The origin of the name “Michigan” is derived from the Native American (Chippewa) word, meicigama, which means “great water”. Known as the Great Lakes state, Michigan offers wonderful fishing opportunities the year round, and for more fish species than anywhere else in this country. Although a lot of folks place a main focus on hunting, anglers in the know, realize that fall fishing can be very productive, as well as extremely entertaining.
Saginaw Bay offers some of the best walleye fishing opportunities in Michigan
According to Jason Gostiaux, a MDNR Fisheries Biologist for the Southern Lake Huron Management Unit, the fall season offers Michigan anglers the advantage of close-to-shore fishing for several fish species including walleye, perch, lake trout, steelhead, burbot, coho salmon and Atlantic salmon.
Probably one of the most popular fish species for Lake Huron in recent times was the introduced Chinook salmon, the largest of the Pacific salmon species, which did wonders for controlling the abundant alewife numbers that had become too numerous, as well as offering fantastic fishing opportunities. Beginning in the late 1990’s and into the early 2000’s, a “perfect storm” was evolving. Invasive zebra and quagga mussels had a shown up, thanks to the bilge water of freighters, and began devouring plankton at a high rate, which would actually make the water in Lake Huron become noticeably clearer. Alewife, which is also an invasive species, depend on plankton to eat in order to survive, and the Chinook salmon depended primarily on alewife for its diet. With a lack of food and being heavily preyed upon by salmon, alewife numbers quickly dwindled, and eventually, so did the Chinook salmon in Lake Huron. I can remember the Chinook salmon being caught in Lake Huron during the early 2000’s becoming smaller in size, as compared to just a few years before, due to a lack of a preferred food source. As Gostiaux points out, the Chinook (also known as “king”) salmon went strictly for the “prime rib” at the buffet, and lacking that, they went hungry.
Coho salmon, on the other hand, are not so picky, and are doing quite well in Lake Huron, as well as the more recently introduced Atlantic salmon, which I think is a very beautiful fish. Lake trout and steelhead aren’t picky eaters, either. The lake trout, for instance, had also fed heavily on alewife, which has a high oil content, which in turn caused the lake trout’s flesh to be pale and oily, causing them to be dubbed “grease-balls”, a term I didn’t much care for, because lake trout are a favorite “big water” fish of mine. Today, due to a lack of alewife, the flesh of lake trout in Lake Huron is more firm, pink and delicious. Lake trout is a freshwater char, and having caught and dined on arctic char, I see no difference in the wonderful flavor and flesh color offered by both fish species. Yep, folks, they are related.
What was noticeable not long after alewife numbers dwindled in Lake Huron, was that the natural reproduction of gamefish species such as perch and walleye began to rebound, including emerald shiners, an important food source for gamefish. It had been long known that an alewife, being a plankton eater, didn’t differentiate between plankton and the similar-sized fry of other fish, and was having a detrimental impact on the resource. What turned out to be unfortunate for Chinook salmon, turned out to be quite fortuitous and fortunate for our native gamefish species in Lake Huron.
When fall eases in, fish tend to come in closer to shore in the pursuit of baitfish, as well as some fish species coming in to spawn. An example is the burbot, a freshwater cod which is normally a deep-water fish, but comes in to spawn in shallower water. Fishing for it can be readily done from docks and break walls, and October through December can provide excellent opportunities. Gostiaux says perch rigs do a great job for catching burbot, and the break wall at Caseville in the Thumb tends to be a popular hotspot.
Another fall treat which comes in close to shore to spawn is the Atlantic salmon, which can be seen schooling and rolling near the surface inside various harbors. However, Gostiaux says those fish are primarily focused on spawning and usually not interested in feeding and are difficult to catch with lures or bait. He recommends fishing from boats near the mouth of harbors to catch “Atlantics” not quite into the spawning mode, and because it is close to shore, even small boats can do the trick, weather permitting. The fast-growing pastime of fishing from a kayak, something I have been considering, might pay dividends here.
Another dandy fish coming in close is the coho salmon. Gostiaux remembers receiving email and pics during fall from a father and son fishing team who caught their coho limit by wading offshore at Port Hope, and casting spoons. Gostiaux also remembers talking to an angler fishing just upstream of the Bluewater Bridge in Port Huron, whose intent had been to catch walleyes, but he quickly caught a coho limit instead. Obviously, what fishing tackle works for walleyes, does the trick for coho and Atlantic salmon, as well.
Grilled lake trout filets are delicious and offer a rose-colored flesh similar to its close relative, the arctic char
Perch and walleyes are always popular fall jewels to fish for, and Saginaw Bay these days, offers anglers ample opportunities for both. Another fish which is in the early stages of being reintroduced to Saginaw Bay is the cisco (aka lake herring) that had disappeared by the 1950’s for a number of reasons. I am sure hoping it makes a successful comeback, because cisco are not only fun to catch, but very delicious to eat!
Let us not forget fall smallmouth bass fishing, either, when October is my favorite month for this, either casting from shore or wading, and the autumn colors along Lake Huron’s coastline make the perfect backdrop!
Yep, folks, fall hunting often gets a brighter spotlight with some folks, but fall fishing has its own niche. Michigan has a lot to offer in both fantastic pastimes, and I do love sampling and enjoying it all whenever possible!
than 40 years and has had his weekly radio show, “Tom Lounsbury
Outdoors” for more than 20 years. Tom grew up on a farm in
Michigan’s Thumb, and it is where his first outdoor adventures began
as a kid accompanying visiting pheasant hunters into the field during
the “pheasant hunting heyday” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is a passion
he still has to this day and being the 4 th generation to own the family
farm, he has put most of it into conservation programs with a focus on
wild pheasants, which in turn helps all wildlife.
Being an outdoor communicator, Tom appreciates all the outdoor
adventures he experiences in different places, and especially the
people he meets in which to share them.
- Nothing can beat fall fishing in Michigan - August 21, 2025
- Take a kid hunting – it is very important to the future of hunting - August 15, 2025
- Fine memories of handgun hunting adventures with “Lorraine” - August 8, 2025