Weekly Fishing Report – Week of August 21–27, 2026
Weather and water – Northern Michigan and UP Warm days, cooler nights, and a shot of northwest wind rolled Lake Michigan over along the Benzie–Manistee–Mason shore. Cooler water pulled bait and kings tight to harbors, piers, channels, and river mouths from Frankfort south. Offshore, Leland boats are still running to North Manitou and the Crib and putting kings in the box. Inland lakes are in the low-to-mid 70s. Gray light is the window.
Benzie Fishing Frenzie Ladies Classic is today out of Frankfort. Shotgun start 6:30 a.m. Boats must be inside the Frankfort pierheads by 1:30 p.m. Weigh-in at Mineral Springs Park, 630 Main Street. $125 a team. Five-fish limit of salmon, steelhead, lake trout or brown. Max 2 lakers. Ladies hook, fight, and net. Men drive and set lines only.
Lucky 7 Big Boys ran Thursday. Pro/Am, Big Fish, and 333 run Saturday and Sunday. Official info: fish-benzie.com.
Kings are in the harbor, out front, and into the Betsie. Coho have pushed into Platte Bay. If you are not in the tournament, give the fleet room in the harbor and at the pierheads.
UPPER PENINSULA
Eastern UP – Top 20 Most Popular / Most Fished Lakes
1. Indian Lake – Walleye, pike, smallmouth, perch. Crawlers and leeches on harnesses and jigs over weeds and drops. Perch on minnows 8–15 ft.
2. Big Manistique Lake – Walleye, pike, perch, smallmouth. Crawler harnesses and cranks.
3. South Manistique Lake – Same mix. Weed-line jigs and live bait.
4. North Manistique Lake – Walleye and perch. Leeches working.
5. Munuscong Bay – Perch, walleye, pike. Perch rigs with worms and minnows near shore.
6. Little Bay de Noc – Perch good on worms and minnows. Walleye slow-to-fair on crawler harnesses and jigs at drop-offs. Coho slow.
7. Big Bay de Noc – Walleye, smallmouth, perch. Bottom-bouncer crawlers and plastics.
8. Lake Michigan, Manistique to Fairport – Chinook. Magnum spoons 100–150 ft.
9. Carp River / St. Ignace – Early salmon staging, walleye. Spawn and spoons for salmon. Jigs and leeches for walleye.
10. Nunns Creek – Early fall salmon. Spawn drifts and spoons.
11. Les Cheneaux Islands – Perch and smallmouth. Light jigs and live bait.
12. Potagannissing Bay, Drummond – Perch and walleye. Classic perch rigs.
13. Millecoquins Lake – Walleye, pike, perch. Live bait.
14. Milakokia Lake – Pike and walleye. Weed edges.
15. Colwell Lake – Panfish, bass, pike.
16. Steuben Lake – Bass, panfish, pike.
17. Dodge Lake – Panfish and bass.
18. Big Bass Lake – Largemouth, pike, panfish.
19. Beaton Lake – Bass and panfish.
20. Hutt Lake – Bass and panfish.
Weekly notes: Perch and early salmon were the bright spots. Live bait still the ticket inland.
Central UP – Top 20 Most Popular / Most Fished Lakes
1. Lake Michigamme – Walleye, pike, smallmouth, whitefish. Trolling and jigging structure and weeds.
2. Munising Bay / Grand Island – Lake trout, splake, coho. Trolling and jigging Big Reef and Grand Island. Spawn and spinners at the Anna River mouth for a few splake.
3. Little Bay de Noc – Perch excellent. Walleye slow-to-fair.
4. Au Train Lake – Walleye, pike, perch.
5. Deer Lake – Smallmouth and pike.
6. Goose Lake – Bass and panfish.
7. Teal Lake – Walleye and perch.
8. Lake Independence – Walleye, perch, bass.
9. Squaw Lake – Perch and pike.
10. Laughing Whitefish Lake – Trout and panfish.
11. Shag Lake – Bass and panfish.
12. Witch Lake – Pike and bass.
13. Engman Lake – Bass and panfish.
14. Dead River Storage Basin – Walleye and smallmouth.
15. Michigamme Reservoir – Walleye, pike, smallmouth.
16. Peavy Pond – Walleye and pike.
17. Chicagon Lake – Bass, pike, walleye.
18. Lake Ottawa – Pike, walleye, panfish.
19. Fortune Lakes Chain – Bass, walleye, pike, panfish.
20. Lake Antoine – Bass, walleye, pike, panfish.
Weekly notes: Lake trout consistent around Munising when weather allowed. Perch strong in the Bays.
