Fishing Report

Walleye fishing remains to be good as most fish are hitting in 35 to 40 feet of water. Perch action is picking up with the best areas being off the hotel in 32 feet of water and out around the shipping channel in 40 to 45 feet of water.

Pier anglers continue to take fair catches of perch ranging from 6 to 10 inches, as well as a few smallmouth and rock bass. Boat anglers are catching perch out off the Coast Guard Station while fishing the weed beds. Those trolling for walleye have taken some limits using crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers in 55 to 75 feet of water.

Anglers have had fair success fishing for lake trout. Only a few chinook and steelhead have been caught. Those venturing out have been fishing between 70 and 120 feet of water using cut bait. Pier fishing has been slow with only a few walleye being caught.

Has had very little fishing effort due to recent high winds. Those boats heading out have caught salmon at the Wreck while trolling spoons or sliders off downriggers in 85 to 120 feet of water. Try trolling 40 feet down in waters 45 to 60 feet deep between the shore and Middle Island.

Good places to fish are north off the big lighthouse, North Bay, Stoneport, and False Presque Isle. Try fishing 30 to 90 feet down in 60 to 120 feet of water with spoons of various colors. Morning fishing has been the best so make sure to be out early. The fish seem to be hanging tight to structure.

The fish are biting just about anywhere, but some good spots are out from Calcite, the pump house, straight out from the harbor, near Adams Point, north of the state park, and Forty Mile Point. Set downriggers 30 to 90 feet down in waters 60 to 120 feet deep. Spoons with dodgers or flodgers with flies or squid running behind them have worked well. Good colors are green, white, blue, black and white or glow.

Fishing has been pretty slow with only a few fish being caught on the south side of Bois Blanc Island and at the Bell in the shipping channel. Most anglers are heading up to Mackinac Island and the Straits area where most of the fish are being caught. Trolling with spoons, dodgers with flies, squid, and cut bait has worked well in 60 to 130 feet of water.

Fair to good perch fishing is being reported in several areas near the Black Hole, the Spark Plug out of Sebewaing, Buoy H, Buoy 16, and Buoys 1 and 2. Many limit catches were reported. Another good area has been out of Caseville near Oak Point in 30 feet of water. Walleye activity has slowed down with most catches in 9 to 10 feet of water on the northwest end of the Callahan Reef. Another good area has been near the Spark Plug, Buoys 1 and 2, and areas around the Slot. A few channel catfish have been caught at the Hot Ponds. Smallmouth bass fishing has been good near Charity Island in 7 to 9 feet of water.

Has been the busiest trout and salmon port in the area. There is good lake trout, chinook and steelhead fishing in and around 100 feet of water. Boat anglers are catching perch near Oak Point. Pier fishing is slow.

Perch fishing continues to be excellent. Anglers are getting limit catches in 30 to 40 feet of water in the weed beds. Chinook salmon and lake trout fishing has been good in 100 feet of water while fishing near the bottom. Pier fishing is slow.

Boat anglers are catching plenty of walleye near the Blue Water Bridge while drifting crawlers. Plenty of smallmouth bass are being caught throughout the river on crawlers or jigs. Those fishing the mouth of the Black River are catching white bass on minnows.

Fishing has been very slow. A few perch have been caught at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in 12 to 14 feet of water on minnows or worms. There was a report of a northern musky being caught on the Canadian side of the lake.

Walleye are being caught in the Lower Trenton Channel near Horse Island and Celeron Island. At Horse Island anglers are having luck drifting crawler harnesses while those fishing near Celeron Island are hand-lining or jigging in 15 to 21 feet of water. The best fishing has been in the afternoon and evening hours.

Walleye fishing in the central basin has been very good. Fish have been caught on the sandbar between Vermilion and Lorain, 5-6 miles N of the Cleveland Crib in 58-62‘of water, 10 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) to Eastlake in 68-70’ of water, 10 to 12 miles N of Geneva in 68 to 74’ of water, and 10 to 12 miles N of Ashtabula in 70 to 74’ of water. Fish have been caught on worm harnesses or spoons colored in orange and black, red and black, or purple and black with copper backs, trolled with dipsy divers or jet divers off planer boards. Some anglers are also drifting worm harnesses. Fish are suspended and anglers are fishing down 35 to 50'.

