The Kings Are Back! After a few slower weeks, the salmon fishing off Whitehall absolutely fired up today. We started our morning just north of Whitehall in the 25s and found active fish in 65-80 feet of water. It didn’t take long to realize there were a lot of fish around. At times we could actually see Kings surfacing around the boat. The temperature break has dropped quite a bit and was sitting around 40 feet down, where we found… Read More »

The king salmon have finally made their way back to Whitehall, and fishing has been getting better every day. More fish continue to show up, and the bait is really starting to pile into the area. One thing we’ve noticed is that a lot of the bait is sitting inside of 90 feet of water. Don’t get too caught up chasing the “perfect” water temperature. If you’re marking salmon, fish them. We’ve caught plenty of kings in warmer water over… Read More »

Not a whole lot has changed out on Lake Michigan since last week’s report, but we are finally starting to see a few more king salmon bites show up, which is always good to see heading into July. The biggest change this week is the lake trout have slid a little farther north and are now setting up in the clay off Claybanks in 120-140 feet of water. The trout program has stayed pretty simple. A chrome Bechhold Fish Catcher… Read More »

When most people think about fishing out of Whitehall, they think about king salmon. But some of the most fun—and some of the most important—fish we catch every season are lake trout. To be honest, trout can absolutely make a good day even better. Some days we’ll target them specifically, and other days we’ll slide into our trout program during the middle of the day to put a few extra fish in the cooler before setting back up for salmon… Read More »

Salmon Fishing Still Slow, But the Lake Trout Are Chewing! Salmon fishing out of Whitehall still remains somewhat slow, but while the silver fish don’t seem to want to play, the Lake Trout sure do! We are still getting a few Kings every day here and there, and the majority of our rods are still targeting salmon. The best rods for Kings right now seem to be low divers with meat rigs back 150-200 feet. The water is getting warm…. Read More »

If you’re looking for a Whitehall salmon fishing charter, this area on Lake Michigan is one of the most consistent and productive fisheries on the west coast of Michigan. Every season anglers travel here to target King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead, and Lake Trout, and Whitehall consistently produces quality fishing throughout much of the year. As a full-time charter captain based on White Lake, I’ve spent countless mornings watching how conditions change and how fish respond. Water temperatures shift, bait… Read More »

If you’ve been following our Whitehall Michigan salmon fishing reports, you’ve probably noticed the fishing has slowed down compared to the excellent action we experienced throughout May. While there are still salmon being caught, we’re simply not seeing the numbers of silver fish that were around earlier in the season. Before anyone gets discouraged, this is actually a very normal pattern for Lake Michigan salmon fishing out of Whitehall during mid-June. Why Has the Salmon Fishing Slowed? Every year around… Read More »

The last week or so we’ve spent more time on White Lake than Lake Michigan, and honestly, it’s been hard to leave the bluegill bite. With surface temperatures reaching about 75 degrees, the fish are fully locked into their spawning pattern now. What’s Working Using side imaging to scan shorelines and locate active bluegill beds. Once we find beds, we’re switching over to our Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 in Scout Mode to pinpoint fish and make accurate presentations. Slip bobbers have… Read More »

The salmon fishing out of Whitehall continues to be very consistent as we kick off June, and the wall of fish we’ve been talking about is still sitting right around 140 feet of water. Most mornings we’ve been starting in 100 feet and making northwest trolls out toward 140 feet. As soon as the sun starts climbing over the dunes, the graph begins filling up and the rods start firing. Evening trips have been the exact opposite. We’ve been setting… Read More »

Memorial Weekend gave us some really solid salmon fishing out of Whitehall this year, especially north of port. Most of the weekend we started around 5–6 miles north of Whitehall in about 140 feet of water and worked north from there. Our best troll seemed to be zig-zagging between 135 and 155 feet of water, but honestly there just seemed to be a wall of salmon sitting around that 140-foot range most of the weekend. Best Rods This Weekend Our… Read More »