Higgins and Green Lake have ice and fisherman are out and about catching smelt along with the usual suspects
Northwestern Michigan
Leroy- Reports are guys are getting out and gills are biting with good pike action Call Eye’s Have It for latest info 231-768-5653
Baldwin- The little lakes around Baldwin are safe and pan fish has been fair. Call Baldwin Bait @ 231-745-3529 or Ed’s Sport @ 231-745-4974
Big Glen- Had a skim but no reports yet. Fishhook@ (231) 256-9496
Little Glen- Has ice and maybe the perch will start biting the perch are biting Call Fishhook@ (231) 256-9496.
Lake Leelanau: North Lake Leelanau has skimmed over, South Lake Leelanau is froze with 5 to 8 inches of ice and fair walleye, perch and pike. Call Fishhook@ (231) 256-9496 for latest info
Manistee Lake by Kalkaska- Good fishing this week with perch, pike, walleye and a few gills in the canals ice is 3 to 5 inches Call Jacks Sport Shop 231-258-8892
Spider Lake and Arbutus- 10 to 12 inches of ice with pike and pan fish biting, a huge pike was caught out of there last week Call Roy’s General Store @ 231-946-5633
Lake Dubonnet- Lots of fisherman fishing this lake with great pike action with some pan fish
Duck Lake: Lots of fisherman off of Strawberry Point and the peninsula
Green Lake: They are catching smelt during the day today the ice is 3 to 5 but has lots of snow on it so be careful but quite a few guys out today. Spikes and waxworms on Hali Jigs
Long Lake: They are fishing the whole lake with the better bite off of Crescent shores. Call MC Sports @ 231-933-6158
Skegemog-Has completely froze over and lots of people are walking out also quads a driving with many shanties on the lake. Call Jack’s Sport Shop@231-258-8892
Fife Lake- Has ice and a few big pike have been caught, along with perch There was a bunch of guys off the access site today Call Lakeside Party @ 231-879-4346
Portage Lake- They were out in force today on Portage with good pike and perch bite Call Osborne’s@ 231-889-3775
Hamlin Lake- Has safe ice and many out and about catching fish . Call PM Expeditions@ 231-425-8913 or Hamlin Grocery@(231) 843-2058
Bear Lake- Has 8 to 12 inches of ice today with a few getting out catching pike. Osborne’s@ 231-889-3775
Lake Missaukee- Has safe ice Today a few guys were venturing out and report 8 to 12 inches of good ice with pike and gills are biting good Call Miller Corner@ 231-839-0440 or Hopkins Outfitters@ 231-839-FISH (3474)
Cadillac and Mitchell- Has Safe Ice!!!!, Lake Cadillac they are fishing off the causeway and it has looked like a city on the ice this week Call Pilgrim Village for latest info@ 231-775-5412
Betsie River: Continues to produce some steelhead.
Big Manistee River: Is fishable and should have a fair to good number of steelhead including some fresh fish. Many are fly fishing below Tippy Dam.
Little Manistee River: Is producing steelhead and the occasional brown trout however the river will close to fishing on January 1st and will reopen on April 1st.
Pere Marquette River: Should still have some good steelhead fishing. Those fly fishing seem to catch more fish.
Pentwater: Pentwater Lake is froze and they should be out on the lake today catching perch Call Pentwater Angler for the latest info@ 231-869-5357
Whitehall: White Lake has ice with good pike and perch bite today. Call armstrongs@231–894-6753 or Johnson’s Outdoors @ 231-893-6688
Northeast Michigan
Lewiston- Both East and West Twin are froze and perch, pike and walleye are biting Call Mid Lakes Market @ (989) 786-3227
Mio- Mio Pong has froze and a few are getting out on the lake. Call Jig’s Bait Shop@ (989) 826-3467
Lake St. Helen- Fishing has been good with 5 to 8 inches of ice lots of pike, with pan fish on the bite with a few walleye being caught. Call Macomb’s Tackle Box @ 989-389-2100
Pratt Lake and Wiggins Lake– has safe ice and many have been doing good on pan fish and pike. Call Chappel Dam@ 989-426-7503
Wixom and Sanford Lake- Reports are the lake is safeand fisherman have been getting out on the shallow bays catching crappie, gills and pike. Call Sanford Sport Shop@989-687-5161 or Sandy’s Market@ (989) 435-9688
Secord Lake has had a great bite this week Sandy’s Market@ (989) 435-9688
Fletcher’s Floodwaters- Reports are the ice is safe and the pike fishing has been good. Call Bill’s @989-742-4874
Black Lake- Has 6 to 9inches of ice and a good walleye bite Call Parrots Outpost for the latest ice conditions (989) 733-2472
Burt Lake: Perch and walleye fishing has been good.
