Photo courtesy of Travis White Capt. Travis White of Keweenaw Charter Fishing Co. displays a lake trout taken on his charter boat.

KEWEENAW BAY — Summer arriving in the Copper Country brings many seasonal activities. Some will choose hiking, or huddle around a campfire, rev up a dirt bike or fire up the grill. Summer also many residents and visitors an activity that produces something to throw on that grill — fishing. There is no shortage of opportunities for fishing around the Keweenaw Peninsula, and one of the hotspots for the sport is Keweenaw Bay. The bay begins at the southeastern base of the Keweenaw Peninsula in L’Anse Bay and runs from Point Abbaye on the eastern side to around the Traverse Bays on the western end. Keweenaw Bay offers several different depths when venturing towards the heart of Lake Superior, and with it a variety of fish species for anglers.

Keweenaw Bay is home to several species of fish, all with specific challenges, fishing techniques and flavors once placed on a dinner plate. While Lake Superior is for the most part a deep body of water, the tributaries bring smaller and more commonly inland species near the shores of the bay in places like South Portage Entry and the weedy areas of L’Anse Bay. These includes walleye, crappie, smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch and rock bass. Fish like brown trout and pink salmon can be found near river basins in the spring and fall, though rarely in summer.

Simple hooks with worms or minnows can attract these fish, along with spoons, jigs, spawn sacks, topwater baits such as whopper ploppers and crank baits. Be aware that some species, like northern pike, have teeth that can cut through fishing line, so it is recommended to use steel leaders.

Deeper waters in Keweenaw Bay offer more varieties of fish, many from the salmonidae family. The fish found in these depths consist of native and stocked species which may demand heftier fishing equipment to land, given their sizes. Some of the fish that can be found in deep waters include whitefish, steelhead (rainbow trout), lake trout, brown trout, pink salmon, Atlantic salmon, king salmon and coho salmon.

Two unique fish in the bay are splake and burbot. Splake are a stocked hybrid fish that are a cross between a lake trout and a brook trout. They possess the pattern of a brook trout but keep the silver and gray coloration of a laker. The burbot is a native species and the only freshwater cod. It has an appearance similar to the invasive snakehead and is a popular fish to eat, often referred to as “poor man’s lobster” which refers to its taste when boiled and prepared with butter.

Fishermen can access the Bay from several different locations. Piers exist in Baraga and L’Anse which allow a dock fishing experience. There are also beaches in Baraga and L’Anse fishermen can cast from, and some of the depths of the Bay plunge deep enough that even anglers from shore have a chance at reeling in deep water species.

When on the look out for deep water species, there are a few methods of fishing, though boats are usually required. Trolling with spoons, using down riggers, sitting spawn bags and cut bait at the bottom of the lake floor and using smelt are practices fishermen conduct aboard boats. Boats are not something everyone has, but several charters around the Keweenaw are available for booking. Some of these charters include Keweenaw Charter Fishing Co., Haataja Charters, U.P. Adventure Company and Lake Superior Angling Co.

Captain Travis White of Keweenaw Charter Fishing Co. offers a variety of trip packages aboard his two fishing boats. White offers fishing trips primarily targeting trout and salmon. His services are not restricted to Keweenaw Bay, as he also offers trips from Huron Bay to Ontonagon and sometimes embarks on historical lighthouse tours with fishing included.

The locations of the fishing trips are typically dependent on the time of year and weather conditions. “It’s in the Early time of the year (April and May) that L’AnseBaraga area at the southern end of the bay where the water warms up quicker are where the fish kind of congregate there for a while in the spring,” White said. “So I spend a lot of time down there this time year based on proximity to fish, and it’s protected, so the weather’s good. In the summertime, I would say I most frequently launch my boat out of Big Traverse Bay up near

Gay and Lake Linden, and the reason there is because it’s just very quick and easy access to open water and catching fish.”

White will usually take booked fishermen two miles off the Keweenaw shore to begin fishing. He described Keweenaw Bay as being geologically distinct. He said the southern end of the Bay near L’Anse and Baraga has a sandy shoreline with Jacobsville Sandstone bluffs at the South Portage Entry area, which he compared to Pictured Rocks. White said they are not as

extensive but still are a sight to behold

Further north he said there is a fault line called the mid continental drift, where sandstone transitions abruptly to a type of basalt. White explained the geology creates differing terrains that different species of fish prefer, and he has to take this into consideration when targeting particular fish.

“Our bread and butter are four and six hour near shore trips. We start every day fishing at sunrise. We’ll bring a group out in the morning, and most days we part with that group. We’ll bring another group out for the afternoon. So we’ll fish kind of all day with back to back trips. And typically it’s a combination of those four or six hours. It’s a pretty family friendly trip,” White said.

White explained all levels of fishing experience are welcome to the vessels, where he will guide and assist with all aspects of fishing. The trip includes cleaning the fish and bagging the fillets, though those booking trips need to have a cooler on hand for when the fish are brought back ashore. All fishermen including and over 17 years old must have a valid Michigan fishing license.

The four hour charter fishing trips cost $650 for up to four passengers, with a fifth added for $100. Six hour trips are $900 for four passengers, with a fifth added for $100. The lighthouse tours and other sight seeing trip prices are determined after discussions with White. “When I bring the family groups out, all sorts of couples and young people, and older folks, I think everybody that hasn’t been on Lake Superior before is blown away by the scenery. You go out on the morning, you watch the sunrise out of this big,

giant ocean of a lake. Seeing the shoreline and these big cliffs and waterfalls and rivers, with the only way to get there is a four wheel drive vehicle, [well] you can get out there easily in a boat, and you can see them up close. They (clients) also get to experience catching a fish, which maybe they’ve never done before.”

For more information or to book a trip with Captain Travis White, visit Keweenawcharters.com