Salmon & Trout
Anglers catch salmon and trout in the deeper waters of Georgian Bay and out in Lake Huron. There are tributaries that offer spawning runs of chinook, coho and pink salmon to go along with good numbers of steelhead with some brown trout as well. The salmon fishery is not as good on Lake Huron as it is on Lake Michigan, but the lake trout have done very well on the lake. There are many destinations you can fish out of to target lake trout in Michigan or up in Ontario. Take a look below to learn more about our featured Lake Huron Fishing destinations.
Smallmouth Bass
On Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Shore are excellent places to be if you want to target smallmouth bass. You can still catch some nice smallmouth bass on the United States side of the lake, but it is tough to compare the U.S. side to Georgian Bay. There is just so much water up in Georgian Bay and most of it looks like awesome smallmouth bass country. The smallmouth bass fishery is very good in Georgian Bay for large numbers of fish and big fish too. There are so many islands, smaller bays, rocky points, rock humps and reefs where you can target smallmouth bass.
On the U.S. side, there are some really good smallmouth bass lakes just inland from some of these featured destinations. These areas will give anglers the opportunity to fish the big lake when the winds cooperate, but they can easily go inland to fish smaller lakes on windier days. Some of the inland lakes will offer better smallmouth bass fishing than you will find out on Lake Huron in these specific areas.
Walleye
Lake Huron is home to some incredible walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay, the North Channel and in Georgian Bay. Saginaw Bay gets a ton of attention from U.S. anglers since there are so many walleye in the bay. There are a lot of big walleye in Saginaw Bay as well. On the Ontario side of the lake, lots of anglers target walleye in the North Channel and in Georgian Bay as well. Anglers catch plenty of big walleye on this part of the lake too.
Muskie
While you may hear of some muskie reports in Saginaw Bay and occasionally somewhere else on the lake in the state of Michigan, the better muskie fishing occurs over the border in Ontario’s Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is home to good numbers of muskie and there are some very large fish that live here. The bay is enormous, so you have tons of different places you can fish, but that also means you have lots of places to search to try to find the better muskie areas. To shorten the learning curve, it makes sense to hire a good muskie guide that fishes the bay often.
Northern Pike
There are some huge northern pike available on Lake Huron and there are so many places where you can target them and expect to catch some fish. The bays and river mouths are great places to target northern pike, especially in the spring and fall. Georgian Bay and the North Channel provide so many opportunities to target northern pike. Some anglers report some very big pike out of Saginaw Bay as well.
Perch
Perch are very hit or miss on Lake Huron. Most anglers report some success in Saginaw Bay, the North Channel and in Georgian Bay. However, there is so much water out here and perch can roam the offshore waters for miles and miles. For most anglers, they can be tough to find. If you do find a nice school of perch, you may get into some big perch because there are some giants in the lake.
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are secondary on Lake Michigan, however, you can find some bass throughout the lake in the harbors and in some tributaries. If you are looking for some good destinations to target largemouth bass, take a look at the North Channel and Georgian Bay. There are also long stretches with shallow vegetation that can also be productive on Saginaw Bay for largemouth bass.
Whitefish
Whitefish are common in Lake Huron’s deep, cold waters. Most anglers do not catch any whitefish during the open water season, but lots of anglers target them through the ice. The fish move into shallower water that is closer to shore during the winter months. People target them all over Georgian Bay.