Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Thanks for a Great Memorial Weekend
Thanks everybody for coming north we really appreciate it. We had a great holiday thanks to you. The bass opener was good with some nice fish caught. Anglers will still find them in the shallows. Bluegills should be on their beds soon in the southern sections of the Lower Peninsula but up north we are still a week or so away. Panfish are becoming more active as the weather warms and the walleye are starting to hit.
Sturgeon Joe at Otsego Lake is saying the perch and walleye fishing has been fair on Otsego Lake.
Dave at Four Season Party Store in Houghton Lake says off of Long Point the walleye bite is super with limit catches over the weekend.
Mushrooms are popping in Northern Michigan with blacks being the main fungi.
Higgins Lake - Boat anglers were taking a mix of big and small perch.
Houghton Lake - Is producing some bass, pike, walleye and crappie.
Lake Charlevoix - Had good smallmouth bass action in the shallows. Try 6 to 12 feet of water with crank baits or minnow type plugs. Northern pike were also caught.
Long Lake - Walleye were caught at night when trolling a crawler harness or rapala.
South Lake Leelanau - Is producing some nice walleye. Try fishing shallow waters after dark. Look for smallmouth bass along the south end of the lake in the weed beds.
Traverse City - Things have been slow as high winds have kept most of the bays.
Saginaw Bay -Is producing some very good walleye fishing northeast of the Spark Plug and off Linwood in 20 feet of water, off the Callahan Reef in 8 to 14 feet of water, the Slot in 15 feet of water and between Sand Point and the North Island. Planer boards and crawler harnesses were good but some did just as well on Hot-n-Tots or crank baits. Limits were the norm with many limiting out in two hours or so.
Saginaw River - Good catches of walleye were reported between the Independence Bridge and the mouth. Jigs tipped with minnows are getting a lot of fish, but boats trolling crank baits also got fish. At Essexville, channel cats are hitting on worms and minnows.
Tittabawassee River - The spring walleye bite is just about done. A few fish were still being caught in the lower river near the Center Road launch ramp. Anglers are also getting a mixed bag of white bass, smallmouth bass, catfish, and pike. Bass fishing was real good up near the Dow Dam.
Portage Lake- Bass and pike anglers are doing very well casting spinner baits and rapalas along the weed beds and drop-offs. Good catches were reported by the Inn and behind the Marina. Those targeting pike have done well when trolling along the drop-offs. Slow panfish activity. A few rock bass and some bluegills were found in 32 feet of water.
Manistee -The better fishing continues to be near the Ledge when using blue or green spoons 50 to 100 feet down.
Ludington - Boat anglers are catching fish in 80 to 160 feet of water between the Bath House and Big Sable Point.
Lake Cadillac - Panfish were caught near the M-115 causeway and the City Dock.
Little Bay De Noc - Walleye fishing has improved but lots of small ones were caught. Good reports came from 20 to 40 feet of water on the Second Reef and 20 feet of water along the southern edge of the Black Bottom when trolling or drifting crawlers. The best catches came from Breezy Point when trolling stick baits and crawlers in 14 to 20 feet of water just off the break. Good perch fishing off the southern side of Saunders Point when jigging crawlers in 25 to 35 feet of water. The bass opener was also good with fish caught off Garth Point, Hunters Point and the Terrace Inn.
Big Bay De Noc - Had a great bass opener with many getting their limit between the Little Fish Dam River and Valentine Creek or west to Porcupine Point when trolling crank baits or crawlers in 8 to 14 feet of water. Good fishing in Ogontz when trolling in 6 to 10 feet of water. South River Bay produced fish for those casting spinners and crawlers in 6 to 18 feet of water. Walleye fishing was fair when drifting crawlers between Valentine Creek and Garden Bluff or off Ogontz in waters 6 to 16 feet deep.
Drummond Island - The walleye and pike opener was slow with only a few pike taken in Paradise Point Bay when drifting frozen smelt in 4 to 8 feet of water. Smallmouth bass were caught near the mouth of the harbor when fishing in 6 feet of water around the rock piles. Though water levels are higher this year, caution still needs to be used around the rock piles and reefs.
De Tour - A few boats are beginning to head out from the city launch. They were marking fish but catch rates were slow. A couple steelhead can still be found in Albany Creek.
Cedarville and Hessel - Those casting off the pier or trolling in the bay with minnows and smelt are targeting splake but also bringing in the occasional atlantic salmon and yellow perch. The northern pike opener was fantastic for those fishing off the piers, the bays and the channels.
Big Bay De Noc - Walleye fishing has been slow as high winds have hammpered fishing.
White Lake - Catch rates for panfish were very good especially for bluegill and crappie. Anglers did well in front of the City Park and Armstrong’s Bait and Tackle.
Upper Peninsula:
Lake Gogebic near the Bergland area is giving up good numbers of walleye on night crawlers in 4-8 feet of water. Bass are biting great close to shore on the east side with a variety of baits working well.
Little Bay De Noc and Big Bay De Noc near the upper end near Gladstone are producing fair amounts of walleye. Good bass action on a variety of baits for anglers fishing the Ford and Escanaba rivers.
