Northeast Lower Peninsula

Harrisville: Anglers targeting lake trout did well fishing 150 to 200 feet of water while trolling green/pink Spin-N-glos off the bottom.

Black River: A few walleye have been caught trolling bandits/scatter raps with clip weights in 40 to 60 feet.

Rogers City: Winds continued to mix things up and change the thermocline daily. Anglers reported catching lake trout, Chinook salmon, steelhead, and walleye this past week. The best depths were mostly between 75 to 120 feet of water, but this also changed frequently. Lines were run throughout the water column for the best results. A couple of lines were run deep, below the thermocline, for trout, with the rest spread out at varying depths. Anglers used a variety of lures, including spoons, flasher-fly and flasher-squid combos, and meat rigs. Productive colors included greens, blues, oranges, and glow patterns early and late in the day. The better salmon bite occurred in the evening, during the last couple of hours of light. Anglers fished straight out, up the lake toward the state park, or south toward Swan Bay, Adams Point, and the limestone plant. Others headed straight out to the 65-foot hump.

Presque Isle: Anglers fished deeper now that the water warmed up. The best depths were between 80 and 130 feet of water. Anglers reported catching mostly lake trout, with the occasional silver fish–Chinook salmon, steelhead, coho salmon, and walleye. Lake trout were caught near the bottom on flashers and Spin-N-Glo flies, along with spoons. Lines were run throughout the water column for the best results. Productive colors included greens, blues, oranges, white, and glow patterns early and late in the day. Good places to fish were between the lighthouses, off the ridge south toward Stoneport, or north off Black Point and the farm.

Cheboygan: Lake Huron boat anglers primarily targeted salmon along the northeast and southeast points of Bois Blanc Island. However, the salmon were difficult to find, so anglers brought in lake trout instead. Salmon anglers used a variety of flashers and dodgers with flies or spoons. Those using meat rigs had some success. In the Cheboygan River, anglers caught walleye, freshwater drum, and bass. Walleye anglers bottom bounced night crawlers, floated night crawlers under a bobber, drifted nightcrawler harnesses, or utilized stick crankbaits. Worms were most used for freshwater drum and bass. Good areas to target these species included the pedestrian walkway bridge by the baseball fields, the State Street drawbridge by the Cheboygan DNR field office, and along the parking lot by Plaunt’s Transportation ferry.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Anglers targeting salmon and steelhead in 80 to 115 feet of water while trolling spoons 30 to 60 feet down picked up a fair number of coho salmon, along with a few steelhead. Lake trout fishing was good in 120+ feet of water, with limits being taken. Most anglers targeting lake trout trolled Spin-N-Glos through the bottom 20 feet, with green being a popular color. Anglers bottom fishing with cut bait and crawlers off the catwalk and pier had decent luck with freshwater drum and channel catfish. One- to two-ounce pyramid weights and perch rigs were popular choices.

Tawas/Au Gres: For the Tawas area, walleye fishing started slow for the week but picked up with a couple limits caught north of the Charities on both artificial lures and night-crawlers. A couple steelhead and catfish were also caught while trolling. Bluegill and a flathead catfish were caught by shore fishermen. For the Au Gres area, walleye fishing was still good, with a couple limits caught. Alongside the walleye, catfish, freshwater drum, and a smallmouth bass were caught while trolling. Largemouth bass were also caught on artificial bait.