Great Lakes fishing conditions
Live wind, waves, water temperature and lake levels for 9 popular Great Lakes fishing spots, from NOAA stations, NOAA GLERL and the National Weather Service, with a rough daily bite estimate for walleye, yellow perch, king salmon, lake trout, steelhead and smallmouth bass.
Each marker shows the Great Lakes spot's best bite estimate (0–9, a rougher estimate than the ocean scores); tap or click it for every species, wind, waves, water temperature and water level. Estimates only, not a safety forecast. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (tiles from the OpenStreetMap Foundation); map library Leaflet.
Spots and today's scores
| Spot | Species scores | Wind | Waves | Water | Lake level vs chart datum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Superior | |||||
| Duluth, MNLake Superior | Lake trout · Walleye · Steelhead … | … | … | … | … |
| Lake Michigan | |||||
| Chicago, ILLake Michigan | King salmon (chinook) · Yellow perch · Smallmouth bass … | … | … | … | … |
| Grand Haven, MILake Michigan | King salmon (chinook) · Steelhead · Yellow perch … | … | … | … | … |
| Sturgeon Bay, WILake Michigan (Green Bay) | Smallmouth bass · Walleye · Yellow perch … | … | … | … | … |
| Lake Huron | |||||
| Saginaw Bay, MILake Huron (Saginaw Bay) | Walleye · Yellow perch · Smallmouth bass … | … | … | … | … |
| Port Huron, MILake Huron (southern) | Walleye · Yellow perch · Steelhead … | … | … | … | … |
| Lake Erie | |||||
| Port Clinton, OHLake Erie (western basin) | Walleye · Yellow perch · Smallmouth bass … | … | … | … | … |
| Erie, PALake Erie (central basin) | Walleye · Yellow perch · Steelhead … | … | … | … | … |
| Lake Ontario | |||||
| Oswego, NYLake Ontario | King salmon (chinook) · Steelhead · Smallmouth bass … | … | … | … | … |
8–10 Good · 6–7 Fair · 4–5 Slow · 0–3 Poor; Great Lakes scores are capped at 9 because they are a rougher estimate. Many lake buoys are pulled for winter, so some readings come from shore stations, the NWS wave forecast or satellite water temperature. How it works.
Spots by lake
- Lake Superior: Duluth, MN
- Lake Michigan: Chicago, IL, Grand Haven, MI, Sturgeon Bay, WI
- Lake Huron: Saginaw Bay, MI, Port Huron, MI
- Lake Erie: Port Clinton, OH, Erie, PA
- Lake Ontario: Oswego, NY
How the Great Lakes score works
Each Great Lakes spot gets a daily 0–9 bite estimate for its main species (walleye, yellow perch, king salmon, lake trout, steelhead or smallmouth bass). It combines wind and waves, surface water temperature against each species' preference, the time of year, the barometer trend and NWS storm wording. It is a rougher estimate than the ocean score: lake fish move with depth, structure and bait in ways surface data can't see.
8–10 Good · 6–7 Fair · 4–5 Slow · 0–3 Poor; capped at 9. Full method and stations →