With high Winds and lots of snow this week in Northern Michigan the fishing has been very slow or should I say the fish are biting but nobody is ice fishing. River fishing has been slow as the rivers are icing back up and single digit temps in the morning very few are out fishing.
The weather is suppose to break this weekend with great weather so get out and chase smelt, bluegill, and crappie now. Lake trout have been biting great on Higgins this week on smelt.
Northwestern Michigan
Leroy- Reports are guys are getting out on last ice for crappie and gills. Call Eye’s Have It for latest info 231-768-5653
Baldwin- Ice fishing is winding down but gills are biting on smaller lakes. Steelhead fishing has been great on the PM this week Call Baldwin Bait @ 231-745-3529 or Ed’s Sport @ 231-745-4974
Big Glen- There are very few fishing as high winds and lots of snow have slowed people from going out. Call Fishhook@ (231) 256-9496
Little Glen- Has ice the perch are biting fair Call Fishhook@ (231) 256-9496.
Lake Leelanau: North Lake Leelanau has ice and a good perch, lake trout, South Lake Leelanau has a good perch bite in front of the Cedar River. Call Fishhook@ (231) 256-9496 for latest info
Manistee Lake by Kalkaska- Slow fishing this week with perch, pike, walleye and a few gills in the canals ice is 10 to 15 inches Call Jacks Sport Shop 231-258-8892
Spider Lake and Arbutus- 16 to 20 inches of ice, slush on the lake and things have been slow this week Call Roy’s General Store @ 231-946-5633
Duck Lake: The gills have been biting on strawberry point.
Green Lake: is producing bluegill and a few small perch. State Park Is producing a few more smelt. Try off the northeast side near the Music Camp. Night anglers sometimes do better in 30 to 50 feet of water. Spikes and waxworms on Hali Jigs for smelt.
Long Lake: Perch have been biting but the guys catching perch are pretty tight lipped on where.. Call MC Sports @ 231-933-6158
Skegemog- Perch are still biting but very few out this week with a foot of snow.Call Jack’s Sport Shop@231-258-8892
Fife Lake- Real slow this week Call Lakeside Party @ 231-879-4346
Portage Lake- Osborn’s says perch are biting but very few out trying . Call Osborne’s@ 231-889-3775
Hamlin Lake- Has had a good bite this week with crappie and gills being caught in limit numbers. Call PM Expeditions@ 231-425-8913 or Hamlin Grocery@(231) 843-2058 and Capt. Chucks @ (231) 843-4458
Bear Lake- Has been slow Osborne’s@ 231-889-3775
Lake Missaukee- Has been fair with crappie, and gills Call Miller Corner@ 231-839-0440 or Hopkins Outfitters@ 231-839-FISH (3474).
Betsie River: Is producing a fair number of steelhead. Try flies, spawn or a wax worm in the deeper holes until it warms up.
Manistee River: Steelhead fishing was decent. Bright chrome fish have been caught in the deeper holes.
Lake Cadillac: Ice fishing continues for panfish. Bluegill and crappie are hitting on minnows, wigglers and wax worms. Try early morning or late afternoon.
Lake Mitchell: Still had good ice. Anglers are catching more panfish.
Pere Marquette River: Is producing steelhead. Try flies, spawn, wax worms, small spoons or spinners.
Big Manistee River: Is fishable and should have a fair to good number of steelhead including some fresh fish. Many are fly fishing below Tippy Dam. Pappy’s Bait is open for the season at Wellston shop hours are 7 to 5 right now call@ 231-848-4142 he gets reports daily on Tippy Dam
Crystal Lake Has safe ice and a great lake trout bite the last week, also getting out of Lobb Rd. for perch, whitefish and smelt. Chimney Corners for Lakers in 90 to 150 feet of water
Northeast Michigan
Lewiston- Both East and West Twin are froze and perch are biting Call Mid Lakes Market @ (989) 786-3227
Mio- Fishing has been fair around Mio with a few below the Dam.. Call Jig’s Bait Shop@ (989) 826-3467
Lake St. Helen- Fishing has been good with 20 to 24 inches of ice lots with pan fish on the bite . Call Macomb’s Tackle Box @ 989-389-2100
Pratt Lake and Wiggins Lake– has safe ice and many have been doing good on pan fish. Call Chappel Dam@ 989-426-7503
Wixom and Sanford Lake- Reports are the lake is safe and fisherman have been getting out on the shallow bays catching crappie, gills and pike. Call Sanford Sport Shop@989-687-5161 or Sandy’s Market@ (989) 435-9688
Secord Lake has had a great crappie bite this week Sandy’s Market@ (989) 435-9688
Fletcher’s Floodwaters- Those using tip-ups caught some nice pike. Crappies were taken on minnows, wax worms or spikes. Call Bill’s @989-742-4874
Black Lake- Has good ice with perch being caught. Call Parrots Outpost for the latest ice conditions (989) 733-2472
Mullet Lake– Is producing perch for those using minnows and wigglers. Pike continue to hit on tip-ups with sucker minnows. call Mullet Lake Party store@ (231) 627-4644 or Topinabee Market@ 231-238-9578
Burt Lake: Catch rates were spotty with light numbers of perch and walleye taken.Call Pat & Gary’s Party Store 231-238-6776
Grand Lake: Was producing a few perch. Try 15 to 25 feet of water around Grand Island. For pike, try tip-ups in Black Bass Bay or Whiskey Bay. Call
