Curly's Photo and Fishing Blog
Tip Up Town Fishing Report
Anglers heading out onto Houghton Lake for the first weekend of the 57th annual Tip Up Town celebration are finding fair to good pike and walleye action. The best areas to try and catch walleye are along the north shore, on the east bay or by the middle grounds.
Little Bay De Noc - Warm temperatures and rain from last week caused the ice to break up in some areas, but colder weather is once again firming the ice back up. The better ice can be found north of the Narrows at the head of the Bay but caution still needs to be used especially in the Saunders Point area and along the breaks. Avoid the area around Escanaba because of all the open water. Those fishing out from the Terrace Bay Inn reported unsafe ice. Walleye have been caught but many were on the small side. The best reports were coming from 30 to 40 feet of water near Kipling. Perch fishing slowed except for the all the small fish taken around Butler Island. A few big ones were caught when jigging spikes straight out of Kipling in 23 feet of water. Anglers have marked good numbers of perch and walleye throughout the bay, but the bite has been slow. Those spearing pike around the Escanaba Yacht Club need to use caution..
Otsego Lake by Gaylord reports a good walleye bite also with some perch being caught. They took the shanties off of Otsego Lake so no Sturgeon Fishing.The ice is holding up on Burt, Crooked and Pickerel lakes near Alanson, where the perch, pike and walleye action is good.
By Alpena, the ice held up through the warm spell earlier in the week on Grand and Long lakes. Anglers using minnows as bait are catching good numbers of perch and walleye. Anglers on Fletcher Pond are catching a few crappie and pike.
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.
Around Manistique, Indian Lake was covered with water earlier in the week due to all the melting snow. The anglers who are wandering out on the lake are catching a few perch.
Green Lake the ice is still out with just some shore ice.
Ice conditions in much of the Lower Peninsula have deteriorated but anglers in the Upper Peninsula are ice fishing. Warm temperatures have increased the steelhead action in many of the rivers however anglers will need to use caution because of the high water levels.
Long Lake by Traverse and Lake Leelanau have good reports of walleye this week ice is ok once you get past shore
Higgins Lake north-end is still wide open, but the south-end was iced over today.
In the Kalkaska area, the perch fishing is good on Lake Skegemog. Crappie and walleye fishing is slow on Manistee Lake. Anglers on Fife Lake are pulling a few perch and walleye through the ice. We still have safe ice but be careful .
I’m hearing most are staying off the ice around Gladwin, and Harrison. Wiggins Lake ,Sugar Spring is good for pike and bluegill, also Secord Lake reports a good crappie and pike bite. but be careful of changing ice conditions.
Burt, Crooked and Pickerel lakes near Alanson are all producing fair perch and walleye action. The ice is in good shape on both Crooked and Pickerel lakes, there is some shaky ice on Burt Lake.
Houghton Lake has a good bite with walleye out at the middle grounds.. Lymanville has good ice around his shanty, pike have been biting very good
Lake Missaukee - Ice fishing is on and anglers are catching panfish off of Green Rd, Most are the size of your hand or 7 to 8 inches but limit catches. Ice is still good
Hamlin Lake near Ludington they have planks out to get out on the ice.
Spider Lake - Anglers are ice fishing for panfish.
Fife Lake - They have shanties out to the hole by the island and are catching fish this week.
The ice is holding up on Burt, Crooked and Pickerel lakes near Alanson, where the perch, pike and walleye action is good. Mullet Lake has opened up.
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.
Little Glen Lake - Slow this week, but a great perch bite on Loon Lake the last two weeks, but it seems to be winding down this week. The ice on Loon Lake is bad with Little Glen ice is OK
Upper Peninsula:
Lake Gogebic is producing fair perch and walleye fishing. The walleye are hitting on sucker minnows hooked to the end of a tip-up. The perch prefer shiner minnows as bait.
Out of the Marquette area, fishing activity is spotty on most lakes, the exception being Sporley Lake where the splake action is fair.
In the Gladstone area, the walleye fishing is fair on the north end of Little Bay de Noc. Most of the fish being caught are hitting on jigs.
By Manistique, the perch and walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on Indian Lake. Early mornings or late afternoons are the best times to be out.
On Munuscong Bay, the perch, pike and walleye action is fair. Ice conditions are a little shaky, due to the recent warm spell.
Anglers out of Cedarville are pulling a few perch up through the ice by the Les Cheneaux Islands.