Grand lake and Long Lake- Both lakes are safe and fisherman are venturing out catching perch and pike, Call Bucks@ 989-595-2121
Otsego Lake- The ice is safe and many shanties are on the lake. A few sturgeon have been caught off the State Park and good perch, pike and a few walleyes on Otsego Lake. Perch fishing has been fair on Bradford, chub Lake trout fishing has been good. Call Northern Sports@ 987-448-2014
Lake Margrethe- The lake is completely froze with 8 to 12 inches of ice and good fish being caught. There are quite a few shanties on the lake. Call Skip’s Sport @ 989-348-7111
Higgins Lake- Has from 4 to 6 inches of ice and saw a quad on the lake but no recommended yet off the west access and there were guys out last night trying for smelt South-end of the lake there are lots of shanties on the lake with great pike and perch right now.. Call Phoenix Park 989-821-7220 or Sports Barn 989-821-9511 for latest ice conditions
Houghton Lake- Ice fishing is on and anglers are setting up their shanties. Dave @ 4 season says off of long point good perch and walleye are being caught Lyman’s has started putting their shanties out call them for your reservations@ 989-422-3231 Also Dave @ Four Season is getting ready to put his Shanties out and said last night they did good on the walleyes and pike. Call him @ 989-422-5230. Angelos Party Store also has shanty retail call him @ 989-202-4422 ask for Lou. It is Tip Up Town Weekend
Lake Avalon: In Montmorency County is producing a few bigger splake.
Alpena: The boat ramps are frozen in. A few perch were caught in the harbor.
Au Sable River: The ramps are usable. Steelhead were caught from Foote Dam all the way down to Oscoda and the mouth. Boat anglers are back drifting plugs or casting spawn.
Higgins Lake: Has from 4 to 6 inches of ice and saw a quad on the lake but no recommended yet off the west access South-end of the lake there are lots of shanties on the lake with great pike and perch right now.
Tawas: Good numbers of perch were caught off Jerry’s Marina back in the “Armpit” in 15 to 18 feet of water. Anglers are sorting out the small ones and still taking some fish home. Some caught the odd steelhead, lake trout, brown trout or pike. Walleye were caught near dusk. Pike spearing in Tawas Bay is just getting started.
Tawas River: Had no report. Floating ice has made fishing very difficult.
Au Gres River: Is in the process of freezing over.
Upper Peninsula Report
Newberry- Has good ice on most the small lakes with pike biting fair.
Munuscong Bay –Dan’s Resort in Pickford reports Has a lot of snow on the ice which is preventing anglers from taking four-wheelers out. Walleye and perch fishing are fair for anglers trying to get out to 5 feet of water. The area east of Roach Point is dangerous because the ice deteriorated with the thaw and the new ice is still very thin. Avoid this area!. Call Dan’s Resort @ (906) 647-8753
Manistique– Ice is forming good on Indian Lake and Big Manistique and they look to be fishing this weekend Call Top O Lakes Sport@ 906-341-5241
Many lakes in Keweenaw, Houghton, and Baraga County had too much slush for ice fishing. The slush makes for difficult travel as well as slow fishing.
Lake Gogebic: Ice anglers caught perch in Bergland Bay. A few walleye were also caught along the North end.
Lac Vieux Desert: Ice anglers are catching good numbers of pike ranging 16 to 24 inches. Most are using tip-ups with golden shiners over the weed beds in 6 feet of water. Only a few anglers have caught walleye. A good number of bluegills were caught on wax worms in 6 to 10 feet of water. The fish range 6.5 to 7.5 inches. Some caught crappie. As for perch, anglers are catching them however most of the fish caught were 8 inches or smaller.
Portage Lake: In Houghton County has ice. Anglers caught crappie near Chassell.
Keweenaw Bay: Has no ice. Huron Bay has shore ice only.
Groveland Mine Ponds: In Dickinson County have ice. High winds and rain made fishing difficult on Island Lake as it turned into an ice rink. Anglers may want to bring cleats for easier access. Bluegills were hitting on minnows, wigglers and wax worms in 8 to 12 feet of water. Many were small but a good number of 7 inch fish were also taken. A few perch and black crappie were also caught. Both the East Lake and the West Lake had few anglers. The bite was slow with only small panfish caught by those jigging or using tip-ups.
Lake Antoine: Was producing bluegill and perch for those jigging minnows and wax worms however many were small. Most are fishing on the Northeast side. Those targeting northern pike were spear fishing and using tip-ups with large minnows on the North end of the lake.
Little Bay De Noc: Rain and warmer temperatures deteriorated the ice. The weak spots, pressure cracks, shoreline and river mouths were all in rough shape. Most are traveling on foot if they go out. Almost all the fishing has been north of the Narrows. A Safety Reminder: The pressure crack that runs across the North end of Butler Island is ALWAYS DANGEROUS. Anglers should avoid this area at all times even in good conditions. Several four wheelers and snowmobiles have already done through the ice. Overall, fishing was slow due to fewer anglers and no snow cover. The better catches were reported up at the head of the Bay near Garth Point when jigging wigglers and minnows in 10 to 13 feet of water. For walleye, those fishing well past dark did the best near Kipling, the Second and the Third Reef when jigging rapalas with minnows in 18 to 26 feet of water.
