Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Northern Michigan Fishing Report
We need a warm up as most are reporting a slow fish bite this week with temps. dipping from 10 to 22 below the first of the week. A little warm-up will get the fish back on the bite as they get sluggish when temps get that cold
We have had brutal weather this week with very little fishing pressure when it is 22 below with high winds. Today was nice with many getting back out and trying there luck. Crystal Lake is froze all the way so look for that lake to be great when we get back to normal winter. Grand Traverse Bay is all the way over and look for whitefish and perch fishing to get going this weekend. Most are reporting lots of slush on many lakes after the storm on saturday.
Higgins Lake- Smelt are still hitting off the North State Park, Big Creek, and south of the west boat launch in 40 to 50 feet of water. Use wax worms or perch minnows with a hali jig between dusk and 9:30pm and again around midnight and fish the entire water column. Smaller perch are hitting on wax worms or perch minnows between the Sunken Island and Treasure Island, off the North State Park, and in front of the Conference Center in 40 to 50 feet of water. Lake trout are hitting grey minnows or a Swedish Pimple with smelt fished just off the bottom in 90 to 100 feet of water. Lots of small perch being caught, and still no reports of bigger perch. Lake trpout fishing has been good all around the lake You can call Phoenix Park @ 989-821-7220 for info off the west access site and Sports Barn @ 989-821-9511 for info on the south-end of Higgins Lake
Lake Margrethe has good ice and fishing at a standstill with brutal weather. Call Skip??s Sport Shop @ 989-348-7111 for the latest info.
Portage Lake by Onekama has been great for perch and walleye , with some getting walleye during the day. Call Osborn??s Sport Shop in Bear Lake @ 231-889-3775 or Don??s Sport Shop in Manistee @ 231-723-5028
Hamlin Lake- Fishing has been slow however anglers able to get out to new areas are finding fish. Some anglers fishing east of the Wilson Hill Park in 7 to 12 feet of water were taking about a dozen nice bluegills per trip while others in the same area had no luck. Jigs and wax worms were the ticket. A couple walleye and some crappie were taken in 15 to 30 feet of water off Pete’s Bayou. Those fishing Lower Hamlin were finding a few fish in 15 to 25 feet of water. Call Pere Marquette Sport @ 231-843-8676 or Hamlin Grocery @ (231) 843-2058
The Eyes Have It reports great fishing in the Leroy area call Craig @ 231-768-5653
Houghton Lake - Pike are hitting tip-ups with minnows. Some nice walleye were caught in the East Bay and along the north shore when jigging minnows. A handful of perch were taken on minnows or wax worms. The bluegill bite has picked up in 6 to 8 feet of water over the weed beds along the south shore. Use wax worms.. Call Lyman??s Sport and Shanty Rental @ 989-422-3231
Near the Kalkaska area, Lake Skegemog Ice fishing is on but snow on the lake is deep. Anglers are fishing for perch off the Baggs Road access site as well as the northwest portion of the lake near the Narrows. Most are in 10 to 20 feet of water and using minnows, wax worms, wigglers or shrimp. The fish range from very small to jumbos. A few pike have been speared south of the river in 10 to 15 feet of water when using natural baits or artificial decoys. Fish recorded were 30+ inches. Those seeking muskie have only taken a few fish in the 40 inch range.Manistee Lake is producing nice counts of crappie and walleye and Fife Lake is providing nice catches for pike. Pike are biting on suckers or goldens. Call Jack??s Sport Shop for the latest info @ 231-258-8892
Lake St Helen has been good this week for pike, walleye and panfish and has great ice conditions. Call Malcoms Sport @ 989-389-2100 for latest info
Sanford Lake at the first fill has been hot for crappie this week with minnow working best. Call Sanford Sport Shop @ 989-687-5161 for latest info.