And at St. Ignace, the panfish and walleye action on Brevort Lake is fair. The ice on the lake held up well through the January thaw last week.
Northwest:
Burt, Crooked and Pickerel lakes near Alanson are all producing fair perch and walleye action. The ice is in good shape on both Crooked and Pickerel lakes, there is some shaky ice on Burt Lake.
Poor shore ice conditions on the lakes around Boyne City has slowed fishing activity in the area.
In the Traverse City area, anglers along the Boardman River are catching a few steelhead. The panfish and perch action is spotty on Glen Lake.
Out of the Frankfort region, the steelhead fishing is fair on the Betsie River. Both spawn and waxworms are being used as bait. Anglers fishing in boats on Crystal and Loon lakes, are catching a few perch.
By Kalkaska, the perch fishing is good on Lake Skegemog. Good numbers of perch and pike are being caught by anglers on Manistee Lake. The walleye fishing is fair on Fife Lake.
Around Gaylord, the pike and walleye fishing is fair on Otsego Lake. Anglers need to be very careful on the ice.
And at Cadillac, the ice conditions vary on lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. There are several areas where the shore ice is in poor shape. Anglers who find a safe path to walk out on the ice will find the pike fishing is very good on both lakes.
West:
Around Ludington, the steelhead fishing is fair off the breakwall on Lake Michigan. Spawn bags are being used as bait. Anglers on the upper end of Hamlin Lake are catching a few bluegill. However, anglers need to be extremely careful on the ice following last weeks warm weather.
Out of the Muskegon area, anglers in boats on Muskegon Lake are catching good numbers of perch. Both minnows and spikes are working well as bait. The pike and walleye fishing on the lake is fair. Again, anglers are fishing from boats. Evenings are the best time to be out for the walleye. The best area to cast a line in the water for the northerns is on the east end of the lake. The steelhead action is fair on the lower end of the Muskegon River and off the pier on Lake Michigan.
On Chippewa Lake, fishing is slow this week due to the poor shore ice conditions created by last weeks warm weather.
And at Baldwin, fishing activity is at a standstill with no safe ice found on the local lakes.
Southwest:
In the Holland area, fishing activity is at a standstill with no safe ice on the local lakes. By Benton Harbor, fishing activity is slow this week due to all the rain and snow melt from last week that has raised the water levels in the St. Joseph River.
Out of the New Buffalo area, there are some steelhead in the Galien River, but very few people have been out.
Around Kalamazoo, fishing activity is pretty slow. Earlier in the week, some anglers launched their boats in Austin Lake and were catching a few perch. Anglers in boats on Fish Lake reeled in fair numbers of bluegill. The steelhead action on the Kalamazoo River, below the Allegan Dam is fair. The steelies are hitting on Hot-N-Tots, with gold, black and copper being the hot colors.
And at Three Rivers, fishing activity has been slow with no ice on the local lakes. A few anglers dropped boats into some of the lakes at the beginning of the week, but this weekends arctic blast of air will put a stop to any more boats being launched.
Northeast:
Around Alpena, the ice covering Grand and Long lakes weathered last weeks warm spell, and anglers on the lakes are catching a few perch and walleye. Anglers need to be careful on the lakes, especially near the open water on the lakes.
Out of the Grayling area, the walleye fishing ranges from slow to fair on Lake Margrethe. The marble eyes are hitting on various jigs tipped with a minnow. The best fishing is found in water 12 to 20 feet deep.
In the Oscoda area, Van Etten Lake is producing good perch and pike fishing. The bluegill and walleye fishing on the lake is fair. Anglers along the Au Sable River are catching a few steelhead. The perch, pike and walleye action is fair on Foote Dam Pond. Anglers on Cooke Dam Pond are pulling up a few bluegill and perch through the ice.
Fishing activity this week is slow on Higgins Lake, which still has plenty of open water and very little ice cover.
Anglers heading out onto Houghton Lake for the first weekend of the 57th annual Tip Up Town celebration are finding fair to good pike and walleye action. The best areas to try and catch walleye are along the north shore, on the east bay or by the middle grounds.
And at Au Gres, anglers are catching a few bluegill and crappie in the cuts along Saginaw Bay. Ice conditions are very poor in the area.
East:
By Linwood, anglers are catching a few perch along the cuts and rivers off Saginaw Bay.
Around Bay City, the perch fishing is good on the Quanicassee River. The river is open, and anglers are casting lines in from shore. A couple of people launched boats into the Saginaw River to go walleye fishing.
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