Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Up North Fishing Report 3/12/09
Walleye and pike season close on march 15 along with permanent shanties have to been removed from all lakes. Smeltville on Higgins Lake seems to be the place to catch fish right now as the fish are biting
I’m not hearing any great reports as we seem to be in ice fishing fatigue as most wait for nicer weather, but ther were reports fish were biting in many locations this afternoon.
Crystal Lake- Still had good smelt action at night off of Lobb Rd.!
Higgins Lake- Still has ice however anglers should not be taking cars or trucks out on the lake. Smelt have been caught in 15 to 20 feet of water south of the west side boat launch during the day and along the west shoreline in the evening. Pike are hitting on tip-ups with smelt as bait in the areas where smelt can be found. A few lake trout are still being caught and some rainbow trout have been caught in shallow waters up by the Conference Center when using wigglers. Look for the bigger perch in shallow waters once the weather stabilizes. 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 the last couple days with limit catches of walleye. Call Skipâ??s Sport Shop @ 989-348-7111 for the latest info.
Portage Lake by Onekama has been good for perch, and pikewith some getting walleye right at dark. Call Osbornâ??s Sport Shop in Bear Lake @ 231-889-3775 or Donâ??s Sport Shop in Manistee @ 231-723-5028
Hamlin Lake- Bluegills were caught off the Wilson Hill Park in 12 feet of water. Try wax worms on pink or yellow jigs just off the bottom. A few crappie can still be found off Lincoln Road in 29 feet of water. Try lively minnows hooked in the back and fished 6 to 8 feet off the bottom. 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 - Still had good ice but a couple areas had broken shoreline ice. Walleye action was still good along the north shore, East Bay, and the Middle Grounds. Shiners with Swedish Pimples or rapalas produced fish. Pike continue to hit on tip-ups with sucker minnows or golden shiners. Anglers are still waiting for the bluegills to come in. Dave at Four season Party Store says he has a honey hole and have been catching walleye, pike and crappie. He will show you where if you visit him at his store. Dave phone# 989-422-5230. Call Lymanâ??s Sport and Shanty Rental @ 989-422-3231
Near the Kalkaska area, Skegemog Lake Still has lots of anglers looking for perch off the Baggs Road access site and in the northwest portion of the lake near the narrows. Try 10 to 15 feet of water with minnows, wax worms, mousies, or wigglers. For pike, use minnows in 12 to 15 feet of water around the flats. Panfish activity has increased over the last week near the access site with bluegills, pumpkinseed, and rock bass caught.
Elk Lake - Only had a few permanent ice shanties still on the lake. Lake trout ranging from 10 to 30 inches were caught off the Whitewater Park when using minnows and jigging Swedish Pimples in 80 to 140 feet of water. Lake herring were caught near the town of Kewadin and in Spencer Bay in 20 to 50 feet of water when using wax worms or spawn. Whitefish anglers were heading out after dark and fishing in 50 to 60 feet of water near Elk Rapids. Only one walleye was caught near the park in 90 feet of water. Call Jackâ??s Sport Shop for the latest info @ 231-258-8892
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
Sanford Lake at the first fill has been hot for crappie this week with minnow working best. Call Sanford Sport Shop @ 989-687-5161 for latest info.
Otsego Lake has a good perch bite with some walleye being caught and Bradford has nice perch being caught. Also some Stugeon being caught with two keepers last weekend. They have been seeing quite a few sturgeon in the evening. Call Stugeon Joe @ 989-732-5866 for the latest info.
Burt Lake has been slow this week.
Green Lake by Interlochen has been good for smelt off both access sites with halis and waxworms working best.
Big Glenn Lake Still had ice. The perch have started to move off Inspiration Point. On Little Glen, the perch were hitting good along the south, southwest end of the lake. Try minnows in 12 to 14 feet of water. Recent snowfall has produced about 4 inches of slush on the lake.
Traverse City - As of this report, both bays had ice. Anglers were fishing Bowers Harbor for perch and whitefish.
Betsie River - Some steelhead have been caught when using spawn or wax worms.
