Michigan Fishing Reports 1-30-08

[lonehunter]

Upper Peninsula:[/url]

Anglers on Copper Harbor are catching a few splake.

Lake Gogebic is producing fair to good perch fishing. The crappie fishing on the lake is fair and the walleye action is slow.

By Marquette, anglers are starting to catch a few splake on the Lower Marquette and Upper Marquette harbors. Anglers on Independence and Teal lakes are catching a few perch.

Munising Bay is now covered with some ice, and anglers are catching a few splake and whitefish.

Out of the Escanaba area, the walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on Little Bay de Noc. Two of the best areas to fish are out from the Escanaba River and Portage Point. The marble eyes are hitting on both jigs and tip-ups. Anglers on the bay, fishing south of Gladstone are catching a few whitefish in water 25 to 40 feet deep. Try using minnows as bait, placed at the bottom of the bay.

In the Manistique area, the perch and walleye fishing is good on Indian Lake.

Munuscong Bay is producing good perch and walleye action. The walleye are hitting on spoons and jigs tipped with a minnow.

Around Drummond Island, the perch and pike fishing is fair on Scott Bay. The perch are hitting on a variety of baits, most of the northerns are being pulled up through the ice with spears.

And at St. Ignace, the perch and walleye fishing on Brevort Lake is spotty, at best.

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Northwest:[/url]

Out of the Alanson area, the perch and walleye fishing is fair on Burt, Crooked and Pickerel lakes. Minnows are the preferred bait. Anglers need to be careful on Burt Lake, due to the poor ice conditions.

By Boyne City, anglers on Lake Charlevoix are catching good numbers of perch. Both minnows and wigglers are working well as bait. The perch, pike and walleye action is good on Walloon Lake. The bluegill action on Deer Lake is good, with waxworms and spikes working well as bait.

Around Traverse City, the walleye action is fair on Long Lake. The marble eyes are hitting on minnows hooked to the end of a tip-up. Anglers on some of the smaller inland lakes are pulling a few bluegills through the ice.

In the Frankfort area, the perch fishing is fair on Crystal Lake. Early mornings or late afternoons are the best times to be out. Anglers on Loon Lake are catching a few perch. Along the Betsie and Manistee rivers, the steelhead fishing is fair.

Lake Skegemog near Kalkaska is producing fair to good perch fishing. Anglers on Manistee Lake are catching a few pike and walleye.

The pike and walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on Otsego Lake near Gaylord. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to be out. The bluegill and perch fishing on both Bradford and Otsego lakes is fair.

And at Cadillac, the pike fishing is excellent on both lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. The crappie fishing is improving on Lake Cadillac. Both minnows and red spikes are being used as bait, with afternoons being the best time to be out for the crappie.

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West:[/url]

Pere Marquette Lake near Ludington is producing some very good pike fishing. Most of the northerns being caught are hitting on tip-ups. The bluegill and crappie fishing is good on the upper end of Hamlin Lake. The walleye action on the lake is fair. Anglers along the Pere Marquette River are catching a few steelhead and brown trout.

The perch fishing on Pentwater Lake is very good, with wigglers being the hot bait.

Out of the Muskegon area, the pike fishing ranges from fair to good on Muskegon Lake. The middle and east ends of the lake have the best ice. The perch fishing is fair, a lot of small fish are being caught.

On Chippewa Lake, the panfish action is very good. Minnows are working well as bait. A few northerns are also being caught on the lake. And at Baldwin, the bluegill and perch action ranges from fair to good on most of the local inland lakes.

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Southwest:[/url]

Fishing activity is on the slow side by Holland. Poor shore ice conditions are keeping many folks off Lake Macatawa. Some anglers from shore or on docks are punching holes through the ice and catching a few bluegill.

In the New Buffalo area, anglers along the Galien River are catching an occasional steelhead.

Around Kalamazoo, the bluegill fishing is fair on Gravel Lake. Spikes are working well as bait. Anglers on Gull Lake at night, are starting to catch a few smelt. Huzzy Lake is producing fair pike fishing. Anglers along the Kalamazoo River, below the Allegan Dam, are catching a few steelhead.

