⸻

🎣 Michigan Weekly Fishing Report🗓️ Thursday, August 28, 2025Presented by Bait Man⸻🥁 Bait Man’s BeatLate August in Michigan always feels like the hinge of the season. One week we’re sweating under stubborn summer heat, and the next a cold front sweeps through, dropping temps into the forties and fogging the lakes at dawn. This week was exactly that kind of week. Anglers saw mornings with their breath rising over the water, a sure sign that change is in the air—and the fish responded.On the big lake, salmon have finally begun staging in earnest. Frankfort Harbor, Manistee Lake, White Lake, and the piers from Ludington to Muskegon are alive with kings pushing shallow. Early and late, spoons and plugs are still flying off the piers, but more and more anglers are turning to vertical jigging. Swedish Pimples, P-Line Laser Minnows, and the new Ziggy jig are producing fish straight under the boat. Add a sliver of Familiar Bite herring to a jig and it’s game on. For smaller boats and kayaks, jigging in the harbors is leveling the playing field—you don’t need downriggers and 200 feet of cable to find action right now.Inland waters felt the cold snap too. Bass and walleye pulled tighter to structure, sliding off weed edges into 15–30 feet of water. On Long Lake and Torch Lake, sharp-shooting with jigs and crawlers over humps and gravel beds produced steady walleye. Smallmouth are cruising deeper points and ledges; while they’ll still rise to a topwater in low light, finesse rigs like a Ned or tube dragged on rock piles are putting more fish in the boat.Panfish are in transition mode as well. Bluegills and perch pushed deeper, holding on weed lines or suspending near brush piles. A chunk of crawler on a drop shot or slip bobber is still the go-to, but minnows are beginning to take the lead, especially for perch. Reports of a few early migratory perch are trickling in from the drowned river mouths, a sign of what’s coming once the salmon finish their run.The weather, the moon, and the calendar are all lining up for a classic Labor Day weekend bite. Early mornings and late evenings will be prime. Keep a crawler box, a bucket of minnows, and a pack of glow spoons in your arsenal—because whether you’re on a northern inland lake or standing on a Lake Michigan pier, the fish are moving, and this is the week they’re letting you know summer’s grip is slipping.⸻💥 Sponsor of the WeekJay’s Sporting Goods – Gaylord, MI📍 1151 S Otsego Ave, Gaylord, MI 49735📞 (989) 705-1339 • 🌐 jayssportinggoods.comJay’s is Northern Michigan’s go-to outfitter for serious anglers. Loaded with rods, reels, electronics, and live bait, Jay’s is the one-stop before you hit the inland lakes or Lake Michigan.⸻🧃 Bait Shop of the WeekRoy’s General Store – Traverse City, MI📍 963 E Eighth St, Traverse City, MI 49686📞 (231) 946-5633Roy’s is the trusted local bait hub for East and West Bay anglers. Fresh crawlers, leeches, minnows, and the new hot jigs are all in stock—plus, the latest on where salmon and perch are biting.⸻🐟 Lake of the Week – Long Lake (Traverse City)Where the Fish Are • Humps & Edges: Bass and walleye concentrate around underwater humps and slopes. • Transition Zones: Flats connected to humps are ambush areas for smallmouth. • Late August Bite: Bass slide deeper, walleye feed early and late on the slopes, perch are holding off weed beds.Top Techniques • Bass: Dropshot rigs, Ned rigs, and tube baits along rocky humps. Topwaters at dawn/dusk. • Walleye: Vertical jigging with crawlers or minnows, trolling crankbaits and harnesses, slip floats with leeches. • General Tips: Quiet approach with electric motors, use electronics to map humps, best action early and late in the day.⸻🐟 Lake Michigan Salmon Report (Charlevoix → Grand Haven) • Charlevoix: Kings staging outside the channel, 70–120 feet on plugs and spoons, pier anglers scoring on glow spoons at dawn. • Grand Traverse Bay (East/West): Vertical jigging hot for salmon; Ziggy jigs and Pimples tipped with Familiar Bite herring are top baits. Trophy smallmouth also active near Elk Rapids. • Frankfort: Salmon stacked at the pier head and Platte Bay. Jigging Swedish Pimples, P-Line Laser Minnows, and Ziggy jigs is on fire. • Onekama / Portage Lake: Jigging reports strong; kings in 80–120 feet outside the channel. • Manistee: Salmon thick in Manistee Lake and harbor; spoons at first light, jigging popular inside. • Ludington: Pier bite heating up with glow spoons and skein. Trollers still taking fish 50–90 feet on plugs and meat rigs. • Pentwater / White Lake: Kings staging inside White Lake—vertical jigging dominates. Pier anglers casting glow spoons also reporting solid catches. • Muskegon / Whitehall: Most action right off the piers; kings on plugs and skein. Smaller boats doing well jigging inside the harbors. • Grand Haven: Pier fishing active; salmon taking spoons and spawn bags in low light.