Best Fishing Times in Michigan This Week
Near Grayling, Ludington and Monroe: today on a 24 hour timeline and the next seven days rated Fair to Best.
Working out the moon and the sun for Grayling, MI, and reading the forecast.
Fishing somewhere else? Enter any ZIP for your own spot
Photo: “Fall fishing on the Madison River at sunrise”, Jacob W. Frank, Yellowstone National Park (NPS), Public domain
Michigan at a glance
Solunar windows plus the agency calendarWhen fish bite in Michigan
Michigan's fishing year turns on walleye spawning over rock shoals from March to May, bluegill in the shallows by early summer, Chinook salmon in the rivers by mid August, and yellow perch under the ice all winter.
Each entry below is from Michigan Department of Natural Resources or its published guides, quoted word for word and linked. Line the season up with the week above: a run in its prime and a Great day with a window at first light is the morning to take off.
- March to May
Walleye
Walleye spawn over rock shoals in tributaries or lakes in March, April and even May.
“In March, April and even May, walleye spawn over rock shoals in tributaries or lakes.”
Walleye, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026 - Late spring or early summer
Bluegill
Bluegill spawn in the shallows in late spring or early summer, once the water reaches 65 degrees.
“The bluegill spawns in the shallows in the late spring or early summer when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees F.”
Bluegill, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026 - Mid-August
Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon start upstream in late summer and are usually in rivers in catchable numbers by mid August.
“Chinooks begin their upstream migration in late summer and are usually present in catchable numbers by mid-August.”
Chinook salmon, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026 - Winter
Yellow perch
Yellow perch stay active all winter under the ice in both shallow and deeper water.
“Unlike many Great Lakes fish species, perch remain active all winter long under the ice in both shallow and deeper water; hence they provide ice anglers with lots of opportunities.”
Yellow perch, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read October 9, 2026
Reading the Michigan timeline
Each day has two major solunar periods of about two hours, centered on the moon overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour at moonrise and moonset. A window within an hour of sunrise or sunset is marked in gold. The rating adds the moon phase, the gold windows and a capped nudge from the National Weather Service forecast for each town. Every factor and its points.
Dawn and dusk are the reliable part; the moon windows are the old angler’s rule.