Western UP – Top 20 Most Popular / Most Fished Lakes
1. Lake Gogebic – Walleye, jumbo perch, smallmouth, pike. Live bait on harnesses and jigs over mud flats and breaks.
2. Portage Lake, Keweenaw – Walleye, pike, smallmouth, perch.
3. Lac Vieux Desert – Musky, walleye, pike, smallmouth.
4. Ontonagon River / Superior access – Walleye fair on jigs. Lake trout 60–150 ft.
5. Cisco Chain – Walleye, pike, bass, panfish.
6. Black River Harbor – Lake trout 60–160 ft. Shore smallmouth in the harbor.
7. Lake Fanny Hooe – Trout, splake, walleye, bass, perch.
8. Lake of the Clouds area – Trout and panfish.
9. Bond Falls Flowage – Walleye and pike.
10. Lake Emily – Bass, musky, walleye, panfish.
11. Iron Lake – Bass, walleye, pike, panfish.
12. Paint Lake – Crappie, pike, bass, musky.
13. Runkle Lake – Panfish and bass.
14. Glidden Lake – Panfish.
15. Fire Lake – Panfish and bass.
16. Cable Lake – Bass, pike, walleye, panfish.
17. Golden Lake – Trout and pike.
18. Ice Lake – Smallmouth, pike, perch, crappie.
19. Lake St. Kathryn – Pike and bass.
20. Perch Lake – Panfish and pike.
Weekly notes: Gogebic still leads for walleye and jumbo perch on live bait. Superior lake trout fair when the wind laid down.
NORTHERN LOWER PENINSULA – 5 Most Popular / Most Fished Lakes per County
Alcona – Hubbard Lake. Harrisville / Lake Huron. Alcona Pond. Badger Lake. Brownlee Lake. Lake trout deeper. Walleye fair.
Alpena – Fletcher Pond. Thunder Bay. Long Lake. Grand Lake. Lake Winyah. Walleye slow-to-fair and scattered. Catfish good in the river.
Antrim – Torch Lake. Elk Lake. Intermediate Lake. Bellaire Lake. Clam Lake. Smallmouth and lake trout consistent.
Benzie – Crystal Lake. Platte Lake. Betsie Lake / Betsie River mouth. Lower Herring Lake. Upper Herring Lake. Kings in the harbor and river. Coho into Platte Bay. Frenzie traffic heavy out of Frankfort.
Charlevoix – Lake Charlevoix. Thumb Lake. Deer Lake. Walloon Lake. Lake Michigan, Charlevoix Harbor. Wind limited boats. Low salmon numbers in close. Break 75–100 ft down. Some fish 150–200 ft early on spoons and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs.
Cheboygan – Mullett Lake. Burt Lake. Black Lake. Douglas Lake. Cheboygan River / Lake Huron. Smallmouth and rock bass good. Early salmon staging at the mouth.
Crawford – Lake Margrethe. Jones Lake. Bright Lake. Shupac Lake. Kneff Lake. Panfish and bass steady.
Emmet – Walloon Lake. Crooked Lake. Pickerel Lake. Little Traverse Bay. Paradise Lake. Wind-limited salmon. Smallmouth solid.
Grand Traverse – East Grand Traverse Bay. West Grand Traverse Bay. Boardman Lake. Spider Lake. Long Lake. Chinook and lake trout 100–140 ft when boats got out. Water 69–73 degrees.
Kalkaska – Torch Lake south. Lake Skegemog. Big Twin. Little Twin. Local Manistee Lake. Smallmouth and panfish good.
