Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
UP North Fishing Report 2/26/09
I’m not hearing any great reports as we seem to be in ice fishing fatigue as most wait for nicer weather
Crystal Lake- Still had good smelt action at night. Ice not safe past railroad point!
Higgins Lake- Anglers are reminded to keep the cars and trucks off the ice and there may be some snow drifts that could make travel difficult. The smelt action on the north end of the lake has been very good. Perch are still hitting off the islands however anglers will need to sort out the small ones. Good pike action when using tip-ups or spearing in 15 feet of water. Cold temperatures will keep the trout out in deeper waters. 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 been slow. Call Skipâ??s Sport Shop @ 989-348-7111 for the latest info.
Portage Lake by Onekama has been good for perch, with 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- Fishing slowed for those targeting bluegills off the Wilson Hill Park and the Boy Scout Camp. Could be the cold weather as catch rates improved after the warm spell. Try 7 to 12 feet of water with wax worms. Those fishing off Lincoln Road were still taking a few crappie when using a minnow hooked in the back. The fish are running 9 to 12 inches but only a half dozen were reported in a days catch. No fishing on Lower Hamlin. 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 - Strong winds hampered fishing last weekend however anglers are getting back out and catching fish. There is snow on the lake and anglers will encounter some drifting. Walleye action was slower but fish are being caught around the East Bay and off the north shore. The bluegill bite has picked up when using tear drops with wax worms. 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 Has seen a lot of fishing pressure over the last week. Pike were caught in flats off Baggs Road. Fish ranging from 16 to 27 inches were taken in 12 to 15 feet of water when using minnows. Perch have been caught off the access site at Baggs Road as well as the northwest portion of the lake near the narrows. Try 10 to 15 feet of water when using minnows, wax worms, mousies or wigglers. Many small fish were caught right along with fish ranging from 7 to 10 inches. Bluegills, rock bass and pumpkinseed have also been caught when jigging Swedish Pimples, rapalas, minnows, wigglers or wax worms. A few anglers are still trying to spear muskie however no fish were recorded. Elk Lake - Angler pressure has decreased as many have pulled their ice shanties off the lake. A few portables are popping up here and there. Anglers are still targeting lake trout near Kewadin and off the Whitewater Park when jigging Swedish Pimples in 80 feet of water however no fish were caught. No reports on steelhead or lake herring. Whitefish were caught near Kewadin in 30 to 50 feet of water. Some are still targeting muskie but no fish were caught.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 three 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.
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.
Big Glen Lake - Ice conditions are good Fishing is hit or miss with some nice perch caught off Inspiration Point. Try minnows in 14 to 20 feet of water. Perch over 10 inches were caught recently.
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 - Anglers are catching more crappie than bluegills. The bigger fish have been caught along the east side of the lake. Pike anglers are concentrating on waters 15 to 20 feet deep. Deep snow and drifts may cause travel problems.
East Twin Lake - Angler pressure was low however those going out have reported some decent perch fishing when using a small hook or small jig. Deep snow drifts are making travel on the ice a little more difficult.
West Twin Lake - Is all about the walleye. Fishing pressure remains constant and some limit catches were reported. Anglers that know the lake have been doing well for walleye while jigging with rapala minnow jigs or a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow. A couple fish were also taken on tip-ups. Those targeting perch were taking fish when using a jig with perch minnows.
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.
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.
Saginaw Bay - Off Palmer Road; perch fishing was slow to fair at best out near the first crack. A few walleye were caught a couple miles out in 10 feet of water. Off White’s Beach, fish 10 feet of water near the Pinconning Bar. Off Erickson Road and Linwood Road, the walleye bite was slow out near the pressure crack. Use extreme caution out there and watch for changes in wind direction. The water was really dirty around the Hot Ponds. Thomas Road continues to produce walleye about 7 to 8 miles offshore in 17 to 19 feet of water. Sebewaing was slow. Those fishing out in the Slot beyond Rose Island were taking a few walleye in the evening. At Bay Port, the ice is bad at the DNR access site. Those heading out of the Bay Shore Marina took some nice perch ranging from 8 to 12 inches. Off Mud Creek, anglers were going out about 2 miles towards Sand Point and taking some nice perch in 8 feet of water. At Caseville, perch were caught in the marina basins however anglers will need to sort out the small ones.
Saginaw River - The ice conditions have deteriorated to the point that it is no longer safe for ice fishing.
