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2/03/12
Michigan Fishing Report
Ice Fishing Report
Sturgeon Joe with a 45 pounder out of Otsego Lake on Hook and Line the 1st week of Jan 2012
Ice conditions in Northern M ichigan are good on most lakes except the really deep lakes which are not froze yetThose fishing in the southern reaches of the state need to use caution especially with the fluctuation in temperatures. Some of the more protected lakes had ice but the warm-up and rain did not help ice conditions. Ice jams may cause fluctuations in river levels, so caution needs to be used. Anglers are reminded to wear a life jacket, test the ice before you go, don't go out alone, and be sure to tell someone where you will be and when you plan to return.
Check out the Buc's facebook fishing report
Northwest:
Lakes with safe ice were producing fair to good catches of walleye and perch in Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet Counties. Ice conditions were improving however some inland lakes still had open water or areas that were questionable. Caution needs to be used. Those using tip-ups for northern pike reported good catch rates.
Lake Charlevoix: The South Arm was producing fair catches of walleye in the early evening while the smaller lakes appeared to have good fishing all day long.
Portage Lake: Has 4 to 6 inches of ice and they were getting out to the channel sat catching lots of perch and pike they were driving quads out wednesday. Bear Lake is froze with good pike fishing this week Call Osbornes Sport Shop for Latest Conditions @ (231) 889-3775
Manistee River: Sleehead fishing has been good
Hamlin Lake has 3 to 6 inches and the gills are biting big time call shore ice by shore by Wilson Park is not goodas quads have it broke up. Hamlin Grocery for the latest ice conditions @ 231-843-2058 they have a full line of live bait
Manistee Lake by Kalkaska has 8 to 10 inches of ice and perch, walleye and gills have been biting .Call Jacks for latest conditions 231-258-8892
Lake Cadillac: has 8 to 10 inches. Travel should be easier with less snow on the lake. Catch rates were up and down for panfish and pike.. Call PILGRIM
VILLAGE FISHING SHOP 231-775-5412 for latest info
Lake Mitchell: ice is very slippery and you need creepers. Catch rates were slow to fair with pike hitting on tip-ups with sucker minnows and panfish hitting on small jigs with minnows or wax worms.
Manistee River: Steelhead fishing has been good especially for those fly fishing. The fish are in their winter patterns.
Pere Marquette River: Also had good steelhead fishing especially with the warmer temperatures.
Lake Missaukee has safe ice with lots of fisherman getting out! Good pike and panfish bite Call Matt Baitshop North@ 231-839-3474
Pentwater is slow as pentwater lake is open and they hope to be out in boats this weekend. Call Pentwater Angler @ (231) 869-5357 for latest info
Fife Lake is froze with shanties on the lake with perch and pike biting Also this saturday they are having a fishing contest sponsered by the rock of kingsley click here for info call Fife Lake Party Store for the latest ice conditions@ 231-879-3341
Lake Skegemog has good ice with lots of perch being caught many on the small side also good pike bite this week, Call Jack's Sport Shop for the latest info @231-258-8892
Lake Leelanau- Fisherman are getting out on the lake doing good on walleye, perch and trout. Call The fish Hook in Lake Leelanau (231) 256-9496 for the latest info on Glen Lake and Lake Leelanau
Cedar Lake: In Leelanau County was producing pike and smelt.
Hearing of a good perch bite on Burt Lake on Maple Bay this week with 10 inches of ice, Mullet Lake has 8 inches of ice and good perch fishing call Mullet Lake Party Store @ 231-268-3600 as he been fishing the lake everyday
White Lake by Whitehall is open and many are waiting to get there boats out
Northeastern Lower Peninsula
Grand Lake: Has ice for walleye and perch fishing though anglers may want to consider foot traffic only.
Long Lake: Has ice but anglers will need to use caution near the areas that had open water. This lake is usually good for bluegill, rock bass, walleye, and pike.
Thunder Bay River: There was ice on the turning basin. Anglers are catching small perch there and at the boat harbor.
Hubbard Lake: Has ice but anglers will need to use caution as there are thin spots.
Au Sable River: Has very good steelhead fishing.
Fletcher Floodwaters: Has ice but no report on fishing conditions.