Lake Missaukee - Lots of fisherman out catching gills and pike with ice conditions great.
Lake Cadillac - is treating anglers to panfish and pike.
East Twin Lake - Has light fishing pressure and moderate catch rates for perch. The ice is holding however conditions are deteriorating in the warm weather. There is a lot of water on top of the ice. Anglers will want to use extreme caution and watch out for predrilled holes as water is draining and making the holes bigger. Be sure to wear cleats for easier travel.
West Twin Lake - Has better fishing pressure with moderate to fair success on perch and walleye. Some days were good while others have been very slow. Anglers using a perch minnow with a tear drop have caught the most fish. Walleye anglers are using a rapala minnow in perch colors.
Lake Mitchell - Anglers are still ice fishing here for pike and panfish. Keep the cars and trucks off the ice!
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 - Is still producing some nice bluegills on the northwest end of the lake near the campground. Look for walleye along the east shoreline in the early morning or late evening.
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.
Saginaw Bay - Ice conditions on most of the Bay have deteriorated. Persistent onshore winds have driven ice onto the beach in the Linwood area. The piles of ice are as high as some of the houses. Elsewhere, shore ice is bad for at least a good half mile offshore, and the only anglers going out are using air-boats. Ice fishing on the bay is pretty much done for this winter.
Saginaw River - Is full of walleye and most are getting their boats out fishing with blues
Little Bay De Noc - Warm temperatures created some soft edges but overall the ice was holding. Use caution when traveling along the southern areas of the Bay. Good numbers of fish were marked however fishing was fair. The best walleye catches were reported off the Escanaba River when jigging rapalas and minnows in 30 to 36 feet of water and off the Center Reef when using tip-ups in 33 to 50 feet of water. Perch anglers did well when jigging minnows in 10 to 14 feet of water at Kipling. Several 14 inch fish were taken. Pike action was fair to good in the Escanaba Harbor when spearing and at Kipling when spearing or using tip-ups with sucker minnows in 8 to 23 feet of water. Anglers have one more weekend for walleye.
Muskegon Lake- Conditions are no longer safe for ice fishing.
White Lake - Conditions are no longer safe for ice fishing.
AAA Fishing Report
Upper Peninsula:
Perch are available for the catching but Bergland area anglers are showing no interest despite good ice. No angling activity taking place today due to weather conditions.
Same story for anglers around Marquette, snow, rain, fog and wind has plagued the area all week keeping anglers at bay. The ice on the Bay is solid and walleye and whitefish have been marked. Walleye and pike season closes on Sunday.
Rain, rain and more rain plague anglers attempting to fish around the Manistique area. Plenty of good ice prevails and when anglers can get out the perch and walleye activity has been good on live bait. Walleye season ends Sunday.
Walleye action in the Escanaba area has been good despite the snow and weather conditions that anglers are dealing with. Towards the north of the Bay anglers are pulling in some big walleye on tip ups with sucker minnows and the ice is still registering up to two feet or more with some slush on top. Whitefish action is decent off of Escanaba Harbor.
Munuscong Lake has tons of ice and it is clear and slippery, thanks to wind that whipped away the snow and the 14 degree temperatures that refroze any sections that softened up from rain. Walleye are hanging out in the shallow waters and anglers are doing well with jigging spoons and perch are good on minnows.
Around Drummond Island yesterday was really slow due to high winds and snow. The ice is great still measuring 30-inches or more and clear on top due to wind. Scott Bay has anglers pike spearing and some of the pike are very large. On Whitney Bay a few perch are being caught with Swedish Pimples tipped with wax worms, wigglers or minnows. Pike season closes on Sunday. Perch activity is decent around Harbor Island as well where anglers are using small jigs tipped with wax worms.
St. Ignace anglers have plenty of good ice, now they need good weather. Yesterday windy conditions with blowing snow and poor visibility kept anglers off the lake. The weekend is expected to be very good for perch fishing particularly off of Cedarville. Brevort Lake has plenty of good ice measuring more than 30-inches.Walleye are on the move from Little Cut River Bay and can now be found near the reef of Black Point and the east side of Schaffer Point. Walleye season closes on Sunday.
