But trout aren't the only thing you can catch in the Grayling area. In fact, habitat improvement, plants and better management have made Lake Margrethe one of the hottest lakes in northern Michigan and a good place to consider taking the family this summer.

Located in west-central Crawford County, 1,920-acre Lake Margrethe is located about three miles east of Grayling off M-72. Much of the land along the south and west side of the lake is state-owned, the northwest shore is crowded with cottages and the National Guard camp on the south shore is a hub of activity during the summer.

Lake Margrethe has a good population of perch and bluegills to keep kids busy. Try either side of Eagle Point on the north side of the lake in 10 to 15 feet of water with ice-fishing teardrops and wax worms for some hand-sized 'gills. Perch frequent slightly deeper water. The perch average 8 to 10 inches and love minnows fished right on the bottom. Once you get your fill of panfish, there are a lot of walleyes, pike and a few muskies in the lake to pull your string. Try along the eastern shoreline where the bottom slopes from 10 to 35 feet of water with Rapalas, crawler harnesses and live suckers.

A great source of information for planning your fishing vacation is Sportsman's Connection Michigan Fishing Map Guide. The guide goes into detail about the best hotspots and techniques on your favorite destination. Contact them at 1-800-777-7461 or online at www.sportsmansconnection.com for more details.

The Grayling area offers visiting families a lot more than just fishing. You can take a leisurely canoe trip down the Au Sable or Manistee rivers for a few hours or a few days. Hartwick Pines State Park is like a trip back to another era. There are virgin pines, an interpretive center and relics of the lumbering days, and they celebrate the logging heritage with several special days during the summer. There are museums that give insights into turn-of-the-century Grayling. You can see and feed huge trout at the city-run fish hatchery. You can hunt mushrooms, take a hike or ride trails on horseback, or try to catch a glimpse of the rare Kirtland's Warbler that nests only in northern Michigan. Add to this golf, swimming and boating and you'll have plenty to do on your visit to Grayling.

For information on things to do and see in Grayling, contact the Grayling Area Visitors Council at 1-800-937-8837 or online at www.grayling-mi.com.

The National Cherry Festival attracts thousands of visitors to Traverse City in early July. In conjunction with the festival are parades, concerts by big-name entertainers, a lot of black sweet cherries to gorge on, fireworks, appearances by the Navy's Blue Angels, boat tours of the Maritime Academy training vessel, specialty shops, fine dining and a lot more. If nature is your thing, there are miles of beautiful Lake Michigan beaches, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, canoeing on the Boardman River, the quaint Fishtown village at Leeland and charter fishing on Traverse Bay. For more information on accommodations and attractions, contact the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-872-8377 or online at www.mytraversecity.com.

There are a lot of smaller inland lakes that have cottages to rent or resorts on them in the Traverse City area. One lake is 600-acre Silver Lake, located just southwest of Traverse City. Silver Lake is deep, clear and typical of a lot of lakes in northwest Michigan. Although it is fairly well developed, it still boasts some very good fishing, especially for perch and jumbo bluegills.

Both the perch and bluegills tend to inhabit the deeper water during the summer months. Early in the season you may find good numbers of panfish still in the shallows on the south end of the lake. Later, try drifting with just a piece of crawler over the 20- to 30-foot depths until you make contact. Throw out a marker and work the area more thoroughly. Where there are one or two big bluegills, there are likely to be more. Master-Angler-sized 'gills are not uncommon in Silver Lake. Many of the perch will top 10 inches. Walleyes are an added bonus.

For maps, fishing information and live bait, contact the Gander Mountain store in Traverse City at (231) 929-5590.

Visitors to Cadillac have two options when it comes to fishing, Lake Cadillac or Lake Mitchell. Both offer excellent fishing and a variety of species. If you like to camp, you can stay at William Mitchell State Park, which is located right between the two lakes and has a channel that connects Mitchell and Cadillac where you can moor your boat.

Lake Cadillac, 2,580 acres, and Lake Mitchell, 1,150 acres, both have excellent panfish numbers. Cadillac is better for perch. Mitchell is better for crappies. Both have a lot of hand-sized sunfish and bluegills. Both have bass, with Mitchell having more largemouths and Cadillac having more smallmouths. Walleyes and pike can be caught in both lakes. Use a slip-bobber or drift with a split shot and a piece of worm and you never know what you'll catch.

For fishing information, live bait and boat rental on Lake Mitchell, contact Pilgrim's Village Resort at (231) 775-5412. On Lake Cadillac, contact Laura Lee's Landing at 1-800-899-6755.

Families who enjoy hunting and fishing will want to tour the Carl T. Johnson Hunting & Fishing Center, which celebrates Michigan's rich hunting and fishing heritage. You can canoe on the Pine, Big Manistee or Pere Marquette rivers. There are several championship golf courses in the area, art fairs, specialty shops, exquisite dining at Chef Herman's Café, water parks, putt-putt golf and more.

For more information on planning a family fishing vacation in Cadillac, contact the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau at 1-800-225-2537 or online at www.michiweb.com/cadillac/.

There's a festival nearly every month in and around Grand Haven, with the Holland Area Tulip Festival, Trillium Festival at J.P. Hoffmaster State Park and the Coast Guard Festival taking center stage. There are car shows, art fairs, the Great Lakes Sport Kite Championships, sand sculpture contests, fine dining, great beaches, a farmers market, Summerfest and more. For a complete list of summer activities, lodging and accommodations, contact the Grand Haven/Spring Lake Area Visitors Bureau at 1-800-303-4092 or online at www.grandhavenchamber.org.

By the time mid-May rolls around the Great Lakes charter season is in full swing out of Grand Haven. Spring chinook salmon headed north take up temporary residence off the mouth of the Grand River. As alewife schools move into spawn, kings go on a feeding binge and limits of silvery kings in the 5- to 15-pound range are the norm. Salmon topping 20 pounds are common. The kings lambaste spoons and body baits pulled behind shallow-set downriggers, off divers and behind inline boards. In June the fish move offshore to the 200- to 400-foot depths. The same tactics take a hodgepodge of salmon, steelhead and lake trout.

Booking a half- or full-day charter can be quite reasonable and makes for a great family outing. For information on booking a charter, contact Capt. Willis Kerridge, Thunderduck Charters, at (616) 847-0523 or Capt. Chip Klein, Hit Man Charters, at (616) 677-1860.