Thursday, August 13, 2026

8/12/26 Northeast Lower Peninsula, Michigan Fishing Report

 

Northeast Lower Peninsula

Tawas/Au Gres: Walleye were caught in good numbers in 40 to 60 feet of water near Charity Island and in the Alabaster area. Crawler harnesses and crankbaits both produced fish.

Decent numbers of walleye were caught in 25 to 34 feet of water straight out front in Au Gres and to the south. Crawler harnesses produced the best results. Anglers reported walleye, freshwater drum, white perch, white bass, and an occasional yellow perch.

Alpena: Walleye fishing in the bay was reported as slow. Those targeting walleye had success in 30 to 60 feet of water from North Point to Scarecrow Island. Lake trout were caught in 100 to 130 feet of water in the bottom 30 feet. A few steelhead were also caught while trolling bright-colored spoons in the top 25 feet of the water column.

Thunder Bay River: Walleye fishing was reported slow. A few smallmouth bass were caught while casting spinners. Catfish were plentiful throughout the river while fishing crawlers on bottom.

Rockport: Lake trout fishing remained solid in 100 to 150 feet of water. Flashers with Spin-N-Glos and spoons worked well, with chartreuse, white, and green yielding the best results. A few Chinook salmon and coho salmon were caught east of Middle Island in 120 to 180 feet of water, with spoons, meat rigs, and flasher-fly combos producing the best results. Steelhead were caught near the surface on orange, gold, and watermelon spoons. Walleye were scattered from Stoneport to South 9 Mile Point, 5 to 30 feet down in over 40 to 60 feet of water. Anglers had success running lines through the water column using crankbaits and crawler harnesses.

Cheboygan: Lake trout were caught off the northeastern points of Bois Blanc Island and across all major reefs, including Poe Reef, Raynolds Reef, and Spectacle Reef. Spoons produced the best bite, though lake trout were occasionally caught using flashers and Spin-N-Glos in over 100 feet of water. An occasional Chinook salmon was also caught while trolling spoons.

Low numbers of smallmouth bass and rock bass were reported in the lower Cheboygan River by anglers drifting nightcrawlers. Smallmouth bass were occasionally caught using swimbaits and spinnerbaits.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers did well on walleye when trolling spoons in 80 to 150 feet of water, 20 to 50 feet down. Lake trout were also taken on spoons and Spin-N-Glos. A few steelhead were caught throughout the water column. Anglers fishing off the catwalk/pier caught channel catfish and freshwater drum using pyramid weights and nightcrawlers. A few nice smallmouth bass were caught on swimbaits and tubes.

Harrisville: Anglers trolling spoons and Spin-N-Glos in 90 to 130 feet of water caught lake trout in the bottom 20 feet of water. Walleye were also caught on spoons 20 to 50 feet down. Anglers casting in the harbor caught a few northern pike on spinnerbaits.

Rogers City: Salmon fishing remained abnormally slow and failed to show any improvement. The best bite occurred very early or very late in the day. Anglers headed south toward Swan Bay and Adams Point for the best results, with optimal depths ranging anywhere from 40 to 90 feet of water. Anglers used an assortment of spoons, J-plugs, meat rigs, and flashers with plastic squids or flies. Effective colors included green, blue, yellow, white UV, and glow patterns for early-morning and late-evening fishing.

Walleye continued to be an incidental catch for anglers targeting salmon and lake trout. Lake trout were found deep in over 100 feet of water, seeking cold water and becoming more structure-oriented along with the cold water trends.

Presque Isle: Warm water was present throughout the area up until150 feet of water. Salmon were difficult to find, but lake trout fishing was reported good out deep off the hump, where they were caught near the bottom in cold water. Salmon were caught high in the water column, along with incidental catches of walleye, requiring lines spread throughout the water column. Anglers used spoons, flashers with flies or squids, meat rigs, and J-Plugs. Effective colors included white UV, green, blue, and glow patterns for early-morning and late-evening fishing.


Below are links to bait shop listings organized by county:


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.

Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...