You’re planning a fishing trip to the Great Lakes, and you have your sights set on Lake Huron. This great lake shares borders with Michigan and Ontario Canada. The name “Huron” comes from the early French explorers named the lake after the Huron people who inhabited this area in its early days.
Over the past few decades, this lake has taken quite a few hits on its fishing quality due to invasive species like sea lamprey. In the early 1900s the lake was known by the locals and tourists for its excellent deep sea fishing, but today the only deep water fish remaining is the bloater.
Currently, the lake is regularly stocked with Pacific salmon and lake trout to help rehabilitate the fishing in this great lake.
In this article, we’re playing Travel Guide to help you plan out your trip to Lake Huron. We’re giving you the best fishing locations and what you can expect to catch. We’re also providing you with some of the most popular fishing charters on this lake, so you can have an excellent idea of what to do when you’re ready to plan your trip.
Best Places to Fish on Lake Huron
In recent years locals have seen a revitalization of the lake and with that comes larger fish and more abundant fishing opportunities. Some of the smaller fish who call the lake home no longer have to compete with the bait-fish for something to eat which results in larger perch, walleye, and trout.
Here are some of the best shorelines and boat launching areas on Lake Huron.
Stokes Bay, Ontario
Stokes Bay is part of the Northern Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. This is a favorite vacation spot in the summer for people looking to rent a cottage and take boats out on the water. A lot of locals claim that the area has become a significant tourist trap leading to overpopulation and crowdedness around the heavily fished areas. According to avid anglers though, there are still some great areas for fishing and one of those is Stokes Bay.
If you want to find an abundance of small mouth bass they recommend checking this area out right through the summer and experts highly suggest taking a boat out because the water temperature gets too warm around the shore and it drives the fish away to cooler waters in the deep.
Rogers City, Michigan
If venturing outside the country is not your thing you could head to mainland Michigan at the northern tip of the state to a port town known as Rogers City. This town is located right on Lake Huron and is home to two different salmon fishing tournaments. The city also has an abundance of fishing and maritime museums, so boating and commercial fishing is a major part of the cities history.
Fishing for salmon and walleye is incredibly popular on the shore here throughout the summer. Locals recommend heading slightly outside the Rogers City limited towards Swan Bay and Adams Point. Here you can fish shallow waters and chase the fish that are following the shiners. If you plan on taking a boat out, they recommend heading out with the intention of fishing for Walleye a mile and a half from the Marina.
Detour, Michigan
This township has a small population of fewer than 1000 people and was organized in 1850. The town sits right on the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula nearly touching the mainland of Michigan.
To the North of town, you’ll find great fishing on the St. Marys River, and to the South, you’ll find Lake Huron. The township is surrounded by exceptional fishing and uses that for a majority of its commerce and economy.
Thanks to an ongoing stocking program of Atlantic Salmon you can find abundant fishing opportunities right local area docks as well as by boat. Locals recommend taking a boat from the Detour Marina and troll towards the lighthouse around 40-80 feet deep.
Grindstone City/Port Austin, Michigan
This city has one of Michigan’s most beautiful sandy beaches and its located at the far eastern section of mainland Michigan. This area is called the thumb of Michigan.
In this area, people fish for whitefish and local experts recommend using the lightest line possible. They say anything larger than a 12-pound leader, and you won’t ever feel a nibble. The locals suggest fishing this port town throughout the summer into late fall.
Linwood, Michigan
This bay town is located right off the Saginaw Bay and is known for excellent perch and walleye fishing. In this town, you can find great numbers throughout the late spring and early summer. Linwood is a unique getaway for anglers because there is a lot to do beyond fishing like restaurants, bars, and campgrounds.
Locals recommend trolling 20-40 yard sections with a small spoon, 3.5 miles east of Linwood in search of Walleye. Some of the charters in this area suggest trolling with the wind here because you get better action on the spoons. There are also abundant shore fishing opportunities around the beach marina in Linwood.
What Fish Can You Catch on Lake Huron
We’ve touched briefly on the species you can expect to catch at each location but the truth is, there are many different types of fish to find in this great lake so let’s take a look at some of the native species as well as the stocked ones.
Lake trout, walleye, and whitefish were nearly wiped out at one point due to over-fishing, but over the last decade, local stocking has helped bring trout and salmon fishing back to Lake Huron. Today you can expect to find most warm water fish like walleye, sturgeon, perch, smallies, pumpkinseed, and rock bass. The cold water species tend to include lake trout, whitefish, salmon, and bloaters.
Many people travel to this lake for its salmon fishing, but unfortunately, that has also decreased in recent years due to growing populations of zebra mussels. These consume a lot of the plankton and food sources that many fish need to survive which has killed off many of the fish and driven them away to better waters.
That said, Lake Huron still offers plenty of fishing opportunities from fishing charters and plenty of shoreline access. Lake Huron offers the largest amount of shoreline compared to all the other great lakes, and it has more than 30,000 islands along its shores.
Fishing Charters on Lake Huron
In this section, we’re commanding the help of Fishingbooker.com to provide you with some charter companies from the best ports along Lake Huron. Here are some of them.
Dietrich’s Sportfishing Charters
Five stars
Bay City
Angler One Charters – Saginaw Bay
No Rating
Linwood
Northstar Fishing Adventures
Five stars
Bay City
Mark Lorenc Charters
Five Stars
North Tonawanda
How to Choose a Lake Huron Fishing Charter
Choosing the right charter is critical to the enjoyment of your trip. I have been on some great charters with fun crew members, and they made the trip a great experience. I have also been on some bad charters that had boring, uninvolved, and even knowledgeable staff.
When you’re fishing unfamiliar waters, you want a crew that understands the water so they can help you fish for the target species in that area.
Something that a lot of people overlook is the type of boat you’re fishing on as well. Ideally, you want a vessel that is larger than 30 feet especially if you or someone with you get seasick. The larger boats will absorb the bumps and wave cracks better.
Here are some things to consider and questions to ask before scheduling your charter.
1. Choose the Right Captain
When you choose a charter, you’re selecting a captain, and you want to know that this person is well experienced and licensed by the US Coast Guard to charter boats. Luckily, all the fishing charters on Fishingbooker.com are required to have this licensing.
2. Consider Your Skill Level
The goal is for you and your group to have a good time, and if you have no deepwater fishing experience, you should make sure to let the captain know that so they can cater to the needs of the group. Look for a crew that has experience with novice anglers and if you have kids with you keep that in mind as well.
3. Price
Of course, the price is an important factor to consider but understand what goes into the cost of the charter that you’re paying. Going for the cheapest charter on the list is not the best decision because “you get what you pay for.” As a result of cutting the cost, you might get a smaller boat, with old equipment, and a captain who does it part-time in the summer for some extra cash and doesn’t care.
4. What Type of Experience Do You Want?
Think about what you and your group are looking to achieve. Are you out on the water with the strict intention of bringing in a big one or do you not really care about the fishing? Some charters offer other activities along with fishing for people who are more in it for the “experience.” Ultimately, you want to find a charter that matches what you are looking to achieve from the trip so be sure to ask a lot of questions and don’t go in it blind.
Fish Lake Huron
Now you have a solid understanding of what to expect when you fish Lake Huron. By now you should know where to fish and what you can look out for at the end of your line. The Great Lakes offer exceptional fishing for people who are willing to get out and look for it.
If you have a favorite spot to fish on Lake Huron or you are a local in one of these port towns be sure to let us know where you fish. Thanks for reading!
