Northern Michigan includes three of the five Great Lakes that are home to many species of fish, including Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates fishing and operates hatcheries to ensure an abundance of healthy fish in Michigan's Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers, streams and creeks.
Types
Fishing methods and bait vary according to the area and type of fish you're seeking. Night crawlers on a hook and line are usually sufficient for pan fish and catfish. Trout and salmon can be caught fly fishing with artificial flies or trolling with spoons, large plugs or spinner baits. Walleye can be caught with crawler harnesses, hand-lining with lures, jigging with night crawlers or casting with live bait. Jig with night crawlers or minnows for perch and use divers, spinners or night crawlers for bass.
Geography
Anglers fish for salmon in Lake Michigan, connecting rivers and streams where they find a lot of alewife, the salmon's major food source. Lake Superior, Lake Huron and connecting waters have an abundance of trout. Walleye, perch, pike, bass, whitefish, steelhead, sturgeon, crappie, bluegill and other sunfish live in most waters in northern Michigan. Fishing is good in northeast Michigan areas such as Harrisville, Oscoda, Tawas, Alpena and Rockport and in northwest Michigan locations including Traverse City, Charlevoix, Manistee, Petoskey, Long Lake, Lake Leelanau and the Elk River. Upper Peninsula fishing is good in the St. Mary's River, Little Bay De Noc and Marquette.
Features
Anglers have access to a number of northern Michigan public fishing sites including breakwaters, surf, platforms over harbors, piers, docks and banks. Boat access is available for a fee at boat launches, marinas, city parks and state parks. Mears State Park in Pentwater provides poles and bait for children to pier fish on Sunday afternoons.
Expert Insight
Anglers can hire a northern Michigan fishing guide to take them to the fish and show them how to catch them. Sport fishing charters and fishing resorts all over northern Michigan collaborate to offer camping and lodging for anglers who charter fishing boats. Most charters and guides are available year round.
Considerations
All but one of Michigan's fish hatcheries are in northern Michigan. They provide many species of fish for the Great Lakes and inland waters. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division operates the hatcheries, acquires eggs, rears healthy fish free of stress and disease, marks stocked fish to distinguish them from wild fish and distributes fish to chosen sites. This helps to ensure that northern Michigan anglers catch a number of healthy fish.
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