Higgins Lake: The lake has 3 to 5 inches of ice with good perch, pike, trout and lots of smelt Good trout , perch and lots of smelt with smelt fishing West Launch, north state park, are both good places and north of little creek.Is producing perch and pike off Sam-O-Set Park but there is pack ice in the area. Smelt were taken off the launch on the west side in 30 feet of water. On the south end, anglers caught pike, perch and lake trout off the State Park and Lincoln Avenue. Lake trout were caught on tip-ups. For pike, anglers did well on tip-ups and while spearing. Rainbow trout were caught near the Conference Center and Big Creek by those using wigglers. Early morning and late evening were best.Call Phoenix Park Party Store @ (989) 821-7220 for the latest ice conditions on the north and west side. Call Sports Barn@ 989-821-9511 for the latest ice conditions on the south side
Tawas: Small yellow perch have been caught inside the State Harbor. If you sort long enough, you might get enough keepers for a meal. There is some ice over near Jerry's Marina which is the most sheltered from the wind. We have reports of a few anglers heading out to 15 feet of water and trying for perch or walleye however going out that deep on early ice is not a good idea.
Au Gres River: Is producing lots of small perch and sub-legal walleyes.
Houghton Lake: Still has some open water along the west shore. Travel conditions were listed as slippery so you might want to wear some cleats. Walleye were caught along the north shore, the East Bay and near the Cut River in the early morning or late evening. Pike were hitting on tip-ups with sucker minnows. Look for crappie along the north shore. Perch were hitting on blue shiners along the south shore. Dave at 4 season has his shanties out and has been catching good perch and walleye this week and will put you on the fish Call Dave at @ seasons for the latest ice conditiopns @ 989-422-5230 on the northend and Lymans on the Lake for the West side@ (989) 422-3231. Lymans got the shanties out but then lots of slush after the last storm. Dave at 4 season got a shipment of otter shanties in today ready for Tipup Town
Lake Margrethe has 9 to 12inches of ice and a good perch and pike bite, conditipons are great on the lake.Walleye have been slow the last few days, also some nice muskie have been caught.Call Skips Sport Shop for an update @989-348-7111
Otsego Lake at Gaylord has safe ice 9 to 14 ionches and call Northern Sports for the latest ice conditions and where the fish are biting. They have been catching quite a few stugeon off of Otsego State Park along with some perchGood perch and walleye bite on Otsego Lake.989-448-2014
Flechers Floodwater has 6 to 8 inches of ice with a few getting out this week.
Lake St. Helen has great ice Is still producing fish for ice anglers using wax worms, mousies or wigglers. Walleye were better in the early morning or late evening. Malcom's Tackle Box at 989-389-2100
West Branch many small lakes are froze and gills are biting.
Mio has ice with good pike and walleye.
Lewiston- West twin has safe ice with good perch and walleye. East twin a few getting out with a few pike being caught in the bays and canals call Midlakes Party Store @ (989) 786-3227 they have a full line of live bait
Wixom Lake has been good for gills, crappie and pike.
Sugar Springs has a good pike bite, Wiggins Lake has been good for gills and pike also
Upper Peninsula
Lake Gogebic: Fishing has picked up for walleye and yellow perch.
Keweenaw Bay: Has no ice as of this report.
Teal Lake: Near Neguanee, is producing some perch.
Manistique Lakes: Had slow action with only a few walleye and northern pike caught. Tip-ups with minnows caught the most fish. There was some snow cover on the ice. Be sure to check the ice ahead of you and use caution.
Munuscong: Anglers are fishing perch in 3 feet of water towards Grassy Island. Catch rates were slow but a few nice fish were caught when jigging or using tip-ups with minnows. Those targeting walleye were in the bay or out in waters 25 feet deep.
Cedarville and Hessel: The action in Musky Bay has slowed however some perch were still caught on wigglers in 10 to 12 feet of water. Little Joe Island is also producing some perch. Ice shanties were out in Hessel Bay, which provides good northern pike spearing opportunities this time of year.
Chocolay River: A few folks are bank-fishing for brown trout and steelhead at the M-28 roadside rest-stop and downstream from the park.
Two-Hearted River: Had reports of good steelhead action by those wading in the open waters between High Bridge and the mouth.
Around Newberry the small lake have ice.
Lake Gogebic: Those ice fishing in the early morning or late afternoon have caught walleye and yellow perch although catch rates have not been consistent.
Portage Lake: Has ice. Anglers fishing off the town of Chassell have caught the occasional walleye along with yellow perch, northern pike and black crappie.
Keweenaw Bay: Had no safe ice because of the mild weather.
