Lake
Michigan Fishing
Lake
Michigan, the second largest Great Lake by volume with just under 1,180 cubic
miles of water, is the only Great Lake entirely within the United States.
Approximately 118 miles wide and 307 miles long, Lake Michigan has more than
1,600 miles of shoreline. Averaging 279 feet in depth, the lake reaches 925
feet at its deepest point. The northern tier of Lake Michigan is in the colder,
less developed upper Great Lakes region, while its more temperate southern
basin contains the Milwaukee and Chicago metropolitan
areas. Lake
Michigan is the 5th largest lake in the world.
Almost 100
species of fish have been recorded in Lake Michigan, besides its world-class
trout and salmon fisheries, the lake also supports substantial commercial
whitefish, walleye, large and
smallmouth bass, steelhead and yellow perch
fisheries. Lake Michigan
Fishing Charters are your best and safest bet to
enjoy an incredible Lake
Michigan Fishing experience.
Lake
Michigan Fishing
Lake Michigan Fishing Report
Green
Bay - There was moderate fishing pressure this week on Green Bay, with
most anglers fishing for pike and perch, with a few fish being caught.
Kenosha -
In Kenosha fishing in
the harbor has been slow.
Kewaunee
- Anglers trolling the Kewaunee County portions of Lane Michigan did fairly
well on brown trout out of Kewaunee.
Milwaukee - In Milwaukee,
boaters fishing the
harbor have been catching good numbers of browns.
Racine
County - In the Racine harbor anglers have been catching some browns,
rainbows, and northerns through the ice. Skein, shiners, and jigging rapalas
have all been productive. Approximately 8-9 inches of ice were reported on
Monday, but with warmer temperatures as well as rain and snow in the forecast
for this week, conditions may deteriorate.
Sheboygan
- In Sheboygan,
boaters have been
fishing in and around the Sheboygan harbor, and they have been catching brown
trout on crank baits.
Ozaukee -
In Port Washington,
shore anglers fishing near the power plant have been catching a mixture of
browns and steelhead. Early in the morning the Port Washington pier has been
producing a few brown trout on shiners, but fishing off the pier has been slow
overall.
Lake Michigan Chinook
Salmon Fishing Tips
Chinook salmon in the twelve to seventeen pound class are a regular part of
most trips. The big hogs over twenty five pounds are not as common as they
used to be. It requires a special attitude on your part to target a wall
hanger.
Big Chinook Salmon are a cold water species so look for them in temperatures
below 45 degrees. The exception is when they come into spawn. At this point in
their life temperature is not important. Keep your baits in 45-degree
temperature and you will increase your odds on big fish.
Several methods are used for salmon trolling. Downriggers are a popular method
to run tackle with many variations possible. In sunny conditions increase your
downrigger leads to 100 feet or more. By running long leads you work water
undisturbed by noise and turbulence of the boat.
Leadcore is another good choice. A weighted line with a fluorocarbon leader is
attached to a planer board. The planer board is run well off to the side of
the boat out of the travel path. Leadcore is graduated to allow five feet of
depth for every color. Five colors will run lures approximately 25 feet down
10 colors fifty feet and so on. This allows you to fish any depth you want and
is a killer for huge kings.
Chinook live four and a half years and it makes sense that they will be the
biggest at the end of their life cycle. These monsters will be the most
aggressive and easiest to get in the months of July thru September. I have
produced Kings over twenty pounds in April, although this is the exception to
the rule.
Lake
Michigan Fishing Species
Lake
Michigan Chinook Salmon

Lake
Michigan Coho Salmon

Lake
Michigan Steelhead

Lake
Michigan Rainbow Trout

Lake
Michigan Lake Trout

Lake
Michigan Brown Trout

Lake
Michigan Walleye

Lake
Michigan Smallmouth Bass

Lake
Michigan Largemouth Bass

Lake
Michigan Yellow Perch

Lake
Michigan Whitefish