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DNR Fishing Report

Last updated: September 30, 2026

Looking for more information on fishing and hunting laws and regulations? Visit our Regulations summaries and handbooks page to get familiar with all the laws and regulations you need before heading out. 

All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license. Fishing licenses can be purchased at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or by downloading the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app and purchasing your license on the app. Buy your license ►

Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting coho salmon fished the Escanaba River. Anglers reported seeing fish surface in the river and near the dam. Fishing was slow, with most anglers unable to entice bites. Anglers drifted spawn and cast brightly colored lures. Anglers noted that the run was slowing down, though additional heavy rainfall could bring in remaining coho salmon. Walleye anglers reported fair fishing, with success using natural bait trolled on a harness or cast on a jighead, as well as artificial lures such as snap jigs and crankbaits.

Munising: Boat anglers caught a few coho salmon while trolling in the bay. Lake trout anglers had success jigging and trolling around Grand Island and Wood Island. Anglers fishing off the mouth of the Anna River caught a few splake and coho salmon. Casting spinners and drifting spawn produced the best results.

Ontonagon River: Angling effort on the river was very low over the past week. Recent reports indicated occasional catches of walleye in low numbers. Early morning hours were the most productive.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Angling effort from Ontonagon increased over the past week, with effort from the Silver City and Union Bay access sites increasing significantly. Anglers reported mixed catches of lake trout, brown trout, coho salmon, and Chinook salmon in fair numbers. Boat anglers trolling found fish in depths ranging from 30 to 150 feet. Anglers had better success finding salmon when trolling in shallower water.

Black River Harbor: Angling effort from the harbor increased slightly over the past week. Anglers reported catches of brown trout, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and lake trout, with lake trout and coho salmon being the most frequently reported. Fish were caught by boat anglers trolling in 30 to 160 feet of water. Anglers had better success targeting salmon when trolling in shallower water.

St. Ignace: Anglers reported salmon moving into Nunns Creek and closer to McDonalds Rapids in the Carp River. Anglers casting spoons and drifting spawn from shore at Nunns Creek caught few Chinook salmon. At the Carp River, Chinook salmon and pink salmon were caught using spoons, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, beads, and spawn.

Grand Marais: Boat anglers had success targeting lake trout when trolling and jigging. A few coho salmon were caught by boat anglers trolling east of the breakwall. Shore anglers also caught a few coho salmon near the mouth of the Sucker River while casting spoons.

Manistique: Pink salmon were plentiful in the river. Anglers targeting pink salmon used small crankbaits, spinners, and beads, typically in pink colors. Chinook salmon anglers reported catching fish in holes of fast water above the U.S. Highway 2 bridge. Anglers reported the best success on skein, though other egg patterns also produced fish. Anglers trolling the river reported slow salmon fishing but caught incidental species such as smallmouth bass and northern pike.

Marquette: Anglers targeted lake trout in 80 to 160 feet of water. Most boat anglers continued to troll north of White Rocks out toward Granite Rock and the Clay Banks, as reports from west of the Chocolay River remained dismal. Anglers reported catching lake trout throughout the water column, though most fish were caught near the bottom using downriggers. A few anglers caught lake trout and coho salmon off the lower breakwall early in the morning and before sunset. Anglers trolling the river mouths out of Lower Harbor caught fair numbers of salmon, including both coho salmon and chinook salmon. Brown trout were among the most frequently caught species in both the Chocolay and Carp rivers, along with numerous coho salmon. Following rain and cooler temperatures, fish numbers began to increase as salmon pods staged near the river mouths ahead of the run.

Au Train: Tribal nets were reset in the flats northwest of Au Train Island toward Five-Mile Point, requiring caution when navigating that area. Wood Island Reef and the waters northwest of Au Train Island toward the Laughing Whitefish River remained open for lake trout fishing, while Au Train Bay to the Laughing Whitefish River remained open for salmon, brown trout, and steelhead. Anglers jigging near the bottom in 40 to 80 feet of water in front of Au Train Island had good success catching lean lake trout. All lake trout taken this week were caught near the bottom while trolling or jigging. Anglers targeting brown trout and salmon in shallow water marked numerous fish, though few  catches were reported. As angler effort increases over the coming weeks, activity is expected to pick up, particularly off river mouths, Scott Falls, and the Laughing Whitefish River area.

Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers reported fair to good fishing with catches consisting primarily of coho salmon, lake trout, and a few splake while trolling. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported fair action using natural and artificial presentations in 100 to 140 feet of water. Shore anglers reported improved fishing over the past week, with many anglers catching coho salmon.

Lake Independence/Big Bay: Fishing activity remained slow, with most anglers targeting walleye and yellow perch. Anglers had the best success jigging in 10 to 15 feet of water using natural bait.

Traverse Bay/Portage Entry: Anglers reported fair to good lake trout fishing while trolling spoons and flasher-fly rigs around structure in 50 to 100 feet of water. Anglers reported a few coho salmon and steelhead were caught while trolling, but in very low numbers. Anglers jigging for lake trout reported fair fishing using natural presentations, with most fish caught in 80 to 120 feet of water.

Les Cheneaux/DeTour: Anglers caught yellow perch in Cedarville within Cedarville Bay and Government Bay. Anglers also caught good numbers of larger smallmouth bass around rocky structures near the islands in Hessel. Splake fishing was extremely slow due to warm weather and elevated water temperatures delaying fish movement. In DeTour, anglers targeted walleye with little success but caught yellow perch near Drummond Island. Anglers also caught good numbers of lake trout while trolling the flats prior to the end of the season on Sept. 30.

Fishing tip: Proper storage of fishing equipment

It’s getting to be that time of year where many anglers are preparing to store their fishing equipment. Here are a few tips to help you through this process:

  1. Take your reels apart to clean them and then grease and oil them.
  2. Check out the hooks on your lures and determine if they need replacement or sharpening.
  3. Remove the fly line from your reel. If you plan on reusing it consider cleaning it with dish soap.
  4. Use rod sleeves to store your rods and so the parts don’t get mismatched.
  5. Store your rods vertically to avoid any bends from occurring.
  6. Keep your rods at room temperature.
  7. Check your waders for any leaks; pinhole-sized leaks can be found by putting a flashlight inside your waders in a dark room.

After that you’ll be ready for ice fishing season! But brush up on the basics first!

This report is intended to give you an idea of what is going on around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and conservation officers. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams, not all locations can be listed. However, it is safe to say if a species is being caught in some waters in the area, they are likely being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species.