Otsego Lake has a good perch bite with some walleye being caught and Bradford has nice perch being caught. Also some Stugeon being caught but no keepers yet. They have been seeing quite a few sturgeon in the evening. Call Stugeon Joe @ 989-732-5866 for the latest info.
Burt Lake has been good at Maple Bay for jumbo perch. I had reports that it was slow the last couple days as three guys caught 33 perch in five hours but they were from 10 to 14 inches.
Green Lake by Interlochen has been good for smelt off both access sites with halis and waxworms working best.
Traverse City - Good angling action near Traverse City on Long Lake and most inland lakes for walleye, blue gill and pan fish. Minnows, wax worms and spikes are popular. Anglers need to check the ice before attempting to walk on the ice.
Big Glen Lake - Had several anglers catching perch, but not in big numbers. Most are using minnows in 30 to 45 feet of water. Use caution and avoid the east side of the lake which still had open water.
Betsie River - Those willing to brave the cold could very well hook into an occasional steelhead.
Lake Missaukee - Lots of fisherman out this weekend catching gills and pike with ice conditions great.
Lake Cadillac - Good to excellent fishing conditions for pike on Mitchell and Cadillac Lakes. Anglers are using tip-ups and spearing. Good action for crappie in the day and evening hours. Perch activity is good but plenty of sorting is necessary to find the keepers. Blue gill action is slow. Both Mitchell and Cadillac lakes have good ice ranging between 7-10 inches
East Twin Lake - Fishing pressure is slow as cold weather has stopped the fish bite.
West Twin Lake - Walleye fishing did improve on the east side of the lake in about 15 feet of water. Try small Swedish Pimples tipped with a minnow or artificial minnow jigs in perch colors. Walleye harvest on tip-ups remains slow. A few big perch along with numerous smaller ones have been caught. The lake has good ice with four to ten inches of snow on top. Not much slush either so travel conditions were good.
Lake Mitchell - Has good ice also with lots of fisherman heading out after panfish and pike.
Indian Lake by Manistique has a good perch and walleye bite this week. South Manistique Lake - Still has good walleye action when jigging or using tip-ups. For those spearing, try the southeast side between the access site and Norton Island in 5 to 10 feet of water.
Brevoort Lake - Anglers are ice fishing for walleye and pike. The pike are hitting on tip-ups with minnows and the walleye are hitting on jigs with spikes or minnows. Some nice bluegills have also been caught.
Munuscong Lake has decent ice at this time but the temperatures are extremely cold. A few brave soles are getting out and fishing for perch using minnows and reeling in some good sized fish.
Around St.Ignace a few anglers are getting out on Christiansen Bay and pulling in a few perch and walleye on minnows.
Lake Gogebic near the Bergland area is giving up a few walleye, pike and perch on minnows. However it has been so frigid that most anglers are staying indoors. Ice shanties are appearing on the north and south ends of the Lake as anglers are getting geared up for ice fishing this weekend.
Little Bay DeNoc Has lots of angler activity with over one hundred ice shanties reported. Walleye and perch fishing are good once you locate some fish. Try 10 to 18 feet of water off Kipling or south of Gladstone.
Near the Alanson and Boyne areas, Burt, Crooked, Pickeral, Mullett, and Walloon lakes are all freezing up nicely, as well as most of the rivers and parts of Lake Charlevoix. Ice fishing should be able to commence this weekend; however anglers should use extreme caution when attempting to walk out on any body of water.
Saginaw Bay - The better walleye bite has been in the evening. Limits were caught before the cold snap. Pine River and Palmer Roads were producing some limits of walleye anywhere from three to ten miles out on the warmer days. Walleye have been caught off White’s Beach in the Catfish Hole, three to four miles out of Linwood in 13 to 20 feet of water, off Erickson Road near the Black Hole and northeast of the Bay City State Park in 15 feet of water. There is activity at the Hot Ponds but no reports. Near Quanicassee, those fishing off Vanderbilt Park caught a few perch and speared a couple pike in 5 to 6 feet of water. At Thomas Road, anglers are heading out seven to eight miles to waters 18 to 20 feet deep however ice conditions out there are very rough. At Sebewaing, mostly small perch and a couple pike were speared in the marina. Off Geiger Road, the evening bite was best beyond the islands and in the Slot. No action at Bay Port but Mud Creek produced a few nice pike for those spearing. Small perch and the occasional pike have been taken from the river and the marina basins at Caseville.
