Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
March 15 the last day for pike and walleye
Last day for pike and walleye in the lower peninsula is this saturday along with you must have your permeant shanty off the lake by March 15 also.
It is the last dance this saturday as pike and walleye close and you must have your ice shanties in the northern half of the Lower Peninsula need to be removed from the ice by March 15th. Consult the fishing guide to see which counties will be affected by this date. March 15th is also the closing date for walleye, pike and muskie on the Lower Peninsula inland waters not otherwise closed to fishing. .
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The bite has improved with the warmer weather but fishing pressure is down as many are tired of winter. The steelhead have started to run with Tippy Dam reporting a good bite this week
Lake St. Helen - Still has good ice. Look for pike and walleye in the First Lake. Look for bluegill in the south end of the Third Lake.
Wixom Lake has a great crappie bite
It seems Saginaw Bay is the place for walleye -It seems the Bay City State Park is the best spot to fish right now. Those fishing off Pine River and Palmer Roads reported good walleye action with some limits taken when going out 2 to 5 miles and fishing in 10 to 20 feet of water. Walleye fishing was good from Erickson Road and Linwood south to Bay City in 14 to 21 feet of water. Evenings were best. From Thomas Road, anglers are going all the way to the shipping channel and doing well in 24 feet of water. Some walleye were taken at night in 8 feet of water off Vanderbilt Park. Nice perch were caught near Spoils Island on the right day. The marina at Sebewaing was giving up small perch, but some bigger ones were caught at Geiger Road and Mud Creek. The fish were good size but not in large numbers. A few perch were caught in the harbor at Caseville.
Higgins Lake has great ice, perch fishing and lake trout are biting, but smelt still slow with 50 a night a good night. Most are off Big Creek for Smelt but no great reports yet. Perch are running small so lots of sorting this week but I have heard of some jumbos also out of shallow water around the weeds.. Call Phoenix Park Party Store 989-821-7220 or Higgins Lake Sport 989-821-9517 for the West side. Sport Barn 989-821-9511 for the south-end of Higgins Lake .
Green Lake is slow for smelt
Crystal Lake has a good perch and still a great smelt bite this week off of Lobb Rd.
They are hitting East Grand Traverse Bay hard this week with trout , whitefish and perch biting.
Portage Lake by Manistee report a great perch bite still with minnows working best. Also the walleye have started to bite with some nice hogs being caught. Also Manistee Lake reports a good perch bite as they got a perch run from Lake Michigan.
Anglers heading out onto Houghton Lake ,many are going off off Lymanville where the pike action has been fair. The best areas to try and catch walleye are along the north shore, on the east bay or by the middle grounds. Walleye fishing is still very good with very few panfish being caught.
Little Bay De Noc - Travel on the ice is getting easier just watch out for the deep ruts. Whitefish anglers reported fair catches off Sand Point jigging spawn in waters 70 to 80 feet deep. The better fishing has been in the mid-morning but the fish are running smaller. Perch reports were starting to improve. Anglers were jigging minnows and wigglers in 10 to 20 feet of water off Butler Island and near Kipling. All ice shanties must be off the ice by midnight, March 31st.
Muskegon Lake - Perch have been caught on the west end of the lake.
White Lake by Montague has a great perch bite, call Johnson’s Outdoors for the latest bite. 231-893-6688
Otsego Lake by Gaylord reports slow going this week but bigger perch being caught also a few walleyes on the north-end. They have the sturgeon shanties back out and are seeing a few with a 65 incher caught by Tbone this week.The ice is holding up on Burt, Crooked and Pickerel lakes near Alanson, where the perch, pike and walleye action is good.
Burt Lake - For walleye, try the weedbeds in 20 to 30 feet of water in Maple Bay. Some nice perch were caught on the north end of the lake. Perch bite is giid off of Maple Bay with wigglers working good.
By Alpena, fishing fair on Grand and Long lakes. Anglers using minnows as bait are catching good numbers of perch and walleye. Fletcher’s Floodwaters - Is producing good numbers of pike up to 10 pounds. As for panfish, mostly bluegills and pumpkinseed sunfish were hitting in the upper end of the reservoir. They ranged from 5 to 8 inches.
Out of the Boyne City area, the perch, pike and walleye action on Walloon Lake is fair to good. Anglers on Deer Lake are catching a few bluegill. Both waxworms and wigglers are being used as bait. Thumb Lake is producing fair splake fishing.
Long Lake- Fishing has been slow but anglers targeting walleye are finding keepers in 20 feet of water in the southern most bay. Some fish are coming on tip-ups baited with minnows while others were caught while jigging minnows. Walleye and perch were caught off Taylor Park while jigging in 20 to 30 feet of water. Walleye and jumbo perch were caught off Long Island and Picnic Island. The fish seem to be holding in the rock piles around the islands.
In the Kalkaska area, the perch fishing is good on Lake Skegemog with many nice size perch being caught.. Crappie and walleye fishing is slow on Manistee Lake. Anglers on Fife Lake are pulling a few perch and walleye through the ice.
Gladwin Counties has good ice with good reports of panfish and pike biting
Lake Missaukee - Still has a good gill bite.
Upper Hamlin Lake - Is a good place for bluegills and crappie.
