In the Upper Peninsula you can go on a boat ride almost anywhere. You can do a relaxing ride and just take in the scenery or you can do much more by skiing, tubing, wakeboarding and much more. There are many lakes and rivers that you are able to travel on to see what you would like to see. There are lakes and rivers that are especially good for the tubing, skiing and wakeboarding and there are other lakes and rivers that are good to go on for the scenery, the wildlife and for the relaxing ride.

As a reminder, you will need to have your boat registered. In the state of Michigan you must have Michigan Certificate of Number registration and validation decals to operate your vessel legally on public water. There are some exceptions though.  Those exceptions are: if you are using a privately owned, non-motorized canoe, kayak, rowboat that are 16 feet of less in length, or if your boat is registered in another stated and you are only using Michigan waters for 60 days or less.  The registration card (with your Certificate of Numbers) must be on board and available for inspection by an enforcement officer whenever the boat is in the water.  The Certificate of Number and validation decals have to be in 3 inch block letters on both sides of your boat reading left to right; making sure there are spaces or hyphens between the letters and numbers. If you need to register your boat you are able to call: 517-322-1460 or visit the website www.mighigan.gov/sos for the branch that is closest to you. With that same website address you are able to go there and renew your Certificate of Numbers if that is all you have to do. The fees range from $9.00 all the way to $448.00. The $9.00 fee is for non-powered vessels and the $448 fee is for boats that are 50 feet and larger.

Uncle Ducky Outfitters has a boat for you. You can rent a boat for a half day all the way up to one week. You can pick from a 20’ Pontoon Boat or 14’ Fishing Boat. All boat rentals include as many life jackets that are needed. If you would like Uncle Ducky to deliver your boat, you will have many lakes to choice from where they will deliver. Some of those lakes are: Little Bay de Noc on Lake Michigan, Lake Independence in Big Bay, Lake Michigamme and many more. If you would like to pick up your own boat rental all you will need is a hitch with a 2’’ ball. With all of these boats, you will be able to enjoy the clear waters of the Upper Peninsula, but they all are also equipped for fishing. The Pontoon Boat can hold up to eight people and are equipped for Lake Superior, Little Bay de Noc and Inland Lakes. The cost is $50 per day for the pontoon trailer rental and for delivery and pick up it is an extra $1 per mile. The daily rate for the Pontoon boat can is $175, for 24 hours it would be $250, three days $500, and for a week the cost would be $750. For the 14’ fishing boat rentals the daily rate will vary from $100 to $125 and the longer you have the boat the coast will go up each day. You could even pick a 12’ row boat that will go on the car top or in a pickup bed. The daily rate is $50 and goes up for the amount of time you would like the boat. There is also a 2HP motor available for rent with the row boat.

The Greenwood Reservoir is located in Marquette County. This is a man-made 1400 acre reservoir with 26 miles of shoreline. This reservoir is a great location for fishing. If you are interested in fishing at the reservoir it is best to talk to other people who have fished there to see what your options are and where to go on the reservoir to get the best fish.

Rent a pontoon boat from Seaberg Pontoon Rentals for a get-a-way on the lake.  Seaberg Pontoon Rentals is located in Munising. They offer three hour rentals; only upon availability, a half day rental; the times you could go is from 9am to 2pm or 3pm to 8pm, or a full day rental from 9am to 8pm. You will be able to take your time and enjoy the scenery of Pictured Rocks. Depending on the length of your rental you could swing over to the Grand Island and check out the East Channel Lighthouse. If you float over to the Murray Bay, to the shipwreck, make sure you look for the baby bald eagles that may be out. All of the pontoon boats are 22 feet in length and have a 40 horse power Honda on the back. The gas tank is 25 gallons so you will never have to worry about needing gas. All you will have to worry about is where you will want to stop and eat your food. The Seaberg Pontoon Rentals are open from Mid-June through Labor Day. Walk-ins are welcome, but it is on a first come first serve basis.  Be sure to bring everyone in your family, including the dog, they would love the ride to.

The Northern Michigan’s Inland Waterway is the perfect spot for the boating enthusiast. You can have a day filled with wildlife and scenic beauty or a day filled with skiing, fishing, tubing and much more. This is a chain of river and lakes that start in Pickerel Lake and take you over 45 miles to Lake Huron.  You will go through two locks, four large lakes, and three beautiful rivers.

The Gogebic is the largest lake in the Upper Peninsula. It has 52 miles of shoreline, covering 14,000 acres. Fishing is very popular on this lake, but you don’t have to go fishing if you do not want to. You are able to float around and look at the scenery and take everything in. For fishing, the popular fish are walleye, jumbo perch and smallmouth bass. Depending on the time of the year you should be sitting on different parts of the lake to get the fish.

Taking a day trip to Cisco Chain of Lakes is something for everyone in the family to enjoy. This is a great lake for boating, fishing and many more outdoor activities. This famous chain is made up of 15 lakes with over 270 miles of scenic shoreline. The chain is located in colorful forests and has abounding amounts of wildlife. With the Cisco Chain of Lakes, there are many islands that you are able to stop at and have a picnic, explore, rest or even swim if you would like.

Visit Curtis Michigan for a large variety of lakes to have a ton of fun on. Some of the lakes that are there are North Manistique Lake, Big Manistique Lake, South Manistique Lake, Milakokia Lake, Lake Ann Louise, and Millecoquins Lake. There are also many small lakes in the area as well. These lakes are filled with many fish. Some of the fish are Muskie; which can get up to 40 pounds, Northern Pike, Walleye, Large and Smallmouth Bass, Perch, Bluegill, Sun Fish, Rock Bass and even Bullheads. In the nearby rivers there is also Trout. Most of the lakes are about 30 feet deep or less so the temperatures in the lakes warm up quickly and are great for your water sports. Swimming would also be great because the waters stay warm.