Upper Peninsula Weekly Fishing Report – September 29, 2021

Union Bay: Fishing pressure was moderate and a few decent lake trout were caught.  Water temperatures were extremely sporadic and anglers were finding lake trout scattered from 100 to 200 feet of water.

Black River Harbor: Anglers were fishing shallow waters in hopes of finding some Chinook or coho staging to head up the river. Unfortunately, no salmon were reported but a few steelhead were caught in shallow waters. Anglers trolling spoons out in 120 to 160 feet had moderate success for lake trout near the bottom. Fish ranged from 3 to 11 pounds, but anglers had to put in significant effort.

Keweenaw Bay: When weather was calm, anglers were catching coho salmon, Chinook and steelhead. Fish were caught while trolling in medium depth waters all around the bay. Some anglers also reported lake trout catches while bobbing in deeper water.

Munising Bay: Fishing was slow for boat anglers with only a few scattered coho caught. Shore and pier anglers had better success for splake and coho with a few steelhead observed. The coho were still silver and a combination of male and female – with some of the females having loose ripe eggs. Best luck was with spawn sacs.

Grand Marais: A few boat anglers tried trolling within the harbor and outside east towards the Sucker River with no luck for coho and pike. The water levels in the Sucker River were up slightly due to north wind pushing levels up, however still considerable low.

Big Traverse Bay/ South Portage Entry: Lake trout, walleye and coho were found around South Portage Entry. Most anglers had luck fishing from the pier or around the shallows fishing for panfish.

Rock River: A few boats were out fishing for coho in front of the Rock River and were casting spoons and stick baits. A few steelhead and coho were caught at the mouth of the Rock River. Most anglers were either using spawn or crawlers.

Little Bay de Noc: Perch anglers were reporting fair to good success. Anglers were fishing out in front of Kipling with crawlers or minnows. Many of the anglers were fishing shallow areas near drop-offs. Walleye anglers experienced tough fishing, but were optimistic that the bite will improve once fall temperatures set in. Smallmouth anglers were catching fish, with many targeting reefs. Anglers fishing off the Gladstone pier were catching some perch, rock bass and a few pike.

Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth anglers were heading out of Ogontz and Nahma. The islands were still producing fish, but some have had better success along the shorelines.

St. Ignace/Les Cheneaux: Anglers were still fishing the rapids on the Carp River but were not catching much. Anglers were also at Nunns Creek and catching a few Chinooks, mostly early morning or late night. Splake were found at the Hessel Marina and anglers were catching a few.

Fishing Tip: Go “hunting” for fish this fall

Autumn can be one of the best times of year to seek out your favorite fish species for a day of fun angling. Several species to target this October and November include walleye, perch and trout.

Walleye are thought to be in their best condition in the fall and often can be found in the river mouth areas of larger, inland lakes. They’re gathering there to take advantage of baitfish that like to hang out as the weather cools off. Set your sights on 10-12 feet deep to find these guys.

Perch also populate around these same river mouths, but these fish likely will be much closer to the river than walleye. Check out depths as shallow as 4 feet to find them.

Trout, available in some of these larger lakes during this time as well, can be found in the same areas as walleye and perch.

Try your luck at some great fishing this fall. For more information on the numerous autumn opportunities, visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.