The Best Fishing Spots in Michigan
Michigan is a top destination for recreational fishing, offering productive waters from the Great Lakes to thousands of inland lakes and rivers. Anglers chase big walleye, hard-fighting smallmouth bass and largemouth bass, and trophy northern pike and muskie, while the Great Lakes and tributaries produce abundant salmon (Chinook, coho), steelhead and trout (lake, brown, brook). Expect excellent panfish (bluegill, crappie) and perch fishing, occasional lake sturgeon, and year-round opportunities from shore, boat, and ice fishing.
Top Cities For Fishing
River Fishing
Lake Fishing
Lake Erie
Lake Huron
Lake Michigan
Lake Saint Clair
St. Marys River
Top Freshwater Fishing Spots
Au Sable River
Famed for classic fly water, the Au Sable River offers superb brown trout and brook trout in the Holy Waters and strong steelhead/salmon runs in the lower river near Oscoda ; dry-fly hatches, nymphing, and swinging streamers all produce.
Burt Lake
Part of the Inland Waterway, Burt Lake produces walleye, smallmouth, and pike, with trolling on flats and casting rocky points; boaters can link to Mullett Lake via the Indian River for expanded options.
Detroit River
Connecting Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie , the Detroit River hosts a legendary spring walleye jig bite, plus smallmouth, white bass, and seasonal steelhead; vertical jigging current seams, casting from piers, or trolling the shipping channel all produce.
Lake Erie
Michigan’s western basin of Lake Erie is renowned for numbers of walleye with spring jigging on reefs and summer trolling, plus strong yellow perch and smallmouth bass; launch near Monroe or work the channel edges toward the Detroit River .
Lake Gogebic
In the western U.P., Lake Gogebic is a premier destination for walleye and jumbo perch, with strong bites spring and fall and excellent ice fishing; drift or troll weedlines and mud flats, with access from Bergland and Lake Gogebic State Park .
Grand Traverse Bay
Grand Traverse Bay is a clear-water destination for lake trout, cisco (lake herring), and growing Atlantic salmon opportunities, with spring–summer trolling and jigging the breaks; shore anglers work piers around Traverse City and Elk Rapids .
Higgins Lake
Deep and clear, Higgins Lake is known for lake trout, smelt, and large yellow perch; vertical jigging and downrigging target trout over basins, while perch schools roam weed edges accessible from launches near Roscommon .
Houghton Lake
Michigan’s largest inland lake, Houghton Lake shines for walleye, pike, bluegill, and crappie; drift harnesses and jig weed lines in summer, while winter brings solid ice bites across basins accessible from Prudenville and Houghton Lake Heights .
Little Bay de Noc
Known for big walleye, Little Bay de Noc fishes well from fall through ice season and into spring; trolling or jigging breaks near the Escanaba and Gladstone areas produces, with bonus smallmouth and pike on rocky points and weeds.
Manistee River
The Manistee River is a premier system for steelhead, Chinook salmon, and resident trout; swing or drift presentations in spring and fall, cast hardware in the lower river near Manistee , or float the upper stretches for browns and brookies.
Lake Michigan
Michigan’s west coast on Lake Michigan offers world-class fishing for salmon (Chinook, coho), lake trout, steelhead, and brown trout, with spring coho, summer lake trout, and late-summer kings staging near ports like Ludington , Manistee , and Frankfort ; nearshore structure and pier heads shine for shore anglers, while trollers run spoons, plugs, and flasher-fly spreads offshore.
Mullett Lake
Connected to Burt Lake , Mullett Lake holds strong lake trout, quality smallmouth, and seasonal walleye; jig deep humps and troll breaks, with shore access at state sites around Cheboygan and Topinabee .
Muskegon Lake
Muskegon Lake provides multi-species action—walleye, perch, pike, and seasonal salmon/steelhead staging from Lake Michigan ; troll or jig channel edges, cast riprap from the causeways, and work weed flats for panfish.
Pere Marquette River
A wild, scenic river, the Pere Marquette River is known for steelhead, fall Chinook salmon, and year-round brown trout, with productive floats and wading access near Baldwin and lower reaches toward Ludington .
Saginaw Bay
A walleye factory, Saginaw Bay produces limits through spring–summer trolling crankbaits and harnesses and excellent ice fishing over winter; perch, pike, and catfish add variety, and access is easy from Bay City , Linwood , and Pinconning .
St. Clair River
The swift St. Clair River delivers walleye, salmonids, and giant muskellunge migrating between Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair ; handlining and vertical jigging are staples, with shore action at public parks and piers.
Lake St. Clair
Lake St. Clair is famed for trophy smallmouth bass, heavy muskellunge, and strong walleye bites; drift or troll breaks and weed edges, cast tubes and jerkbaits for bronzebacks, or troll big blades for muskie, with productive corridors connecting to the St. Clair River and Detroit River .
Lake Superior
Wild and cold, Lake Superior yields lake trout, coho, steelhead, and brown trout, with strong bites off Marquette , Keweenaw Bay , and Munising ; longline spoons over reefs and shore casting at river mouths are productive.
Torch Lake
Crystal-clear Torch Lake offers deep-water lake trout, cisco, and quality smallmouth bass; jig humps and drop-offs, work shoreline rocks with tubes and jerkbaits, and explore connections to Clam Lake and the Lower Chain of Lakes .
Lake Huron
Along Michigan’s sunrise side, Lake Huron offers excellent lake trout, Atlantic salmon in select ports, and nearshore walleye in places like Thunder Bay and Saginaw Bay ; trollers work structure, while pier anglers intercept runs at harbor mouths.