9/13/2018 Upper Peninsula, Michigan Fishing Report

Upper Peninsula

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Lac Vieux Desert:  Muskellunge anglers are finding a few fish along the edge of the weed beds and up in the shallows early or late. The pike action is heating up as well with reports of 24-30-inch fish common. Walleye fishing remained slow with only a few legal fish taken. Perch anglers are staying active however there are still a lot of smaller fish being caught. Those chasing bluegills and sunfish had similar results. Finding the larger schools of fish has been difficult. Bass fishing remains good.   

Little Bay De Noc:  Walleye action was a bit slower because of the strong east winds. Best areas were Kipling in 22 to 30 feet, the “Black Bottom” in 18 to 25 feet and Garth Point in 12 to 20 feet. Garth Point was best at night when trolling stick baits or crawlers.  A few good perch catches were taken in 22 to 30 feet near Kipling. Try minnows or crawlers. Pike were active in the Escanaba Yacht Harbor. Best catches were around the mouth of the harbor and out from the beach when trolling crank baits, spoons or spinners. Smallmouth anglers caught fish along the southern end of the “Black Bottom” with plastics or spinners in 16 to 20 feet or near Round Island in 10 to 16 feet.

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Big Bay De Noc:  Had mostly smallmouth bass anglers in the southern waters. Good catches were reported between Martins Bay and St. Vitals Island in 10 to 18 feet with plastics. Garden Bluff had fair catches in 15 to 25 feet. Some were targeting perch in Garden Bay but few fish were caught.

Manistique River:  Was producing some walleye and salmon.

Marquette:  Lake trout fishing continues to be good. More anglers are starting to target both the Carp and the Dead River but most had no luck. 

Au Train:  Lake trout fishing is still very good just north of Au Train Island when trolling or jigging. Some were starting to troll up high for salmon near the mouth of the Au Train River but very few had any luck.

Munising:  Very slow fishing in general with only a few small splake caught by those trolling for coho. Surface water temperatures dropped to the low to mid 60’s. Lake trout anglers continue to do well towards Wood Island and near Big Reef with most fish averaging around five to six pounds. Rivers were high and turbid. 

Grand Marais:  Good lake trout fishing continues towards Au Sable Point and Five Mile Reef. The few trolling for salmon caught a couple fish.

Detour:  Strong northeast winds prevented anglers from fishing at the Detour Lighthouse and south into Lake Huron. A few Chinook and pink salmon were caught further upstream of the lighthouse on the Drummond Island side of the river. Good walleye action with fish 17 to 24 inches were reported up near Swedes Pointe when trolling bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses with red and gold smiley blades. Those using a slip bobber with a shiner along the underwater humps in 10 to 14 feet caught walleye in the early morning. Around Drummond Island, anglers caught a few yellow perch at both the mouth or inside Harbor Island with perch spreaders and shiners or small worms just off the bottom in the early morning and mid-afternoon in six to eight feet.

Cedarville and Hessel:  Northern pike remain steady throughout Cedarville Bay and Musky Bay for those trolling an orange, chartreuse and black spotted crank bait in eight to 12 feet. Rock bass and sunfish were caught just off the weed beds in six feet off Connors Pointe. For those that enjoy casting for largemouth bass, try spinners under the docks throughout the Les Cheneaux Islands in the early morning or evening. At Hessel, no perch were reported at the marina. Water temperatures were still 65 degrees at the marina but once those temperatures cool to 55-58 degrees, the perch should begin to move into the finger docks. Pike fishing was good on the west side of Marquette Island, but the bigger fish came to those still-fishing with creek chubs in Wilderness Bay in eight to 15 feet. Moving west of Hessel, to Nunn’s Creek, anglers have caught Chinook salmon. Nunn’s Creek is located off Hwy M-134 which is six miles east of I-75. Shore anglers and those wading were using natural and artificial spawn.