Upper Peninsula Weekly Fishing Report – Aug. 11, 2021

Black River: The Black River Harbor is open again, and a few anglers have been returning to fish there. Fishing action has been a little slow, but they are picking up a few decent-sized lake trout and the occasional Coho salmon mixed in. Anglers have been going out 1-8 miles and have been catching fish at various depths.

Keweenaw Bay: Anglers have been bringing in fish on days when weather is cooperating. The catch has consisted of lake trout, Chinook salmon and Coho salmon.  Reports coming off the water suggest that the Chinook and Coho fishing will continue to pick up in the coming weeks. Most fish were caught while trolling in shallower water, but not exclusively. Trolling in the early morning has been better than other times.

Marquette: Fishing has been good over the past week, with reports of limits of lake trout with a few Coho salmon in the mix. The Coho salmon fishing is expected to pick up.

Au Train: Fishing has been a little slow, with a few lake trout being reported.

Munising: Fishing pressure has been low for boat and shore anglers. Anglers were primarily targeting lake trout, with average catches of three to six lake trout per trip. The best areas for boating anglers have been near White Rocks, West Channel and toward Wood Island Reef. A few splake have been caught, but the bite has been slow over the past week. A few anglers have been targeting coho salmon with a little success.

Grand Marais: The fishing pressure has been slow, with a few boat anglers trolling within the harbor for northern pike and coho salmon with very slow action. A few boats have been out for lake trout and reporting limits from Five Mile Reef and Au Sable Light Station near the breaks. Most fish have been averaging 3 to 4 pounds.

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye fishing has increased over the past week, with anglers having some success when trolling or jigging. Anglers trolling crank baits have been seeing more bites. Try locating baitfish if you can and focus on that area to increase your odds of catching fish. The yellow perch fishing has been slow.

Big Bay de Noc: The smallmouth bass fishing has been good. Most anglers have been targeting fish along the drop-offs. Some good catches have been reported out of Nahma and Garden. Anglers fishing in Fairport have been catching salmon and steelhead. Anglers launching out of Fairport in a northeasterly heading toward Manistique have had some positive reports. Anglers catching smallmouth bass have been doing well drifting crawlers or by casting soft plastics.

South Portage Entry/Big Traverse Bay: Coho salmon numbers coming off the water have increased, and anglers report more hits on lines as well. Chinook salmon and coho salmon have been caught more, and the lake trout catch has remained consistent.  Most fish were caught by anglers trolling out away from shore. Fishing should improve as the winds die down. Jigging in deeper water at times can be good, and anglers who troll near structure can see higher catch rates.

St. Ignace/Les Cheneaux: Anglers were catching a few yellow perch and walleye at the Carp River. Anglers are targeting salmon in the St. Ignace area; however, the bite has been very slow. In the Les Cheneaux area, anglers have been doing well off the pier in Hessel fishing for yellow perch. Northern pike fishing has been steady throughout the area.

Fishing Tip: Catching bass on top of the water

Many anglers would agree there’s an excitement that comes from using topwater techniques to target bass. There’s something to be said for seeing a bass strike your lure with your own two eyes.

But how do you fish for this species on top of the water? It mostly comes down to location and lure selection.

Target areas that provide good cover for the bass, such as weed beds, logs, big rocks, etc., that have a few feet of water over them. Cast a floating lure next to the cover and play with a bit before reeling it in.

When it comes to lures, select those that float and that are designed to resemble the favorite foods of bass, such as frogs.

Topwater fishing for bass works best in low-light conditions such as early in the morning or late in the evening.