01-31-2008, 10:41 PM
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday January 31, 2008 [/font] [font "Arial, Helvetica"]Recreational Fishing Report[/font]
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]![[Image: fish_reportmap2_23340_7.gif]](http://www.michigan.gov/images/fish_reportmap2_23340_7.gif)
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[url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]
Ice anglers are reminded to use caution as it will take a few days for the cold spell to tighten the ice back up. Heavy snow will insulate the ice and prevent the freezing process, so be careful especially in the areas with heavy snowfall.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Anglers are still fishing off the Metro Park Marina and off Point Mouillee around the Banana Dyke.
Huron River - Water levels are up but the river is still fishable. Those floating spawn or wax worms have caught steelhead.
Detroit River - Has ice coming down the river and the waters are cloudy. Shore anglers are catching perch near the warm water discharge of the power plants. Perch are being caught in Airport Bay. Some are fishing in and the around the marinas. Try perch rigs with minnows.
Lake St. Clair - Has ice in some of the popular fishing spots such as Metro Beach, the Spillway, off Cotton Road, Brandenburg and Fair Haven. The waters between Brandenburg Park and Fair Haven were clean, but the waters south of Brandenburg down to St. Clair Shores were muddy. Ice thickness varies quite a bit, and there are some thin spots, so anglers should use extreme caution. Perch fishing was slow but some nice fish were caught.
Salt River - Is loaded with perch, but nothing over 8 inches.
Saginaw Bay - Ice has reformed around the bay and anglers are venturing out. Up near the Pine River, anglers are taking a lot of small perch. Walleye anglers were going out to 15 feet of water, but no reports on success. Some walleye were caught near the Black Hole off Erickson Road and about four miles off Linwood in waters 17 to 19 feet deep. Small perch were caught in the marina basins at Caseville.
Saginaw River - Ice anglers caught a few legal walleye near Ojibway Island in Saginaw, Anderson's Marina in Bay City, and down near the Independence Bridge. Jigging spoons and rapalas baited with minnows worked best. The big perch were caught near the mouth when using perch rigs with minnows in 8 to 17 feet of water.
Quanicassee River - Small perch have been caught and released in abundance.
Sebewaing River - Lots of small perch have been caught. Anglers will need to do a lot of sorting.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Lakes in this area of the state have extremely variable ice conditions. Most anglers are staying in the channels and small bays.
St. Joe River - Has some ice coming down the river. No steelhead activity to report.
Saddle Bag Lake - Near Marcellus reports crappie and bluegills being caught.
Lake of the Woods - Near Decatur has bluegill fishing.
Paw Paw Lake - Those fishing around Curtis Island were taking pike and bluegills in the evening. Bluegills were also caught in Sherwood Bay.
Kalamazoo River - Had fair to good walleye catches near the Allegan Dam and downstream.
Lake Macatawa - Anglers were catching a mixed bag of panfish along the Sand Docks.
Grand River at Lansing - Walleye anglers fishing the North Lansing Dam are using minnows or crawlers on a lead head jig. A few small pike have also been caught.
Lake Ovid - Has ice fishing and most anglers have been on the west side of the lake. Bluegills were plentiful but many were small. Perch fishing was slow.
Muskegon Lake - Was iced over with water on top, which should have froze up with cold front. Until it does freeze up good, anglers need to use extreme caution. Those fishing by the Sand Docks have caught walleye, perch, pike and crappie. Anglers were also fishing in Snug Harbor and around the marinas.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Grand Lake - Ice fishing conditions remain strong. Warmer weather will improve catch rates.
Long Lake - Ice fishing is still going strong but the bite has been slow, which is usually the case this time of year.
Alpena - There is some ice in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay River - Has ice in the turn basin and lower river but no anglers were seen.
Fletcher's Floodwaters - Has good ice fishing for bluegills, crappie and perch. Those with tip-ups have taken a few pike in the south end of the lake.
Tawas Bay - Perch anglers are catching lots of 3 to 6 inch perch and having to sort like mad to get a few keepers. Cold weather has been the cause of slow walleye fishing. The waters did clear up enough for good pike spearing, but even that has been slow.
