Welcome to our Bays de Noc Fishing Home Page
The Bays de Noc area covers over 200 miles of shoreline in the southwestern part of the Upper Peninsula. There are beautiful sand beaches to go along with many places to stay, good food and excellent fishing. The area is comprised of three cities and towns, all situated on the shores of Little Bay de Noc – Escanaba, Gladstone and Rapid River.
Primary Species of Fish
Walleye, Smallmouth Bass & Northern Pike
It is a very good multi-species fishery, however, walleye are king up here. This is one of the best walleye fisheries in the midwest. Depending on where you fish, you can get numbers, size or both. Little Bay de Noc is known for better numbers of walleye with plenty of quality fish too, while the Big Bay de Noc is known for smaller numbers, but much bigger walleye. Smallmouth bass are found in good numbers in both bays with lots of quality fish in the 3 to 5 pound range. Northern pike are here in solid numbers with plenty of big fish too. The spring / early summer and fall are the best times to target pike in the bay.
Secondary Species of Fish
Perch used to be found in the bays in larger numbers. The spring can still be good, but they can be hit or miss in the summer and fall. Some anglers target them and do well while others will just catch them while targeting walleye or smallmouth bass with live bait. Muskie have been stocked on the bay, however, if they are doing well out here, you don’t hear too much about any anglers fishing for or catching a muskie in the bay. Salmon and trout are a lot more consistent, but still secondary for most anglers. From mid-summer through September, most of the action will come from 2 ports. Escanaba and Fairport are where the salmon anglers go to catch them. Steelhead and lake trout can be caught as well with Chinook salmon dominating most of the catches. The river systems also have a good fishery for steelhead and salmon as they move into the rivers to spawn.
Big Bay De Noc
Fish Near the River Mouths
Fish the north end of the two major bays in the north end of Big Bay de Noc once the fishing season opens in the spring. You won’t find the numbers that you will find in Little Bay de Noc, but if you are searching for some big walleye in shallow water early in the year, this is a good place to fish. Target the rocks for smallmouth bass and find new, green weeds for pike, walleye and even perch too.
Fish the Bays
There are a lot of smaller bays to fish within Big Bay de Noc. These bays are usually much better early in the season as a variety of fish are moving into the shallows to spawn. The bays that have rivers flowing into them are usually more productive very early in the fishing season. You can expect to find walleye, pike and smallmouth bass using these bays in the spring and early summer.
Fish the Points
You also have a lot of points to fish in Big Bay de Noc. If you want to target fish on the points, you can easily run from point to point and pick off fish until you find a bigger school. The points provide very good fishing in the spring and fall but don’t rule out some of those points that have deep water near them in the summertime.
Fish the Deeper Water
Big Bay de Noc is home to so much deep, clear water. This is one of the reasons why so many quality fish are caught in this area. No matter where you go in this bay, you weren’t too far from some deep water. Trophy walleye, smallmouth and pike will all use the deep water from summer through fall.
Deep Water Near Shorelines
Take a look at a map and find a lot of those deep water areas that are close to a shoreline. These are good places to search for bigger fish in the summer and fall.
Deeper Weeds
Deeper weeds are always a good place to search for quality fish especially walleye, pike and you may even find some smallmouth bass too.
Offshore Structures
In the bay, you have some offshore structures to fish as well. Big Bay de Noc Shoal is a popular spot to fish. The islands of Round Island, St. Vital Island and Snake Island all attract plenty of fish and anglers during the summer and fall months.
Big Bay De Noc Boat Access
Garden Bay Public Launch
Nahma Boat Ramp
This is the boat ramp that gives you access to the north end of the bay.