Little Bay De Noc - Ice conditions remain good although drifting snow has created some travel problems. The launch at Kipling has been filling up fast. Fair walleye catches throughout the bay however the better reports are coming from Kipling when jigging rapalas and minnows in 24 to 28 feet of water and off Portage Point when fishing 20 to 35 feet down along the break. Good perch fishing out from Brach’s Cabins in 14 to 17 feet of water or in 36 feet of water near Kipling. Fair to good pike spearing out from the Buckeye near Kipling when using live suckers in 8 to 10 feet of water. For whitefish, some limits were taken off Sand Point in Escanaba when jigging minnows or spawn in 80 feet of water.
Muskegon Lake- Ahose still fishing are taking a few but the action has not been fast and furious. The key is to move around until you locate a school of fish. Perch have been caught in 42 to 48 feet of water along the ledge behind Shoreline Marine. Those fishing the weed lines off the Sand Docks have caught perch, rock bass and a couple catfish. The waters between Second Street and river were wide open last week so anglers will want to avoid the area.
White Lake - Yellow perch have been caught along the southwest portion of the lake including Indian Bay. Look for pike up in the narrows off Montague.
AAA FIshing Report
Upper Peninsula:
Ottawa County anglers fishing Lake Gogebic are finding good fishing for perch using wigglers and walleye using sucker minnows. The ice remains good at this point.
In the Marquette area, angling activity on the majority of inland lakes remains slow due to weather conditions and plenty of recent snow. However, anglers fishing off of Lâ??Anse Bay and Lake Superior are starting to see lake trout become more active.
Escanaba anglers are fishing the far north side of Little Bay De Noc for fair catches of walleye on minnows. Lake Independence is producing good numbers of fish on tip-ups. Fair to good catches of whitefish are hitting on wax worms near the mouth of the Escanaba Harbor when fishing the bottom. Plenty of ice remains.
Anglers fishing Brevort Lake are doing well for walleye. One hot spot is near Little Cut River Bay close to shore and out to the east end of the weed line. Jigging with walleye minnow heads is working well. White, silver and brass colors work best during the day light hours, and bright colors work best at predawn and sunset. A few good locations for walleye include south of center reef off the Brevort River Dam, center of Christenson Bay, and off the east shore out from the end of Dukes road. Pike are biting from Christenson Bay to Bodene Bay and anglers are doing well using sucker minnows fishing the drop-offs.
Haven Island near Hessel is producing some nice size perch in the 15-inch category. Anglers are fishing in 19-feet of water off the northwest side with good results. Expect to do plenty of sorting and take heed there is a 7-inch size limit on perch for this area.
Off of Drummond Island, a few perch are biting on small jigs tipped with wax worms near the entrance to Harbor Island. Anglers spear fishing on Scott Bay are catching very large pike. Whitney Bay is giving up nice perch and a few herring on the south side of Drummond Island when using Swedish Pimples tipped with a wax worm, wiggler, or small minnow.
Anglers fishing Munuscong Bay are doing very well on walleye using minnow heads and jigs and minnows and teardrops are working well on good numbers of perch as well. Fishing with bobbers try using size 8 or 10 treble hooks tipped with a walleye minnow. One hot spot is straight off of Danâ??s Resort on the west side of the shanty town on the Bay.
Near Les Cheneaux, Muscallonge Bay is hot for perch east of the lake access near the end of Four Mile Block road. Perch are also active near Little Joe Island and Government Bay. Hali lures or Swedish Pimples tipped with a perch minnow seem to be working well.
Emerson Bay near Paradise is producing a few whitefish on large wigglers and small teardrops and some walleye on very small teardrops or walleye minnows.
Inland lakes throughout the Manistique area have minimal fishing activity. The ice remains good, but anglers are just not getting out, mainly due to weather. Anglers that made it out today came back with and empty bucket.
Off of the Sault Ste. Marie area, Mosquito Bay in the upper river is producing some whitefish on small teardrops with either wax worms or spikes. Fishing is hit or miss but when fish are on, any color will do.
Northwest:
Burt Lake in the Alanson area is very slow this week with perch fishing rated fair to good when using minnows. The fish are moving into the Bays right now.
Walloon Lake is giving up good numbers of perch and walleye on blue shiners and minnows. Bear River is fair to good for lake trout on spawn. Lake Charlevoix is decent for perch during the morning hours, particularly between 9 and 10 a.m. Anglers are doing well off of Washington Street using wigglers and minnows.
Traverse City anglers are finding that the fish are not biting and the ice is not safe. Some anglers are targeting steelhead in the rivers at this point.
Around the Frankfort are the ice is starting to build back up thanks to cooler weather, but caution is certainly needed. Whitefish and lake trout are decent for most inland lakes and a variety of baits seem to be working well such as minnows and spikes. Steelhead are hit or miss at this point with no real run as of yet.
