Lake whitefish fishing in Lake Huron

In Lake Huron, lake whitefish peak November–March and are around year-round, spawning in November–December, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. January: Thunder Bay and Les Cheneaux whitefish through the ice.

1. JanuaryPeakThunder Bay and Les Cheneaux whitefish through the ice.
2. FebruaryPeakPeak ice walleye on the bay. Walleye possession is open year-round on Saginaw Bay now; Les Cheneaux whitefish and pike through the ice.
3. MarchPeakSaginaw River walleye run; steelhead start up the Au Sable. Jig the river at night as the ice goes out; spawn bags on the Au Sable and the Rifle.
4. AprilAround
5. MayAround
6. JuneAround
7. JulyAround
8. AugustAround
9. SeptemberAround
10. OctoberAround
11. NovemberSpawning
12. DecemberSpawningWaiting on ice. First ice on the shallow bays — never trust Saginaw Bay early.

Saginaw Bay — one of the great walleye and perch fisheries in the country — the rocky Thunder Bay and Drummond Island shoals for lake trout and smallmouth, the Au Sable and Rifle river runs, and Lake St. Clair, the shallow weedy world-class water for muskie and smallmouth between Huron and Erie.

Fish Scouter charts 324 lake spots in the Lake Huron & Lake St. Clair map area — the kinds lake whitefish hold on.

• Wax wormsOne or two on a tiny ice jig or a #10 hook for bluegill, perch and crappie, under the ice or a float.
• Minnows (fatheads, shiners)Hooked lightly through the lips or behind the dorsal on a #6 to #2 hook under a slip bobber for crappie, perch and walleye; a big golden shiner on a 2/0 to 4/0 for largemouth, pike and stripers.

• Leader10–20 lb fluorocarbon
• Hook#2–3/0
• Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
• Braid10–30 lb

Feeds in 34–60°F water, best at 40–52°F.

All about lake whitefish · Lake Huron & Lake St. Clair, the whole year