Little Bay De Noc: Ice conditions improved however there are still areas throughout the bay that are dangerous. A couple vehicles fell through the ice on the northern end of Butler Island. This area is always dangerous and should be avoided at all times. Anglers are ice fishing in the northern bay and off Gladstone however any ice south of Gladstone should be considered dangerous. Pressure cracks have been a real problem this year as they seem to be moving around on a daily basis. Use extreme caution when crossing them! Walleye reports were good and the Gladstone area produced the best for those jigging rapalas 6 to 8 feet off the bottom in 25 to 30 feet of water. Some caught fish from the Center Reef when jigging rapalas or using tip-ups with sucker minnows in 18 to 28 feet of water. Several large walleye and good numbers of pike were reported in this area. The best walleye catches are early morning or between dusk and an hour after dark. For those looking for whitefish, the ice was just starting to form off Sand Point, so the ice is not safe yet. Catch rates for perch were still fair to good around Kipling. Try jigging minnows, wigglers or spikes in 5 to 17 feet of water.
Guys started fishing off the Terrace this weekend. Sounds like there's about 4 inches of ice. No real report back on the fishing, just yet. With all the strong south wind Sunday, a new pressure crack formed on the bay, south of Gladstone. It's fairly close to shore in shallow water. Just be careful if heading out early in the morning.
Many Fished off Gladstone Sunday and Monday evening. Sunday night was pretty miserable with all the wind and freezing rain! Only marked a few fish, and the ones I did see didn't want to play. Headed to the same general area again Monday evening. Again, marked few fish, but most of them were hungry tonight. Caught the first one about 5:30 on a #7 Glow Green Tiger Jigging Rap. Then a little before 6pm, a group of three showed up on the graph. I had a "Bait Shop Guy Special" Shiver down at that time, and ended up catching two of the three fish. Nothing big, just nice eaters. One of the walleyes barfed up a couple gobies in the bottom of the shack. The Rap and Shiver were both pretty close to "matching the hatch," size wise.
Big Manistique Lake: Has ice fishing however catch rates for walleye were just fair. Some have started driving vehicles out on the ice however anglers are reminded that taking a vehicle out on the ice is never a good idea.
Dan's Resort at munuscong bay reports snowmobiles and 4-wheelers going out. Jumbos near the island :)There is about 8-10 inches of ice. Fishing is hit or miss depending on where you are: the perch are biting Anglers are perch fishing in 3 feet of water. Catch rates were slow but the fish averaged 9 and 10 inches with the occasional 13 inch fish taken as well... Grassy is a popular destination right now. Fishing was great
Call Dan's Resort at (906) 647-8753 for the latest fishing conditions
If this doesn't get you excited...
Walleye Derby: January 26-29th
Last Chance Derby: March 9-10th at Dan's Resort
Indian Lake and Manistique Lake have ice with perch and walleye biting
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie: Has open water fishing. The occasional jumbo perch and some bluegills were caught off the docks at the Metro Park Marina. The bait of choice was minnows or wax worms, depending on the day.
Huron River: Has open water and was producing some bigger steelhead.
Detroit River: Has open water with minimal ice coming downriver. Few anglers were out except for those fishing the canals around Gibraltar.
Maceday Lake: In Oakland County was giving up good numbers of lake trout in 5 to 10 feet of water however ice conditions will be unpredictable with the warm weather.
Lexington: Watch the edges where the ice is thin. Catch rates were not as good as last week but those putting in some time were catching steelhead, the odd brown trout and some perch when using wax worms, spikes, minnows or a bare hook.
Port Sanilac: Ice conditions are poor and not fishable.
Harbor Beach: Ice fishing activity is confined to about half of the City Marina and Offshore Marina where anglers are sorting through perch. Detroit Edison apparently went online and blew the ice out of the discharge channel.
Saginaw Bay: Ice conditions remain marginal to poor throughout the bay and the ports on the outside of the Thumb. Windy conditions blew out some of the ice in various locations so anglers will have to be flexible in picking a place to fish. Warm weather this week will not help, so be careful out there! Wear waders and possibly a floatation jacket or float coat if you go out. Most are fishing in 2 to 5 feet of water with soft colored beads on jack hooks. Perch ranging 8 to 14 inches were caught off Newman, Townline 16 and Cody-Estey Road but some of the ice blew out so be careful. Perch anglers inside the Linwood Marina were also sorting out a few keepers. Some were fishing off the Bay City State Park, but success rates were unknown. Near Quanicassee, perch success was hit-or-miss at Vanderbilt Park. Lots of small perch and the odd pike were caught in the marina basin at Sebewaing. Ice conditions between Sebewaing and Bay Port were not consistent. Some quads have gone through the ice in this area. The ice in Wildfowl Bay is in poor condition. An air-boat went out to the Slot off Geiger Road for walleye but they broke the ice most of the way out there. They did report seeing lots of dead and dying gizzard shad, so the chance that a walleye will hit your spoon is pretty slim. Poor ice conditions have stopped anglers from fishing along the breakwall at Caseville. Ice shanties were out at Port Austin for those spearing pike.
