Whether you’re looking to catch up on some peace and quiet or spend time with friends, you can do both while fishing in our waterways. Surrounded by three Great Lakes (Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron), the Upper Peninsula’s freshwater greatness doesn’t stop there. We have 4,300 inland lakes, over 1,700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and 12,000 miles of rivers and streams for you to wet a line in, too!
We have a variety of options for fishing enthusiasts. Fly-fish in our rivers and streams for trout and salmon or troll for walleye on our bays or inland lakes. Take your children out bait fishing for bluegill, sunfish or crappies. Or relax for hours in an ice fishing shanty watching your tip-up signal another tasty catch. The exhilaration of reeling in your souvenirs, releasing them or taking them back to your lodgings and preparing them for dinner, is all in a day's fun.
Don’t have tackle boxes, rods and gear? Want to spend a day on the water with your gal pals, but don’t have a boat? Fear not, the U.P. has fishing charters and guides to the best fishing spots! Check out Caddis Shack Fishing Guide Service in the Escanaba-area, Hooked Up Charter Fishing on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Soo Fishing Charters in Sault Ste. Marie or many others. Sign up and your captain will handle the rest — providing expertise, equipment and an experience you’ll never forget.
Before getting out on the water, check the Michigan DNR’s Fishing Report. Make sure, as well, that your Michigan fishing licenses are up to date. Anyone 17 years of age or older must have a license. Explore where all you can cast a line in the Upper Peninsula down below. There are enough options beyond our Great Lakes to plan several fishing trips, and we can’t wait to host you. Take advantage of our cozy lodging options during your stay. Whether you’re fishing for keeps or planning to catch and release, we hope to see you “reel” soon!
What you’ll catch while you’re here
Walleye, smallmouth & largemouth bass, salmon, herring, whitefish, northern pike, rainbow and lake trout, perch, yellowbellies, splake, bluegill, sunfish, steelhead and crappies.
Popular places to fish in the Upper Peninsula
Western U.P.
Keweenaw Bay, Lake Gogebic (the largest inland lake in the U.P.), Bob Lake, Menominee River, Portage Lake, Lake of the Clouds and Lac Vieux Desert
Central U.P.
Au Train Lake, Squaw Lake, Munising Bay, Ford River, Little River, and Big and Little Bays de Noc
Eastern U.P.
Drummond Island, Big Manistique and South Manistique Lakes, Manistique River, Tahquamenon River and bays near Sault Ste. Marie