Yellow perch fishing is improving in the central basin with very good catches reported 5 miles N of Bratenahl in 49-60 feet of water, 4 miles N of Wildwood State Park (Euclid) in 42 to 45’ of water, 2 to 4 miles N of Fairport in 35 to 50’ of water, and 2 to 4 miles N of Ashtabula and Conneaut in 55 to 65’ of water. Fish have ranged from 7 to 11 inches. Perch rigs with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on Ruggles Reef between Huron and Vermilion, and along the shoreline from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut in 15 to 29’ of water. Fish have been caught on goby color tube jigs, goby color drop shot rigs, jigs tipped with minnows or leeches, or by trolling crankbaits.

The best white bass fishing has been 1/2 mile N of Eastlake CEI power plant. Anglers are using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails. Shore anglers are catching white bass at the Eastlake CEI, Mentor Headlands lighthouse, Wildwood State Park, Rocky River, Avon Lake and Lorain piers using agitators with white, yellow and green twister tails or small spoons.

Lake Erie surface temperatures are in the mid 70’s.

Walleye fishing was excellent through Thursday 8/10, but the NE winds on Friday 8/11 have slowed fishing. Before 8/11 the Toledo water intake, N of “B†and “C†cans of the Camp Perry range, and SW of Kelleys Island on American Eagle Shoal were producing the most fish. Maumee Bay and the Toledo water intake were extremely muddy after the NE winds. Over the past weekend (8/12 and 8/13) walleye were caught N of “B†and “C†cans and SW of Kelleys Island, but fishing was much slower than before the weekend. Drifters are using mayfly rigs or weight forward spinners, while most trollers are using worm harnesses or spoons with jet or dipsy divers. The best spoon colors have been patterns that include gold and purple or red.

The best yellow perch fishing in the western basin has been SW of Kelleys Island, W of the Kelleys Island stone docks, around Green Island, and NE of Ballast Island. Perch spreaders with shiners fished near the bottom produce the most fish.

White bass fishing has been excellent off of the Cedar Point breakwall and foghorn.

Walleye fishing has been slow with a few fish being taken near the Banana Dyke on bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. Perch have been caught in waters 26 feet deep off Stony Point on shiners. Other good areas have been east of E Buoy, Sputnick, and the Ferme Power Plant.

Lake trout and salmon have been caught all the way down to Charlevoix this week. The fish are still 100 feet down or deeper. Steelhead have also been caught. Try spoons and flies behind dodgers, or cut bait. The salmon are running from small jacks up to 20+ pounds, and some nice lake trout weighing 5 1/2 to 10 pounds were caught.

The East Bay has fair salmon fishing off Elk Rapids, Yuba and between Willow Point and the South Bank which is along Old Mission Peninsula. Hootchie Mama's or Spin-Doctors with flies and streamers in white, silver and blue were the most productive when fishing 80 to 100 feet down in waters 110 to 140 feet deep. On the West Bay, anglers are trolling 90 to 100 feet down near the White Walls. Anglers continue to catch a good number of lake trout on both Bays.

Has excellent chinook salmon fishing off the northern end of North Manitou Island and off the First Bank. Try Hootchie Mama's and arctic ice flies or spoons with flashers in waters up to 125 feet deep. Lake trout have also been caught.

Fishing as been outstanding with limit catches reported daily. Brown trout and steelhead have also been caught on a regular basis. The west side of South Manitou Island continues to be the hot spot. Anglers are also catching fish in Sleeping Bear Bay and off Pyramid Point.

Is still providing great chinook salmon fishing. Brown trout and lake trout have also been caught in 130 to 150 feet of water. Warm water temperatures still have anglers trolling as far down as 100 feet with Hootchie Mama's or blue and green spoons. Boats are fishing straight out from the piers and north up to Point Betsie and Platte Bay.

Excellent chinook salmon fishing straight out of the harbor and north up to Arcadia. Most fish are being caught in 150 to 180 feet of water on meat rigs, spoons and green or blue flies. Pier anglers have caught some nice smallmouth bass and rock bass.

Has good fishing. Boat anglers are trolling 50 to 70 feet down in waters 110 to 150 feet deep both to the north and south of the harbor. They are catching mostly chinook salmon. Pier fishing has been very slow.

Anglers reported good fishing when trolling in 100 to 150 feet of water. They are catching mostly chinook mixed with the occasional steelhead. The fish have been coming in the top 50 feet of water when trolling straight out of the harbor and heading north.

Reported excellent salmon fishing just off the Cedar River in the area of the Whaleback Shoal about 60 feet down in waters 110 feet deep or east of the Shoal in Wisconsin waters about 40 feet down in waters 80 feet deep.