Wednesday, August 30, 2023

8/30/23 Northeast Lower Peninsula, Michigan Fishing Report

 



Northeast Lower Peninsula

Presque Isle: Anglers reported good trout fishing straight out of the harbor in depths of 90 to 120 feet of water. Spoons and dodgers with spin glows worked well 40 to 60 feet down. A few Chinook and walleyes were caught on lead cores that were run from 20 to 40 feet. North of the lighthouse to Thompson Harbor had decent catches of Chinook, steelhead and trout. With temperatures in the 40s, anglers reported most fish being caught in the top 45 feet of water in depths of 60 to 110 feet. Those targeting walleye reported fishing as slow and scattered. 

  • For more public lakes in Presque Isle county: Click Here!

Cheboygan River: Most boat anglers trolled between the channel buoys and the pier head. Salmon were caught, but not in great numbers. Shore anglers had the most success casting spoons off the pier. Fish were caught at the dam, though numbers were low. Early morning continued to be the time when the salmon were most active. Smallmouth and pike were still available in the lower stretches of river, though few people were targeting them. 

Rockport: Anglers going out around Middle Island caught good amounts of walleye, as well as the occasional Chinook, steelhead and lake trout in depths varying from 70 to 100 feet of water. Near Stoneport in 80 to 90 feet of water was the best spot for anglers targeting Chinook. Anglers reported having the best luck using spoons and meat rigs.

Alpena: Cool water moving into the bay brought in Chinooks. Anglers reported salmon to be scattered across the bay in depths of 25 to 40 feet of water. J-plugs and spoons caught a few fish when run 10 to 20 feet down. Green, blue and silver baits had the most success. Walleye were reported to be scattered, with the most consistent catches coming from 40 to 50 feet of water toward Scarecrow Island and the Thunder Bay Islands. Crankbaits and spoons worked best in the middle of the water column. A few catfish, pike and bass were caught fishing the pier head, Grass Island and the shallows around Sulphur Island.  

Thunder Bay River: Anglers targeting Chinook reported slow fishing, with only a few being caught while trolling plugs early and late in the day. A few fish were seen surfacing from the pier head to the 9th Street dam. Walleye and smallmouth bass were caught around Lamar Park floating crawlers late in the evenings. Spinner baits and large spinners were productive on pike along the pier and boat harbor.

Tawas/Au Gres: Both Tawas and Au Gres saw low fishing pressure due to weather. Walleye and perch catches were come and go. Anglers reported that the fish were out there, they just weren’t biting. Some anglers reported seeing a few sheepshead, an occasional bowfin, as well as some catfish. Bluegill and crappie fishing was decent for anglers fishing from the shore of tributaries in the Au Gres area.

Oscoda/Au Sable: Due to rough water, fishing pressure was down. Some anglers reported catching a few Chinook off the pier in the morning using spoons and stick baits.

Rogers City: Anglers mostly fished Swan Bay as the Chinooks were staging. They were fishing anywhere from inside the bay out to 90 feet of water. Anglers used downriggers, planer boards with lead core and copper, and dipsies, and ran lines throughout the water column for best results. Anglers fished with spoons, J-plugs, flashers with squids and flies, and meat rigs. Good colors to use were greens, oranges, black and white, yellow, and glow stuff early and late. The salmon bite was the best after sunset or in the early morning hours before sunrise. Anglers were heavily focused on fishing salmon, with low fishing pressure for other species.


Below are links to bait shop listings organized by county:


Your area may not be listed within this fishing report so below is a list of links to pages in Northeast Michigan to help guide you to public lakes in your county.

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