Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Ice Fishing is Great in Northern Michigan
We have great ice conditons with fish biting on most lakes. Smelt are biting on Cedar and Green Lake by Traverse with great reports coming out of Higgins Lake.
Higgins Lake has 8 inches of ice everywhere from the reports I got today and the lake trout are biting great. They are slamming the smelt with catches up to 300 off the west access site and perch fishing has been awesome also. You can call Phoenix Park @ 989-821-7220 for info off the west access site and Sports Barn @ 989-821-9511 for info on the south-end of Higgins Lake
Lake Margrethe has good ice and fishing has picked up this week with pike and walleye. Call Skip’s Sport Shop @ 989-348-7111 for the latest info.
Portage Lake by Onekama has been great for perch and walleye , with some getting walleye during the day.
Hamlin Lake has a great gill bite with good pike and walleye action. Call Pere Marquette Sport @ 231-843-8676 or Hamlin Grocery @ (231) 843-2058
The Eyes Have It reports great fishing in the Leroy area call Craig @ 231-768-5653
Houghton Lake - Walleye fishing has been good along with pike hitting hard.
Near the Kalkaska area, Lake Skegemog is good for perch action when using a Hali jig with a minnow and the crappie fishing is good with a blue tip up with a minnow. Lake Margrethe is giving up decent counts of walleye when anglers use blue or grey tip ups. Manistee Lake is producing nice counts of crappie and walleye and Fife Lake is providing nice catches for pike. Pike are biting on suckers or goldens. Call Jack’s Sport Shop for the latest info @ 231-258-8892
Saginaw Bay - Perch are being caught on the west side of the Bay off Standish, Pinconning and Linwood. Some are fishing off the docks in the marinas.
Crooked Lake - Has ice and many are getting out to their favorite spots, walleye have been biting.
Lake St Helen has been good this week for pike, walleye and panfish and has great ice conditions. Call Malcoms Sport @ 989-389-2100 for latest info
Traverse City - Good angling action near Traverse City on Long Lake and most inland lakes for walleye, blue gill and pan fish. Minnows, wax worms and spikes are popular. Anglers need to check the ice before attempting to walk on the ice.
Little Glen Lake - Anglers are starting to fish for perch and pike along the weedbeds.
Betsie River - Those willing to brave the cold could very well hook into an occasional steelhead.
Lake Missaukee - Lots of fisherman out this weekend catching gills and pike with ice conditions great.
Lake Cadillac - Good to excellent fishing conditions for pike on Mitchell and Cadillac Lakes. Anglers are using tip-ups and spearing. Good action for crappie in the day and evening hours. Perch activity is good but plenty of sorting is necessary to find the keepers. Blue gill action is slow. Both Mitchell and Cadillac lakes have good ice ranging between 7-10 inches
East Twin Lake - Had about 1 to 3 inches of snow on top of the ice which makes for easy foot travel. There has been little fishing pressure on the lake. Those targeting perch in 6 to 10 feet of water while jigging minnows have caught some nice fish, but not very many.
West Twin Lake - Also had snow cover for easier travel. Eagle Point has been fair for walleye when using tip-ups with minnows or when jigging minnows in 5 to 8 feet of water. Walleye were seen on the east side of the lake however they were not biting. Anglers are seeing some nice perch and a few of the bigger ones have been caught. No word on bluegill or crappie just yet..
Lake Mitchell - Has good ice also with lots of fisherman heading out after panfish and pike.
Indian Lake by Manistique has a good perch and walleye bite this week. South Manistique Lake - Still has good walleye action when jigging or using tip-ups. For those spearing, try the southeast side between the access site and Norton Island in 5 to 10 feet of water.
Brevoort Lake - Anglers are ice fishing for walleye and pike. The pike are hitting on tip-ups with minnows and the walleye are hitting on jigs with spikes or minnows. Some nice bluegills have also been caught.
Munuscong Lake has decent ice at this time but the temperatures are extremely cold. A few brave soles are getting out and fishing for perch using minnows and reeling in some good sized fish.
Around St.Ignace a few anglers are getting out on Christiansen Bay and pulling in a few perch and walleye on minnows.
Lake Gogebic near the Bergland area is giving up a few walleye, pike and perch on minnows. However it has been so frigid that most anglers are staying indoors. Ice shanties are appearing on the north and south ends of the Lake as anglers are getting geared up for ice fishing this weekend.
Little Bay DeNoc Has ice and anglers are fishing. The walleye fishing has been steady but not spectacular with most taking home a couple fish per trip. A fair number of sub-legal fish have been caught and released. The deeper water has been more consistent lately when using jigging raps, with or without live bait. Walleye were caught just south of Gladstone.
Near the Alanson and Boyne areas, Burt, Crooked, Pickeral, Mullett, and Walloon lakes are all freezing up nicely, as well as most of the rivers and parts of Lake Charlevoix. Ice fishing should be able to commence this weekend; however anglers should use extreme caution when attempting to walk out on any body of water.
Muskegon Lake Has ice however avoid the area where the freighters are moving through. Enough perch for a meal are being caught along the south end of the lake in waters 45 to 55 feet deep. Bluegills are hitting on bright colors or anything that glows off the State Park on the northwest corner of the lake. Those setting tip-ups for pike have caught the occasional walleye.
AAA Fishing Report
Upper Peninsula:
Manistique anglers have plenty of good ice on Indian Lake and the north end is the hot spot for walleye and perch on minnows.
Sault Ste. Marie anglers will find plenty of ice on inland lakes but few fish. Only a few whitefish are being caught on the upper rivers. The freighters are causing the waters to stay stirred up and creating cloudy conditions especially on Mosquito Bay.
