Bay City Area walleye were caught off Pinconning in 14 to 20 feet, Bay City State Park in 12 to 14 feet, and along the Old Dumping Grounds and Callahan Reef in 14 feet. Try crawlers, spoons or crank baits. Yellow perch are starting to show up near Sailboat Buoy-A and were caught on crawlers in eight to 10 feet. Those targeting walleye off Quanicassee and Sebewaing were covering a lot of water as the fish were scattered from 13 to 36 feet. A few limit catches were reported but most boats only had two or three fish per angler. The better fishing was found along the edge of the Slot in 15 to 17 feet and near the Charity Islands and Oak Beach area in 30 to 40 feet with a crawler harness or body bait.
Au Gres Area catch rates slowed a bit. Boat anglers reported lots of baitfish and large mayfly hatches on the warmer nights. Most walleye were caught in 20 to 30 feet with crawlers, spoons and crank baits. A few incidental perch were also caught. Good walleye fishing was reported south towards the Saganing and Pinconning Bars with limit catches taken on crawlers in 13 to 20 feet.
Outer Saginaw Bay
Grindstone City walleye anglers reported eight fish per boat straight when trolling body baits in 20 feet.
Port Austin was slow however a couple walleye were taken on a crawler harness or Hot-n-Tot in 40 to 45 feet near the lighthouse.
Tawas Area trolling near Buoys 4 & 6 caught a fair number of walleye with lindy rigs and crawlers in 15 to 25 feet. A few small perch were also caught. Others caught walleye on the north side of Big Charity Island in 20 to 30 feet with crawlers, spoons and crank baits. Boats trolling out past Tawas Point in 70 to 90 feet caught steelhead, brown trout, Atlantic salmon, Chinook salmon and walleye about 40 feet down with spoons. Mayfly hatches are ongoing. Pier anglers casting or still-fishing crawlers caught largemouth bass, rock bass and small perch.
- Tawas River still-fishing with crawler were getting a few catfish.
Fishing Tip: More hints on targeting walleye
Courtesy of Cory Kovacs, a fisheries biologist out of Newberry.
Most anglers targeting walleye know that catching them in the spring is much easier than catching them during the warmer summertime months. In most Michigan lakes walleye in the summer typically seek cooler, deeper and darker waters while feeding in the shallow waters only at night. Because of some physiological properties of walleye, their sensitivity to bright light typically results in avoidance of shallow waters during daylight periods.
Anglers in the summer time typically target walleye during the evening and morning “low-light” periods. Targeted water depths will vary between lakes, but most anglers seek drop-offs where walleye will move up to feed in the shallow waters during the evening through morning hours. My experience fishing walleye in this fashion is usually successful by using a leech or minnow on a floating jig head weighted with a small split shot sinker (or two). Anchoring at the drop-off or using a slow drift has been the most productive for me.
Other anglers may want to troll artificial lures or crawler harnesses along the deeper side of the contour lines in order to cover more area in a shorter time period. My grandfather always used to say, “Once you find them, you need to stay on, em.” I think there is a lot of truth to that.
Walleye fishing is sometimes a frustrating activity due to some long waiting periods between catches and finding the perfect conditions. However, once you get a bite it typically signifies something special and hopefully a memorable experience with family and friends.
Good luck in making memories, you will be glad you did!