Saginaw River - Has lots of angler activity in downtown Saginaw. Some nice walleye have been caught primarily at dawn when using blue and silver Jig-n-Rapalas. Anglers are fishing Bay City and beyond. Cass Avenue and the Independence Bridge were getting a fair amount of pressure. Walleye have been caught around Essexville and perch off Smith Park. Perch were also taken out of the Bay Aggregate cut and the marina basins in the lower river. The 22nd Annual ??Shiver on the River? walleye contest in Saginaw begins this Saturday and runs through February 14. All entries, online or in person, must be purchased on or before January 30. Register at http://www.Mlive.com/shiver.
Little Bay De Noc - Catch rates were up with anglers spread throughout the Bay area. Walleye were caught along the east bank and between the Narrows and Garth Point when jigging or using tip-ups in 17 to 32 feet of water. Some jumbo perch in the 12 to 14 inch range were also caught in the same area. Walleye were caught off Gladstone, south of the Escanaba River and around the lighthouse in waters up to 25 feet deep. The whitefish action was fair off Sand Point when jigging minnows or spawn just off the bottom in 80 feet of water. Excellent northern pike action off Hunters Point. Try tip-ups and large sucker minnows in 10 to 17 feet of water. Perch action was a bit slow but some jumbos were caught in 18 to 32 feet of water near Kipling. Patience is the key and those willing to move around and put in the time have caught fish.
Muskegon Perch have been caught in the south central portion of the lake and up near the Sand Docks. No ships have entered the lake in the last couple of weeks, and those fishing up near the channel did catch some perch. Catch rates were spotty with the better bite at mid-day. Try glow-in-the-dark or bright colored Hali jigs or Swedish Pimples with minnows, wigglers or spikes in 35 to 50 feet of water. Pike along with a few walleye were caught between Hartshorn Marina and Fisherman’s Landing.
White Lake - Yellow perch have been caught along the southwest portion of the lake including Indian Bay. Look for pike up in the narrows off Montague.
AAA Fishing Report
Upper Peninsula:
Around the Manistique area the perch and walleye action remains strong and steady when anglers use minnows.
Munuscong Lake and the St. Mary??s River, the south end, is giving up very good counts of walleye and good numbers of perch. Anglers are finding good results with minnows, jigs, teardrops, and spoons. A few pike are hitting on minnows. Mosquito Bay and the north river areas are producing plenty of whitefish on wax worms. The ??Soo Area Sportsman??s Walleye Jamboree? takes place Friday through Sunday on Munuscong Bay. Anglers fishing Cedarville Lake are doing well for perch using teardrops tipped with minnows.
Brevort Lake near St. Ignace is giving up fair to good numbers of walleye, perch and blue gill. Baits of choice include minnows, wax worms and spikes. Pre-register for the February 14 ??Brevort Ice Jamboree?, call 906-643-7289 or 906-643-6743.
Copper Harbor is finally frozen and splake action is fair on minnows. Gratiot Lake is producing good numbers of perch on minnows and Lake Fanny Hooe is giving up good counts of perch on minnows.
Cold conditions in the Bergland area has slowed the angling activity, but anglers that are braving the elements out on Lake Gogebic are finding good numbers of walleye on golden shiners and perch on wigglers.
Walleye, whitefish and perch action is good in the Escanaba area for anglers forgetting how cold it is and fishing Little Bay De Noc. Walleye and perch are hitting on minnows, and whitefish on salmon eggs and minnows.
