Lower Saginaw Bay: Anglers reported catching 12- to 14-inch yellow perch near buoy’s 1 and 2 in 30 feet of water. On the east side of Spoils Island, anglers reported that fishing was slower, but yellow perch were averaging 7 to 9 inches in size. A few walleyes were caught by anglers jigging blade baits in the lower end of the Saginaw River. Smallmouth bass were caught at the end of Finn Road while casting artificial baits.
The Eastern Shore of Saginaw Bay Fishing for yellow perch on the east side of the bay was reported as mostly slow with mainly small perch being caught. Anglers who did their best had to sort through the small perch to find a few keepers. Better areas to fish included off Quanicassee in 8 to 10 feet of water, in the slot around 14 to 16 feet of water, and around the Sebewaing area near weed beds in less than 8 feet of water. Only a few anglers were targeting walleye on the east side with most boats having 0 to 2 walleye per boat. Out from Quanicassee in around 10 to 12 feet of water, and near the edge of the slot around weed beds in 10 to 12 feet of water produced a few walleyes. Shore fishing along the east side was reported as very slow.
Au Gres Area Anglers were focusing their efforts on walleye and perch. Perch anglers were able to find some in the shipping channel, but there weren’t many limits caught. Walleye anglers were also able to find a few fish, but overall, it was slow. A lot of white bass, freshwater drum, and catfish were reported to have been caught. With a lot of sorting, a few keeper perch were caught in the Au Gres River off the pier by shore anglers. Out from the Pine River, most anglers targeted perch and were successful at finding them. Minnows were the go-to, but worms did the job as well. At Eagle Bay Marina, bluegills were caught along with many small perch.
Outer Saginaw Bay:
Grindstone/Port Austin Fishing was reported as slow at both ports.
Oscoda/Au Sable River Pier anglers had success catching a few coho, Atlantic, and Chinook salmon. Casting little Cleos, K.O. wobblers, and moonshine spoons all seemed to work well, and blue/silver and orange/silver were the hot colors this week. Big in-line spinners such as Arctic Spinners and #4 Blue Fox spinners produced salmon off the pier as well. Fire-tiger and pink were hot colors for these. There were a few Chinook salmon caught by anglers floating skein and casting spoons/body baits at Foote Site Dam. Anglers fishing offshore had success catching coho salmon, Atlantic salmon and a few Chinook salmon. Boat anglers were fishing in 30 to 90 feet of water and trolling spoons, J-plugs, and various other plugs throughout the water column.
Tawas Area reported only a few walleyes were caught by anglers who went out trolling, along with freshwater drum and channel catfish. Crawler harnesses were still being used and were reported to have worked well. Flicker minnows and walleye spoons were also a good option. Shore fishing was reported to be slow. Throwback perch and catfish were caught off the Tawas Pier and at Gateway Park.
Fishing tip: Looking for some fun? Go fishing this fall!
Did you know there are typically two populations of bass in a water body? One lingers near the shore to feed, while the other stays in deeper water and moves through the structure to feed.
Both populations provide great opportunities for fishing, but many anglers overlook the bass in deeper water.
The next time you head to your favorite bass lake, consider fishing in deeper water, particularly around larger weed beds. Fish will often hang out in the weed beds and move up through the depths to feed. Click here for more information on bass in Michigan.