Northeast Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Houghton Lake: The gill bite has been great this week with small leeches working best with many master angler gills have been caught. Walleye fishing has bee fair.
Higgins Lake: Perch and rockbass have been good this week with some lake trout being caught.
Lake Margrethe: Fishing is finally picking up with perch, gills, walleye have been good.
Rockport: Has no set pattern for catching fish at this time. The thermocline is very deep or is not found at all in depths less than 100 feet. Fish are scattered and are difficult to target. Lake trout can still be found near bottom when fishing spoons. Some caught the occasional chinook or Atlantic salmon. A few walleye were found and actually caught out in waters 120 feet or deeper.
Long Lake: In Alpena County was producing good numbers of bass and pike.
Alpena: Had few anglers fishing Thunder Bay because the walleye have moved out to deeper water. Some may still find the occasional walleye, bass or catfish.
Thunder Bay River: Is producing the occasional rock bass, under-sized smallmouth bass, freshwater drum or channel catfish.
Harrisville: Catch rates were slow as the fish are scattered and out deep. Steelhead should start to show up closer to shore. Try up near the surface in 50 to 70 feet. For trout and salmon, lead core and planer boards have worked best this year. Spoons with dodgers, wobble glows and body baits have caught fish but don’t be afraid to experiment with other bait combinations.
Oscoda: A few salmon were showing up around the pier. Those fishing late night with glow spoons did catch a couple fish.
Au Sable River: A few walleye were caught but no big numbers. The water is too warm for trout and salmon.
Gladwin County: The inland lakes were producing limit catches of bass and panfish but anglers are working hard to get them.
Clare County: The inland lakes are producing some nice bass.
Tawas: Walleye anglers trolling out around Tawas Point and north to Au Sable Point found success in 50 to 80 feet. Fish were also caught in 20 to 50 feet off Alabaster and in 20 to 25 feet along the weed beds off Jerry’s Marina. Pier anglers caught walleye, large and smallmouth bass, rock bass and small perch.
Au Gres: Walleye fishing slowed a great deal but those trolling did pick up the occasional 10 or 11 inch perch.