Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Ice Fishing is Coming to an End
The weather has taken it’s toll on the ice and we will fish this weekend but after that it will be done.
Those trying to fish last ice need to use extreme caution as conditions will become even more dangerous with rain and warm temperatures in the forecast. It is time to start thinking about spring fishing. Anglers are reminded that walleye season on inland waters will close on Monday March 15th however; Saginaw Bay and the Great Lakes remain open all year round. March 15th also marks the end of spearing season for northern pike and musky.
Lake Mitchell has been awesome for big crappie
Higgins Lake- Still has ice with shorelinr getting a little rough. The smelt are really biting and can be caught during the day.
Lake St. Helen is reporting lots of pike with a panfish bite.
Margrethe and Otsego the shanties are off but a few are getting out and catching perch.
Portage Lake has ice and lots of pike being caught on golden shiners. Also great perch bite
Lake Missaukee - Has been good for bluegills with a few pike and walleye.
Lake Cadillac Ice fishing continues at least for a bit longer. Anglers are catching crappie along with the occasional bluegill. Pike are hitting on tip-ups. Avoid the areas near inlets or outlets especially with the warm weather and run-off.
Lake Mitchell -Had good crappie fishing with limits taken on the west side of the lake in Big Cove. This is also a good spot for pike.
Hamlin Lake - Some nice bluegills have been caught but not many. For crappie, try the drop-off along the Narrows in 15 to 25 feet of water with minnows after dark. Perch and a few walleye were caught along the drop-off south of the Narrows. Northern pike were hitting on tip-ups.
Saginaw Bay - Ice conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Shore ice is getting soft, pressure cracks are getting wider and machines are going through at many locations. Walleye and perch were caught in 5 feet of water off White’s Beach. Walleye were caught off Linwood and Erickson Road. Some were fishing off the Bay City State Park and near the mouth of the Kawkawlin River in 3 to 10 feet of water however the shore ice was deteriorating. Fishing out near Spoils Island was spotty but the action at the mouth of the Hot Ponds was good for those wading. Ice at the mouth of the Saginaw River is getting bad. Perch were caught off Vanderbilt Park and Quanicassee but walleye were taken off Thomas Road. Ice is getting bad in the marinas. Both the Sebewaing and Pigeon Rivers could open up in a few days given the weather.
Little Bay De Noc - Warm temperatures have taken their toll on ice conditions. Mud and slush around the shoreline have made accessing the ice difficult in some areas. Pressure cracks have opened up even more. Most anglers are staying in the northern part of the bay as the ice in the southern regions is failing. Dangers still exist on the northern sections so anglers need to use extreme caution. Foot traffic is best and no vehicles should be driving out on the ice. Those fishing the head of bay have caught walleye when using large sucker minnows on tip-ups in 6 to 13 feet of water. Catch rates for perch were slow but fish were caught off the Center Reef when jigging minnows in 28 to 33 feet of water. Fair whitefish action off Sand Point however ice conditions in this area are dangerous and should be avoided.
Saginaw River - People should stay off any remaining ice. In Saginaw, the river is open and boat anglers were catching walleye when vertical jigging or drifting jigs with minnows. Some had limits while others did not. Try launching off Rust Avenue which is on the west side of the river.
Tittabawassee River - The only boat ramp that is currently open is the Caldwell ramp located south of Midland off Gordonville Road. There has been a lot of activity however those fishing up near the Dow Dam reported slow catch rates. Sounds like the run of fish have not made it up that far.
Cedarville and Hessel - Anglers are catching smaller perch at the east end of Hessel Bay in 6 to 8 feet of water. Most are using minnows or wax worms. Musky Bay fishing is about the same with plenty of big perch being spotted but not biting. Those perch should start moving into shallow water soon which may increase catch rates. Moscoe Channel, Cedarville Bay and Little Joe are spotty but should increase as we move into spring.
Houghton Lake -Still has good ice. The is a great crappie bite on the lake with the cut river mouth being one of the hotspots.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Stop the Asian Carp Meeting
You are invited to join me and special guest Congressman Dave Camp for an Asian carp briefing this coming Monday, March 15, 2010 on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
There you can learn the latest information about our fight to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes and ask state experts about the risk Asian carp pose to the Lake Huron region.
Stop Asian Carp Public Briefing
Monday, March 15, 2010
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Saginaw Valley State University
Curtiss Hall, 2nd Floor
Seminar Rooms D&E
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Fishing is picking up
Sunday finally the fish started biting on many of the lakes which is great news . Perch on Big Glenn are still slow this week with just a few being caught, it seems Little Glenn has been better for perch but not as big. Ice fishing continues and we are looking forward to the March run. Those seeking panfish have started to catch some of the bigger fish in deeper waters. Walleye action continues around the state and those seeking pike have done well with tip-ups or when spearing.
The ice on inland lakes around the state is holding however anglers are reminded to still use caution. Stay away from areas that are known to have a current or run-off from melting snow. Shoreline ice will deteriorate quickly with temperatures up near 40 degrees. Lakes with snow cover may present travel problems due to slush. Permanent ice shanties in the southern portions of the Lower Peninsula should have been removed from the ice on March 1st.
