Here is a summary of the Michigan DNR's Weekly Fishing Report for September 18, 2024. Read the full report here. While fishing appears to slow overall for salmon, Facebook groups would show that some are definitely being caught.
The rivers are quite low currently with our lack of rain. With storms and a cold front on the horizon, hopefully that'll push some fresh fish upstream.
Michigan Fishing Report
In the Southeast Lower Peninsula, anglers had mixed success across various fishing spots. In Lower Saginaw Bay, yellow perch were caught near buoys in deeper waters, while walleye and smallmouth bass were caught by jigging and casting baits. Fishing on the east side of Saginaw Bay and in Lexington was slow, with only a few walleye and small perch caught. However, Port Sanilac saw better catches of various salmon species and lake trout while trolling.
Grand Haven and Muskegon had steelhead and Chinook salmon caught in deeper waters in the Southwest Lower Peninsula, but salmon action near the pier needed to be faster. Similarly, South Haven and St. Joseph saw slow fishing, with some salmon caught in deeper waters and perch fishing lagging due to warm water.
The Northeast Lower Peninsula had more active salmon fishing, especially in Cheboygan and Alpena, where Chinook, coho, and Atlantic salmon were caught by trolling or casting spoons. Thunder Bay River and Rockport also had good catches of salmon and steelhead.
Frankfort and Onekama reported Chinook salmon staging in the Northwest Lower Peninsula, with successful evening catches. Salmon and steelhead were also caught around Charlevoix, while boat anglers in Manistee had mixed results for salmon. Ludington saw slower fishing due to warm water, but a mix of steelhead, Chinook, and coho salmon were still caught.
In the Upper Peninsula, Keweenaw Bay and Big Traverse Bay saw lake trout catches, while coho salmon were tricky to get to bite in Little Bay de Noc. Marquette had intense lake trout fishing, with some steelhead also being caught, and
Ontonagon reported good lake trout catches but slow walleye fishing in the river.
Fishing across Michigan varied, with some areas experiencing slow activity, especially near the shore. At the same time, deeper waters or specific times of day yielded better results for species like salmon, steelhead, and lake trout.
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Be sure to check out our kayaking and camping adventure to Government Island! Tenkara fishing is a great way to bring fishing gear with you on your backpacking and hiking trips.
