Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Things are Looking Good
Interlochen- Green Lake by Interlochen has some shore ice and the snow is settling so the cold is now making more ice. Most shallow lakes are reporting 4 to 5 inches of ice.
Leroy and Lakeview reporting in with good ice conditions with panfish and pike biting. Call The Eyes Have It in Leroy 231-768-5653 for ice conditions and Tamarack Sports @989-352-7527 in Lakeview.
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL
FROM PILGRIM VILLAGE FISHING SHOP
We’re back on the ice!
Fishermen are itching to get on the ice because first ice can be some of the best fishing of the year.
Some started fishing lakes Cadillac and Mitchell Thursday, December 6.
Depending on where you are, ice thickness varies 3 to 6 inches with snow cover. Fortunately most is at the 6” level.
Our favorite fish - Pike 
have started strong.
Pictured is Jeff Leatherman. He’s always one of the first out and kept one of several pike caught, a healthy 31 incher.
Tom Fisher, another first icer, is seen with his limit of 30 inch pike. He’s a believer in jigging Rapalas.
The fish of the week were caught by John Dunbar and Gordon Reed. They have a reputation for catching monsters. The largest of their limits was 37 inches, 12 pounds.
Unfortunately most Panfishermen don’t bring in their catch for photographs. However, we’re hearing of perch, crappie and some gills. Haven’t heard of limits but worth while numbers.
Don’t take the ice for granted. Use your spud to check you way. It’s early and there’s lots of lake no ones been on yet. Keep a set of ice spikes with you just in case.
See you on the ice.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Snow Has Hurt Ice
Snow has hurt the ice north of M-55 as we have lots of slush with a couple of inches of ice.
I’m hearing of some good ice around Gladwin, and Harrison. Wiggins Lake there is very good fishing with limit catches of gills and crappie. Muddy Bay on Wiggins Lake has started with a few fish being caught.
The snow has hurt the ice with very few going out on the ice in the Gaylord and Grayling area
If you plan on heading out, remember to check the thickness of the ice in front of you with a spud and let someone know where you will be fishing and when you plan on returning.
Upper Peninsula:
The ice-fishing season started around Marquette and on Lake Gogebic prior to all the snow from earlier this week. However, now that the lakes are covered with slush and snow, access for foot traffic on the lakes is limited for anglers.
Anglers on Little Bay de Noc, north of Gladstone, are starting to get out on the bay. Being that people started fishing through the ice on the bay just a couple of days ago, there are no accurate reports on how the perch, pike or walleye fishing is going.
All the snow that the eastern half of the Upper Peninsula received earlier in the week has put a stop to the ice-fishing action that had started in the Manistique, St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie areas.
Northwest:
With no safe ice, fishing activity this week is slow in the Alanson and Boyne City areas.
Around Traverse City, the steelhead fishing is fair along the Boardman River. In the Frankfort area, anglers venturing out along the Betsie and Platte rivers are catching a few steelhead.
By Kalkaska, very few people have been out. However, anglers by the Elk Rapids Dam are catching an occasional steelhead.
Out of the Gaylord area, the steelhead fishing ranges from slow to fair on sections of the Boyne and Jordan rivers.
And at Cadillac, fishing activity is slow due to the lack of safe ice on lakes Cadillac and Mitchell.
West:
Out of the Ludington area, anglers surfcasting along the Lake Michigan shoreline near the mouth of the Pere Marquette River are reeling in a few steelhead. The steelhead fishing is fair on the river. Anglers on the piers along Lake Michigan are catching a few whitefish.
By Muskegon, Muskegon Lake is producing fair perch and walleye fishing, when the weather allows anglers to get out. The perch are hitting on spikes and minnows, the best time to be out for the walleye is at night. Anglers are catching a few walleye along the Muskegon Channel. On the Muskegon River, the steelhead fishing is fair. In Baldwin, fishing activity is slow this week on Chippewa Lake due to unsafe ice.
Northeast:
Due to a lack of safe ice, fishing activity this week near Alpena and Grayling is slow.
The Au Sable River is producing fair steelhead and whitefish action for anglers near Oscoda. A few perch are being caught by anglers on Cooke Dam Pond and Van Etten Lake.
Some ice is starting to form on both Higgins and Houghton lakes, but there is nothing that is safe enough to get out on and do any fishing.
And at Au Gres, the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay are producing fair bluegill, crappie and perch fishing.
East:
Around Linwood, anglers are starting to catch a few perch on the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay.
By Bay City and Bay Port, some skim ice is starting to form on Saginaw Bay, nothing that is safe enough to get out on and that is keeping fishing activity slow this week.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Snow Hurting Ice
Northern Michigan has been hammered since Saturday Afternoon with a foot of snow and a half an inch rain. Mother Nature saw a nail and has been hammering us hard.
The small lakes have a heavy snow on little ice which is a very bad combination. Have not heard much on ice fishing as a few are getting out on some small bays. We will have cold weather all week and we will be fishing on some smaller lakes.
It is looking like greys, perch shiners and blues will be available before Christmas if all goes well at the lab. Prices will be up as testing is very expensive.