Leelanau – Lake Leelanau. Glen Lake. Little Traverse Lake. Lime Lake. Lake Michigan, Leland. Kings stacked at North Manitou and the Crib. Green and blue spoons, plugs, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs. Steelhead mixed in. Pier is still perch, bluegill, and smallmouth.
Manistee – Manistee Lake. Portage Lake, Onekama. Tippy Dam Pond. Bar Lake. Lake Michigan, Manistee. Kings north and south 70–300 ft, most 60–80 down in 100-plus ft. Pier, channel, and lake jigging and casting in play.
Mason – Hamlin Lake. Pere Marquette Lake. Lake Michigan, Ludington. Bass Lake. Hackert Lake. Chinook, coho, steelhead. Harbor and pier jigging earlier in the week. Big Sable and the south troll still producing.
Missaukee – Lake Missaukee. Lake Sapphire. Crooked Lake. Lake City lakes. Goose Lake. Panfish and bass.
Montmorency – Fletcher Pond. Thunder Bay River system. Avery Lake. East Twin. West Twin. Walleye and pike fair.
Ogemaw – Rifle Lake. Lake George. Clear Lake. Sage Lake. Houghton Creek system. Bass and panfish.
Otsego – Otsego Lake. Lake 27. Big Bradford. Heart Lake. Dixon Lake. Walleye and bass.
Presque Isle – Grand Lake. Long Lake. Lake Esau. Ocqueoc Lake. Lake Huron access. Salmon arriving at Rogers City. Lake trout deep.
Roscommon – Houghton Lake. Higgins Lake. Lake St. Helen. Marl Lake. Backus Creek Flooding. Walleye, perch, panfish on live bait.
Wexford – Lake Mitchell. Lake Cadillac. Hodenpyl Dam Pond. Lake Billings. Woodward Lake. Panfish, pike, bass.
WEEKLY LAKE MICHIGAN SALMON REPORT – CHARLEVOIX TO MUSKEGON
Hot bait this week: Familiar Bite herring on meat rigs. That combo is still putting mature kings in the box from Charlevoix to Muskegon. Run it behind a flasher or Spin Doctor, on a diver, or down the rigger. Keep spoons, plugs, and flies in the spread, but do not leave the dock without Familiar Bite herring meat rigs.
Charlevoix Harbor Wind kept a lot of boats home earlier this week. Salmon numbers are still low in close. Temperature break is 75–100 feet down. Best work has been 150–200 feet of water first thing on spoons and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs. Harbor jigging is not the main bite here yet. If bait stacks inside after another north blow, drop a glow spoon.
Little Traverse Bay Low salmon numbers, mostly on the north side. Boats that stayed out of the wind picked a few 60–90 feet down in 120–200 feet of water. Spoons and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs early morning beat the evening bite. Not a heavy jig harbor.
Grand Traverse Bay – East Wind limited fishing. Boats that went south of the Center Road launch caught Chinook trolling 110–140 feet. Water 70–73 degrees. Familiar Bite herring meat rigs and spoons. Harbor jigging is light. Look for kings if bait shows near the launch and along the drop.
Grand Traverse Bay – West A few lake trout and the odd Chinook 100–140 feet along the west bank just north of Elmwood Marina. A few kings near the Boardman River mouth, but the bite has been slow. Water 69–73 degrees. Keep a jig rod ready at the river mouth at first light. Trolling the bank on spoons and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs is still the better bet.
Leland This is a king port right now, and the fish are out at North Manitou Island and the Crib. Boats are putting good numbers of Chinook in the box trolling the island, working the Crib, and running the first and second banks. Best water has been 130–300 feet, baits 60–125 down. Start on the southeast side of North Manitou and troll north along the banks. Heavy bait is marked on the island edges.
Green and blue spoons, green plugs, flies, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs are all taking kings. The herring meat rigs are still one of the best big-fish baits on that run. Steelhead are mixed in 40–60 down. Coho and steelhead have also shown around the Crib. A few fish have slid closer to shore, but the consistent king bite is still the North Manitou / Crib run, not the pier. Pier anglers are on perch, bluegill, smallmouth, and catfish. If you want kings out of Leland, make the run to the island and fish the Crib.