⸻📍 Regional Inland Lake ReportsLakes North of M-72 (Antrim, Otsego, Cheboygan, Charlevoix) • Torch Lake: Lake trout and Atlantics deep, perch and smallmouth active near gravel and points. • Lake Charlevoix: Bass and walleye strong around Ironton Cove humps; perch showing along weed lines. • Burt Lake: Walleye on crawlers near drop-offs; perch scattered but improving. • Mullett Lake: Smallmouth active on rocky points; walleye deeper. • Black Lake: Pike steady on spinnerbaits; perch on crawlers in 10–15 feet. • Otsego Lake: Walleye still on slip bobbers with leeches; bass holding on deeper weeds. • Douglas Lake: Panfish and bass steady on weed lines.Northwest Lakes (Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason) • Lake Leelanau: Walleye bite continues with crawlers in 20–30 feet; perch starting to group up. • Glen Lake: Smallmouth active on rocky points; perch fair on minnows. • Boardman Lake: Bluegill and crappie on worms and slip bobbers near docks. • Spider Lake: Bass holding tight to cover, bluegill on crawlers. • Green Lake: Perch on minnows, walleye scattered deeper. • Crystal Lake (Benzie): Lakers still deep; smallmouth and perch improving near weed lines. • Hamlin Lake (Mason): Walleye at dusk on crawlers; panfish steady. • PM Lake (Ludington): Jigging for salmon inside hot; perch along edges on minnows.South of US-10, North of I-96 • Silver Lake: Bass in shallows, panfish off weeds on crawlers. • Pentwater Lake: Salmon moving in; perch and bluegill fair. • Muskegon Lake: Jigging and pier casting for salmon; perch scattered. • Fremont Lake: Panfish bite strong; bass on soft plastics. • Hesperia / White River Ponds: Bluegill and crappie on worms.Harrison & Clare Area • Bud Lake: Panfish on crawlers and slip bobbers. • Sutherland Lake: Bluegill steady; bass fair. • Arnold Lake: Walleye hit or miss; perch showing. • Lake Thirteen: Panfish active. • Lake George: Bass and bluegill steady; pike occasional. • Shingle Lake: Panfish good; bass moderate.Gladwin County • Secord Lake: Panfish and bass steady. • Wiggins Lake: Bluegill on crawlers. • Sugar Springs (Lake Lancer): Perch and bluegill active. • Small lakes across Gladwin: steady panfish bite.Northeast Michigan • Hubbard Lake: Walleye and smallmouth on points. • Fletcher Pond: Pike and bass fair. • Grand Lake: Smallmouth and perch decent. • Long Lake (Alpena): Walleye and perch bite improving.Mid-Michigan • Houghton Lake: Walleye on crawler harnesses, panfish steady. • Lake St. Helen: Bass and panfish active near weeds. • Lake Missaukee: Panfish on crawlers; bass fair. • Lake Cadillac & Mitchell: Bass and pike steady; perch scattered.South 131 Corridor (Bristol → Greenville) • Bristol Lake: Panfish and bass. • Greenville Area Ponds: Bluegill good on worms.⸻🐟 Rivers & Runs • Bear River (Petoskey): Salmon starting to nose in. • Elk River (Elk Rapids): Atlantics and kings staging. • Boardman River: Cold snap pushing early salmon. • Platte River: Salmon building at mouth. • Betsie River: Early kings moving upstream. • Manistee River / Tippy Dam: Steady trout and salmon action. • Pere Marquette River: Kings trickling in. • White River (Hesperia): Salmon beginning to show.⸻Upper Peninsula(Condensed tonight – will expand county by county next week) • Lake Gogebic: Walleye and perch steady. • Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth hot. • Little Bay de Noc: Walleye picking up on crawlers. • Lake Michigamme: Pike and bass decent. • Portage Lake (Houghton): Perch fair, walleye scattered. • Indian Lake (Schoolcraft): Panfish steady. • Tahquamenon River: Pike and walleye active. • Munising Bay: Salmon staging. • Keweenaw Bay: Trout and salmon bite strong. • Lake Fanny Hooe: Trout steady.⸻🎯 Live Bait Tips • Crawlers: Cooler water means crawlers are still a go-to, especially for walleye at dawn/dusk. • Minnows: Growing stronger for perch and crappie; preferred over leeches now. • Worms/Waxworms: Still effective for bluegill and panfish under bobbers. … See MoreSee Less

Photos from Pilgrims Village Fishing Shop’s post … See MoreSee Less