8/27/25 Southwest Lower Peninsula, Michigan DNR Fishing Report

 

Southwest Lower Peninsula

South Haven: Boat anglers targeting salmon had fair success this week. Quite a few fish were caught, but conditions were challenging. Fish were taken from 35 feet of water out to well past 120 feet of water, mostly on spoons. The catch consisted primarily of Chinook salmon and coho salmon. Pier fishing was decent as well. Anglers were catching coho salmon and steelhead, using spinners and spoons, as well as shrimp fished under bobbers. Perch fishing was very inconsistent. There were a couple of good days, but things became more difficult after lake temperatures dropped.

St. Joseph: Boat anglers had decent salmon fishing this week. The fish were very spread out, with most boats targeting around 70 feet of water. Most fish were caught on spoons. Pier fishing was decent as well. The action was slow at first but improved when the temperature dropped. Fishing could have been better, but rough lake conditions limited opportunities. Most fish were caught on spoons and spinners. Perch fishing was pretty good, though it slowed down when lake temperatures dropped. Anglers were targeting around 30 feet of water.

Nearby Bait Shops Include: 

Fishin Hole (269) 982-3474

Tackle Haven (269) 925-0341

Great Lakes Tackle  (269) 208-6178

Fishing Hole 2 (269) 468-7522 

Note: At any time you can view the Berrien Springs fish ladder cam by go to this link or following their youtube channel. Subscribing to their channel helps fund the fish ladder cam. 

Muskegon: Anglers caught salmon from inside the basin out to 80 feet of water. Glow plugs and glow spoons worked well. Pier anglers caught a few salmon while casting glow spoons.

• For a more accurate report on the Muskegon Lake & the Muskegon River I suggest reaching out to the people at Snug Harbor Outfitters. Phone: (231-719-0759)

Grand Haven: Boat anglers caught decent numbers of salmon from the pierheads out to 80 feet of water. Glow spoons and glow plugs worked best. Pier anglers caught salmon on alewives and while casting glow spoons.

For more bait shops in the southwest lower peninsula follow the links below:

Berrien County Bait Shops: Click Here!
Allegan County Bait Shops: Click Here!
Ingham County Bait Shops: Click Here!

Branch County Bait Shops: Click Here!

Barry County Bait Shops: Click Here!
Montcalm County Bait Shops: Click Here!
Kalamazoo County Bait Shops: Click Here!
Kent County Bait Shops: Click Here!

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

Allegan County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Barry County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Calhoun County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Cass County Public Lakes: Click Here! 
Kalamazoo County Public Lakes: Click Here!
Oceana County Public Lakes: Click Here!
Ottawa County Public Lakes: Click Here!
Van Buren County Public Lakes: Click Here!
Barry County Public Lakes: Click Here!