Kalkaska anglers are finding fair to good action on most area lakes for blue gill and walleye fishing. Wax worms, Hali lures and Rapalas are working well. Anglers spearing musky on Lake Skegemog are coming up with fair numbers.
Around the Gaylord area, Otsego Lake has fair counts of walleye and perch being caught with blue and gray minnows. Twin Lake is decent for walleye at sun up and sun down.
It is fairly quiet around the Cadillac area this week. Pike are biting on minnows on Mitchell Lake and fair to good amounts of crappie are hitting on minnows and red spikes near the east end of Cadillac Lake. Good catches of perch are biting on both lakes but small in size.
West:
In the Ludington area, Hamlin Lake is giving up nice pan fish, blue gill and crappie on the upper part on minnows, wigglers and spikes. Pere Marquette Lake and River is good for steelhead on spawn and spinners at the open sections, and perch are biting on minnows and wigglers as well.
In the Baldwin area, Elbow Lake is giving up nice pike on tip-ups while teardrops are working on blue gill and sunfish. Wolf Lake is producing nice pike on tip-ups with sucker minnows. Big Bass Lake has some fair action going on for perch, but plenty of sorting is required and the fish are small. Fishing for steelhead is very good on the Tippy Dam where anglers are getting limits. The Pere Marquette River has receded and has open water. Steelhead are biting in fly areas on little nuke eggs, wigglers and nymph patterns. Anglers need to watch for plenty of broken ice that is flowing.
Some good fishing is available around the Muskegon area. Muskegon Lake has about 6-12 inches of ice on the west half. Perch are hitting on glow teardrops and Swedish Pimples in 38-50 feet of water. But some anglers are using cut bait, high balls, minnows and spikes with good results as well. The afternoon bite seems to be the best time of day. A few anglers are using small boats to fish the lower end of the Muskegon River for decent counts of pike.
Good fishing for anglers on Chippewa Lake where the ice is still a good 13-15 inches thick. Spikes, mousies and minnows seem to be drawing in good numbers of blue gill, pike and a few walleye.
Northeast:
Good fishing available in the Alpena area. Anglers are doing well for walleye on the north end of Hubbard Lake jigging with minnows. Wigglers are working well on perch on Long Lake.
Fishing is fair for Oscoda anglers. Van Etten Lake is giving up a few perch on minnows and above the Dam fair to good activity is taking place for pike, blue gill and perch. Most of the rivers and streams within the area are decent for steelhead in the 18-20 inch range when using spawn.
Around Grayling, Manistee Lake is giving up some fair to good numbers of crappie. Lake Margrethe has some fair action for pike and walleye and anglers fishing for perch will find some decent numbers in waters 25 feet deep. KP Lake is also producing some fair catches of blue gill and pan fish during the evening hours.
Houghton Lake has fair to good angling activity this week for walleye, blue gill, perch and pike. The walleye are hitting near the east bay, while the blue gill action is best near the south shore weed bed. Pike can be found all over the lake.
Good action on Higgins Lake for lake trout on gray shiners or smelt. Perch are biting on pikes and minnows, but do range in the small size. Smelt action is good mainly at night using wax worms.
Ice is very iffy around Au Gres not too many anglers getting out and the few that do are only getting a couple walleye on minnows.
West:
In the Ludington area, Hamlin Lake is giving up nice pan fish, blue gill and crappie on the upper part on minnows, wigglers and spikes. Pere Marquette Lake and River is good for steelhead on spawn and spinners at the open sections, and perch are biting on minnows and wigglers as well.
In the Baldwin area, Elbow Lake is giving up nice pike on tip-ups while teardrops are working on blue gill and sunfish. Wolf Lake is producing nice pike on tip-ups with sucker minnows. Big Bass Lake has some fair action going on for perch, but plenty of sorting is required and the fish are small. Fishing for steelhead is very good on the Tippy Dam where anglers are getting limits. The Pere Marquette River has receded and has open water. Steelhead are biting in fly areas on little nuke eggs, wigglers and nymph patterns. Anglers need to watch for plenty of broken ice that is flowing.
Some good fishing is available around the Muskegon area. Muskegon Lake has about 6-12 inches of ice on the west half. Perch are hitting on glow teardrops and Swedish Pimples in 38-50 feet of water. But some anglers are using cut bait, high balls, minnows and spikes with good results as well. The afternoon bite seems to be the best time of day. A few anglers are using small boats to fish the lower end of the Muskegon River for decent counts of pike.
Good fishing for anglers on Chippewa Lake where the ice is still a good 13-15 inches thick. Spikes, mousies and minnows seem to be drawing in good numbers of blue gill, pike and a few walleye.
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