced fish. Jigging trips were dominated by cut bait. Fish were caught all over the water column; however, they were found in shallower water during the mornings and went deeper as the day progressed.

Ontonagon River: Fishing on the river was limited over the past week, as frequent rain showers caused high turbidity in the river water. Walleye were reportedly being caught in low numbers. Anglers had the most luck when trolling in the early mornings.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: These ports saw average fishing efforts over the past week. Anglers were reportedly catching lake trout in respectable numbers. While these fish have been found at varying depths when trolling, most anglers have favored fishing deeper waters.

Black River Harbor: Angling efforts from the harbor were average over the past week. Reports show that those fishing were catching lake trout in respectable numbers. Fish were caught in varying water depths while trolling.

St. Ignace: Lake trout anglers were infrequently catching fish off Round Island or the north side of Mackinaw Island. They were relying on spoons that were pink and white, silver, and chartreuse in color. At the Carp River, pike were caught near the boat launch using baitfish.

Leeches on slip bobbers were used for walleye. At the Pine River, the occasional pike and walleye were caught. Walleye boat anglers were trolling orange, gold and chartreuse nightcrawler harnesses. They were also jigging Rapalas at the mouth. Shore walleye anglers reported using leeches on slip bobbers. At both the Carp and Pine rivers, perch were being caught off the bottom with nightcrawlers.

Lex Cheneaux/DeTour: Poor weather limited fishing activity; however, when anglers got out, they brought in mixed bags of fish. In the Detour area, anglers were targeting hard-to-come-by Atlantic salmon but did well trolling with spoons in the flats for lake trout. The few who brought in Atlantic salmon were trolling around the lighthouse.

There were a few Chinook salmon caught in that area as well. The smallmouth bass fishing around the island was decent, with a few anglers also trolling for walleye and having some luck upriver. In Les Cheneaux, anglers were struggling to get the perch in the marina to bite, but boat anglers did well fishing Marquette Bay.

There were plenty of splake caught, as well as Atlantic salmon, Chinook salmon, lake trout and even a walleye. The Cora Dock in Cedarville produced some nice pike catches, and the herring bite was reported to have been on for a few days in McKay Bay.

Fishing tip: Fishing deep for post-spawn bluegill

After spawning, bluegills will move to deeper water for the rest of the summer, and larger bluegills can be hard to locate. They can be found living near the top of the thermocline (the layer of water between the deep and surface water), where water temperatures approach 69 degrees. Depending on the lake, this depth usually will be somewhere between 12 and 18 feet.

To locate this depth, either use a lake thermometer, available at most larger tackle stores, or contact the nearest DNR office. If the lake has a public access site, fisheries biologists will have surveyed it and will have a temperature-oxygen profile of the lake. This chart will identify the depth with a temperature near 69 degrees.

Try fishing at this depth, where the 69-degree temperature is close to the bottom – usually at the deep edge of weed beds. Use light line (4-pound test or less) tipped with a white ice-fishing teardrop jig baited with a wax worm. Some anglers use slip bobbers, while others fish European-style, with very long fiberglass poles. Early morning and dusk are most productive.

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