Traverse City Fishing Report: Salmon Arriving as Lake Trout Fishing Remains Excellent

Fishing has remained very good this past week in Traverse City, with anglers enjoying excellent action throughout West Grand Traverse Bay. We were also treated to some beautiful weather, making for comfortable days on the water and ideal conditions for summer fishing.

We’re continuing to see more salmon trickling into the bay, and while they’re not an every-morning catch just yet, we’ve found enough consistent action to make targeting them worthwhile. Spoons and meat rigs have been our most productive salmon presentations, with glow spoons producing well early in the morning before switching to UV spoons after the sun rises.

A few steelhead are also being caught on spoons, adding another exciting bonus species to the mix. It’s always a welcome surprise when one of these hard-fighting fish finds its way into the spread.

Most of our fish have been holding in 60 to 120 feet of water, with lake trout relating to both the thermocline and the bottom. Hammerhead cowbells fished on the downriggers have continued to produce outstanding results, and lake trout fishing remains the highlight of many trips.

As we move deeper into summer, we expect the fishing to remain excellent. With more salmon beginning to show up and the dependable lake trout bite continuing, it’s a great time to experience everything West Grand Traverse Bay has to offer.

If you’re looking to spend a day on the water, now is an excellent time to book a Traverse City fishing charter. Whether you’re hoping to catch a trophy lake trout, hook into an early-season salmon, or land a steelhead, summer fishing is providing outstanding opportunities for anglers of all experience levels.