The following is the fishing report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, as of May 1, 2025.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Little Traverse Bay: Anglers targeting steelhead in Petoskey found success drifting and bottom bouncing spawn. Fishing off the break wall, near the mouth of the Bear River, and in the Bear River all produced fish. Bottom bouncing flies and beads also landed fish in the river. Anglers reported consistent numbers of suckers.
East Grand Traverse Bay: Lake trout were caught, although the bite was slow, and anglers reported low numbers. Steelhead and lake trout were both caught on the Elk River downstream of the dam.
West Grand Traverse Bay / Boardman River: No fishing activity from the bay to report as the cold water temperatures kept the bite slow. Steelhead continued to be caught on the Boardman River while drifting spawn bags and beads. Suckers were reported to have moved into the river.
Leland: Anglers did not have much success around the playground area near the islands. Boat anglers that could get close to the shoreline in 4 feet of water found a few brown trout while trolling near Good Harbor Bay and whale back. Pier anglers found very little success and reported catching only a few steelhead while floating spawn bags.
Manistee: Pier anglers caught a few brown trout and steelhead while using spawn bags. A couple Menominee and lake whitefish caught on skein and spawn were also in the mix. A few perch were also caught in the harbor off the pier and from boats. Those trolling caught brown trout and lake trout while fishing the coastlines to the north and south, and in the harbor. A few spring Chinook salmon were also caught. Body baits and spoons worked while fishing in 20 feet of water and in.
Tippy Dam/Manistee River: A nice push of fresh fish were reported to have made their way up the river recently. Anglers reported that lots of steelhead were caught.
Ludington: Boat anglers caught a few brown trout while trolling the harbor and near the Lincoln River mouth using body baits and spoons. Lake trout were caught at Big Sauble Point in 120 to 130 feet of water while fishing near bottom.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Muskegon: Pier fishing was reported as slow. Boat anglers reported mixed bags with Chinook salmon, brown trout, and lake trout seen. Fishing was still hit or miss for boat anglers who were trolling but those that found the fish had success.
Muskegon Lake: Fishing for perch was relatively slow, with many small fish caught. Most boat anglers were using minnows on perch rigs. Bass fishing was productive for anglers.
South Haven: Boat anglers had good fishing, with 45 to 60 feet of water being the most productive. Small crankbaits and spoons were catching most of the fish. Anglers were catching a mixed bag of coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Pier anglers also caught an occasional coho salmon and some steelhead. Most fish were caught fishing spawn on the bottom.
St. Joseph: Salmon fishing continued to be very good as boat anglers made good catches of coho salmon. Small crankbaits trolled in 20 to 30 feet of water seemed to work best. Boat anglers were also beginning to have some good success targeting spring Chinook salmon. 50 to 60 feet of water provided the best results for these fish. Pier anglers were catching coho salmon and a few brown trout. Fish were caught by casting spoons and crankbaits, but spawn or skein fished on the bottom worked best.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Cheboygan: Cheboygan city boat launch is available for use, but the Cheboygan County marina boat launches have not been slid into the water yet. The cleaning station is also closed. Steelhead fishing slowed due to suckers running upriver. Those that had luck for steelhead reported beads and spawn bags as good bait choices. Walleye anglers had the best luck when drifting live minnows or jigging soft plastic minnows. A few nice-sized pike were reported to have been caught at the spillway as well.
Rockport: While anglers reported no salmon activity, the lake trout fishing was reported as strong. Anglers found lake trout in depths of 20 to 50 feet of water from Stoneport to Middle Island. Orange, gold, and green spoons worked well on short lead cores as well as long lining crank baits.
Alpena: Boat anglers found success trolling for walleye in 8 to 16 feet of water. Natural colored crank baits along with purple and chartreuse worked well between the cement plant and Grass Island. Those trolling for lake trout found good numbers near Thunder Bay Island in 30 to 60 feet of water. A few Atlantic salmon and coho salmon were taken on short lead core lines with orange, pinks, and watermelon working best. Pier anglers caught a good number of smallmouth bass with a few pike mixed in. A few walleye were reported by those casting stickbaits after dark with black/gold and black/silver being most productive.
Thunder Bay River: A few anglers were still having success drifting beads for steelhead. The suckers were reported to be in their peak and anglers were having success while using crawlers. Walleye anglers reported fishing as slow. A few smallmouth bass and northern pike were caught by those casting small crank baits and spinners in white, chartreuse, and yellow.
Oscoda / Lower Ausable River: Anglers trolling in 20 to 35 feet of water did well on lake trout while pulling spoons. Orange and green were reported to have been hot colors. Anglers targeting walleye off the pier and lower river found some nice fish but had to work for them. Deep thunder sticks and bandits were popular for walleye off the pier. Those fishing for Atlantic salmon with spoons and minnows found a few fresh fish. Orange/gold K.O Wobblers were popular. Steelhead fishing in the lower Au Sable River was reported as good with anglers catching a mix of fresh fish and drop backs. Anglers fishing Foote Dam had decent results when bottom bouncing beads.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lower Saginaw Bay: Walleye anglers reported catching fish when trolling around Spoils Island in 10 to 12 feet of water. Jigging around the island was also reported to have been productive. The early morning bite was best, as anglers reported that after 9:00am the bite slowed. Trolling northeast of the island in 18 to 20 feet of water was also reported to have been productive. Jigging at the mouth of the Saginaw River was productive for walleye. Freshwater drum and white bass were also caught.
Saginaw River: Fishing was slow overall, with only a couple of walleye caught when jigging near the Lee Street boat launch.