Au Gres River - Anglers report lots of small perch and sub-legal walleye.
Higgins Lake - Ice fishing continues. Perch are hitting on minnows and wigglers just off the bottom in waters 40 to 50 feet deep. Lake trout have been caught in 100 feet of water when using tip-ups about 5 feet off the bottom.
Houghton Lake - Walleye are hitting on swedish pimples, rapalas, and wobblers. While many of the fish caught were sub-legal, a few keepers have been caught. Some nice 10 to 14 inch perch were caught near the Middle Grounds and up in the northeast corner of the lake. The fish are suspended in 10 to 14 feet of water. Northern pike action has been very good when using tip-ups with golden shiners or sucker minnows on a red treble hook. Bluegill action was spotty.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Skegemog Lake - Anglers are catching perch.
Big Twin Lake - In Kalkaska County, anglers were starting to get some smelt.
Boardman River - Was producing some steelhead.
Long Lake - Those fishing around South Island and Fox Island were taking a mixed bag of fish when still-fishing or jigging with minnows in 12 to 20 feet of water. The walleye anglers did best around dusk, but some of the fish were small. Good numbers of perch have been caught but many were small. The fishing off Hartman Park has been hit-or-miss.
Green Lake - Anglers were starting to fish near the National Music Camp. The ice on the rest of the lake is questionable.
Betsie River - Should still have some steelhead in it.
Manistee River - Steelhead fishing was good before the deep freeze.
Lake Missaukee - Good size crappies and some walleye were caught. Most of the pike were not keepers.
Lake Cadillac - Has good ice fishing, but the cold front moving in will most likely slow things down again. The perch were suspended in 20 feet of water. Those seeking northern pike have done well when spearing or using tip-ups.
Lake Mitchell - Continues to host good ice fishing. Look for walleye on the east side of the lake. For bluegills, try the west side of the lake off the coves. Northern pike action has been very good for those spearing or using tip-ups.
Upper Hamlin Lake - Has fair to good panfish action. Try early morning or evening off Barnhart Road.
Pere Marquette Lake - Has iced over, but with warmer temperatures and rain, anglers should give the cold front a couple days to tighten the ice back up.
Upper Peninsula
Thousand Island Lake Chain - In Gogebic County has good panfish action.
Lac Vieux Desert Lake - Limits of pike have been caught.
Portage Lake - Fishing has slowed. Chassell Bay has produced a few pike on tip ups with sucker minnows. Most of the activity out on the Humps has taken place between 5pm and 6:30pm, but the bite was slow. There has been no panfish activity to report. The ice was slushy so be careful with any motorized vehicle.
Fortune Lake - In Iron County has good northern pike action.
Michigamme Reservoir - Also has good northern pike action so make sure you drill that hole big enough.
Cowboy Lake - In Dickinson County had good panfish action.
Badwater Lake - Also in Dickinson County, had good panfish action.
Little Bay De Noc - Anglers report good ice in the northern sections of the bay and fair to dangerous conditions on the southern sections all the way down to Breezy Point. Heavy snowfalls have made travel difficult. Though walleye fishing was a bit on the slow side, fish were caught when jigging in 18 to 30 feet of water between Gladstone and Kipling. Some were fishing right on the break off Portage Point, but this is new ice on top of very deep waters so extreme caution needs to be used. Walleye were also caught out from the Terrace when fishing about 8 feet off the bottom in 40 feet of water. Perch anglers have done best when jigging minnows or wigglers in 17 feet of water off Kipling. Those spearing northern pike say the action is starting to pick up. Try 6 to 10 feet of water around the Escanaba Yacht Harbor. No whitefish anglers to report at this time.
Munuscong - Walleye ranging from 15 to 22 inches have been caught. Nice perch were caught in 3 to 6 feet of water while jigging with minnow heads. Use extreme caution if you plan to venture out past 7 feet of water because of the lack of good ice.
Cedarville and Hessel - Anglers fishing Musky Bay are catching yellow perch along with the occasional northern pike while jigging with minnows, wax worms and wigglers in 7 to 10 feet of water. The bigger perch measuring 11 to 14 inches were caught in Moscoe Channel in 4 to 6 feet of water, but fewer fish were caught.