Saginaw River: The Shiver on the River Walleye Tournament kicked off last weekend, and it looks like boat fishing will be the way to go. Ice has been pushed out of the Rust Avenue ramp and a dock has been put in. The Zilwaukee ramp has been cleared and boats should have access from the ramp on Cass Avenue which is on the south end of Bay City. In all cases, anglers should bring along a spud and a bag of salt to deal with unforeseen ice conditions. The ramps were still iced in at the Veterans Ramp in Bay City and Essexville. At the mouth, the Patterson ramp had too much ice to launch a boat.
Tittabawassee River: Some boats have been launching at Gordonville Road and going up to fish below the Dow Dam, but success rates were poor because there are not a lot of walleye up that far. Floating ice can be an issue. Not much activity elsewhere because of ice at the launch ramps.
Southwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
St. Joseph River: Has fair to good steelhead fishing. Try spawn or jigs with wax worms below the dams.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Has boat and shore anglers catching steelhead and walleye. For steelhead, try chartreuse spawn bags, wobble glows with a 5 foot leader, or white jigs with 3 or 4 wax worms. Those back bouncing are using spawn with a 2 foot leader between the dam and the lake. Those trolling caught steelhead and walleye on Hot-n-Tots. Good colors were black and gold, orange and gold or blue with red lips. Walleye were caught off the Fulton Street Bridge when using white twister tails or bucktail jigs.
Grand River at Lansing: Most of the action continues to be for steelhead at the Webber Dam and Prairie Creek near Ionia. No word on walleye fishing.
Lake Lansing: Had ice however conditions will deteriorate rapidly with the warm weather. Stay safe and fish in shallow waters only for right now.
Lake Ovid: Had ice however conditions will most likely not hold after the current warm spell.
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL FROM PILGRIM
VILLAGE FISHING SHOP 231-775-5412
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL
FROM PILGRIM VILLAGE FISHING SHOP
Walleye Pro Mark Martin, Mike Gofron, Mark Brumbaugh and several Sports Writers were among the Visitors fishing our lakes. New to the area, like most they had a slow beginning. However, it didn't take them long to pattern both Lakes Mitchell and Cadillac. Fishing in the worst weather, rain, slush, fog, snow and wind they did their best. Most of us stayed in doors during that mix of weather. They are the pros and we're not.
In a short time all species were accounted for. They caught walleye, pike, gills, perch, and crappie. Several bass were also caught and released unharmed. Expect the Pros to return.
They reinforced what we already knew. The best fishing is in the dark, both morning and into evening. On cloudy days the bite last longer. Healthy weeds are our friends. Also electronics are a must.
Ice conditions are improving daily. Currently you'll find 10" plus on both lakes. Bring your power auger if you expect to hole hop. Snowmobiles and quads ae packing trails on the new snow.
Finally, the Pilgrim Villages 10th Annual Pike Spearing Contest started with the safe ice. Sign up before you fish. No charge. Prizes for 6 places and a Youth Division.
Gary Swiger couldn't wait. As President of the Cadillac Dark House Association, he was one of the FIRST to register. First out with his shanty and in the FIRST hour speared a 32 3/8" pike. He is in FIRST Place with the FIRST and only speared pike.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN WEATHER
You've just discovered the most extensive information available to the Great Lakes Angler and Charter Fisherman I've been able to put together so far. Please keep in mind, there's well over 150 different pages, full of my original content containing an a complete encyclopedia fishing tips, past results, photos, tricks and "how to's." Only here, are the techniques to consistently catch more and larger fish are revealed in an easy to read and understand format""
E-mail me at kingscharter@yahoo.com Capt. John
Capt. Jack Duffy is the kind of licensed charterboat skipper who has a zest for life, a burning desire to make every fishing trip memorable and the stuff of which fishing dreams and legends are made. He is outgoing, wildly in love with fishing Lake Michigan for trophy Chinook and coho salmon, and the creamy-spotted lake trout that makes anglers enjoy catching fish. He also catches brown trout and high-jumping steelhead.
Call Capt. Jack at 231-883-7530 to book your next fishing adventure.
FISHING CONDITIONS ON BUDD LAKE AND LONG LAKE AND SURROUNDING LAKES IN THE HARRISON REGION CALL MIKE AT K. D. QUIK STOP IN HARRISON . 989-539-1269
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