Where the fish are biting this week, Oct. 17 report

Here's how fishing looks this week in the Northwest Lower Peninsula, Northeast Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula, according to the latest report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Northeast Lower PeninsulaCheboygan: Salmon were reported to be in high numbers at the Cheboygan Dam spillway; however, anglers had a tough time catching fish. Anglers were primarily catching Chinook salmon with the occasional pink salmon, coho salmon, or steelhead mixed in. Those drifting natural baits such as spawn saw the best results, however, other good options were beads, minnow crank baits, and spoons.

Rogers City: Poor weather conditions kept anglers off the water.

Alpena: Angling pressure was reported as slow. A few boat anglers ventured in Thunder Bay with no success. Others targeted perch along the pier and harbor docks with only a few small fish found.

Thunder Bay River: Chinook salmon were still present in good numbers. Anglers had success drifting spawn and beads. Fire tiger, chartreuse, and blue/silver body baits were also productive. Those using spawn reported a few steelhead and Atlantic salmon showing up as well. Perch anglers below 2nd Avenue bridge reported no luck.

Rockport: A few anglers tried for Chinook and coho salmon with only a few caught. Chartreuse and white crank baits caught a few fish along with green, gold, and orange spinners.

Oscoda: Anglers fishing off the pier at night started to pick up some walleye when casting flicker shads. A few coho and Atlantic salmon were caught by anglers casting spoons off the pier early in the morning.

Au Sable River: Steelhead and Atlantic salmon were caught throughout the lower river when casting spinners, floating spawn/beads, and streamer fishing. Most Atlantic salmon were caught on spinners or flies resembling a minnow. Chinook salmon were caught below Foote Dam by anglers floating skein or spawn bags.

: Chinook and coho salmon were caught by anglers floating skein 3 to 4 feet down early in the morning or at dusk inside the harbor from the gas docks. Fish were caught throughout the day, but the bite seemed the slow. Steelhead were also caught out of the marina by anglers casting little Cleos.

Black River: Anglers who were casting pink arctic spinners early in the morning picked up a couple coho salmon. Chinook salmon were caught when floating skein and beads. Anglers had the most success when casting spoons or spinners in the morning.

Au Gres: A few walleye were caught north of Charity Island when trolling or casting crawlers and crank baits. Other anglers were able to get a few fish heading south out from the mouth. Bluegill and other panfish were caught by anglers at Eagle Bay Marina.

Tawas: Windy conditions kept most boat anglers off the water. Chinook salmon and a few coho salmon were caught at the Tawas River mouth on various baits including spawn, spinners, spoons, and Rapalas. Chinook salmon and steelhead were also caught at the Singing Bridge when fishing the river and in the surf.

Northwest Lower PeninsulaCharlevoix: Anglers targeting bass on the piers reported some smallmouth. Fishing live bait on the bottom seemed to produce some results.

Little Traverse Bay: Anglers fishing the Bear River reported Chinook salmon and some coho salmon making their way up the river. Fishing beads, spawn, and flies while bottom bouncing produced results.

Frankfort: Following the high winds, anglers reported excellent numbers of steelhead off the north and south piers. Better numbers and limits came off the south pier near the second ladder, and fresh spawn worked well. Young coho salmon were also being reported out near the elbow. Anglers noted that the morning bite seemed to be most productive.

Onekama: Anglers fishing off the south break wall reported some steelhead activity in the early morning hours on spawn.

Manistee: Overall fishing was slow. Anglers who were pier fishing reported catching a few steelhead on spawn.

Ludington: A couple steelhead and coho salmon were reported to have been caught from the piers while using spawn.

Leland: Poor weather conditions kept boat anglers off the water. Pier anglers reported catching a few Chinook and coho salmon while float fishing skein.

West Grand Traverse Bay: Boat anglers who were targeting cisco found success trolling silver spoons near Power Island and whitewalls in approximately 100 feet of water. Anglers who tried their luck for perch throughout the bay had unsuccessful trips. No fishing activity was reported from the piers.