Long Lake: Is producing bluegill and perch. Try a teardrop with a minnow or wiggler. Those using tip-ups with sucker minnows are taking some pike. Call Bucks@ 989-595-2121
Otsego Lake- Fishing has been fair on Otsego Perch fishing has been fair on Bradford, chub Lake trout fishing has been good. Call Northern Sports@ 987-448-2014
Lake Margrethe- Margrethe has safe ice and perch and gills have been biting this week. Call Skip’s Sport @ 989-348-7111
Higgins Lake- Still has good ice, no slush and 4 to 5 inches of the powder snow. Lake trout can be found along the drop-off in 80 to 100 feet of water. Rainbow trout and brown trout have been caught near the creeks where the warm water comes in. Anglers have caught a 24 inch rainbow and a 27 inch brown trout. Perch fishing was slow but the bigger fish should start moving closer to shore. Try around Treasure Island in 20 to 30 feet of water or the drop-off around the Sunken Island with minnows and wigglers. Smelt fishing was good until the weather changed. Catch rates should pick back up by the weekend.Call Phoenix Park 989-821-7220 or Sports Barn 989-821-9511 for latest ice conditions
Houghton Lake- Ice fishing is good on the middle grounds with lots of gills being caught, but the wind has slowed the bite yesterday, but report have been good today. The ice is still good. Bluegill action has picked up with fish ranging 10 to 12 inches being caught. Most are using wigglers and wax worms in 7 to 9 feet of water out by the Middle Grounds.
Lyman’s @ 989-422-3231 the bite has been good around his shanties with guys doing fair off the high school and elks club.. Also Dave @ Four Season Party Store said last night they did good on the walleyes and pike. Call him @ 989-422-5230.
Angelos Party Store @ 989-202-4422 ask for Lou.
Korbinski’s call Rod@ 989-366-9500
Pappa’s Bait reporting great bluegill fishing off the middle grounds on Houghton Lake. 989-429-5780
Oscoda: Those fishing off the end of the pier have caught steelhead on small spoons. Some walleye were also caught but most are targeting steelhead. If anglers are looking for walleye, be sure of the boundary cut-off between the lake and the river. Ice conditions are not safe for the most part. Shorelines are receding and pressure cracks are forming because of the strong winds.
Au Sable River: Even with a down turn in the weather fishing continues to get better. Steelhead were plenty between the mouth and the dam. The fish are hitting on spawn or wax worms.
Tawas: Ice anglers are still fishing off Jerry’s Marina. Perch and lake trout were caught in 10 to 15 feet of water. The State Harbor and marina were producing brown trout and lake trout for those using treble hooks and minnows.
Tawas River: Those floating spawn bags have caught steelhead.
Au Gres: A few walleye were caught in 4 feet of water north of the breakwall.
Au Gres River: Some are surfcasting for steelhead off the East Branch. Ice is a problem in the lower river.
Rifle River: Was high, turbid and too much ice.
Upper Peninsula Report
opper Harbor: Has no ice and no anglers.
Keweenaw Bay: Catch rates for coho and lake herring were poor. Lake whitefish smelt and lake trout were spotty. Anglers could be found at the Center Reef, Newton’s Reef and Big Reef in waters 80 to 260 feet deep. Try ¾ to 1 ounce jigs with smelt or cut bait such as suckers. Some are using Swedish pimples in 80 to 150 feet. Hot colors were white, orange and white, green and white or hammered brass.
Marquette: Was starting to produce a few coho and splake. Fishing was limited by a large area of ice. Those fishing near the “Bubblers” are using assorted jigs and spoons with spawn or cut bait. Dawn is the best time to fish. Strong winds will be shifting the ice packs this week. Most of the area still had ice with large pressure cracks near shore. Use caution. Whitefish action was slow.
Carp River: Anglers caught a couple steelhead. Try small orange in-line spinners, spoons or spawn. Not much open water at the mouth.
Groveland Mine Ponds: Travel on the lakes remains difficult. Island Lake had good bluegill action with a few nice ones in the mix. East Lake was producing some bluegills for those jigging wax worms. A few limit catches were reported.
Lake Antoine: Travel is difficult due to deep snow. Anglers need to use caution. There are two layers of ice after the thaw and refreeze. Some got caught up on broken ice. Bluegill and perch were in the middle of the lake but the bite was slow.
Little Bay De Noc: Ice remains but travel is difficult because of the snow cover. With walleye season closed, anglers are targeting perch. A few jumbo perch were caught in the Kipling Flats. Try wigglers or wax worms in 19 to 25 feet of water. Near Gladstone, try 30 feet of water. The better catches came near the Day’s River for those using large minnows in 14 feet. Those targeting whitefish off Sand Point had fair catches in 80 feet of water when using minnows or spawn. Anglers need to use caution in this area as the Coast Guard has cut shipping lanes.
