Fishing Info
Years ago the perch fishing in both Big and Little Bay de Noc was top-notch. Anglers from all over the Midwest came just after ice-out to take part in some of the best perch fishing found anywhere in the country. Area boat launches were full of eager fishermen and women hoping for a bucket of "jumbos". During the late 80's and early 90's the perch fishery declined, due in large part to overharvest and increasing numbers of predator fish such as walleyes and salmon. Today, the biggest threat to the perch fishery is the cormorant, a large fish-eating bird that can dive to great depths when feeding. The cormorant population is currently being managed to reduce their numbers to an acceptable level, and the perch fishery has rebounded. The last two years have seen an increase in numbers of perch, and the average size is also on the increase. Perch are now being caught again in descent numbers, some up to 14 inches came in this past spring. Most perch action occurs from Gladstone to Rapid River, with most fish coming in or near weed growth. Find the weeds, and you'll find perch in the spring. The Kipling area is good, along with areas north of the Days River and the weedy areas south of Garth Point. Single hooks or tear drops baited with wigglers, minnows or leafworms is all that's needed to catch a meal of tasty "yellow bellies". The best fishing starts around mid-April and runs through mid-May. It gets pretty good again in late fall with mid-October very consistent year after year.
If there's one fish species that gets overlooked in the Bay de Noc area, it has to be the bass. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass exist in these waters, however, 90% of the population are smallmouth. Pound for pound there's not many fish that fight harder than a huge smallie on the end of the line. Bass are not considered the best table fare, especially in waters that are chock full of tasty walleyes, so most of the bass fishing is catch and release. Because of this, there is an excellent population of bass in the bays that go untouched by most anglers. There is an early catch and release season in early May and then the general open season starts the Saturday before Memorial Day every year. Chances are, you won't see too many boats plying the bays waters for bass...they just don't get the exposure that walleyes do, but that's a good thing for the few anglers targeting the high-flying, acrobatic, tackle-testing bronzebacks.
When the season starts, many bass are still spawning in area rivers, along rocky shorelines, and warmer bays. Some of the best areas on Little Bay to start your fishing would be the West shoreline from Gladstone to the Terrace Bay Inn. Here you will find shallow gravelly areas, weed pockets, reed beds, pretty much a smallmouth bass heaven. Another area that holds early season smallies is the Escanaba River. Be careful when navigating the river, numerous logs and shallow areas exist, but if you're careful...the rewards can be fantastic in the form of 2 to 4 lb. smallies. Small spinnerbaits, shallow diving crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits all will work in the river. Another area that holds tons of bronzebacks is the north end from Nelsons bay up into the Whitefish River. This area has shallow rocky areas, points, weed beds, and lots and lots of woody cover that bass love. This area produces fish all summer, with a fantastic early morning top-water bite in July and August. Once fall approaches, the bass start to congregate and school up, and they also start to relate more to sharp drop-offs throughout the bay. Lots of 5 to 6 lb. smallies are caught during October and November by drifting red-tail chubs along steep breaks or by pitching jigs tipped with minnows.
Over on Big Bay, there's almost too many good areas to list. Garden Bay always tosses out lots of bass, as well as the Nahma area where the Sturgeon River dumps in. Two other good areas are big and little hump in the center of the bay. These two rocky structures seem to get better in late summer and early fall. Casting shallow-diving crankbaits or tube jigs in crayfish colors or goby colors will catch fish that probably have never seen a bait before. The whole west shoreline from Ogontz Bay to Wilsey Bay holds smallies year-round. The water here is very clear and the fish can be spooky in the shallow water. Long casts are a must, and it helps to use an electric motor to slowly maneuver in and around the many shallow bays. Look for shallow weedgrowth, deeper pockets, and dark bottomed areas and you'll likely find smallies. As on Little Bay, the fish congregate in the fall and relate to steep breaklines. Every fall someone gets a smallie over 7 lbs. while working these breaks. The east side of Big Bay from the mouth of Garden Bay all the way down to Fayette State Park is a great place to look for a wall mounter. Call the Garden Sport Shop for current conditions on Big Bay, they'll point you in the right direction. If you've never tried the Bay de Noc area for bass...you're missing out on some awesome fishing. Good luck from all of us in the Bay de Noc area, we'll see you on the water!