And at Three Rivers, the bluegill and perch fishing is very good on local lakes like Corey and Pleasant. The fish are hitting on a variety of baits.

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Northeast:[/url]

In the Alpena area, the perch and walleye fishing ranges from fair to good on both Grand and Long lakes. Early mornings or late afternoons are the best times to be out.

Out of the Grayling area, the perch fishing is fair on Lake Margrethe. The best fishing is found on the south end of the lake, in water about 15 feet deep. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to be out. The bluegill and walleye fishing on the lake ranges from slow to fair.

By Oscoda, the perch fishing is good on Van Etten Lake. The pike and walleye action is fair on both Cooke Dam and Foote Dam ponds. Anglers along the Au Sable River are catching a few steelhead.

Higgins Lake is finally covered by some ice, anglers are pulling a few lake trout through the ice. Shiner minnows are working well as bait, in water at least 100 feet deep. The perch action on the lake is fair.

Houghton Lake is producing some good pike and walleye fishing. The northerns are hitting on tip-ups, the walleye on jigs. The best walleye action is found on the east bay, north shore or in the “middle grounds.”

And at Au Gres, the walleye fishing is fair on Saginaw Bay, in water about 25 feet deep. The marble eyes are hitting on minnows hooked to the end of a jig. Along the Au Gres River anglers are catching a few perch.

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East:[/url]

By Linwood, the perch fishing is fair on Saginaw Bay. The ice has returned and the best fishing is found near the “black hole” in water about 20 feet deep.

Around Bay City, the walleye fishing is fair on both the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay. The best fishing on the bay is found out from Thomas Road. The perch fishing on the bay ranges from fair to good, with minnows working well as bait.

Out of the Bay Port area, the perch fishing ranges from fair to good. The best areas to fish are out from Mud Creek and Geiger Road.

Anglers are starting to get out on the ice covering both Port Sanilac and Lexington harbors. Information is limited on what, if anything, is being caught.

And at Port Huron, the walleye action is slow on the St. Clair River. Anglers on the 40th Street Pond are catching good numbers of pike.

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Central:[/url]

Around Mount Pleasant, the panfish, pike and walleye action is good on Lake Isabella. Deerfield Lake is producing good panfish and pike fishing. Anglers on Stevenson Lake are catching a few panfish.

Out of the Lansing area, fishing activity, in general, is spotty on all the local lakes and along the Grand River.

And by Jackson, the pike fishing is fair on both Clark and Devils lakes. The northerns are mainly hitting on tip-ups. Anglers on Devils Lake are also catching an occasional walleye. The crappie fishing is fair on Vineyard Lake. Minnows are working well as bait.

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Southeast:[/url]

The pike fishing is good on Anchor Bay in the Fair Haven area. The northerns are being caught on tip-ups and with spears. The perch action is spotty on the bay. Anglers on the canals around Harsens Island are catching a few perch.

On the west side of Lake St. Clair, the perch action is good around Metropolitan Beach and Nine Mile Road. Spikes and waxworms are working well as bait, however, mousies and minnows are also being used. Over on the Canadian side of the lake, the perch action is very good on Mitchell Bay.

Around Grosse Ile, the perch fishing is fair on Airport Bay. Anglers casting lines into the open water in the canals by Gibraltar are catching a few perch. The steelhead fishing is fair on the Huron River.

In the Monroe area, the walleye fishing is good by Luna Pier. Anglers on the ice covering Bolles Harbor are catching good numbers of bluegill and crappie along with a few perch.

And at Belleville, the perch fishing is fair below the dam on Belleville Lake. Anglers on Ford Lake are catching a few crappie and perch.

[lonehunter]

[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday January 31, 2008 [/font] [font "Arial, Helvetica"]Recreational Fishing Report[/font]
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[url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]

Ice anglers are reminded to use caution as it will take a few days for the cold spell to tighten the ice back up. Heavy snow will insulate the ice and prevent the freezing process, so be careful especially in the areas with heavy snowfall.

Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Anglers are still fishing off the Metro Park Marina and off Point Mouillee around the Banana Dyke.
Huron River - Water levels are up but the river is still fishable. Those floating spawn or wax worms have caught steelhead.
Detroit River - Has ice coming down the river and the waters are cloudy. Shore anglers are catching perch near the warm water discharge of the power plants. Perch are being caught in Airport Bay. Some are fishing in and the around the marinas. Try perch rigs with minnows.
Lake St. Clair - Has ice in some of the popular fishing spots such as Metro Beach, the Spillway, off Cotton Road, Brandenburg and Fair Haven. The waters between Brandenburg Park and Fair Haven were clean, but the waters south of Brandenburg down to St. Clair Shores were muddy. Ice thickness varies quite a bit, and there are some thin spots, so anglers should use extreme caution. Perch fishing was slow but some nice fish were caught.
Salt River - Is loaded with perch, but nothing over 8 inches.
Saginaw Bay - Ice has reformed around the bay and anglers are venturing out. Up near the Pine River, anglers are taking a lot of small perch. Walleye anglers were going out to 15 feet of water, but no reports on success. Some walleye were caught near the Black Hole off Erickson Road and about four miles off Linwood in waters 17 to 19 feet deep. Small perch were caught in the marina basins at Caseville.
Saginaw River - Ice anglers caught a few legal walleye near Ojibway Island in Saginaw, Anderson's Marina in Bay City, and down near the Independence Bridge. Jigging spoons and rapalas baited with minnows worked best. The big perch were caught near the mouth when using perch rigs with minnows in 8 to 17 feet of water.
Quanicassee River - Small perch have been caught and released in abundance.
Sebewaing River - Lots of small perch have been caught. Anglers will need to do a lot of sorting.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Lakes in this area of the state have extremely variable ice conditions. Most anglers are staying in the channels and small bays.