Little Bay De Noc
The North End of the Bay From Gladstone to Rapid River
You can catch fish in this part of the bay year-round. Early in the year as walleye move out of the rivers, anglers can catch a lot of walleye closer to shore in shallower water. As the waters warm, more walleye will move out to deeper water and you can usually do well around the offshore structure. Center Reef is a popular spot on the north end of the bay as well as multiple reefs out from Kipling. The east shoreline has some deep water that holds a lot of walleye as well. Anglers also catch perch, smallmouth bass and northern pike, however, walleye is what most anglers are targeting here. In the fall, good numbers of bigger walleye will migrate back into the bay and closer to the river mouths. Anglers report good success with bigger walleye by trolling crankbaits. This is also the time of year that many anglers report big smallmouth bass and an occasional big pike too.
The Outer Bay From Gladstone to the Escanaba Area
The outer bay, or south bay, of Little Bay De Noc is also home to excellent fishing. Fishing near the river mouths is popular early in the year. Once water temperatures warm up a nice weed line forms just out from the Gladstone public beach. This weed line is close to deeper water which is great for holding large numbers walleye through the summer. The Escanaba River is also a popular place to fish. Anglers catch walleye, smallmouth bass and pike in the river. As water temperatures warm though, the better quality fish tend to be found offshore in the bay. The weed lines will hold perch throughout the summer as well.
Fish the River Mouths in the Spring & Fall
In the spring and early summer, you can find a lot of walleye and other fish around the river mouths up in the bays. Fish the flats and humps close to the river mouths and you will find a lot of fish.
In the fall, a lot of fish will move back towards the rivers, so you get another shot at catching walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike in shallow water. Towards the end of fall though, you are usually going to find large schools a smallmouth, walleye and some big pike mixed in out in the deeper water offshore.
Fish Deeper in the Summer
You can catch a lot of fish in the bays the entire summer, however, you will have to start fishing deeper water as the warmer weather of mid-summer arrives. While you can still catch some nice smallmouth bass in the rivers during the summer, most of the pike and walleye will end up being smaller at this time has the bigger fish love to head out to deeper water. Fish the deeper weed lines and offshore rock humps in the bays or go completely out of the bay to fish the shoals that are known for producing huge walleye every summer. Some of the biggest pike and smallmouth bass will be roaming the offshore structure out on the main lake as well.
Little Bay De Noc Boat Access
Rapid River Boat Launch
The Rapid River Boat Launch allows you to access the very north end of the bay. This part of the bay is very popular early in the year as walleye finish up their spawning and move out of the rivers.
Gladstone Harbor Boat Launch
The marina is a nice place to launch a boat. You can visit the beach and park if you want to spend some time enjoying the outdoors. Anglers like this launch because they can head either way out of the marina to fish the north bay or south bay. Good fishing spots are just a short boat ride away.
Kipling Boat Ramp
This boat ramp has a good amount of parking space, a public restroom, and a bait shop nearby. This ramp gives you access to the north bay, however, it isn’t too far of a boat ride to get into the north end of the southern bay.
Little Bay De Noc Campground (Hunters Point) Boat Launch
If you’re staying at the campground, this launch works great for anglers looking to fish the north bay and the south bay. It’s a good location for launching a boat since you are just a short boat ride from a bunch of good fishing spots, however, if you were staying in town, this boat ramp is a far drive away. If you’re looking to camp and fish this part of the bay, it is can be a good launch for you.
Ludington Park Boat Launch
This boat launch sits in a nice, protected harbor with good parking and a public beach. The location is very good for anglers looking to target walleye and other fish offshore. From mid-summer through fall, this is a good location to launch a boat to go fish for walleye.
North Shore Boat Launch
Some anglers use this launch to fish the Escanaba River while most will venture out onto the bay. It’s a good launch with tons of parking and it is close to some very good fishing spots.
Ford River Boat Launch
This launch is popular among anglers who want to fish this shoreline around the Ford River mouth early in the year. Good numbers of walleye will move out of the river as they finish up spawning and they can be caught all along this shoreline until water temperatures warm up too much. You can also use this launch to go fish the offshore waters in the bay or out onto Lake Michigan for summer and fall fishing.
