Northeast Lower Peninsula

Alpena: Few anglers were seeing success with mixed bags of walleye, lake trout and a few salmon. Trolling spoons and spin-and-glows in various depths was popular with anglers when targeting salmon and trout. Trolling body baits or crawlers was the popular method when targeting walleye in the bay.

Cheboygan: Chinook salmon were starting to run below the Cheboygan Dam. Anglers were using green crankbaits or spawn sacs which provided anglers the best results when fishing for salmon at the Cheboygan Dam. Sizes of salmon varied greatly between 23 to 40 inches and average weights of 15 to 25 pounds. Fishing on Lake Huron significantly slowed down with few boats departing from Cheboygan.

Thunder Bay River: Angling effort dramatically picked up as Chinook salmon were moving into the river. Anglers were catching panfish, bass, pike, catfish, and the very occasional walleye. Common methods used by anglers were casting stick baits, body baits, and spinners or drifting leeches and night crawlers. While targeting catfish drop shot rigs were the most common method. While targeting salmon anglers are casting body baits and spoons as well as floating eggs.

Oscoda: Anglers were mostly catching lake trout, steelhead and walleye. Pier anglers were catching mostly bass and some Chinook salmon. Trolling spoons of various colors around 80 to 100 feet of water was the popular method when targeting salmon and trout. Off the pier, common methods for targeting bass, walleye and catfish were floating leeches and nightcrawlers, casting stick or body baits, and the use of drop shot rigs for catfish. While targeting salmon, pier anglers were casting spoons and body baits.

Au Sable River: Anglers were seeing success while fishing for bass, pike, panfish, some catfish and a few salmon. Various methods were seeing success. Most commonly was the use of casting or trolling body baits and spoons. While catfish and panfish were being caught with the use of drop shot rigs with night crawlers around dusk.

Rogers City: Chinooks were staging off Swan Bay in descent numbers but were not biting well. Anglers were fishing in 15 to 60 feet of water off Swan Bay for Chinooks while using boards with bombers and J-Plugs with no weight or downriggers set very high. Anglers fishing for lake trout, steelhead and chinook were running lures in and around the bait fish. Spoons performed the best and good colors were greens, blues, orange, blue and silver, black and white, black and silver, or glow stuff early and late. Bait fish were found anywhere from 40 feet to 125 feet of water.

Rockport: Anglers were fishing outside of middle island in the deeper water. Anglers should run lines throughout the water column for a mix of coho and near bottom for lake trout. Spoons were a good choice for the coho while lake trout were caught on flashers and spin-and- glows near bottom. Walleye were caught in 15 to 40 feet of water on deep diver body baits or crawler harnesses.

Tawas: Boat anglers were catching a few walleye inside the bay near buoys 4 & 6 and near the weed beds in 20 to 30 feet of water off crawlers and crank baits. Some walleye, steelhead, Atlantic and coho salmon were caught in 50 to 70 feet out past buoy 2 and working south towards Alabaster and the Bell buoy while using spoons, crawlers and body baits. Pier anglers were catching a few small perch off minnows. Shore and dock anglers were catching Chinook salmon and pike in the Tawas River at Gateway Park while casting spoons and body baits.

Au Gres: Boat anglers were catching some perch straight out from the river mouth and out in front of the hotel in 20 to 35 feet off minnows. Anglers were sorting through a lot of smaller fish but were managing to get nice catches. Bass anglers were catching some largemouth bass in the Au Gres River while casting spinners and body baits. Down south of Au Gres, near the Rifle, Saganning and Pinconning bars, perch anglers were also sorting through small fish to keep some in 15 to 20 feet of water off minnows.