Fishing Report
Smelt runs have not yet started in the Upper Peninsula. Many areas along the lakeshores of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan still have ice formations in front of and near river mouths. Cold temperatures and slow snowmelt in most areas have slowed the progression and timing of smelt runs. In some locations along Lake Superior, ice anglers were still catching smelt through the ice.
Little Bay de Noc: Most of the bay had open water. Anglers are waiting for the docks to be put in and the remaining ice to clear out.
Keweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers were fishing mostly in river mouths and from piers in search of spring steelhead. Some anglers found success with spinners, yarn flies and spawn sacks. Water was becoming more open in most areas.
South Portage Entry/ Big Traverse Bay: Some anglers were fishing from piers in areas where ice was not along the shore, however these areas are few and far between. Anglers looking to catch fish off Superior may still have some success fishing river mouths while the snow melt and precipitation rises river levels.
Munising Bay: A few anglers reported catches of coho with a few splake as incidental catches. A few boats launched near the Anna as there was some limited open water. Sand Pt was not fishable through the ice as there were large cracks and open water starting in the channel. Ice was moving near the public launch and other access points.
Grand Marais: There was some fishing activity on the Sucker River, however still limited as the entire shoreline had ice. River levels were high with strong current. A few pier anglers were doing well for coho and rainbow trout with the rainbows consisting of females and males – averaging around 2 to 6 lbs. The best bait was spawn. A few pier anglers were starting to target whitefish while fishing single eggs with a few limits reported. Pier access was somewhat limited depending on which direction the wind was blowing as there was substantial ice flows which were preventing access. The end of the pier was not accessible.