Large salmon off Big Traverse Bay: DNR’s Weekly Fishing Report (7/10/24)

UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WJMN) — It was a good week on the water for most anglers in the U.P., according to the DNR’s latest fishing report.

Among the updates was a return of anglers to the Ontonagon River over the holiday weekend, where the preferred method for success was said to be trolling in the early morning.

Across most locations along the Lake Superior, anglers reported decent luck. In the Keweenaw Bay, lake trout were biting in abundance alongside salmon and whitefish. The report says jigging targeted the trout and whitefish, while salmon were caught most often while trolling in the morning and afternoon—most often below 50 feet.

In Little Bay de Noc, anglers complained of slow-going while targeting yellow perch, who said they were jigging a perch rig or using worms and minnows with a slip bobber. Others targeting walleye and smallmouth bass said they had better luck.

Around the Straits of Mackinac, anglers trolling flies and spoons were getting solid bites from lake trout. They said chartreuse and orange were effective colors.

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

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers reported successfully catching lake trout, lake whitefish and salmon in Keweenaw and Huron bays. Anglers found lake trout in the highest abundance, and they were caught mostly during trolling trips. Coho and Chinook salmon were caught while trolling during morning and afternoon fishing trips. These salmon were caught mostly below 50 feet of water but were still found in a wide range of total water depths. Lake trout and whitefish were caught while jigging in both bays.

Traverse Bay/South Portage Entry Canal: Anglers reported having a lot of luck coming off the water this last week. Those launching farther north from Big Traverse Harbor found plenty of lake trout while jigging in waters from 80 to 180 feet deep. Lake trout were found mostly through the lower half of the water column during these fishing trips. Early in the week, anglers reported large Chinook salmon caught south of Big Traverse Bay and north from South Portage Entry Canal. Salmon and lake trout anglers found consistent catches on both spoons and flies.

St. Ignace: Successful lake trout anglers trolled flies and spoons from the northeast side of Mackinac Island in 40 feet of water. Good colors were reported to be blues, whites, yellows, chartreuse and orange. The occasional northern pike was caught in St. Martin’s Bay when trolling spoons in reds, oranges, whites and chartreuse colors. At the Pine River, walleye anglers were successful using nightcrawler harnesses and slip bobbers with nightcrawlers. Good colors were chartreuse with silver, golds, reds and oranges.

Little Bay de Noc: Yellow perch anglers reported slow fishing and were having to work for only limited success. Anglers were using worms and minnows with slip bobbers or jigging on a perch rig. Walleye anglers reported some success during dawn and dusk. Anglers were casting snap jig-style lures, as well as trolling crawler harnesses. Smallmouth fishing was reported to have been good.

Manistique: Anglers reported fair to good fishing for Chinook salmon and steelhead. Anglers were trolling spoons, flasher/fly combinations and meat rigs, with success on all three presentations. Windy conditions limited the days anglers were able to get out. The sunrise and sunset time frames have been the best bite windows. Anglers were primarily targeting depths of 90 to 170 feet of water. A few Skamania catches were reported by river anglers.

Ontonagon River: Fishing efforts on the river increased amidst the holiday weekend. Walleye were reportedly being caught in fair numbers. Fish were most successfully caught when trolling in the early mornings.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Anglers reported catching lake trout in good numbers, with reports of the occasional Chinook salmon also being landed. Those trolling deeper waters seemingly had the best luck in finding fish.

Fishing tip: A simple method for summer lake fishing
Sometimes we want to go fishing and enjoy getting out on the water, but just don’t want to expend a lot of energy – especially if it’s too hot to work hard at it. Here’s a laid-back way to cover water and find fish you might otherwise miss, without needing complicated gear or a fancy boat. All you need is basic fishing tackle and a watercraft. Even a rented rowboat, paddle boat or canoe can work.

Rig your rod with light line (4- to 8-pound test), tie a small hook on the end of the line (No. 4 or smaller), and add a split shot or two about a foot above the hook. Favorite baits for this method include half a nightcrawler or a baby crawler, leeches or even some of the heavily scented artificial leeches or small, plastic worms. Hook the bait in the center of one end so it doesn’t spin when you gently pull it through the water.

Position your boat so the prevailing breeze will carry it along a drop-off or across any area with water depths of at least 12 to 20 feet. Let out enough line, or adjust the amount of weight on the line, so your bait will stay about 12 to 20 feet deep no matter how deep the water is. Then set your rod down against the side of the boat, relax and watch the tip of the rod for a bite. Drop the rod tip when you see a bite and count to three before reeling in and setting the hook with a firm pull. Not too hard!

Many fish such as bass, walleye, yellow perch, crappie and larger bluegill will move into deeper water and suspend at their preferred cooler temperature during the hot summer months. Slowly drifting a larger, natural bait at these deeper depths will often get you more than you bargained for.

This report is intended to give you an idea of what is going on around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and conservation officers. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams, not all locations can be listed. However, it is safe to say if a species is being caught in some waters in the area, they are likely being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species.

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