Michigan Outdoor News Fishing Report – Nov. 23, 2018

SOUTHEASTERN LP

Lake St. Clair

Fishing pressure has been light, but the perch bite has been good on Lake St. Clair, when the wind allows anglers to get out. The best fishing has been along the American side of the lake with fish up to 11 inches being caught. Those fishing in 17 feet of water off the Art Van store reported a very good bite. Bucks are chasing does. The rut is on and the firearms deer season should be good. 

Lakeside Fishing Shops, (586) 777-7003.

Irish Hills Area

Fishing pressure has been light on inland lakes in Jackson County. Corn is almost all down for the firearms deer season. Bowhunters had a pretty good season with several big bucks being taken, including 20 over 200 pounds. Waterfowl hunting remains good. Buffleheads were moving through southern Michigan last week. 

Knutson’s Sporting Goods, (800) 292-0857 or (517) 592-2786.

Lake Orion

Most anglers have traded their fishing poles for firearms, but those still wetting a line are catching fair numbers of bluegills on Lake Orion and Stringy Lakes. A few pike have been caught, too. The archery deer season was very good in Oakland County. Hunters reported seeing good numbers of deer including some big bucks. The rut is on and the firearms season should be very good. Crops were 70 about percent harvested.

Lakes Village Stop/Mobile Gas Station, (248) 693-4565.

Trenton Area

Anglers report good walleye action and light fishing pressure on the Detroit River. Fish are hitting along the American and Canadian sides of the river with lots of 15- to 18-inchers being caught. Those handlining first thing in the mornings report limit catches in a couple of hours. 

Bottom Line Bait & Tackle, (734) 379-9762.

Trenton Lighthouse, (734) 675-7080.

Horse Island Tackle, (734) 692-9839.

SOUTHWESTERN LP

Coloma Area

Steelhead fishing has been fair on the Paw Paw River. Those using spawn or beads report the best action. The archery deer season was good with a few nice bucks being taken. Deer numbers are in pretty good shape. Bucks are scraping and chasing. Crops were about 50 percent harvested as of last week.

Ellinee Bait and Tackle, (269) 468-7522

Kalamazoo Area

Fishing pressure has been light, but those heading out report pretty good action. Steelhead fishing has been good in the St. Joe and Kalamazoo rivers. Anglers fishing with spawn, beads, flies and spinners are all catching fish. Bluegill and crappie fishing has been good on Reynolds, Gull and Van Auken lakes. Bowhunting has been very good with several nice bucks being taken. The firearms deer season should be good. The rut is on.

D and R Sports, (269) 372-2277.

Grand Rapids Area

Fishing pressure has been light around Grand Rapids, but a few steelhead are being caught on the Grand River at the Sixth Street Dam. Spawn, spinners and beads are taking most of the fish. Crops are falling fast and the rut is on. Bucks are scraping and chasing does. The firearms deer season should be very good with a lot of deer in the area.

Al & Bob’s Sports, (616) 245-9156.

Plainwell Area

Fishing pressure has been light on Gun Lake and the few anglers who are getting out aren’t talking. The archery deer season was pretty good in Barry and Kalamazoo counties with several nice bucks being taken. Crops were about 50 percent harvested. The rut is on and bucks are scraping and chasing. The firearms deer season should be good. There was a dusting of snow on the ground for the opener.

Gillett’s Bait and Hardware, (269) 672-5371.

CENTRAL LP

Saginaw Bay Area

Walleye action has been great in Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay. The best action has come to anglers trolling stickbaits in 12 to 14 feet of water from the mouth of the Saginaw River up to AuGres. The cold snap also has the rivers and cuts loading up with tons of tasty perch. Some days you have to do a little bit of sorting but you should be able to catch yourself a nice dinner. The wind and cold weather has the ducks flying and waterfowl hunting has been very good. The rut is in full swing and crops are 75 percent harvested so get out while you can before it’s all iced up. 

Franks Great Outdoors, (989) 697-5341.