Munuscong Lake has hit or miss action for walleye and perch.
Around Drummond Island the ice is very thick registering 18-inches with only some light snow cover. Anglers are pike spearing on Scottâ??s Bay and Scammon Cove with good results. Small perch are biting on wax worms, minnows, basically just about anything.
Brevort Lake near St. Ignace is producing a few walleye. Mark your calendars for the Brevort Lake Ice Fishing Jamboree coming February 14 and 15.
Lake Fanny Hooe and Medora Lake are frozen and anglers are pulling in some walleye. The harbor is still not frozen and anglers are fishing off the docks with good results.
Lake Gogebic near Bergland is producing decent catches of walleye on sucker minnows. Perch are biting on wigglers and crappie minnows. Ice shanties are set up all over the lake. All inland lakes are frozen and ice fishing is taking place.
Marquette fishing is rated fair with live minnows working well on perch, walleye and pike. Ice is good and thick. Lake Independence is producing good numbers of perch and walleye.
North of Escanaba anglers will find good ice measuring at least one foot, south of Escanaba the ice ranges between 6-10 inches in thickness. Overall the fishing is good all over the area on Little Bay De Noc and the majority of rivers for walleye. Anglers will need to put the time in though to get them. Baits of choice include jigging Rapalas, Moonshine Shiver Minnows, sucker minnows and tiny shiners.
Northwest:
Perfect fishing conditions around the Alanson area particularly on Burt and Crooked lakes. Good ice prevails and anglers are catching plenty of perch, trout and walleye on blues and minnows.
Near Boyne City, plenty of ice shanties can be found on the west end of Walloon Lake. Anglers are finding nice perch and walleye near the beach and north arm. Walleye are ranging 7-8 pounds. Blue gill are hitting on wigglers, mousies and spikes. Lake Charlevoix is giving up nice perch on the west end and large walleye and pike on the south arm. Perch are biting on perch minnows, wigglers and blue and grey tip ups.
The ice is good for anglers headed to the Traverse City area on the majority of inland lakes. Perch, walleye and blue gill action is decent.
Crystal Lake is half frozen over this week, but not safe at this point, use caution. Portage and Arcadia lakes have good ice however the fishing is slow for pike, perch and walleye. Anglers are also fishing for whitefish and rainbow trout with minnows, jigs, wigglers and wax worms.
Near the Kalkaska area, Lake Skegemog is good for perch action when using a Hali jig with a minnow and the crappie fishing is good with a blue tip up with a minnow. Lake Margrethe is giving up decent counts of walleye when anglers use blue or grey tip ups. Manistee Lake is producing nice counts of crappie and walleye and Fife Lake is providing nice catches for pike. Pike are biting on suckers or goldens.
Around the Gaylord area, ice shanties are going up all over the lakes, but safety is stressed at this point. Bradford Lake is giving up plenty of walleye when jigging, and Otsego Lake is great for walleye on tip ups and a minnow.
In the Cadillac area, Mitchell and Cadillac lakes are very good for pike and crappie fishing, with crappie hitting on red spikes and tiny jigs. The ice is thick and clear. Perch are small, in the 5-6 inch range and spotty, not really worthwhile at this point. A few walleye are biting in the evening hours. Blue gill activity is good right now.
West:
Ludington anglers fishing the Pere Marquette will find good action on northern using a tip up. One angler pulled in a 40-inch fish this week, and overall the fish are ranging 24-inches. Frozen smelt on a tip up is working well. Hamlin Lake is great for blue gill activity near the Wilson Hill Park.
Muskegon Lake has good ice registering 4 ½-6 inches and anglers are doing well for perch in the 7-9 inch size, fishing in waters 46-55 feet. Cut bait, minnows, spikes and wax worms seem to work well. The most popular bait is a glow in the dark tear drop or fly. Expect to do some sorting. On the northwest side of Muskegon Lake near the state park, blue gill and spec action is good when anglers use little spikes. Walleye activity is far and few but when anglers get one they are very nice size.
Shanties are popping up all over Chippewa Lake. The ice is around 11-inches and thick enough to drive on. Good spec and pike action. Specs are hitting on minnows and shiners and anglers are getting a fish as soon as the line hits the water. Anglers are spearing for pike. Overall the fish are hitting on anything and anglers are coming up with a fish every time.
In the Baldwin area the ice is 6-8 inches thick and in very good condition. It is snowing today and about three inches of snow is now covering the ice. Ice fishing on Big Bass Lake is good for nice perch catches. Elbow Lake is giving up nice pike quantities, however the fish are small in size. Bass Lake is giving up some small pike as well. Big Manistee and Pere Marquette rivers are very good for steelhead action on spawn and spawn patterns, and the water clarity is good.
Northeast:
Near the Alpena area, Hubbard, Long and Grand lakes are giving up fair walleye and perch counts. Live bait seems to work best and fishing is taking place all over the lakes, no particular hot spots.
Oscoda anglers are doing well on Cooke and Foote Dam Ponds for pike, perch, blue gill, pan fish and steelhead. Baits working well include wigglers, spawn, suckers and golden shiners. On the Au Sable River above the dam steelhead action is good.
Grayling anglers are finding good ice on the majority of inland lakes and safe enough for snowmobiles and four wheelers. Lake Margrethe is slow currently for walleye, perch and pike. When perch are biting they are hitting on small sucker minnows and grays.
Higgins Lake is frozen and registering 4-6 inches in depth. Perch action is good all over the lake when using minnows.
Around Au Gres, the ice is still questionable so check as you go, but the cuts and channels are frozen solid. Blue gill, crappie, perch and walleye are active. Minnows, jigs, wax worms and perch minnows are working well.