The boys have been hitting Big Glenn but they still have not got back into them, they went to Portage Lake this week as a bite was on, but they found it slow with perch biting right at daybreak and they caught enough to eat. Lake Mitchell has been awesome for big crappie
Higgins Lake- Still had ice with little to no slush. Lake trout can be found in 80 to 90 feet of water. Smelt are being caught late evening and early morning. Fish the entire water column in 25 feet of water. Some bigger perch have started to bite however those bigger fish are scattered.
Lake St. Helen is reporting lots of pike with a panfish bite.
Down at Wixom Lake they are doing good off the access site with crappie and pike, also by the dam crappie haver been biting
Margrethe and Otsego have good ice and many shanties are showing up on the lakes with a poor bite. A huge muskie was caught on Lake Margrethe also sturgeon are being spotted on Otsego Lake.
Around Leroy, Farwell, Cadillac, Harrison and Sanford they have good ice and are catching fish.
Long Lake and Lake Leelanau by Traverse City have good ice for walking and perch and walleye are biting. Some are getting off the north-end but the best fishing is on the south-end but you need snowmobile as no public access on the south-end
Mullet Lake - Anglers have caught a few nice perch on the east side of the lake, but had to sort through many small ones. Not much activity with cisco, walleye, pike or musky.
Burt Lake - Ice anglers have started to catch a few walleye. Anglers should stay away from the large pressure crack between Colonial Point and Cedar Point. This area had open water last week and the ice that has formed is not safe. Perch fishing has been fair on Maple Bay and look for it to improve
Crystal Lake is froze and should be a great weekend for fishing with many getting off of Lobb rd. and doing good on smelt.
Portage Lake has great ice and lots of pike being caught on golden shiners. Also this week perch fishing has picked up
Green Lake - Smelt anglers can be found in the northeast corner of the lake between the Music Camp and the Betsie River. For pike, try using tip-ups in the shallows off the State Park.
Cedar Lake - Ice anglers are doing well on pike when using tip-ups with large minnows. Those targeting smelt are fishing day or night with teardrops or Hali jigs with spikes and wax worms.
Lake Missaukee - Has been good for bluegills with a few pike and walleye.
Lake Cadillac Ice fishing continues at least for a bit longer. Anglers are catching crappie along with the occasional bluegill. Pike are hitting on tip-ups. Avoid the areas near inlets or outlets especially with the warm weather and run-off.
Lake Mitchell -Had good crappie fishing with limits taken on the west side of the lake in Big Cove. This is also a good spot for pike.
Hamlin Lake - Some nice bluegills have been caught but not many. For crappie, try the drop-off along the Narrows in 15 to 25 feet of water with minnows after dark. Perch and a few walleye were caught along the drop-off south of the Narrows. Northern pike were hitting on tip-ups.
Saginaw Bay -There is slush on the ice which makes travel a little more difficult. Anglers should stay away from any pressure cracks and areas with stumps or pilings. The crack near DeFoe Island is extremely dangerous. Warm temperatures will cause the ice to deteriorate rapidly; extreme caution needs to be used. Those fishing in the evening caught a few walleye in the Catfish Hole which is straight east of White’s Beach. Evenings were best. The hot spot for walleye was off Erickson Road. Walleye were caught around the south end of the Black Hole and off Linwood. Near the mouth of the Saginaw River, a few walleye were caught northeast of Channel Island and out to the Spark Plug in 15 to 20 feet of water. Move often as catch rates were spotty. Foot traffic only is suggested. At Sebewaing, perch fishing slowed on both sides of the river channel and out from the VFW Hall. There were a lot of minnows in the marina. Walleye anglers going out to the Slot caught fish in 12 to 18 feet of water but it is hard to tell how long the ice will last.
Little Bay De Noc - Ice conditions remain tricky to navigate with pressure cracks presenting most of the problems. Anglers have consistently had problems when trying to cross in the Kipling and Gladstone areas. Please use caution and “look before you leap” especially with a vehicle. The ice is thicker in the north end of the bay and less in the southern sections. With warmer weather in the forecast, many have started to remove their ice shanties. The better walleye fishing was in the head of the bay when using tip-ups with large minnows in 6 to 20 feet of water. Most caught large fish with many in the 10 pound range. Reports for the rest of the bay were spotty when jigging or using tip-ups in 15 to 30 feet of water. Although there are anglers fishing in the southern waters, ice in that area is dangerous and should be avoided. Catch rates were down but did increase for those fishing in 28 to 33 feet of water around the Center Reef. Try jigging minnows. Fair to good whitefish action off Sand Point in Escanaba however the area is dangerous so foot traffic only.
Big Manistique Lake - Anglers were catching a significant number of small fish.
South Manistique Lake - Is also producing walleye and a few perch. Both lakes should also start producing some pike.
Cedarville and Hessel - Anglers are catching small perch in 6 to 8 feet of water at the east end of Hessel Bay. Musky Bay is about the same. Big perch were spotted but they would not bite. Catch rates were just fair in Cedarville Bay and the Moscoe Channel.
Houghton Lake -Still had good ice. There is some snow on the ice but little slush as of this report. Catch rates did slow however anglers are still going out and finding pike and walleye. Bluegills have just started to bite but no big numbers yet. Off the Cut River walleye and crappie are biting. Dave at Four Season party Store is out looking for a good spot and has done well the last few days so give him a call at 989-422-5230 for his hot-spot He caught four keeper walleye last night.. Lyman’s on the lake has shanties out and has a weekly pike contest with pike action getting better