Saginaw Bay is known by local anglers to offer prime walleye fishing conditions in July and August. But according to tournament pro Mark Martin, the middle of June is not a bad time to fish Saginaw Bay. Anglers who excel in a variety of techniques that takes them from the weedbeds to the depths of the outer bay will do well here. Saginaw Bay is huge, and anglers need to cover a lot of water to find the fish.

"Trolling is the strong suit for knowledgeable anglers on Saginaw Bay," said Martin. "Some will be working the deep stuff looking for those schools of hogs that roam there or they may be working the weeds, but trolling is the money method. Try spinners, cranks and small-bodied baits along the weedbed. Switch to planer boards and deep-diving cranks for the clear water found in the deeper areas. Keep in mind the many islands and reefs throughout the bay. These are generally surrounded by deep water that produce quality walleyes."

For area information, contact the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce at (989) 893-4567 or www.baycityarea.com.

Dave Darling, the owner of Tackle Town (231-941-5420), says there are several areas in the lake that first-time anglers might try first.

"The north end of North Lake Leelanau drops down into some really deep water, about 120 feet, and this where most folks begin working for lake trout, but also take large walleyes along the periphery," said Darling. "The areas just below or south of what are called 'The Narrows' on North Lake Leelanau are one of the earliest walleye-producing hotspots on that section of the lake. Warden's Point and Brady Point are also well known for producing walleyes. The south end of North Lake has a bottom formed into several large flat areas with very gradual dropoffs into 80 feet of water, and walleyes tend to roam the area."

For area information, contact the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce at (231) 947-5075 or www.tcchamber.org.

The walleyes have a real tendency to move long distances when heavy winds hit the area. A well-rigged boat with plenty of gas will go a long way to make this a successful outing.

Night-fishing on the reefs with jigs and minnows is a very popular local technique here. You must really know your way around in order to accomplish this safely. A good GPS and knowing how to use it will help.

This is generally clear water, so daytime fishing is often done while trolling the edges of reefs and dropoffs. In-line planer boards are a must to get lures away from the boat, but they also to offer a safety zone when fishing along some of the steep drops. Crankbaits such as Rapalas, ThunderSticks and Bomber Long-A's all will take walleyes. In order to get the cranks down, lead-core line techniques and snap-weights are needed.

From late spring through summer can also produce good walleye catches. According to local fishing legend Capt. Marty Papke (1-800-708-2347), there are several things to consider when fishing during late spring through midsummer.

"The time of day you fish, correct bait presentations (live versus artificial), size of the bait and method of angling all need to be considered, said Papke. "While early mornings and late evenings are good this time of year, night-fishing usually produces the most action, especially when live bait is part of the equation. Trolling is not as productive as jigging, rigging or slip-floating."

There are boat landings off U.S. Highway 2 next to Bay Shore Resort and Tackle (906-428-9687) in Escanaba and the harbor refuge in Gladstone. For area lodging information, contact the Delta County Chamber of Commerce at (906) 786-2192.

The stocking of walleyes has really helped their numbers, plus a nutritional and plentiful forage base allowed them to grow big. The DNR claims to have taken a number of fish near the 20-pound mark during netting surveys.

"The trophy potential on Portage Lake is a big attraction to veteran walleye anglers," says Gary Lubinski of Houghton. "It's been a slow go in getting anglers interested in this fishery. We felt the pro championship tournament we hosted here last fall would really showcase the fishery, but the weather stayed hot, which hurt the fishing. Also, heavy blows off Lake Superior tended to put the fish down into the mud, but most anglers caught some fish. The largest was an 11-pounder by Andy Kuffer of Algonac."

Wind or no wind, when I was out on the water during the tournament, the graph lit up with suspend walleyes, similar to the way things used to be out on Lake Erie in the 1980s, the best years ever. Despite it being a weekend, there was little boat traffic other than those competing in the tournament.

For more information, contact Superior Bait & Tackle, (906) 523-4944, or the Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association at 1-800-562-7134 or www.keweenaw.org.