Frankfort / Elberta / Betsie Hottest inshore port on the board. North winds rolled the lake and kings moved into the harbor, right out front, and into the river. Breakwall anglers, jiggers, and trollers all had strong numbers. Coho also pushed into Platte Bay.
Trollers: spoons, plugs, flies, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs. Jiggers: the harbor, the river mouth, and the first water off the pierheads at first light and last light. Glow spoons and compact jigging spoons. Tournament traffic is heavy for the Ladies Classic. Fish the edges of the fleet. Do not crowd the weigh-in lane. If the harbor gets too tight, slide to Platte Bay for coho and a mixed bag.
Onekama / Portage Lake / the Barrel The lake rolled over here too. Good kings in the Barrel and in front of the golf course early on spoons. Plugs and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs also scored. Morning troll on the Barrel is still the main bite. Jig inside Portage Lake and the channel if bait is marked in the basin.
Manistee Trollers found kings north and south of the port in 70–300 feet, most fish 60–80 down in 100-plus feet. Spoons, flies, plugs, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs best early and late.
Inshore is live. Chinook came off the North Pier, in the river channel, and in Manistee Lake. Trolling in front of the pierheads also produced on plugs, spoons, and meat.
Jig and cast the North Pier, channel edges, and Manistee Lake when bait is showing. Glow spoons at gray light. If you mark fish under the boat in the harbor, drop a vertical jig and stay on them. Do not skip the first 200 yards off the pierheads at sunrise.
Ludington / Pere Marquette Lake Chinook, coho, and a few steelhead straight out and south in 80–110 feet, 35 down to the bottom. Also northwest toward Big Sable in 60–120 feet, 40–80-plus down or near bottom. Plugs, spoons, flies, paddles, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs are all producing. The herring meat is still a top king bait when you want a better fish.
Kings were also jigged and trolled in the harbor, in front of the piers, and in Pere Marquette Lake. If bait is in the basin, jig it. If not, run Big Sable and the south troll.
Whitehall Salmon from the breakwalls out toward 80 feet. Glow plugs, glow spoons, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs. Pier casters should stay on glow spoons at first light. Jig the basin and along the walls if bait is in close. Copper and spoon bites have also been reported in the 100-foot range on evening trolls.
Muskegon Boats caught salmon from the breakwalls out to 80 feet. Glow plugs, glow spoons, and Familiar Bite herring meat rigs worked best. Pier anglers scored Chinook on glow spoons. Jig the basin and the walls at gray light when bait is showing. Keep a compact jigging spoon on deck.
Mixed bag Chinook lead from Charlevoix to Muskegon. Leland’s kings are the offshore island bite at North Manitou and the Crib. Frankfort, Manistee, and Ludington have the inshore jig and pier bite after the rollover. Coho mixed in, especially Platte Bay and the Ludington–Muskegon stretch. Steelhead on high lines and brighter spoons. Lake trout fill out the box when you go deep. Early morning and last light are the windows. Glow and green are the colors. Familiar Bite herring on meat rigs is still one of the hottest king baits on the lake.
Tip of the Week – Jigging Salmon When kings slide into the harbor and pile on bait, stop dragging and start jigging. Mark bait first. If you see alewives or a tight mark under the boat in 20–80 feet, drop a compact glow or chrome jigging spoon to the fish. Short, sharp lifts. Not giant bass hops. Let it flutter on the drop. Most hits come on the fall. Keep the rod loaded and the drag honest. A harbor king will run for the wall.
Gray light is prime. Dark sky or stained harbor water, go glow. Sun up and clear water, switch to silver, green, or a smaller profile. On the pier, cast across current, let it sink, then rip and fall back to your feet. Stay mobile. If the graph goes blank, move 50 yards and mark again. Do not high-stick a jumping fish in tight quarters. Give tournament boats room in Frankfort.
If you are trolling instead of jigging, keep at least one Familiar Bite herring meat rig in the spread. That bait is still earning its keep.
Tight lines. BAITMAN. OUT.
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