St. Joe River - Has some ice coming down the river. No steelhead activity to report.
Saddle Bag Lake - Near Marcellus reports crappie and bluegills being caught.
Lake of the Woods - Near Decatur has bluegill fishing.
Paw Paw Lake - Those fishing around Curtis Island were taking pike and bluegills in the evening. Bluegills were also caught in Sherwood Bay.
Kalamazoo River - Had fair to good walleye catches near the Allegan Dam and downstream.
Lake Macatawa - Anglers were catching a mixed bag of panfish along the Sand Docks.
Grand River at Lansing - Walleye anglers fishing the North Lansing Dam are using minnows or crawlers on a lead head jig. A few small pike have also been caught.
Lake Ovid - Has ice fishing and most anglers have been on the west side of the lake. Bluegills were plentiful but many were small. Perch fishing was slow.
Muskegon Lake - Was iced over with water on top, which should have froze up with cold front. Until it does freeze up good, anglers need to use extreme caution. Those fishing by the Sand Docks have caught walleye, perch, pike and crappie. Anglers were also fishing in Snug Harbor and around the marinas.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Grand Lake - Ice fishing conditions remain strong. Warmer weather will improve catch rates.
Long Lake - Ice fishing is still going strong but the bite has been slow, which is usually the case this time of year.
Alpena - There is some ice in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay River - Has ice in the turn basin and lower river but no anglers were seen.
Fletcher's Floodwaters - Has good ice fishing for bluegills, crappie and perch. Those with tip-ups have taken a few pike in the south end of the lake.
Tawas Bay - Perch anglers are catching lots of 3 to 6 inch perch and having to sort like mad to get a few keepers. Cold weather has been the cause of slow walleye fishing. The waters did clear up enough for good pike spearing, but even that has been slow.
Au Gres River - Anglers report lots of small perch and sub-legal walleye.
Higgins Lake - Ice fishing continues. Perch are hitting on minnows and wigglers just off the bottom in waters 40 to 50 feet deep. Lake trout have been caught in 100 feet of water when using tip-ups about 5 feet off the bottom.
Houghton Lake - Walleye are hitting on swedish pimples, rapalas, and wobblers. While many of the fish caught were sub-legal, a few keepers have been caught. Some nice 10 to 14 inch perch were caught near the Middle Grounds and up in the northeast corner of the lake. The fish are suspended in 10 to 14 feet of water. Northern pike action has been very good when using tip-ups with golden shiners or sucker minnows on a red treble hook. Bluegill action was spotty.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Skegemog Lake - Anglers are catching perch.
Big Twin Lake - In Kalkaska County, anglers were starting to get some smelt.
Boardman River - Was producing some steelhead.
Long Lake - Those fishing around South Island and Fox Island were taking a mixed bag of fish when still-fishing or jigging with minnows in 12 to 20 feet of water. The walleye anglers did best around dusk, but some of the fish were small. Good numbers of perch have been caught but many were small. The fishing off Hartman Park has been hit-or-miss.
Green Lake - Anglers were starting to fish near the National Music Camp. The ice on the rest of the lake is questionable.
Betsie River - Should still have some steelhead in it.
Manistee River - Steelhead fishing was good before the deep freeze.
Lake Missaukee - Good size crappies and some walleye were caught. Most of the pike were not keepers.
Lake Cadillac - Has good ice fishing, but the cold front moving in will most likely slow things down again. The perch were suspended in 20 feet of water. Those seeking northern pike have done well when spearing or using tip-ups.
Lake Mitchell - Continues to host good ice fishing. Look for walleye on the east side of the lake. For bluegills, try the west side of the lake off the coves. Northern pike action has been very good for those spearing or using tip-ups.
Upper Hamlin Lake - Has fair to good panfish action. Try early morning or evening off Barnhart Road.
Pere Marquette Lake - Has iced over, but with warmer temperatures and rain, anglers should give the cold front a couple days to tighten the ice back up.
Upper Peninsula
Thousand Island Lake Chain - In Gogebic County has good panfish action.
Lac Vieux Desert Lake - Limits of pike have been caught.
Portage Lake - Fishing has slowed. Chassell Bay has produced a few pike on tip ups with sucker minnows. Most of the activity out on the Humps has taken place between 5pm and 6:30pm, but the bite was slow. There has been no panfish activity to report. The ice was slushy so be careful with any motorized vehicle.
Fortune Lake - In Iron County has good northern pike action.
Michigamme Reservoir - Also has good northern pike action so make sure you drill that hole big enough.
Cowboy Lake - In Dickinson County had good panfish action.
Badwater Lake - Also in Dickinson County, had good panfish action.
Little Bay De Noc - Anglers report good ice in the northern sections of the bay and fair to dangerous conditions on the southern sections all the way down to Breezy Point. Heavy snowfalls have made travel difficult. Though walleye fishing was a bit on the slow side, fish were caught when jigging in 18 to 30 feet of water between Gladstone and Kipling. Some were fishing right on the break off Portage Point, but this is new ice on top of very deep waters so extreme caution needs to be used. Walleye were also caught out from the Terrace when fishing about 8 feet off the bottom in 40 feet of water. Perch anglers have done best when jigging minnows or wigglers in 17 feet of water off Kipling. Those spearing northern pike say the action is starting to pick up. Try 6 to 10 feet of water around the Escanaba Yacht Harbor. No whitefish anglers to report at this time.
Munuscong - Walleye ranging from 15 to 22 inches have been caught. Nice perch were caught in 3 to 6 feet of water while jigging with minnow heads. Use extreme caution if you plan to venture out past 7 feet of water because of the lack of good ice.
Cedarville and Hessel - Anglers fishing Musky Bay are catching yellow perch along with the occasional northern pike while jigging with minnows, wax worms and wigglers in 7 to 10 feet of water. The bigger perch measuring 11 to 14 inches were caught in Moscoe Channel in 4 to 6 feet of water, but fewer fish were caught.