Introducing King Salmon to the Great Lakes Have you ever wondered how the non-native King Salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes? Native to the North Pacific Ocean, King Salmon were introduced to the Great Lakes in order to control a substantially high Alewife population. Beaches up and down the coast were covered with dead Alewives, and because King Salmon are such aggressive feeders, they were introduced to control the situation. The Department of Natural Resources implemented a Salmon stocking program called a “hatchery” to essentially farm Salmon for release into our native waters.  A side benefit to the introduction… Read More »

Spring Lake Trout Fishing is the Best! Spring Lake Trout Fishing in Traverse City is just around the corner and we are itching to get the boats back in the water to start chasing fish! This is hands down my favorite time of year to catch these Lake Trout because it takes brains and brawn to reel them in.  Lake Temperatures  In the spring, water temps are often so cold that Lake Trout are up in the shallows in anywhere from 10-50 feet of water. Shallow water lake trout fishing can be an absolute riot. Some may argue that lake… Read More »

      Northern Michigan Freshwater Fish are a Delicacy   A charter fishing trip with Mega Bite Traverse City Fishing Charters often results in catching a plethora of fish! Varieties caught include Lake Trout, King Salmon, Coho Salmon and on occasion Ciscoes, Brown Trout, and Freshwater Drum as well. Many of our customers wonder what we do with the non-Salmon fish, particularly Lake Trout they catch.  They have been mislead to believe Northern Michigan Lake Trout and other smaller varieties of fish are greasy and oily. This was once true, but has since changed due the introduction of the… Read More »

On a Megabite charter fishing trip in Traverse City, the three most popular catches are Lake Trout, King (Chinnook) Salmon, and Coho Salmon. This is not to say that there are not occasionally other fish caught but these are the three species we target regularly. Lake Trout are the most common catch mostly because they are native to East Grand Traverse Bay so they stay there year round. On cold years, some people even venture out on the ice in the winter to fish for Lake Trout! Salmon are a little different each year and we are patiently awaiting  the… Read More »

  If you’re looking for a wholesome winter activity, look no further than ice fishing for Walleye in Northern Michigan! Sure, the water turns to ice and the boats are stored until spring, but that doesn’t mean we put the chase for fish on pause though!  We just change our mindset and tactics with the weather.  Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as cold as you may think, but yes, you still have to get up early so you don’t miss the sunrise bite! With insulated shelters and heaters, jigging for Walleye through the ice in Traverse City and the surrounding… Read More »

The lakes may not be frozen over just yet, but the time is coming and when it does we’ll be ready! We’re teaming up with The Leland Lodge in Leland Michigan to offer a 2 Night Ice Fishing Getaway! For just $499/person enjoy a 5 hour Mega Bite Fishing Charter guided ice fishing tour followed by a Catch & Cook* Dinner at The Leland Lodge + 2 nights of lodging in the heart of Leelanau County.  Fish likely to catch : Smelt, Perch, Walleye, Lake Trout, Pike*    Tuesday’s & Wednesday’s all winter long. Subject to ice conditions and weather.   … Read More »

  At Mega Bite Fishing Charters we catch a lot of fish! We love the excited look on our client’s faces when they realize they have a fish on the line and the satisfaction that comes with reeling in a big fish! We also love our lakes and practice sustainable fishing practices. This means we encourage our clients to take home only as much fish as they can eat in an effort to prevent overfishing and waste. Over the years we have collected a number of different recipes for freshly caught Salmon and Trout including our Foil Wrapped Fish Dinner… Read More »