Anglers on Hulbert Lake in Chippewa County are doing very well smelt dipping using wax worms, wigglers and minnows.
Sault Ste. Marie anglers fishing Mosquito Bay in the upper river are doing well for whitefish on spikes and wax worms.
Northwest:
Alanson anglers just canâ??t get a break another week of adverse weather plagued the area. High winds, a foot of snow and some freezing rain has certainly halted angling activity. Ice conditions remain good.
Around the Boyne City area anglers are doing well on Walloon Lake for walleye and perch on wigglers, blues and perch minnows. The best spots are near the south shore, Eagle Island and near the country club. The Jordan and Boyne rivers are giving up some steelhead on spawn and wigglers. Thumb Lake is decent for perch action. Pike and walleye season closes on Sunday. Lake Charlevoix is giving up nice numbers of perch between 7-10 a.m. and anglers are also doing well for walleye off of the state park and near Glenwood Drive. Perch are biting on perch minnows and walleye on blues.
Around Traverse City, Suttons Bay is giving up perch but ice safety is skeptical. The area received heavy snow and then rain leaving the top of the ice very heavy and slushy. The rivers are high and the steelhead should be picking up.
Near Frankfort anglers are ice fishing on Big Platt and Crystal lakes for walleye, perch, a few browns, smelt and whitefish. There is a lot of water covering the ice, anglers need to use extra caution and donâ??t forget a spud. A few anglers are fishing the rivers with spinner bait and flies for steelhead.
Snow and slow go hand in hand. Earlier in the week the area received plenty of snow, on top of that major rain and windy conditions. The adverse weather has made it difficult for anglers to get around and fishing has really slowed down and currently is hit or miss.
Around the Gaylord area Twin Lake is giving up some pike on small blue shiners, Bradford Lake is decent for walleye and perch and Otsego Lake is slow this week. Walleye season closes on Sunday and ice shanties should also be removed.
Lake Cadillac continues to produce nice numbers of blue gill, crappie and pike near the causeway area. Anglers are getting good results for crappie with minnows, red spikes and small jigs, pike on tip ups. The pressure is dropping and creating good fishing. The ice is in good shape at this point, some water and slush cover, but creepers are a must.
West:
Around the Baldwin area, nasty weather has taken a toll on fishing this week. Rivers are running high, water is murky and moving fast with plenty of debris flowing. There is plenty of fish to be had but conditions just are not warranting a trip out right now. Ice is very unstable on all lakes. Most fish are getting ready to spawn as the ice breaks up.
Muskegon Lake anglers are perplexed since the ice is too much for boating just yet, and too little for ice fishing. Anglers are seeing plenty of steelhead and brown trout.
Anglers continue to ice fish on Chippewa Lake for decent numbers of pike with wax worms popular. The ice is still in very good condition.
Around the Grand Rapids area, the ice is pretty much shot due to rain this week and warmer temperatures, anglers are attempting to get out in a few places, but overall very unsafe conditions. Rivers are running very high and anglers attempting to fish are only finding hit or miss conditions. Suckers and perch fishing should start to pick up.
Northeast:
In the Oscoda area, rain and freezing rain has been an issue this week leaving plenty of slush and water on top of the ice. Despite the adverse conditions anglers are pulling in a few pike and walleye from Cooke and Foote Dam Ponds. The Au Sable River is producing some steelhead on mousies, minnows and wax worms.
Grayling anglers are doing well for pan fish and blue gill on Manistee Lake. Ice is good in places still registering up to 10 inches, but watch for wet, slushy and slippery spots.
Ice along the Houghton Lake shoreline is starting to break up but ice out in the middle is still over a foot thick. Blue shiners are working well on walleye and minnows on good numbers of pike. Pan fish activity has slowed down. Blue gill are biting on wax worms and spikes.
Higgins Lake still has good ice conditions, only a bit of snow and water covering the top. Lake trout action is good on gray shiners and nice numbers of smelt are hitting on wax worms and spikes. Perch activity has slacked off this week.