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]
[/font] [url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]
Ice anglers are reminded to use caution as it will take a few days for the cold spell to tighten the ice back up. Heavy snow will insulate the ice and prevent the freezing process, so be careful especially in the areas with heavy snowfall.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Anglers are still fishing off the Metro Park Marina and off Point Mouillee around the Banana Dyke.
Huron River - Water levels are up but the river is still fishable. Those floating spawn or wax worms have caught steelhead.
Detroit River - Has ice coming down the river and the waters are cloudy. Shore anglers are catching perch near the warm water discharge of the power plants. Perch are being caught in Airport Bay. Some are fishing in and the around the marinas. Try perch rigs with minnows.
Lake St. Clair - Has ice in some of the popular fishing spots such as Metro Beach, the Spillway, off Cotton Road, Brandenburg and Fair Haven. The waters between Brandenburg Park and Fair Haven were clean, but the waters south of Brandenburg down to St. Clair Shores were muddy. Ice thickness varies quite a bit, and there are some thin spots, so anglers should use extreme caution. Perch fishing was slow but some nice fish were caught.
Salt River - Is loaded with perch, but nothing over 8 inches.
Saginaw Bay - Ice has reformed around the bay and anglers are venturing out. Up near the Pine River, anglers are taking a lot of small perch. Walleye anglers were going out to 15 feet of water, but no reports on success. Some walleye were caught near the Black Hole off Erickson Road and about four miles off Linwood in waters 17 to 19 feet deep. Small perch were caught in the marina basins at Caseville.
Saginaw River - Ice anglers caught a few legal walleye near Ojibway Island in Saginaw, Anderson's Marina in Bay City, and down near the Independence Bridge. Jigging spoons and rapalas baited with minnows worked best. The big perch were caught near the mouth when using perch rigs with minnows in 8 to 17 feet of water.
Quanicassee River - Small perch have been caught and released in abundance.
Sebewaing River - Lots of small perch have been caught. Anglers will need to do a lot of sorting.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Lakes in this area of the state have extremely variable ice conditions. Most anglers are staying in the channels and small bays.
St. Joe River - Has some ice coming down the river. No steelhead activity to report.
Saddle Bag Lake - Near Marcellus reports crappie and bluegills being caught.
Lake of the Woods - Near Decatur has bluegill fishing.
Paw Paw Lake - Those fishing around Curtis Island were taking pike and bluegills in the evening. Bluegills were also caught in Sherwood Bay.
Kalamazoo River - Had fair to good walleye catches near the Allegan Dam and downstream.
Lake Macatawa - Anglers were catching a mixed bag of panfish along the Sand Docks.
Grand River at Lansing - Walleye anglers fishing the North Lansing Dam are using minnows or crawlers on a lead head jig. A few small pike have also been caught.
Lake Ovid - Has ice fishing and most anglers have been on the west side of the lake. Bluegills were plentiful but many were small. Perch fishing was slow.
Muskegon Lake - Was iced over with water on top, which should have froze up with cold front. Until it does freeze up good, anglers need to use extreme caution. Those fishing by the Sand Docks have caught walleye, perch, pike and crappie. Anglers were also fishing in Snug Harbor and around the marinas.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Grand Lake - Ice fishing conditions remain strong. Warmer weather will improve catch rates.
Long Lake - Ice fishing is still going strong but the bite has been slow, which is usually the case this time of year.
Alpena - There is some ice in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay River - Has ice in the turn basin and lower river but no anglers were seen.
Fletcher's Floodwaters - Has good ice fishing for bluegills, crappie and perch. Those with tip-ups have taken a few pike in the south end of the lake.
Tawas Bay - Perch anglers are catching lots of 3 to 6 inch perch and having to sort like mad to get a few keepers. Cold weather has been the cause of slow walleye fishing. The waters did clear up enough for good pike spearing, but even that has been slow.
Au Gres River - Anglers report lots of small perch and sub-legal walleye.
