Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Higgins Lake
Higgins Lake has 6 inches of ice everywhere from the reports I got yesterday and the lake trout are biting great. Some perch and a few smelt have been caught also. Seems most the lakes have good ice with fish being caught on most lakes.
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL
FROM PILGRIM VILLAGE FISHING SHOP
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2008
The Cadillac Evening News printed a full, color page titled Frozen Fish, by Jeff Broddle this past weekend. Excellent photographs taken after a warm up of 50 degrees, heavy rain, and then blizzard conditions with winds gusting to 40 MPH. The article states that fishing hasn??t been great and those interviewed were disappointed in the size of their catch.
Fishing has been good, maybe not great. Jeff missed several happy fishermen with their catches this week. Let the pictures do the talking and you decide. We could have easily filled the page with quality fish and anglers not disappointed in their size, caught on Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell.
New year??s week was good to most of those who fished Lakes Mitchell or Cadillac. As you know, the weather pattern changes daily. The only constant is the cold which thickens the ice. Both lakes average 10 to 12 inches. It??s time to break out your gas auger if you expect to cut many holes.
Tip-up anglers have been successful on both lakes. Ted Fenicle from Portage, IN is our hero of the week. He iced a 41? pike while fishing Mitchell. Secret spot, east side by Mitchell State Park. His is the largest we??ve photographed this season. This week the pike on Mitchell were more active then on Cadillac. Limits were common especially in the cove areas. Bait with suckers or golden shiners in the weed beds to catch your prize.
The Causeway area on Cadillac??s west side is still the best place for a limit of crappies. No monsters, good eaters mostly in the 8 to 10 inch range. Their most active in the dark, early mornings or evenings. Small glow jigs tipped with minnows or red spikes work best. Hot jigs for this area have been Custom Spins Gill Pills and Diamond jigs. Don??t overlook the coves on Mitchell for crappie. Few report of limits, but usually they??re larger. Expect mixed catches of bluegills and a few keeper perch. They seem to take turns biting.
Walleye anglers are tight lipped. This weeks catches we??re in the 20 inch range coming from both lakes. If there??s any pattern, all were caught using lite line tip-ups with lively minnows. Flocarbon line works.
Perch fishing has been hit or miss. Seems like 1 out of 10 may be a keeper. Occasionally a few up to 12? show up but very few. For bragging size perch, go to a different lake.
Smelt Fishermen, good news. There is ice on Green Lake. Reports coming from the Music Camp side. Three to four inches ice and catches of 40 to 50.
Higgins Lake, 3 to 5 inches, no reports of smelt yet. It??s early for both lakes and conditions will improve.