Licensing
Anyone fishing in the state of Michigan is required to obtain a fishing license, or permit, from the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This fishing license can be obtained at any DNR field office, or at any store that sells fishing bait or hunting supplies. The price of the license varies, depending on whether you're a state resident and on how long you need the license for. In most cases, $10 will be enough for your license.
Bait and Tackle
Perch fishing requires you to have at least some basic fishing gear. A standard 5-foot fishing pole is ideal, since this is small enough to allow you to cast from the tree-lined banks of Port Sanilac. Perch are small fish, so a thin, lightweight fishing line is suitable, along with smaller sized hooks. A 1" snell hook is ideal for perch fishing, since it combines a small hook with a leader line.
Perch will eat just about any bait that you want to use. Trout worms work very good, but they will bite almost anything. Fishermen in Port Sanilac believe that perch fishing yields a lot of early catches because you catch all of the young fish who do not know about the hook. Once the fish have learned that there is a hook, they become more difficult to catch, and will steal your bait. At this point it's probably easier to move to a new location.
Professional Tours
Hiring a local fisherman to take you on a trip is often the best way to find the secret fishing holes. The Michigan Charter Boat Association maintains a list of boat captains who operate in the Port Sanilac section of Lake Huron. For a small fee, these captains will take you out on their boat and show you fishing locations that you would have probably never found on your own.
