SOUTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA

Lake Erie: Fishing slowed down slightly with the hatch of the mayflies be- ginning, with anglers com- ing in with a few fish short of their limits. Anglers go- ing to where the Ohio, Can- ada, and Michigan board- ers meet were seeing the most success. Anglers that were using pink and purple crawler harnesses with bot- tom bouncers were seeing the most success. Those us- ing spoons were also doing well. Freshwater drum were out in droves. They seemed to hit less often on artificial rigs.

Saginaw Bay: Walleye were caught in front of the

Au Gres River while troll- ing with crawlers in 32 feet of water. Walleye ranging from 20-22-inches were caught. Walleye were also caught three to four miles east of the Sparkplug while trolling with crankbaits and crawlers. Some walleye were also caught in the shal- lows from the mouth of the Kawkawlin River to out in front of the Bay City State Park. Smallmouth bass were caught in the lower part of the Saginaw River and chan- nel catfish were caught on worms and shrimp in the hot ponds off Jones Road. The slot was producing good to very good catches of wall- eye from the south end and up past Sebewaing in 14 to

17 feet of water. Some an- glers were starting to fish east of the shipping channel and out over the bar. The deeper water areas produced slightly bigger fish but less overall numbers. Walleye were also being caught around the narrows and off the tip of Sand Point. Crawl- er harnesses were the most consistent while body baits and spoons were catching walleye as well. NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA

Presque Isle: Trout and salmon were found all around the Presque area. While some anglers were taking lake trout and Atlan- tic salmon in 15 to 25 feet, others were finding them

over 60 to120 feet. Cool- salmon were showing up as er water had fish scattered of late.

from top to bottom. Spread- Alpena: The walleye bite

ing the lines out throughout the water column was pro- ductive. Some nice Chinook were taken on flasher/fly combos as well as spoons in black/green, purples and greens. Higher sets of or- ange/silvers, gold/green, and watermelon had taken the majority of steelhead and Atlantic salmon. A few walleye were reported to be hanging around Thompson Harbor and some off the shallow structures. Presque Harbor was holding a good number of smallmouth bass along with some pike, rock bass and the occasional At- lantic salmon.

Tawas: Anglers reported good numbers of walleye while trolling in 50 to 60 feet of water. Some were noticed in Tawas Bay. An- glers at the mouth of the Tawas River were catching someperchandsmallmouth bass.

Rockport: Anglers were having success trolling the waters around Middle Is- land. Trout, Atlantic salmon, and Chinook salmon were being taken all throughout the water column in 50 to 70 feet of water. UV or- ange, green, and purple/ gold spoons had the best re- sults. Stoneport was giving up nice steelhead along with other silver fish. The 2- 5 color lead cores were taking majority of fish. More pink

dropped in Thunder Bay as the water temperatures dropped. While a few fish remained close, anglers were struggling to find any success. Best results were around Scarecrow Island in 16 to 30 feet of water. Slow trolling crawlers were taking fish during daylight hours while mid to deep diving crankbaits were get- ting action after dark. Little to no action was found near Whitefish Bay and the north shore. Very few boats were targeting trout and salmon but those that did had good success around Thunder Bay Island. Trout were tak- en near bottom in 70 to 90 feet of water on dodgers and spin glos. A few Chinook salmon were also taken with Atlantic salmon in the same waters fishing higher in the water column. Spoons in gold/green, orange and watermelon were working well.Thunder Bay River: Fish- ing pressure was low on the river. Anglers were taking a few walleye while jigging swimbaits, crawlers and leaches between the Second and Third Street bridges. Catfish, carp, freshwater drum, and smallmouth bass were caught from the pier head all the way to the 9th Street Dam.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Wall- eye were caught while trolling in 50 to 60 feet of water and anglers were starting to see a rise in numbers of walleye off the pier. Anglers were also targeting more catfish at the mouth, but only a couple were caught.

Cheboygan: In the Che- boygan River, walleye fishing was slow below the dam. Anglers were lucky to land one to two fish. Small- mouth fishing was poor this past week. Out in Lake Hu- ron, lake trout fishing was limited by poor weather. Boat anglers who got out toward Bois Blanc and the reefs didn’t have much suc- cess. Some anglers reported that surface temperatures had decreased.

Rogers City: The water was beginning to warm up a little so fish were mov- ing out. With the unstable weather, anglers should start looking for fish around structured points, especial- ly for lake trout. Anglers were fishing up the lake near 40 Mile Point or down the lake near Adams Point. Anglers were also fishing straight out of the harbor on the humps or near Seagull Point. The best depths were anywhere from 50 to 80 feet. Anglers should fish the entire water column for best results. Flashers or attrac- tors with spin glos for the lake trout as well as spoons worked well. Good colors were oranges with silvers, greens, and yellows on the spoons.