Lower Hamlin Lake - Walleye were caught in 20 to 30 feet of water when jigging minnows.
Big Glen Lake - Perch fishing has been good but don’t forget about the lake trout and rainbow trout. Some are catching bigger perch on tipups using greys and blues.
Pere Marquette Lake - Perch are hitting on minnows and wigglers. A few pike were taken on tip-ups.
Upper Peninsula:
Activity around Copper Harbor picked up a bit this week for splake; anglers fishing the harbor are finding lures and worms working well. The ice is becoming thin in spots and most anglers are fishing off docks at this point.
In the Escanaba area, Little Bay De Noc is hit or miss for whitefish. The best location this week is the mouth of the Escanaba Harbor. Dead minnows and single salmon eggs seem to be working well when fishing on the bottom in 70 feet of water. The ice is still good.
Around the Bergland area, the ice on the harbor is good today, but anglers need to check day by day for changes.
Munising anglers are picking up a few whitefish and Coho in the Bay, but the ice is iffy at this point. Independence Lake is giving up a few perch. Fishing will pick up by the end of the month for Coho and steelhead season once the ice is gone.
Sault St. Marie anglers have a slow go this week with perch activity very slow and whitefish are hit or miss. The best location is in the upper river using wax worms and teardrops. Plenty of ice remains.
Around Drummond Island the ice is still two feet thick, the perch are hit or miss on Scott and Maxton bays and anglers are using minnows and wax worms with limited success.
Northwest:
Near the Alanson area fishing is decent on Crooked and Burt lakes for perch, trout, blue gill, pike, walleye and northerns. A variety of baits are being used with good results that include suckers, minnows, blues and grays. Ice is solid on both lakes ranging between 24-28 inches.
Boyne City anglers continue to have good ice, a warm up hasnâ??t occurred just yet, however the fishing is slow for the area with limited perch being caught on minnows.
In the Frankfort area, angling has improved for a variety of fish. Smelt is abundant when using spikes, wax worms, and small minnows. Whitefish are active on jigs and wigglers and plenty of perch can be taken from Crystal Lake but lots of smaller sized fish can be expected. Arcadia and Portage lakes are also producing decent catches on a variety of fish as well.
In the Kalkaska area, the ice remains very solid and thick. Angling action is good for perch on minnows and the steelhead are starting with anglers using spawn and jigs with good results.
In the Gaylord area anglers are still out ice fishing, but the activity is slow on the majority of lakes. As a reminder the walleye season ends for the area on Saturday. So far no steelhead moving at this point, but the pan fish and pike are on the rise. Lake Skegemog continues to give up decent amounts of perch on minnows.
West:
Anglers in the Muskegon area advise AAA that the fishing activity is changing, the ice remains thick and the tug boats start running today. Perch and pike are active near the south shore, or mid-lake. Try using wigglers, wax worms, and golden shiners. Steelhead activity is increasing.
Around the Ludington area the ice is very plentiful, thick and safe. Anglers are doing very well on Pentwater and Pere Marquette lakes for perch. Steelhead activity is increasing on the Pere Marquette River, as well as the Manistee, Pentwater, and Pere Marquette lakes. Anglers are doing well with spawn bags and sacks. Good action for pan fish and walleye on Hamlin Lake, as a reminder the walleye season ends on Saturday in the area.
Southwest:
Benton Harbor anglers are not seeing much action since the ice is blocking access to Lake Michigan. The piers are surrounded by ice this week.
In the Kalamazoo area, steelhead are running great on the St. Joe, the water has warmed up and the action is very good. Anglers are finding good results with spawn bags, wiggle warts and various hard baits. Charter boats are also doing well with steelhead. Crappie action is abundant at night using emerald shiner minnows. On most inland lakes the blue gill are picking up and on Sugarloaf Lake the crappie are decent when fishing at night. Good size perch (14 inches) are being caught on Schafer Lake in Lawrence. Be sure to take your fish finder since fish are three to four feet below the ice.
In the New Buffalo area the water has open areas on the Glen River but the fishing is fairly good for steelhead on suckers and walleye remain active, at least until the 15th when the season closes in the area.
Northeast:
In the Oscoda area, the steelhead are starting to run and anglers have caught a few this week. Inland lakes are good for blue gill, perch and crappie. The ice fishing is still good and anglers are using wax worms, spawn and minnows with good results.
Near the Houghton Lake area fishing has improved over last week. Anglers are having good luck with perch, crappie, pike and walleye, with jigs and minnows working well. The ice is 20 inches thick with no snow cover and anglers are advised to take along your cleats. Pike and walleye season ends this Saturday.
Higgins Lake is producing good amounts of perch in 50-60 feet of water and minnows are working best. Lakers are hit or miss in 70 feet or more of water and grey shiners seem to do the job. The smelt are picking up and wax worms are working well. The ice remains around 20-inches thick.
East:
Around the Linwood area, angling action has slowed mainly due to high winds earlier in the week. The ice remains good but anglers need to watch for cracks and shifting starting to take place, use extra caution. The walleye season closes on Saginaw River Saturday but remains open year-round on the Bay. Walleye action is good in 8-12 feet of water this week, with perch running slow at this time.
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