Cedarville and Hessel: Those off Cedarville have pulled their ice shanties to shore. Musky Bay had a few shacks remaining, but no catch reports came in. Perch in Musky Bay were picking up before the warm up so colder temperatures should help with catch rates.
| Lake Erie: Anglers are ice fishing for perch near the Metro Park and the Banana Dike. No machines for right now, foot traffic only.
Huron River: A couple anglers braving the cold were steelhead fishing.
Detroit River: Has ice coming down the river. Boats can no longer get out as the launch ramps are iced in. Those fishing Airport Bay are trying for perch but no word on catch rates. No machines are going out, foot traffic only.
Lake St. Clair: Cold temperatures are making ice but the process here is basically starting over again as the last warm spell completely wiped out all the ice. Anglers will need to use caution as this will be first ice all over again and fist ice can be dangerous ice. Try the Metro Park for bluegill or perch. New ice was reported off Selfridge and Gino’s however it may not be safe ice. Remember wind and currents can result in highly variable ice thickness.
Lexington: Anglers caught steelhead, brown trout and lake trout before the warm spell. The bite is sporadic and usually best on cloudy days. Most are using tiny jigs with spikes or small spawn bags. Brown trout eggs are good bait if you can catch one with eggs.
Port Sanilac: Ice is just getting started in the harbor. Some brown trout were caught in the South end of the harbor before the big thaw.
Harbor Beach: The Edison Plant is not generating so the discharge channel is not flowing. The harbor is starting to ice over again and one shanty was out a short distance from the boat launch.
Saginaw Bay: Mother Nature is making ice! With the cold weather, the prospects for ice fishing should improve this week. Ice is forming off White’s Beach, Pinconning and Newman Road. The only spot on the West side producing fish the last few days was inside the Linwood Marina where they caught a few perch. Action near the Hot Pond, mouth of the Saginaw River and off Quanicassee should pick back-up soon. Ice is forming along the East side of the bay however extreme caution needs to be because once again, this is first ice. A few fishing in the marina basin at Sebewaing caught a couple bluegills and the odd crappie. No activity at Bay Port. In Wildfowl Bay, strong winds blew over several pike spearing shacks.
Saginaw River: A couple boats launching at Zilwaukee did manage to catch a walleye up near the beanery. Freezing temperatures will most likely put an end to boat fishing as ice has started to form. In Bay City, all the launches were unusable due to shore ice. Anglers will have to wait until there is enough for ice fishing.
Tittabawassee River: Floating ice, slush and high flow made the river unfishable.
Southwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Ice conditions are getting better in this part of the state however anglers still need to use caution. Bluegill and pike were caught during the day. Black crappie were caught at night by those using jigs and minnows.
St. Joseph River: Steelhead fishing slowed with the cold front. Try using wax worms and jigs, Hot-n-Tots or spinners.
Kalamazoo River: Steelhead fishing slowed and few anglers were out. Try Hot-n-Tots or floating a jig and wax worm near the Allegan Dam.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Steelhead are still hitting though the action did slow with the cold front. Most are using spinners, yarn rigs, wobble glows, wax worms or spawn. A few walleye can still be found throughout the river. As for panfish, try fishing near the parks.
Grand River at Lansing: Those fishing at the Moore’s Park and North Lansing Dam are still taking a few walleye and pike along with the occasional steelhead. Everyone is shore fishing.
Lake Lansing: Reports a few anglers starting to ice fish.
Muskrat Lake: Is producing some bluegill.
Morrison Lake: Anglers are starting to ice fish.
Northeast |
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL
Snowmobilers, start your engines! Finally have a couple of inches of fresh snow, with more predicted every day for the next week. Should be a descent accumulation by the weekend.
There’s no shortage of ice either. Both Cadillac and Mitchell have a minimum of 6 to 12 inches of good, clear ice. Ice fishermen are happy to drive their quads and snowmobiles back and forth to their favorite spots. Temperatures are predicted below 10º this week – more ice. Better ice. Spuds are for safety. Hand augers will work. Power augers may add to your life span.
Keeper size bluegills and sunfish are finally being caught. Good numbers mixed with crappie are coming from the Causeway area on the west side of Lake Cadillac. Fish 12′ of water using red spikes and small jigs.
Hard core walleye anglers are doing best on Lake Mitchell. Light line tip-ups baited with medium size minnows account for most. Local anglers fish with a tip-up or two and jig a spoon or Rapala on a third line. The walleye will tell you whether they want the minnow or jigging bait.
Pike fishing has been good on both lakes. No one blinks at 30 inch pike any more. Excitement begins in the 35/36″ range. There have been that many. Hammer handles are still common but it’s a numbers game.
Crappie numbers and size are improving. Mitchell and Cadillac have equally good numbers. Walleye anglers accidentally catch the 12/13/14 inchers on tip-ups. Limit catches are mostly crappie, a few gills and maybe a desent perch or two. Crappie out number the other panfish.
The Pilgrim Village spearing Contest has not changed this week – except for the “other” category. Last week we mentioned there were no entries.
Green Lake is getting close as this weekend things should be good.
Higgins Lake has ice and by this weekend they will be fishing