Baldwin Area

Fishing pressure has been light, but steelhead fishing has been good on the Pere Marquette River. Anglers using spawn and beads report the best success. Those fishing the flies-only area also report a good bite. Inland lake fishing pressure has been very light. The archery season was decent and the firearms season should be pretty good, too.

Baldwin Bait & Tackle, (231) 745-3529.

Ed’s Sport Shop, (231) 745-4974, www.edsports.com.

Weidman Area

Fishing pressure has been light. Waterfowl hunting has been very good with a lot of ducks and geese in the area. The archery deer season was good with several nice bucks being killed. The firearms deer season should be pretty good, too. Deer numbers are in good shape in the area. The rut is winding down. Crops are about down, except for a few bean fields. 

Schafer’s Bait & Sporting Goods, (989) 644-3501.

Ludington Area

Steelhead fishing has been decent in the Pere Marquette River. Spawn and beads have produced the best results. Bowhunting has been hit or miss. The rut is on and some bucks are locked down with does. Crops were about 80 percent harvested.

Captain Chuck’s Fishing, Hunting and Archery, (231) 843-4458.

THE THUMB

Caseville Area

Burbot fishing has been very good in Lake Huron off the wall in Caseville. A few lake trout and occasionally a walleye, especially at night, are coming in, too. The archery deer season was very good. The deer herd is in great shape in the Thumb. Crops were about 75 percent harvested. Bucks are chasing does. The firearms season should be very good.

Walsh Gun & Tackle, (989) 856-4465.

Port Huron

Fishing pressure has been light, but walleye fishing has been very good in the St. Clair River. Anglers who are whipping and jigging, especially at night, are catching a lot of fish. Lexington Harbor is full of Atlantic salmon, but the bite has been tough. The archery deer season was pretty good. Hunters reported seeing a lot of deer, but a lot of small bucks. Bucks are chasing does. 

Anderson’s Pro Bait, (810) 984-3232.

NORTHWESTERN LP

East Jordan Area

Fishing pressure has been very light with high winds and cold temperatures keeping anglers off the water. Good numbers of perch have been caught in Lake Charlevoix by a few die-hard anglers. The archery deer season was fairly good with several big bucks being taken. Most of the corn has been harvested. Bucks are scraping and chasing does. 

Tom’s Bait & Tackle, (231) 536-3521.

Traverse City Area

Fishing pressure has been light with high winds and cold temperatures keeping anglers at bay. Steelhead fishing has been fair in the Boardman and the Big Manistee rivers. Jigs and wax worms have produced a good bite. There was up to 10 inches of snow on the ground. Archery deer season was decent in Grand Traverse County, but a lot of smaller bucks were passed. The rut is on. The firearms season should be good. The corn is almost all harvested.

WildFishing Guide Service, www.wildfishing.com. 

Kalkaska Area

Fishing pressure has been light. A pretty good perch bite has been reported by anglers fishing on Torch Lake. The archery deer season was very good. Hunters reported seeing good numbers of deer. The rut is on and the firearms season should also be good. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. 

Jack’s Sport Shop, (231) 258-8892.

Cadillac Area

Fishing pressure has been light on lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. For the anglers who are venturing out, walleyes and crappies are hitting minnows fished 7 feet down on Lake Cadillac. The archery deer season was good. Deer numbers are up in pockets. Corn was mostly harvested. The rut is on and bucks are on the move. The firearms deer season should be very good.

Pilgrim Village Fishing Shop, (231) 775-5412.

NORTHEASTERN LP

Houghton Lake Area

Fishing pressure has been light on Houghton Lake. High winds and skim ice have kept anglers off the lake. The archery deer season was pretty good. The rut is on and bucks are chasing does. The firearms deer season should be pretty good. Deer numbers appear to be up a little bit.

Lyman’s on the Lake, (989) 422-3231.

Atlanta Area

Fishing pressure has been very light. The rut is on and bowhunters report a great end to the season. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground. The firearms deer season should be excellent. Most of the corn was down. Flight ducks are still passing through and dive hunters are doing well on Fletchers, Grass and West Twin lakes. 