Imagine the thrill of fighting a fish so long that your arms hurt. Imagine being back to the dock by 8 a.m. with a limit of hard-fighting, tackle-busting, great tasting King salmon. Imagine the aroma of fresh salmon cooking on the grill in a bed of onions, lemon pepper and butter. Hey...you don't have to imagine it, you can experience it, it's happening right now in the Bay de Noc area. Salmon fishing has been very consistent over the last ten years or so. The Michigan D.N.R continues to stock local rivers with salmon, and there is evidence of some great natural reproduction occuring in local streams also. As with any species, many factors determine numbers and size. The biggest factor in the Bay de Noc area is the abundance of baitfish. The main forage of salmon in the Bay de Noc area are alewives, a 3 to 6 inch fish that thrives in deeper, colder waters, providing the ultimate food source for hungry salmon. When alewife numbers are up, the average size of the salmon goes up, when baitfish numbers are down, the size of the salmon goes down. One thing that's for certain, whether a fish is 8 lbs or 20 lbs...they're all fun and provide some great sportfishing opportunities.
The salmon fishing in the Bay de Noc area usually gets going around the end of June and lasts right up until the first part of September. It's at this time that the mature salmon start moving to their natal rivers and streams where they will spawn and die. Most of the salmon action in the Bay de Noc area takes place in two locations. The first area is from Escanaba south to the Ford River can and the second area is just south and east of Big Bay de Noc in the Fairport area. Fairport lies at the tip of the Garden Peninsula, and is a beautiful area to visit even if you don't wet a line. Standard tactics apply when fishing for these giants of the Great Lakes. Downriggers and Dipsey Divers are the preferred methods to take spoons, flaher/fly combos, and plugs to the depths where the salmon prowl. Fish are usually caught in depth ranges from 60 to 150 feet of water. Early and late in the day are the best times to fish, but plenty of fish are caught all day long for those of you that just can't get up at 4 a.m. for the early bite. If you don't have a boat, no problem, salmon start migrating up area streams in the weeks just after Labor Day, providing great opportunities for the shore-bound angler. Rivers such as the Bark, Ford, Escanaba, Days, Whitefish, Fishdam and Sturgeon all have good runs of salmon and are open to fishing.
Sall-Mar Resort / Bay de Noc Charters
Early season walleye fishing is focused on the upper part of the bay from Gladstone north to Rapid River. The cool water conditions at this time require a slow presentation, such as vertical jigging or drifting with live bait rigs such as a "Lindy Rig" tipped with a night crawler or Leech. You will usually find the best action near 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Center Reefs.
By late June, the action shifts further south between Gladstone and Escanaba. One of the more popular spots is an area known as "Black Bottom". Though the same tactics used in the early spring will still produce fish at this time, the emphasis shifts to a trolling presentation. This happens for two main reasons: the first being the fish are more spread out now than they were a few weeks ago, and by covering more water you increase your chances of putting your bait in front of more fish. And 2nd, quite often, you will find many fish suspended. You want to use planer boards when fishing for the suspended walleye. Often times, the fish are so close to the surface, that your boat passing over them will spook them off to the side so you will not mark them on your electronics. You simply have to present a couple lines up high in your trolling spread to see if any fish are suspending. If you start catching fish on the high lines, then duplicate that presentation to the rest of your lines. Walleye's Choice harnesses put countless numbers of walleye in the boat and have been the best selling bait on Little Bay de Noc for many years. Snapweights, in-line weights, and bottom bouncers all work for getting your bait to the correct depth. It's mainly just personal preference as far as this goes. A popular rule of thumb: If you are trolling at 1 mph using a 1 ounce weight, the depth of your bait will be equal to half the amount of line you let out. So if you put out 40 feet of line using a 1 ounce weight trolling at 1 mph, your bait will be approximately 20 feet down. It will be 30 feet down with 60 feet of line out, 40 feet down with 80 feet of line let out and so on...
October, November, and December is when the "big girls" migrate back into the bay after spending the summer out in the open waters of Green Bay gorging themselves on smelt and alewives. Eight to ten pound walleye are much more commonly caught now with some much larger!!! Simply put, this is the time of year to catch "one for the wall". Trolling continues to be the most used tactic in late fall, but boat speed slows to a crawl with most folks trying to keep their speed between .8 and 1.2 mph. Also, when the water temperature drops to about 52 degrees, it's time to switch from crawler harnesses to stick baits like Rapala's, Bomber's, etc... Purple is one of the hottest colors to troll with on Little Bay de Noc and the purple prism Thunderstick has been one of the best stick baits for many years. Trolling with leadcore line also gets more prevalent in the late fall due to the slow speeds used. Another method for catching big walleye in the fall on Little Bay de Noc is drifting/slow trolling Lindy Rigs with 4-6 inch suckers and chubs along the base of the many steep dropoffs.
