8/30/23 Northwest Lower Peninsula Michigan Fishing Report

 

Northwest Lower Peninsula

West Grand Traverse Bay: The thermocline varied with strong north and south winds; however, it was anywhere from 60 to 100 feet down. Salmon fishing was good in the hole in front of the Boardman River. Fishing near the white walls slowed down, but anglers reported a few salmon caught there. Using plugs, white flasher with flies, meat and spoons all caught fish. Anglers reported catching a few coho. Smallmouth bass fishing was good in 20 to 40 feet of water; bass were still deep. Very few salmon were reported in the Boardman River.

East Grand Traverse Bay: Like West Bay, the thermocline varied anywhere from 60 to 100-plus feet down. Salmon fishing was good on the south end of the bay from the Center Road Launch to South Bank, and up the east side to Deepwater Point. Flasher fly, meat, spoons and plugs all worked well.

• For more public lakes to fish in Grand Traverse County: Click Here! 
• Grand Traverse County Bait Shops: Click Here!

Petoskey/Harbor Springs: Salmon fishing on both the north and south side of Little Traverse Bay was productive depending on the day. Both the mornings and evenings provided success. Trolling anywhere in 75 to 150 feet of water at half the water column landed fish. Chinooks, cohos and lake trout were reported. Trolling green, black and silver spoons and flies was the most successful; however, the plug bite was getting better. Those fishing the Bear River reported the occasional Chinook and coho bite.

Frankfort: The Chinook numbers were good, with anglers also reporting good sizes. Anglers were in 100 to 150 feet of water and worked the top 50 to 70 feet early in the morning and a bit deeper as the sun moved up. The pier and jigging slowed, with anglers reporting low numbers, but the Chinooks that moved into the bay were not running up the river. Anglers reported coho in the area, and they were hitting on three-color or sliders around 25 to 35 feet down.

• For a list of bait and tackle shops in the Frankfort area: Click Here!

Onekama: Straight out and heading north, anglers in 90 to 120 feet of water who worked the top 70 feet reported good numbers of Chinook in the early morning and at sunset. Meat rigs landed good numbers, with black and greens working best.

Below are links to bait shop listings organized by county: 

• Benzie County Click Here!
• Charlevoix County Click Here!
• Grand Traverse County Click Here!

Your area may not be listed within this fishing report so below is a list of links to pages in Northeast Michigan to help guide you to public lakes in your county.

• Charlevoix County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Cheboygan County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Grand Traverse County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Lake County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Leelanau County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Mason County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Antrim County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Otsego County Public Lakes: Click Here!
• Osceola County Public Lakes: Click Here!