Michigan is known around the country as a prime destination for World Class Salmon and Walleye Fishing.  With incredible fishing lakes like:  Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Gogebic, Houghton Lake, Lake St Clair and Higgins Lake, you are sure to catch your limit on these and most Michigan Lakes. Spend your fishing vacation at one of our great Michigan Fishing Resorts and you will find it's a place worth coming back for again and again.  There is also great Michigan Lake Property for sale throughout the state, so you can find your Dream Lake Home.  Camping at Michigan Campgrounds is also a popular choice for a fun Michigan Fishing vacation.  Whether you enjoy trophy fishing or just a relaxing vacation, you will find beautiful Michigan Lakes throughout the state!

Top Michigan Walleye Fishing Lakes

Lake Gogebic

Walleye in Lake Gogebic normally hold close to weedbeds, dropoffs, and best in areas with both features.  They usually move towards the edge of deep holes as the water warms.  The hungry post-spawn walleye respond to a variety of baits and methods, while jigging along edges becomes one of the most popular techniques later in the season.  Try 1/4 oz jigs with minnows early in the year, and leeches later in the year.

Houghton Lake

Weeds and small drop offs are the only structure this lake has to offer, causing walleye to collect in dense pockets.  In the spring, before there are many weeds, trolling the shallows with crankbaits provides the best opportunity for big catches.  The shallows on the east side of the lake, around the Cut River, is a good place in early summer.  After the weeds get thick, pitching a jig or slip bobber tipped with a leech into weed pockets is a good bet.  Try the weed pockets in Prudenville throughout summer.

Portage Lake

Portage Lake is a consistent producer of big walleyes that remain active throughout the summer, partially because it can be tricky to pull fish out of the dense vegetation and structure.  Lake Portage provides good protection from anglers and other fish, as well as a plentiful food source, to allow many of them to reach trophy size.  Jigging is the best way to get a hook in front of Portage Lake walleye once the vegetation arrives.  The best setup is a long rod with a strong backbone to jerk those trophy's above any weeds and brush they could use to snap your line.  Pitching a jig tipped with a worm or leech into a weed pocket and twitching it until it settles to the bottom is a proven technique.

Mullett Lake

This lake holds a lot of walleyes, with 6-10 pounders being fairly common.  This, combined with structures well-suited for trolling, make it easy to locate and catch big walleye.  In springtime and early summer, target gravel bottoms near drop offs.  The warmer the water gets, the deeper the fish go, holding to reef areas across the lake.  Several good reefs are on the west end of the lake, averaging about 12 feet deep and surrounded by areas that drop to 40-60 feet.  Casting or trolling crankbaits across the reefs is a good way to hone in on active fish, starting close to the bottom and working towards the surface.

Gun Lake

Hit big dropoffs, like those around Murphy’s and Hasting’s Points, near the middle of the lake.  A deep hole in Robbins Bay, in the southwest portion of the lake, holds walleye throughout the middle of the day.  Night fishing is another good way to find relaxed walleye feeding.  They are likely to be in the shallows, making them vulnerable to casting and trolling with shallow running crankbaits and spinners.

Michigan Ice Fishing Reports

Lake Erie Fishing

Walleye are still hitting in Brest Bay. Most are using minnows, rapalas or small spoons. The various marinas were providing some good panfish action with perch, crappie and bluegills being caught.

Lake Erie Fishing

Lake Cadillac Fishing

Ice anglers are taking fair to good numbers of northern pike when using tip-ups or spear fishing. A few walleye were also caught. Those fishing in shallow waters have caught bluegills and crappie.

Higgins Lake Fishing

Smelt have been caught about 10 feet off the bottom in waters 30 to 50 feet deep. Perch can be found in 15 to 20 feet of water, sort out the small ones. Lake trout and good numbers of whitefish have been caught along the drop-off near deep water. Rainbow trout can still be found near the mouth of Big Creek.

Houghton Lake Fishing

Pike are hitting on tip-ups with sucker minnows and walleye are hitting on jigs with minnows. Catch rates for bluegill were sporadic and a few crappie were caught on minnows.

Michigan Fishing Charters

Big Manistique Lake Fishing

Producing walleye along with some pike and perch.

Mullet Lake Fishing

Anglers were targeting perch in 12 to 40 feet of water. Of those caught, most were 5 to 8 inches and only a few topped 10 inches. Anglers are mainly staying close to shore.

Muskegon Lake Fishing

Anglers should stay away from open water in the channel that leads to Lake Michigan. Pike have been caught in the middle sections of the lake. Those fishing off Hartshorn Marina were using tip-ups with golden shiners. Perch were caught on the bottom in 45 to 60 feet of water. Try minnows, wigglers, mousies or spikes. Bluegills were caught in 3 feet of water off the North State Park.

White Lake Fishing

Ice anglers are targeting bluegills near Wesley's Marina. Pike anglers were starting to use tip-ups in the northeast section of the lake near the narrows.

Michigan Walleye Fishing Tips

1. Look for primary and secondary points that jut out into deep water and also humps, underwater islands, rock bars and dropoffs. Steep breaks or sudden depth changes near a channel are hotspots for jumbo walleyes in summer and fall.

2. Normally, a slow, steady retrieve is best for casting crankbaits to walleyes. If that doesn't work,
try moderate and even fast retrieves. Also, experiment with the stop-and-go approach: Reel a
few turns on the handle and suddenly stop. Wait several seconds; reel again. This jerky action is
sometimes the key to a heavy catch.

3. When fish are deeper than 15 feet, consider vertical-jigging. Position your boat directly over the
structure or a spot where you've pinpointed fish or baitfish on the sonar. Lower a spoon or jig to
the depth that fish are holding, or slightly above that; then, begin pumping the rod tip up and down anywhere from 6 to 24 inches. Be sure to lower the rod tip just fast enough so that the lure falls freely, but no slack forms in the line. Strikes will often come on the drop, and if too much slack gets in the line, you won't be able to detect the subtle hits or set the hook quickly enough.

4. On spring and summer nights, walleyes often head to the shallows after sunset. A thin-minnow plug from 4 to 6 inches in length is best, but shallow-diving crankbaits can also produce well. Cast and retrieve these slowly and steadily over shallow points, reefs, humps, and the edges of islands.

5. For daytime summer walleye fishing, key in on these favored types of structure: reefs, primary and
secondary points, humps, rock bars, flooded timber and depressions in the main lake. Also pay
attention to inlets and outlets where the current can attract baitfish and walleyes.
 

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