Northwest:
Burt and Crooked lakes are both giving up some decent catches of perch, walleye and trout. The lakes have snow cover and anglers will notice a few slushy spots. Overall the weather has been very cold and not that much activity is taking place.
Around Traverse City, snow is an issue for anglers since it is very deep and making it difficult to get out on the lakes. Some lakes are even slushy due to so much snow cover.
Near Frankfort Crystal Lake has some shaky ice conditions particularly near the east end where ice is very jagged, and on the west end watch for thinning areas a snowmobile fell through recently. Anglers are moving around for perch action but overall the smelt, whitefish, and perch fishing is good if cautious.
Torch Lake anglers are doing well for trout on Swedish Pimples and tip-ups with a gray spoon, whitefish on spawn and wigglers, and burbot fish on tubes and glow sticks. Overall walleye and perch action around the Kalkaska area is slow.
Gaylord anglers are headed to Bradford Lake where decent blue gill fishing is taking place on minnows and wax worms and on Otsego Lake for nice catches of perch and walleye in the 6-9 p.m. hours. Anglers are using small blue minnows and sucker minnows on walleye and jigging for perch.
In the Cadillac area, the weather has been very cold causing the majority of fish to be lethargic and slowing angling activity. Pike action however is strong on both Mitchell and Cadillac lakes, anglers will find lots of fish hitting on golden shiners.
West:
Pere Marquette Lake near Ludington is good for perch on Hali jigs, wigglers and minnows and northern on tip-ups, suckers and golden shiners. Hamlin Lake is doing well on the upper end for walleye and pan fish. Pentwater Lake is giving up good perch action on wigglers and Hali jigs. Mark your calendars for the ??Hamlin Lake Ice Fishing Tournament? taking place February 7.
Around the Baldwin area it is just plain cold and fishing activity is minimal. Anglers are attempting to get out during the day light hours but finding that tip ups are freezing right to the ice. Overall it is tough fishing at this point. Anglers that are having a bit of luck are getting a few blue gill, perch and pike.
In the Muskegon area, anglers are doing very well on Muskegon Lake for perch. The west end of the lake is hot and in 30 to 50 feet of water. Popular baits include minnows, wigglers, glow in the dark jigs. Be prepared to find lots of fish but also plenty of sorting. Average size is 7 ½ to 9 inches. Pike action is good to very good near the center of the lake in 15 to 25 feet of water on large golden shiners and suckers suspended below tip up. Walleye are hitting near the north side during day break and dusk. Anglers are getting good results jigging with spoons and Rapalas. Pan fish, blue gill and crappie are also biting on Muskegon Lake when anglers use a light line tipped with maggots.
Great ice on Chippewa Lake with anglers catching plenty of pike and specks, but only a few blue gill. The ice has a little bit of snow cover, but solid enough to hold a truck, and lots of shanties on the Bay.
The Grand River near Grand Rapids has high levels of water and the bayous are producing good numbers of perch, blue gill and crappie. Wax worms, and white jigs with a Red Eye work on blue gill.
Northeast:
Around Oscoda perch, walleye and pike fishing is decent at Cooke and Foote Dam Ponds. Weather continues to play a role in slow angling activity.
Near Grayling, Lake Margrethe is giving up fair numbers of walleye and a few perch. Hali jigs and wigglers seem to work well.In Crawford County, River Lake is producing some nice pike, hammer handle size, on live sucker minnows.
Very good fishing is taking place on Houghton Lake for walleye, pike and blue gill. Grey, blue and golden shiners are working well in 8-feet of water. The Muskegon River has open water and producing good numbers of crappie mainly found in the channels.
Smelt are running on Higgins Lake and anglers are finding the best results using Hali jigs and wax worms during the daytime hours, and fish seem to shut right off at night. Plenty of perch are hitting on minnows but plan to do plenty of sorting. Whitefish are biting on spawn and Swedish Pimples.
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