Au Train: Few anglers fished the Bay because of limited access with ice and snow. Ice extends out past Au Train Island. The Rock River remains frozen with no water flow over the spillway. Ice is still packed in tight at the mouth. The Brownstone ramp still has a good 3 feet of snow. Those jigging for coho off the mouth of the Au Train River said catch rates were poor.
Munising: Was producing a few splake, smelt and coho in the waters of Lake Superior. Perch were caught in Garden Bay but fishing was slow.
Munuscong Bay: Still has ice however fishing was slow. Anglers will start perch fishing soon.
Cedarville and Hessel: Perch fishing is fair to good. Hessel Bay, Musky Bay and Government Bay were the hot spots for anglers using minnows, wigglers or wax worms in 10 feet of water.
Southeast Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Lake Erie: A few holdouts were fishing the ponds at Pointe Mouillee. A couple boats were seen out in Brest Bay but other than that, there was little activity.
Huron River: Is producing a few steelhead. Anglers are using small jigs in a variety of colors with spawn or wax worms.
Detroit River: Boat anglers are jigging minnows for walleye. Try the hot water discharge off the Trenton Edison Plant. The launch at Elizabeth Park is not open yet so most are using the Metro Park. Boat and shore anglers caught jumbo perch in the canals and marinas of Grosse Ile and Gibraltar. They are using perch rigs with shiners, a piece of crawler or leaf worm. A few pike were caught in the canals and marinas. Boat anglers need to go slow and watch for ice coming down the river.
Lake St. Clair: Is in between fishing seasons. There is no ice left. The boat launches were ice free however the docks were not in. Anglers will need waders if they want to launch a boat.
Clinton River: A few perch were starting to move into the river and the spillway. Minnows were the preferred bait.
Harbor Beach: A couple anglers were fishing right off the boat launch.
Saginaw Bay: Palmer Road had limited ice fishing in 5 feet of water. Catch rates for perch were slow. Very small perch were caught in the Eagle Bay Marina. Those fishing off Neuman Road, Townline Road and the State Park caught perch on minnows and beads in 4 to 6 feet of water. Walleye were in 7 feet. The ice in Wildfowl Bay was bad. Small perch were caught in the Sebewaing Marina and off Caseville. Most were using perch rigs with ice fishing poles.
Saginaw River: Not much going on since walleye season closed. Ice is still a problem along the river.
Quanicassee River: Boat anglers were fishing in the morning.
Flint River: Suckers were starting to move in before the cold weather returned.
Southwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
There are still a few lakes providing ice fishing opportunities. Check with local bait shops for locations and use extreme caution. There have been some reports of anglers going through the ice.
St. Joseph River: Has decent steelhead fishing below the Berrien Springs Dam. Most anglers are back bouncing spawn. Fish were in the deeper holes. Video files from the fish cam indicate that a large push of steelhead moved through the ladder on March 10th. Fish movement has slowed with the return of the colder weather however preliminary signs suggest that there is going to be a good run.
Kalamazoo River: Steelhead fishing is fair to good. The bite is better on warmer days. Try spawn or wax worms under a bobber, spinners, or back trolling plugs.
Grand Haven: Pier anglers were catching the occasional steelhead. The activity was light and very weather dependent.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Had some steelhead activity at the Sixth Street Dam. With the water clarity try using bright colored yarn and flies. Boat anglers are plugging the deeper holes with the colder weather.
Grand River at Lansing: Was producing a few crappie in the backwaters. The fish ladders at Lyons, Webber, Portland and Grand Ledge are open but no steelhead yet. It’s time to starting thinking catfish. Try live baits, fresh dead minnows, shrimp or small bluegills.
Muskegon River: Water levels are still a bit high and clarity is not so good but anglers are catching steelhead. Most are fly fishing with egg patterns. Yellow perch were caught near Davis Bridge which is on White Cloud Road, north and west of Stanwood, just off U.S. 131.
FISHING CONDITIONS ON LAKES CADILLAC AND MITCHELL
It’s March. Expect extreme weather changes. The mild temperatures and rain is melting the snow.
There’s plenty of ice. Both Lake Cadillac and Mitchell still are in the 16 to 18 inch range. Don’t put away your power auger.
The lakes look empty since most of the permanent shanties have been removed before the March 15th deadline. A prudent move because there’s enough ice for those who drive their trucks, quads and snowmobiles on the ice.
Only a few days left before pike and walleye season closes on the 15th. Most of us will have withdrawals but must give the pike and walleye a rest.
Crappie have been suspending and at times are just under the ice. Most are just eaters in the 8/9 inch range.
Better numbers of bluegill have been caught lately. Tiny jigs tipped with spikes or wax worms are effective.
SMELT – Finally catching smelt on Crystal. Told of good numbers and larger size than the other smelt lakes.
Green Lake – average numbers seem to be in the 60/80ty range. Some brag numbers over 100.
The Karlin Boat Launch is popular and parking can be difficult if you don’t get there early.