Elk Country Outfitters NEMI, (989) 306-0720, www.ElkCountryOutfittersNEMI.com.

Oscoda Area

Walleyes and whitefish are hitting off the pier in Lake Huron. Walleyes are being caught on jigheads and Mr. Twisters while the whitefish are hitting wax worms. In the Au Sable River, decent numbers of steelhead and Atlantic salmon have been caught, along with a few whitefish. The archery deer season was slow. Deer processing was down about 50 percent at Wellmans. Deer are being found in pockets. The rut is on. 

Wellman’s Sport Center, (989) 739-2869.

EASTERN UP

Pickford Area

Fishing has been very good in Munuscong Bay. Walleyes are hitting nightcrawler harnesses and crankbaits and muskies are hitting crankbaits. One angler caught a nearly 60-inch, 50-pound muskie recently. There was about a foot of snow on the ground. The archery season was decent. Bowhunters reported seeing a lot of deer, but only a few bucks. The rut is on. The firearms deer season should be decent. 

Wilderness Treasures, (906) 647-4002.

Drummond Island Area

Fishing pressure has been very light. Fifteen days of high winds last month pushed the fish right out of the bay. The archery deer season was a little slow because of the wind and rain. There was up to 8 inches of snow on the ground. The rut is on. The rifle season should be good. Rabbit hunting has been pretty good with all the snow on the ground. The waterfowl season has been slow.

Johnson’s Sport Shop, (906) 493-6300.

Curtis Area

Fishing pressure has been light on Manistique Lakes, but those heading out are catching good numbers of walleyes and pike on Big and South Manistique lakes. A fair number of perch have been caught on Big and bluegills are hitting on South. There was about 20 inches of snow north of Newberry and about 3 or 4 inches on the ground in Curtis. The rut is on. 

Mick’s Bait Shop, (906) 586-6040.

CENTRAL UP

Marquette Area

Fishing pressure has been light on Lake Superior. High winds and cold temperatures have kept many anglers grounded. The archery season has been good. Hunters are seeing good numbers of deer and shooting some bug bucks. The rut is on. 

Gander Mountain, (906) 226-8300.

Escanaba Area

Bay View Bait & Tackle, (906) 786-1488.

BayShore Resort Bait & Tackle, (906) 428-2950.

Iron Mountain Area

Fishing pressure has been very light as most anglers make the transition to hunting. The archery season was decent. Hunters reported seeing more deer in general and more bucks than in the past. The rut is on. Bucks are chasing does. There was about 2 inches of snow on the ground in Iron Mountain and up to 8 inches about 20 miles north. The firearms deer season should be good.

Northwoods Wilderness Outfitters, (906) 774-9009.

WESTERN UP

L’Anse Area

Fishing pressure has been light, but those heading out are catching fair numbers of cohos and brown trout in Lake Superior’s Keweenaw Bay, especially around the river mouths. Bowhunting has been good and hunters report seeing a lot of deer. The rut is on and bucks are on the move. Deer numbers are on the rise in the Upper Peninsula.

Indian Country Sports, (906) 524-6518.

Bergland Area

Lake Gogebic has seen very few anglers. A few shore fishermen using sucker minnows are catching some nice walleyes. Others are casting stickbaits, mainly during low light conditions. Snow and cold was moving in last week. Bow hunting activity has been light, but hunters report deer numbers are slowly improving. Bucks are on the move, making scrapes and chasing does. The rifle season should be pretty good. 

Bear’s Nine Pines Resort, (906) 842-3361.

Iron River Area

Fishing pressure has been light and the weather hasn’t helped. High winds and cold temperatures have put a damper on fishing. A few muskie anglers have caught fish on Chicagon Lake. Some of the shallow ponds had skim ice. Bowhunting has been good and the firearms season should also produce good action. Deer numbers are improving in the area.

Luckey’s Sport Shop, (906) 265-0151.