Traverse City Fishing Charters & Guides

Compare 29 fishing charters and guides within 25 miles of Traverse City, with deep sea trips. Contact the captain directly by phone or through their website. We don't take bookings or fees.

Contact details checked on each captain's own website

Charters & Guides in Traverse City

Call or visit a captain's website to ask about trips, dates and prices. If they're out on the water, leave a message.

29 charters and guides in Traverse City

Where to find current Traverse City fishing reports

We don’t publish a daily report and we won’t reprint one. What’s biting this week comes from the boats — here is where the Traverse City fleet posts it.

On Instagram 5 Traverse City boats

Most captains put the day’s catch here, not on their website.

1 more Traverse City captains post there.

Written, on their own site 2 active

Dated reports the boat publishes itself.

Handles and report pages come from each charter’s own website; every link goes to the captain and nothing of theirs is reproduced here. Boats are ordered by how established they are locally.

State records from the water off Traverse City

Michigan's all-tackle list records one species taken on Lake Michigan, which the boats here fish.

Heaviest on the list

Rainbow Trout

26.5 lb

1975

3 Traverse City captains name rainbow trout

Why this one is here

The record was taken on Lake Michigan, which is the water the boats on this page fish — not Traverse City itself. A record is what came over the rail once; it is not what to expect on a trip.

See the record

From Michigan's own records page, linked on each row. Records are certified by the state and can be broken at any time.

Deep sea fishing in Traverse City

3 of the 29 charters in Traverse City list offshore trips on their own websites.

Federally permitted boats

Aboard a charter with a federal Gulf reef fish permit, the federal season applies to red snapper, gag grouper and amberjack, even inside state waters. Ask whether the boat is federally permitted.

Fishing trips in Traverse City by type

Counted from what each captain lists on their own website.

Half-day and full-day fishing trips

11 charters list half-day trips and 5 list full-day trips. Trip lengths vary by boat, so ask the captain exactly how many hours are on the water.

Family fishing charters in Traverse City

12 charters mention kids or families on their websites. Ask the captain about life jackets in children's sizes and how long the trip runs.

Planning a trip to Traverse City

See the closest airports.

Closest airports

With airline service

  • TVCCherry Capital 1 mile away
  • PLNPellston Regional/Emmet County 69 miles away

Local public airports

  • Y88Green Lake 13 miles away
  • 4M0Lake Ann Airway Estates 16 miles away
  • Y89Kalkaska City 20 miles away

Straight-line miles from the centre of Traverse City.

Airports: FAA airport registry for public-use airports and their locations, FAA CY2024 passenger boardings for which have airline service, town centre from the Census 2024 gazetteer, Traverse City city.

Questions about fishing charters and guides in Traverse City

Do I need to bring rods and tackle to Traverse City?

No. Rods, reels, bait and tackle come with the boat on most trips here — fly anglers are the exception, and usually bring their own. As NOMI Fishing Charters LLC puts it: “All fishing gear & tackle provided—no need to bring your own.”

Do Traverse City charters clean your catch?

Most do, at the dock when you come in, and a good few say so plainly on their own sites. As Storm Hawk Sport Fishing Charters puts it: “After your trip, our crew cleans and fillets your fish.” Whether it costs anything is up to the boat, so ask when you book.

What should I bring on a Traverse City charter?

Sun protection and your own food and drink. Drinks, cooler, snacks and sunscreen come up most often on Traverse City charter sites.

How many people can come along in Traverse City?

Six is the usual limit on a private boat here, though plenty take four — it is set by the captain's licence and the boat, not by how many will fit.

Are there family-friendly fishing charters in Traverse City?

12 charters in Traverse City mention kids or families on their websites. Ask the captain about children's life jackets, trip length and whether there's a restroom on board.

How do I book a charter or guide in Traverse City?

Call the captain or use their website. CharterFishingBoat doesn't take bookings or payments, and there's no fee to use the directory.

What should I ask the captain?

Ask what the trip includes, how long it lasts, how many people can come, what you're likely to catch that time of year, and the cancellation policy if the weather turns.

Where do state waters end off Traverse City?

null Federal seasons and limits apply beyond it, and for some fish they also apply to federally permitted charter boats inside state waters.

What airports are closest to Traverse City?

The closest airports with airline service are Cherry Capital (TVC), 1 mile away and Pellston Regional/Emmet County (PLN), 69 miles away. Local public airports nearby: Green Lake (Y88), 13 miles away, Lake Ann Airway Estates (4M0), 16 miles away and Kalkaska City (Y89), 20 miles away. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of town.

How many fishing charters and guides are in Traverse City?

This page lists 29 fishing charters and guides in Traverse City, Michigan, each with a phone number and website checked on the captain's own site.

Fish you can catch out of Traverse City

Counted from what each captain lists on their own website — the number is how many Traverse City captains name that fish.

Salmon22Lake Trout20Steelhead18Brown Trout14Chinook Salmon13Cisco13Northern Pike11Coho Salmon10Smallmouth Bass8Walleye7Rainbow Trout3Splake2Carp1Atlantic Salmon1Musky1Brook Trout1

Charters & Guides near Traverse City

Acme28Williamsburg28Elk Rapids32South Boardman21Lake Leelanau28Rapid City25

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