Michigan fishing guide Captain Chad Dilts of Sport Fish Michigan gives his latest Michigan fishing report on May 17, 2024.
Michigan Fishing Report: 5-17-2024
We’ve got great bites happening all over Michigan right now. Walleyes, smallmouth bass, lake trout, salmon, and ciscos are all going.
Detroit River: Michigan Fishing Report
There is a great spring walleye bite happening on the Detroit River. Anglers are catching lots of eater sized males with some larger females mixed in. We are still getting some fresh waves of big females pushing into the river.
Jigs and plastics are working great. Both four-inch paddletails and minnow profile plastics are working. White, chartreuse, and green have been some of the better colors.
Grand Traverse Bay: Fishing Report
Lake trout and ciscos are biting well on Grand Traverse bay. Anglers are having the success jigging small spoons. Yo-yo jigging has been our best tactic for trigger bites. Most of the fish have been in one-hundred feet of water or less.
Salmon Fishing: Lake Michigan
Salmon are biting out of most of the ports on Lake Michigan.
Most of the fish are coming between eighty and one-hundred feet down. The best bite has been early in the morning. Smaller UV green spoons and meat rigs have triggered most bites.
Smallmouth Bass: Michigan Fishing Report
The smallmouth bass fishing has been on fire the past few weeks. Anglers have been having lots of success on inland lakes and on Grand Traverse Bay.
Look for smallmouth bass on shallow flats and rocky areas in two to eight feet of water. Some smallmouth bass are beginning to spawn.
Jerkbaits, blade baits, swimbaits, hair jigs, and plastics are all working great for prespawn smallmouth bass.
Natural colors have worked best for the hair jigs and ned rigs, but bright colors like orange and clown have worked best when using jerkbaits.
