Trophy walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and much, much more.
Welcome to fishing Big and Little Bay de Noc, Michigan with your host Captain Marty Papke. Your online fishing guide for the Gladstone and Escanaba Area of Big and Little Bay de Noc in Michigan.
We will show you the latest in fishing techniques and help you learn the one hundred twenty thousand acres of water that make up the Little and Big Bay de Noc, Michigan area. These bodies of water offer some of the best fishing in the USA. Spring, summer, fall or winter are all fun and productive.
Whatever you are fishing for or whenever you are planning to fish please come back and visit us often for the latest information about the area and what it has to offer.
Spring & Summer Charters
From the opener and throughout the Michigan season, on Little & Big Bay de Noc, walleye fishing is a bonanza! At this time of year walleye fishing is a "numbers" game. Some of our charter trip catches have exceeded 50+ walleyes in a day's trip!
Of course, a limit was kept and then it is fun fishing for the rest of the day. Walleyes commonly range in the 15" to 21" range with an occasional 25" plus walleye.
Common techniques used are jigging, drifting, or casting crankbaits. And there is nothing tastier than "fresh" walleye frying in the pan with fried potatoes and a salad! I can smell them cooking right now!!!
Don't overlook smallmouth bass - Smallies are caught each year over 5 lbs.! If you want to have some fun, try the smallmouth bass action on Little and Big Bay de Noc throughout the season.
As Northern Pike become more active, especially in August, we fish the weed beds either with spinners, crank baits, or red-tail chubs tipped on a jig. Remember to "hang on" these "toothy critters" have explosive strikes!!!
As a bonus we do also catch a number of brown trout, steelhead and salmon throughout the season. We consider these excellent fighters as a bonus because they do inhabit the bay.
Fall Trophy Fishing Charters
Our Fall Trophy Charters start the first of October and run until freeze-up. If you are an adventurer and love the fall weather then you have to try one of these trips. Bay de Noc is nationally known as "Trophy Water" at this time of the year. Many line class records have been taken here while fall fishing. The scenery is breathtaking and the fishing is in a class of it's own.
Our Fall Trophy Charters are "specialized" charters emphasizing an all day trip from morning till the evening hours. Here are a few suggestions to help you prepare.
Plan for a long day on the water.
Bring plenty of food and warm clothes!
Be sure to bring your camera for those instant photo's when you catch that "Once in a Lifetime Trophy" We will teach you the best tactics and current techniques to catch those trophy walleye, northern pike, or smallmouth bass!
Night Fishing Charters
Our night charters, on Little and Big Bay de Noc, are "specialized" charters. We will take 2 people plus myself. Our night charters will start usually around 4 p.m. and we fish until midnight or 1 a.m.
Best time of year is full moon - the saying goes "3 days either side of a full moon" is best fishing - especially for trophies.
On Little Bay de Noc we like to night fish the reefs and the weed edges. Using either a drifting technique, electric motor, or we might even troll the deeper edges of the reefs.
Ice Fishing Charters
There comes a time of the year when it's time to put away the boat and soon tackle a new adventure. Ice angling is and can be a very productive time for fishing and more and more every year angler's are becoming all season angler's!
The fishing at this time of the year can be spectacular. I will show you the most productive ways to set up and catch fish during this season. Plus, as a bonus, we prepare a great shore lunch on the ice to make the trip complete. If you have never ice fished, you deserve to give yourself a winter treat!
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