IRON MOUNTAIN — Bass action is good on area waters, while the panfish bite has held steady through recent weather swings.

“A lot of topwater lures,” Doug Whisler said of the best method for landing bass. Anglers at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis., are also reporting routine catches of perch, along with crappies and bluegills “here and there.”

Northern pike and walleye are biting but for the most part the fish are small.

“Overall, fishing is OK,” Whisler said.

To the south, anglers fishing the bay out of the Menominee River boat launches near Marinette, Wis., reported catching sheepshead while targeting trout, salmon and walleyes.

On the Peshtigo River, perch fishing was popular, with the shallow back areas of the river producing mostly small perch and sunfish, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported this Upper Peninsula activity:

Ontonagon: Anglers trolling spoons were getting mixed bags of lake trout, coho, Chinook, brown trout and steelhead, but catch rates were low for the effort being put in. Lake trout were in the two-to-four-pound range which made them the perfect eating size. The Ontonagon River continued to show decent numbers of small walleye with a few legal fish mixed in. Trolling and jigging were productive but make sure to bring extra bait as rock bass were very happy to steal a juicy crawler when given the chance.

Keweenaw Bay: Anglers were having the most luck fishing for coho and lake trout. Most fishing was done around structure and depths have been variable. Anglers found the most luck when fishing early morning or later in the evenings.

Marquette: The lake trout bite picked up the past week. A couple of coho were caught.

Au Train: Boats were coming in with one or two lake trout or none at all.

Munising: Most anglers were targeting Chinook. A few boat anglers were fishing for lake trout and were doing fair with some groups reporting 6 or 7 fish per party of two. Most were averaging around the 3-to-4-pound class. A few anglers were out by Big Reef and did well, however winds this past week were not as favorable.

Grand Marais: Lake trout anglers were reporting limits with several different size classes observed. A number of smaller fish were brought in around 17 to 18 inch range with other fish averaging around 5 pounds. The best areas anglers have been targeting were Five Mile Reef, near AuSable, and Big Reef when winds are favorable. A few coho were also reported.

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers targeting walleye caught a few when trolling. Best success was had by those launching out of the north shore ramp, although there were many reports of undersized fish. Perch anglers had fair to good results. Most were fishing depths of around 10 feet, working in and around weed beds. Try trolling crankbaits for walleye and use crawlers for perch.

Big Bay de Noc: Smallmouth bass fishing was good throughout the bay, most notably around Nahma. Anglers in Fairport were catching salmon as well as having numerous encounters with steelhead. Most were fishing depths of 110 to 180 feet of water. Try fishing around rock structure for smallmouth bass.

South Portage Entry/ Big Traverse Bay: During days when wind was favorable and there was no rain, anglers found mostly lake trout. Fishing took place mostly in waters below 80 feet of water. From shore, anglers were catching a host of yellow perch and northern pike using mostly live bait.

St. Ignace/Les Cheneaux: Only a few walleye were caught at the mouth of the Pine River. Anglers were catching a few perch in that area as well. In the Les Cheneaux area, anglers were catching perch ranging from 8 to 10 inches along the docks and at the marina. Walleye were caught throughout Snows Channel while using crawler harnesses. Smallmouth bass were targeted and caught within Musky and Urie Bay. Try using leaf worms and a drop shot while fishing for perch.