Photo by Bill Banaszewski.

If you are like me, your family vacation usually involves fishing. Although I get to spend nearly 200 days a year on the water while guiding clients, family fishing vacations are different. They're laid back, there's no pressure, and it's a time to relax and recuperate from our busy lives. But don't get me wrong. Our intention when we go on vacation is to still get in some quality fishing and enjoy a few dinners of fresh fish.

The following are some destinations where the entire family can kick back, relax or play, and you can still get your fill of topnotch fishing.

LAKES CADILLAC & MITCHELL
Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell are an ideal location for a family fishing getaway.

For one thing, these lakes are connected, so you have plenty of options. If you get tired of fishing on one lake, all you have to do is go through the channel at Mitchell State Park and you have a whole new lake to explore. The lakes also offer diversity and convenience. You can camp right at the state park and keep your boat in the water. Call (231) 775-7911 for reservations, though, because the park is popular and gets busy in the summer.

Though very similar, lakes Mitchell and Cadillac are also very different. Lake Mitchell, at 2,580 acres, is bigger but shallower than Lake Cadillac. The deepest spot on 1,150-acre Cadillac is close to 30 feet on the lake's east end. You won't find many spots over 20 feet on Mitchell, and most of it averages 10 to 15 feet. Both lakes have plenty of weeds, and finding holes in the weeds or the edges is key to finding fish.

Finding hard-bottom areas that attract spawning panfish is key early in the season until mid-June. Bluegills and sunfish that have completed spawning chores will still be hanging around the bedding areas. Look for gravel areas in the northeast corner of the lake and along the south shore. Bobbers suspending an ice-fishing teardrop baited with a wax worm will entice the hungry panfish. Usually you can catch enough for a good fish fry. Later in the summer, try along the deep weed edges off Big Cove and Little Cove. The biggest bluegills come on leeches then. Crappies up to a foot long prefer tiny shiner minnows. Larger minnows are likely to interest some of the jumbo perch or walleyes. Casting stick baits or topwater lures early and late in the day can be great fun for both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Lake Cadillac has more structure than Lake Mitchell. Because of this, it's a better lake for walleyes and smallmouths -- and bigger game. Try the dropoffs on the east end of the lake with crankbaits or live-bait rigs. In the south-central portion of the lake, find a hole in the weeds, drop anchor, throw out some bobbers and fill a fish basket with panfish.

If you somehow get tired of fishing, there's plenty to do in Cadillac. You can canoe down the Pine or Manistee rivers, play one of the area's outstanding golf courses, visit the Carl T. Johnson Hunting & Fishing Museum, play putt-putt golf or cool off in a water park.

For information on other fun things to see and do in Cadillac, or for lodging info, contact the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau at 1-800-22-LAKES.

EAST TAWAS/TAWAS CITY
With the backdrop of the Huron-Manistee National Forest, Tawas is a perfect location for a family fishing getaway.

Although East Tawas and Tawas City are less than a tank of gas from Detroit, you'll still get the feeling you are "up north." That feeling is intensified when you're hiking on the Corsair Hiking/Skiing Trail, Sandy Hook Nature Trail and the Shore-To-Shore Hiking/Riding Trail. There are also thousands of acres of national forest to explore, pick mushrooms or blueberries, and enjoy. Tuttle Marsh offers 5,000 wild acres for wildlife viewing.