Higgins Lake - Ice fishing continues. Perch are hitting on minnows and wigglers just off the bottom in waters 40 to 50 feet deep. Lake trout have been caught in 100 feet of water when using tip-ups about 5 feet off the bottom.
Houghton Lake - Walleye are hitting on swedish pimples, rapalas, and wobblers. While many of the fish caught were sub-legal, a few keepers have been caught. Some nice 10 to 14 inch perch were caught near the Middle Grounds and up in the northeast corner of the lake. The fish are suspended in 10 to 14 feet of water. Northern pike action has been very good when using tip-ups with golden shiners or sucker minnows on a red treble hook. Bluegill action was spotty.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Skegemog Lake - Anglers are catching perch.
Big Twin Lake - In Kalkaska County, anglers were starting to get some smelt.
Boardman River - Was producing some steelhead.
Long Lake - Those fishing around South Island and Fox Island were taking a mixed bag of fish when still-fishing or jigging with minnows in 12 to 20 feet of water. The walleye anglers did best around dusk, but some of the fish were small. Good numbers of perch have been caught but many were small. The fishing off Hartman Park has been hit-or-miss.
Green Lake - Anglers were starting to fish near the National Music Camp. The ice on the rest of the lake is questionable.
Betsie River - Should still have some steelhead in it.
Manistee River - Steelhead fishing was good before the deep freeze.
Lake Missaukee - Good size crappies and some walleye were caught. Most of the pike were not keepers.
Lake Cadillac - Has good ice fishing, but the cold front moving in will most likely slow things down again. The perch were suspended in 20 feet of water. Those seeking northern pike have done well when spearing or using tip-ups.
Lake Mitchell - Continues to host good ice fishing. Look for walleye on the east side of the lake. For bluegills, try the west side of the lake off the coves. Northern pike action has been very good for those spearing or using tip-ups.
Upper Hamlin Lake - Has fair to good panfish action. Try early morning or evening off Barnhart Road.
Pere Marquette Lake - Has iced over, but with warmer temperatures and rain, anglers should give the cold front a couple days to tighten the ice back up.
Upper Peninsula
Thousand Island Lake Chain - In Gogebic County has good panfish action.
Lac Vieux Desert Lake - Limits of pike have been caught.
Portage Lake - Fishing has slowed. Chassell Bay has produced a few pike on tip ups with sucker minnows. Most of the activity out on the Humps has taken place between 5pm and 6:30pm, but the bite was slow. There has been no panfish activity to report. The ice was slushy so be careful with any motorized vehicle.
Fortune Lake - In Iron County has good northern pike action.
Michigamme Reservoir - Also has good northern pike action so make sure you drill that hole big enough.
Cowboy Lake - In Dickinson County had good panfish action.
Badwater Lake - Also in Dickinson County, had good panfish action.
Little Bay De Noc - Anglers report good ice in the northern sections of the bay and fair to dangerous conditions on the southern sections all the way down to Breezy Point. Heavy snowfalls have made travel difficult. Though walleye fishing was a bit on the slow side, fish were caught when jigging in 18 to 30 feet of water between Gladstone and Kipling. Some were fishing right on the break off Portage Point, but this is new ice on top of very deep waters so extreme caution needs to be used. Walleye were also caught out from the Terrace when fishing about 8 feet off the bottom in 40 feet of water. Perch anglers have done best when jigging minnows or wigglers in 17 feet of water off Kipling. Those spearing northern pike say the action is starting to pick up. Try 6 to 10 feet of water around the Escanaba Yacht Harbor. No whitefish anglers to report at this time.
Munuscong - Walleye ranging from 15 to 22 inches have been caught. Nice perch were caught in 3 to 6 feet of water while jigging with minnow heads. Use extreme caution if you plan to venture out past 7 feet of water because of the lack of good ice.
Cedarville and Hessel - Anglers fishing Musky Bay are catching yellow perch along with the occasional northern pike while jigging with minnows, wax worms and wigglers in 7 to 10 feet of water. The bigger perch measuring 11 to 14 inches were caught in Moscoe Channel in 4 to 6 feet of water, but fewer fish were caught.