Anglers enjoy walleye opener; conditions improving for trout

Outdoors report


IRON MOUNTAIN — Michigan’s walleye season is off to a fast start in Iron County and crappie are starting to bite in the Menominee River.

Anglers at Way Dam, Peavey Falls and a number of other Iron County locations “did real well” during Thursday’s walleye opener, said Tom Bean at Crystal Bait in Crystal Falls.

The hot baits are fathead minnows, leeches and crawlers, Bean said.

John Grier of Whispering Pines Outpost in Breitung Township said at least one Dickinson County angler caught his limit of walleye.

“There seem to be a lot of people going out,” Grier said.

At the Wisconsin border, crappie are beginning to move into shallow waters of the Menominee River, said Walter Roberts at Florence Sport and Bait in Florence, Wis.

Crawlers and beaver tails seem to be the best baits for river panfish, he said.

On the backwaters of the Menominee, fathead minnows and leeches are attracting walleye, Roberts said. As the sun sets, floating lures are drawing some strikes.

Trout fishing remains somewhat slow, with the best reports coming from western Iron County.

“There have been some nice catches,” said Don Ciochetto at The Sport Shop in Iron River. “The water is a little lower and warmer.”

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported the following conditions across the Upper Peninsula:

Ontonagon: Fishing is still on the slow side because water temperatures on the big lake are in the low to mid 40s.

Keweenaw Bay: Pier anglers in L’Anse caught a few coho and steelhead. Boat anglers trolling thunder sticks between the head of the Bay and Linden Creek have also caught light numbers of coho and steelhead. A few smelt were picked up by a couple lucky anglers. Those fishing Traverse Bay caught a fair number of lake trout when jigging in 165 to 220 feet of water.

Marquette: Lake trout have been caught in the upper harbor near the white rocks. Coho, chinook, brown trout, lake trout and steelhead were caught when trolling near the mouth of the Carp and Chocolay rivers in 6 to 20 feet of water.

Carp River: Steelhead have been caught at the mouth and up toward the ski hill when casting spawn from shore.

Menominee River: Drifting with leeches has been the method of choice this week for catching walleye. Fish were also caught when trolling with crawler harnesses in 10 to 15 feet. Those wading or casting off the Hattie Street Bridge caught walleye, northern pike and rock bass. Sucker fishing has slowed.

Green Bay: Those trolling in 10 to 15 feet of water along the shoreline and near the mouth of the Cedar River have caught brown trout and splake. The State Harbor opened on Thursday.

Little Bay De Noc: All the boat launches were up and running for the walleye opener. Water temperatures vary from the low 40s to the mid 50s. Perch fishing has been good in the Narrows when jigging worms in 23 to 35 feet of water and near the Center Reef in 20 to 25 feet of water. No reports on brown trout or splake, but several anglers were heading south of the Ford River in search of them. Shore anglers fishing off the new piers at the North Shore Boat Launch have caught rock bass when using crawlers under a bobber. This is a good opportunity for kids.

Au Train: Fishing has been hit-or-miss with a few coho taken around Red Rock. An occasional steelhead was caught near the mouth of the Rock River.

Munising: Some coho and one lake trout were caught when trolling in Trout Bay.

Grand Marais: A few whitefish and menominee were caught off the pier when using spawn sacks or leaf worms. Coho were caught when trolling.

St. Mary’s River: Fishing is still slow with no perch being caught. A few coho were taken off the bridge on Portage Street when drift fishing with flat fish in the current. Try using a 3-ounce sinker to hold your bait steady in the fast current.

Cedarville and Hessel: Good splake fishing at Hessel where a good number of anglers have been trolling stick baits in 8 to 12 feet of water or casting minnows off the pier.

Carp River: Anglers fishing for rainbow trout near the mouth are casting small Cleos. The green glow combination has worked well.