Marquette anglers are doing ok on smaller lakes in the area where the water is a bit warmer and the bit overall is fair. Slow activity for salmon on Lake Superior due to adverse weather and cold water.
Indian Lake in the Manistique area is giving up good action for walleye on minnows this week.
Anglers around Sault Ste. Marie are finding good walleye fishing on Brimley Bay when using minnows. Atlantic salmon are hitting in good numbers around the De Tour passage area.
Overall fishing is good around the Munuscong Bay area. Munuscong Lake is rated fair for walleye action when using crawler Harnesses and jig heads.
Angling action around Drummond Island is ranging from fair to good for pike and walleye on Scott and Maxton Bays. Good bass fishing is available on Whitney Bay. Poor weather has limited fishing opportunities for anglers around the St. Ignace area this week. Brevort Lake is giving up fair amounts of walleye and the bass action is rated fair to good.
Northwest:
Windy conditions prevail around the Alanson area and fair catches of bass are hitting on sucker minnows on the north arm of Lake Charlevoix.
Boyne City anglers are finding good conditions on Walloon Lake and Lake Charlevoix for bass hitting on leeches. Lake Charlevoix is giving up good walleye numbers when anglers use ¾ ounce jig heads. The smaller rivers and streams are producing nice fair to good catches of Brook and Brown Trout on spinners and leaf worms.
Frankfort area anglers are finding that overall all lakes are producing bass in fair to good numbers with a variety of baits working well. Crystal Lake has good action for perch and whitefish on worms. Off of the piers and out on Lake Michigan spoons and spawn are working on fair amounts of salmon. Brook and Brown Trout are biting in decent quantities on spinners, worms and flies in most of the local rivers and streams.
All lakes in the Kalkaska area are giving up fait to good numbers of bass. Manistee and Guernsey lakes are producing good action for blue gill when worms are used. Elk Rapids Dam is still producing fair catches of steelhead on spinners and spawn.
Good action around Gaylord for bass, walleye and steelhead. Otsego Lake is giving up nice walleye and bass on crank and rubber baits and walleye are preferring minnows. Steelhead activity is good on both the Manistee and Au Sable rivers and anglers are getting results with flies.
Bass season is in full swing in the Cadillac area and hitting in good numbers. Mitchell and Cadillac lakes are producing good amounts of pike, Rock bass and blue gill, with crappie action rated fair.
West:
Good to excellent fishing taking place within the Ludington area. Lake Michigan is giving up nice King Salmon on Blue Dolphin Spoons in 100-feet of water and fishing between 50 and 60 feet down. Hamlin Lake has nice bass action going on and a variety of baits are working well. All inland lakes are giving up good amounts of pan fish and crappie on various baits.
Wolf Lake in Baldwin is very good for blue gill and bass on a variety of baits. Big Bass Lake is also producing nice numbers of blue gill and perch on worms and minnows. Trout action is good during the evening hours on Pine River and most small streams with just about any bait working. Overall anglers will find great fishing for bass walleye and pan fish on the majority of inland lakes.
Muskegon Lake has good fishing this week. Salmon action is good in the morning and evening hours in 90 to 140 feet of water and fishing 30 to 60 feet down. Blue gill can be found in three to seven feet of water and pike are hitting on bombers while trolling. Nice numbers of bass are also biting.
Great fishing is taking place on Chippewa Lake for bass, walleye and pan fish. Try using rubber or crank baits, minnows and worms.
Very good bass action available for anglers in Grand Rapids fishing the Grand and Thornapple rivers and Big Pine Island near Belding. The Grand River is also giving up nice numbers of walleye on leeches and minnows. Cranberry Lake is producing good counts of pan fish on wax worms and headed over to Lake Michigan perch activity is good in 60 to 70 feet of water.
Northeast:
Alpena anglers are finding good bass fishing on Squaw Bay and Long Lake using a variety of baits. Steelhead action is fair on Thunder Bay River near the Ninth Street Dam with anglers finding results using flies and spawn. Thunder Bay is producing fair catches of walleye with minnows.
Cooke Dam and Foote Dam ponds in Oscoda both have good fishing taking place for bass, pike and perch on a variety of baits. The Au Sable River is rated fair for steelhead on flies, fair for walleye on minnows and the action improves from fair to good for suckers on crawlers.
Good small mouth bass hitting on Lake Margrethe near the Grayling area. Live leeches and tube baits are working well. All inland lakes are doing well in the area for blue gill. Fish are on their beds and worms seem to do the trick. The Manistee, Au Sable and North Branch rivers are fair to good for trout this week thanks to a fly hatch. Spinners with a live worm work well.
Good fishing for anglers on Houghton Lake. Trolling and drifting and using bobbers with leeches are working well on nice numbers of walleye. Crappie activity is good in the canals and the pike are hitting in good numbers with lots of bass everywhere as well.
Good fishing for anglers in the Au Gres area. Out on Saginaw Bay the walleye action is good using minnows. Bass are active in the rivers and shallow waters of the Saginaw Bay. The east branch of the Au Gres River and around the Singing Bridge is terrific for trout fishing. Anglers are getting good results using spinners, small Cleoâ??s and crawlers.
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