Eastern Saginaw Bay: Windy weather kept angler activity low around the east side of the bay. Anglers fishing out of the Quanicassee area reported slow fishing with most boats catching 0 to 2 walleye. Both body baits and crawlers caught fish. Anglers fishing for panfish and perch reported very slow fishing.
Tittabawassee River: On average, anglers reported catching three to six walleye per boat. Trolling flicker shads and Hot ‘N Tots produced more fish than jigging. Good color choices were green, yellow and fire tiger. Anglers reported that downstream areas including Coty’s Landing, State Street Bridge, M46 Bridge and the railroad bridge upstream of Center Road boat launch seemed to have better fishing. Elsewhere in Freeland and near Dow, walleye fishing was pretty slow.
Lake St. Clair: Smallmouth bass fishing was reported as slower this past week. The main action was near Memorial Park and the 9 Mile area. There was also some limited action on Anchor Bay, with the north section seeming to be best. Fish were caught in 6 to 10 feet of water, and the bite was reported to have been better as the afternoon approached. Jigs of all colors worked well. Largemouth bass fishing along the walls of the canals was good and provided a good option for anglers on windy days. Black plastic worms worked well. Decent walleye catches came from the St. Clair River.
Lake Erie: With the weather warming up, anglers were opting to use crawler harnesses to target walleye. These fish were caught in around 17 to 20 feet of water, east of the Fermi nuclear power plant. Largemouth and smallmouth bass were caught in good numbers in shallow waters around the shoreline on artificial lures.
Upper Peninsula
St. Ignace: At the Carp River cement footing pier, steelhead anglers had limited success. With how murky the water is, try casting spoons or crank baits with the colors: chartreuse, golds, silvers, or bronze. Smelt have been running at the Carp River for the past couple of weeks, however they were reported to have slowed. The DNR boat launch at the Pine River has not been put in yet.
Grand Marais: Anglers fishing the break wall were starting to see some whitefish and coho salmon when using spawn. Boat anglers had success on coho salmon while trolling east of the break wall when the weather cooperated. There were also a few reports of anglers catching steelhead and coho salmon on the mouth and in the Sucker River.
Munising: The docks have been put in at the city boat launch in Munising, but the parking lot is under construction. Parking can be found up on the street by the baseball field. Anglers on boats were catching good numbers of coho salmon when trolling the bay. Anglers also found some whitefish and coho salmon near the mouth of the Anna River using spawn and spoons. Bay Furnace shore anglers reported catching steelhead and coho salmon.
Au Train: The Au Train Brownstone boat launch dock was put in this week although it still needs dredging. The coho salmon and brown trout fishing was very good this past week. Several boat anglers trolling around the river mouths or near the shoreline points in 7 to 30 feet of water were successful in catching these fish. Both trolling and jigging anglers were successful. Bright green or orange/gold Rapalas, fire tiger, and rainbow trout were popular color schemes. Swedish pimples and white or orange jigs were successful for jigging
Marquette: Anglers fishing out of the lower harbor reported a mixture of success. Coho salmon seemed to trickle in on days after a warm rain and several boats were successful in catching 2 or 3 with the occasional brown trout mixed in. Most were caught in around 30 feet of water. In the upper harbor, anglers did quite well for coho salmon around the tip of the break wall and out towards White Rocks when trolling or jigging. The steelhead numbers were reported to have declined in both of the rivers around Marquette. Natural baits seemed to work best for the rivers and shoreline around Marquette. Most of the steelhead were caught on spawn sacs, while brown trout were loving the night crawlers.
Ontonagon River: One dock is currently in the water at the Ontonagon Marina Boat Launch. Angling efforts on the river remained very low over the past week. Water clarity was also reported as low due to recent precipitation.
Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: There is one dock in the water at the Ontonagon Marina Boat Launch. The fish cleaning station at the Ontonagon Marina remains closed for the off-season. The Silver City boat launch dock remains out of the water. Fishing efforts from these ports greatly increased over the past week. Anglers fishing from boats had luck in catching mixed bags of coho salmon, lake trout, brown trout, and steelhead. These fish have been caught in fair numbers by those trolling shallow waters. Shore anglers in Union Bay had some luck when targeting coho salmon, brown trout, and steelhead.
Black River Harbor: The harbor saw a good amount of angling efforts over the past week. Anglers fishing from the harbor break walls were successful in catching coho salmon in fair numbers. Boats trolling shallow waters reported mixed catches consisting of coho salmon, chinook salmon, lake trout, steelhead, and brown trout in fair numbers.
Little Bay de Noc: Perch anglers report mixed results. Windy conditions resulted in limited numbers of anglers going out. Perch anglers were fishing the narrows and the head of the bay. Smallmouth bass anglers targeted shallow, protected areas and river mouths with success.
Big Bay de Noc: Anglers fishing Garden Bay reported slow fishing. Smallmouth bass anglers reported fair to good fishing when casting for pre-spawn fish.
Fishing tip: How to catch your own nightcrawlers
Are you an avid catch-and-release angler? Do you like to take photos of the fish you catch, prior to returning them to the water? Do you know the safest way to take these photos so you ensure the fish can live to be caught another day?
- Wet your hands before you handle the fish — that way you won’t remove any of the protective mucus (a.k.a. slime) that coats the fish’s body.
- Remember a fish cannot breathe out of water, so they will become uncomfortable rather quickly. Keep the fish in the water until your camera is ready to take the shot.
- Take the photo with the fish close to the water, that way if it squirms out of your hands it will land in the water — not on a hard surface.
- While holding a fish, do not pinch or squeeze it, and do not stick your fingers in its gills.
- Be mindful of the different kinds of fish that have teeth or spines that could stick you.
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