Saginaw Bay yellow perch anglers are fishing off Gambill’s Landing in 17 feet, Sailboat Buoy E in 15 feet, a mile northeast of Spoils Island and along the old shipping channel in 16 feet. On the east side, windy conditions made fishing difficult. Perch anglers just offshore near Quanicassee and Geiger Road had limited results in 6 to 10 feet.
Au Gres Area walleye fishing was slow. However, some fair catches of yellow perch were taken down by the Rifle Bar with minnows in 15 to 20 feet. A few limit catches were taken near the entrance of Eagle Bay and near the Saganing and Pinconning bars in 7 to 15 feet when using minnows.
Au Gres River catfish and bluegills were caught on crawlers.
Outer Saginaw Bay
Oscoda the lake is cooling down, and the fish have been scattered. Lake trout, steelhead, walleye and the odd Chinook were caught in 80 to 160 feet. Pier anglers caught bass and channel cats on crawlers.
Au Sable River Had slow fishing. A few smallmouth bass, rock bass, channel cats and undersized walleye were caught on crawlers.
Port Austin smallmouth bass were caught when casting rattle traps or tube baits at the Flat Rock Reef.
Tawas Area a good numbers of walleye were caught out near buoys #4 and #6 when trolling a crawler harness in 15 to 20 feet. Those trolling out past the point caught several steelhead, some walleye and the occasional Chinook salmon with spoons in 50 to 70 feet. Rock bass, catfish, bowfin and small perch were caught off the pier when using minnows and crawlers.
Tawas River those using crawlers, spinners and body baits caught both large and smallmouth bass and some rock bass at Gateway Park.
Fishing Tip: Get your fall fish on!
Summer may be drawing to a close, but great fishing is far from over. Many anglers agree that fall is a wonderful time to cast a line as fish prepare for the colder months by ramping up their feeding efforts. Most target – and see much success pursuing – salmon, walleye, perch, panfish and bass.
Get ready to reel in some of these beauties at fall fishing hot spots across the state.
Find more tips on targeting various species at Michigan.gov/Fishing.