IRON MOUNTAIN — Bluegill and smallmouth bass are biting as forecasters advise anglers to keep an eye out for sudden thunderstorms this weekend.

“Bluegill action has been hot,” said Fay Whisler at Whisler Outdoors in Florence, Wis. Worms have been the best bet for catches in the range of 7 to 10 inches.

Likewise, smallmouth action has been good, while northern pike and walleye are keeping anglers interested.

“The perch bite has been fair, but it’s picking up,” said Ken Dabb at Whisler Outdoors. Small minnows are the preferred bait.

A few crappies have been caught, and that bite may be on the rise as well, Dabb said.

To the south, the Menominee and Peshtigo rivers have had high catches of sheepshead near Lake Michigan, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Walleye and perch catches were trending upward near Oconto, Wis.

There is a risk for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. The highest risk appears to be farther south, near Madison, Wis.

“Thunderstorms with the potential to produce damaging wind gusts, locally large hail and isolated tornadoes could occur,” AccuWeather meteorologist La Troy Thornton said.

The Michigan DNR reported this Upper Peninsula activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers had success when trolling the east band of Black Bottom. Most anglers were using crawler harnesses. Perch fishing reports were fair near Butlers Island or near the second reef. Smallmouth bass anglers had success casting soft plastics. A few anglers ventured out salmon fishing on the outer portion of the bay with limited success. Both flasher flies and spoons were productive.

Manistique: Salmon anglers had mixed results with some large fish caught. Anglers had the best success with flasher flies. Walleye anglers reported slow fishing, although some fish were caught in the river when jigging or drifting crawler harnesses.

Marquette: Anglers mainly reported lake trout with a few reports of Chinook and coho salmon in the lower harbor area. Anglers fishing near upper harbor reported catching lake trout. Lake trout and salmon coming out of the shot point area were caught in around 50 feet of water. Try slower speeds for lake trout (about 2mph), and slightly faster speeds (greater than 2mph) for Chinook and coho salmon. Multi-color spoons had the best success at catching both lake trout and salmon. As for the upper harbor area, light blue and bright color spoons had the best success. Around the white rocks area, try trolling at about 2 mph in about 150 to 160 feet of water.

Au Train: Fishing activity slowly increased over the last couple weeks. Lake trout was the only species reported by anglers fishing the Au Train area. Most reports came from around Au Train Island, where anglers were fishing in 150-plus feet of water. Some reports also came from near the mouth of the Au Train River, where fish were caught in 80 to 100 feet of water. Anglers should try jigging cut-baits in around 150 feet of water near Au Train Island. Also, try trolling in deep water or trolling in the flats around the island for best success. Tri-color spoons worked best for around the Au Train Island. For anglers fishing to the east of the boat launch, try trolling bright orange spoons or stick baits in around 85 feet of water.

Les Cheneaux/Detour: Anglers continued to catch perch off the pier in Hessel while using crawlers and leeches. They were also catching a few pike early in the morning while using live bait. There were a few splake caught in Wilderness Bay. The herring fishing was slow, however anglers were still catching a few in both Cedarville and around Drummond Island. The walleye bite was still good up towards Scotts Bay.

Upper St. Mary’s: Whitefish pressure slowed down over the past week up-river of the Soo Locks.