Upper PeninsulaKeweenaw Bay/Huron Bay: Anglers were mostly fishing from shore and trolling in nearshore waters this last week with some intermittent success. Anglers found splake in shallow water areas of the bays. Trolling anglers caught a few lake trout and salmon; however, most days were difficult to fish due to weather. Those who were able to catch fish reported using artificial bait and trolling in water shallower than 100 feet.

Big Traverse Bay/South Portage Entry Canal: Poor weather limited angling efforts. Those that were able to make it out reported finding lake trout and coho salmon while trolling. Trolling events mostly consisted of running near shore and along reef edges. Fish were caught with artificial baits like spoons and flies.

St. Ignace: Anglers began fishing for steelhead at the Carp River, with a couple of individual fish seen by the rapids. At Nunns Creek, pink and Chinook salmon were staged between 50 and 100 yards from the mouth depending on the day. When the tide is high, salmon have been spawning in the creek. Look out for rainy days or days when there are winds coming from the south to the north, piling more water on to the beach. This should push more salmon into the creek to spawn. Those who were using spoons or spawn had the most luck catching a salmon or two.

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting yellow perch reported an uptick in success this week, using minnows on perch rigs and either drifting or vertically jigging. These fish were caught in the "narrows", Saunders Point, near the mouth of the Escanaba River, and at the "mud flats". Perch anglers also reported catching walleye and northern pike as bycatch. Walleye anglers reported fair fishing, with trolling and jigging methods proving productive for walleye. Smallmouth bass anglers had good fishing with good action when bass were found. Anglers that fished for coho salmon reported an overall slowdown, suggesting an end to the salmon run. There were fish in the Escanaba River to be caught, but the coho salmon bite by the mouth of the river seemed slow. The best results came from anglers fishing near the dam.

Manistique: Anglers reported seeing and catching Chinook salmon near the paper mill and lumberyard. Some anglers were fishing the "flumes" with success. Both pink salmon and Chinook salmon were reported to have been present in the river, although showing signs of being at the final stages of their life cycle. Some anglers were catching fish using crank baits for a reaction bite. Most anglers targeting Chinook salmon were drifting beads or skein.

Ontonagon River: Angling efforts on the river were extremely low over the past week. Very few fish were reported to have been caught.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Harsh weather limited lake access from these ports over the past week. On fair weather days, anglers reported catches consisting of lake trout in good numbers. These fish were caught by anglers trolling in deeper waters. The fish cleaning station at the Ontonagon Marina has been closed for the season.

Black River Harbor: Strong winds and heavy rain greatly limited lake access from the harbor over the past week. When accessible, anglers reported catches of lake trout in low numbers. These fish were primarily found in deeper waters.

Marquette: Boat anglers were making their way down to the mouth of the Chocolay River to try for coho salmon and saw mixed results. A few coho salmon were reported to have been caught from the Chocolay River all the way up to the M-28 fishing pier. Using spawn seemed to work best for these fish. There were decent numbers of fish reported in both the Chocolay and Carp Rivers; however, anglers had a hard time getting them to bite.

Au Train: Angling efforts were reported as low out of Au Train. A few anglers were making their way up towards the mouth of the Laughing White Fish River to try for coho salmon and steelhead.

Les Cheneaux/ DeTour: Anglers reported that the yellow perch fishing around Drummond Island seemed to be steady. In Hessel, there were a few Chinook salmon caught in the marina as well as a few pike caught off the outside wall on chubs, but the perch fishing was tough.

Fishing tip: Finding steelhead in the thick of fall Although many folks have hunting on the brain, there are some anglers who are enjoying a few more trips to the streams right now to find steelhead. Those having success are probably following a few basic tips:

Target lesser-known streams that may have been stocked by us in the past few years. Don't fish on the weekends — when everyone else is — rather, focus on mid-week if possible. Tough out the weather; some of the best fishing happens when the weather is the worst. Fish in the early morning or at night.