| Weekly Fishing Report | |
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Thursday, February 10, 2005 Recreational Fishing Report It just can’t be said enough times; Anglers need to use extreme caution when ice fishing. Deep lakes or those with currents are reporting soft spots in certain areas.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula On southern Lake St. Clair, anglers are fishing out from the DNR launch site at Jefferson and Ballard with keeper size fish taken on Swedish Pimples and Rapalas. Jumbo perch were caught at Harley Ensign. Northern pike could be seen in 5 feet of water. Anglers need to use caution near the pressure cracks at Harley and Selfridge. On the north end of the lake, perch have been caught when jigging teardrops with a minnow in 6 to 8 feet of water near Fair Haven. Some are jigging Rapalas with a red bead attached to the middle hook. South of New Baltimore, most fish have been caught just north of Brandenberg Park. Try fishing out from the white boat house in 7 feet of water using teardrops with a wax worm or minnow. Fishing was slow in the St. Clair River as the water is cloudy from melting snow and recent rains. A few northern pike have been caught. At Lexington, anglers are catching brown trout on small Cleo’s tipped with a wax worm, minnow or wiggler. On the inland lakes, trout have been caught on Maceday Lake. Splake have been caught on tip-ups with a minnow in 70 to 90 feet of water. Rainbow trout can be found in shallow waters about 2 feet deep. On Saginaw Bay, anglers need to use caution due to the recent warm spell. Near Standish, a few perch have been taken near the Pine River. Walleye anglers are fishing the Catfish Hole, which is just southeast of Great Lakes Marina. A few perch have been caught off White’s Beach and Erickson Road in 8 to 10 feet of water. Walleye fishing has been good at night in 15 to 22 feet of water off Linwood. Anglers are fishing 5 miles off Erickson Road around the Black Hole and 4 to 6 miles off the Bay City State Park in 12 to 21 feet of water. Boat anglers and those wading have caught walleye when casting jigs with minnows in the Hot Ponds. On the eastern shore, anglers are taking fair to good numbers of walleye in 15 to 23 feet of water. Most are going out 3 to 7 miles just off the Tietz Drain and Thomas Road. Perch anglers at Bay Port have taken some nice fish in 6 to 7 feet of water near North Island. Russian hooks with wax worms or minnows worked best. At Sebewaing, anglers have caught a few small perch and sunfish in the marina basin. Northern pike spearing was fair. The recent warm weather has made ice conditions on the Saginaw River questionable. Anglers need to use extreme caution! Angler activity was reported on the river, but not many legal fish have been caught. The lower river seems to be producing the large fish. The area just downstream of the Independence Bridge has been a popular spot. A few perch have been caught from the Bay Harbor Marina. Caution needs to be used on the Tittabawassee River. Shore ice continues to make shore fishing difficult and boat launching impossible. Southwestern Lower Peninsula Near St. Joe, water levels on the St. Joe River are up and muddy from recent rains. Boat and shore anglers are catching steelhead right below the Berrien Springs Dam and near Shamrock Park. Wobble glows in red and orange with spawn bags have worked best. A few walleye have also been caught when jigging a minnows or crawlers. Anglers continue to fish the inland lakes. Wax worms, minnows and wigglers on teardrops or jigs are catching fish. In St. Joseph County, try Thompson Lake, Big Pleasant Lake, and Klinger Lake. Cass County has Birch Lake, Hemlock Lake and Magician Lake for panfish. More anglers are starting to fish the Grand River near Lansing. Walleye and catfish have been caught below the Moore’s Park Dam and the North Lansing Dam. Minnows and frozen smelt have worked best. At Sleepy Hollow State Park, anglers are taking bluegills on gold teardrops with spikes or wax worms. Near Jackson in the Waterloo Recreation Area, anglers have caught bluegills, pumpkinseed, and redear sunfish in Clear Lake. Small red and white teardrops worked well. In Livingston County, bluegills and black crappie have been caught on red wax worms in Lake Chemung. Unsafe ice conditions on the east side of Muskegon Lake have resulted in a number of anglers going through the ice. All anglers should avoid the area east of the water tower, and where there are strong currents from the Muskegon River. The river at this time is running slightly high and muddy. A couple of steelhead have been caught below Newaygo. Perch along with a few walleye have been caught on White Lake. Northeastern Lower Peninsula Fishing picked up for a couple days, but just as fast as it started, the bite seemed to shut back down again. No safe ice to report on the Black River. An increased number of anglers were reported on Grand Lake. There are some pressure cracks throughout the lake, so anglers need to use caution. The fishing hot spots continue to be the bay between North Whiskey Point and South Whiskey Point. Angles are fishing tip-ups with small blues in 11 to 13 feet of water. Walleye have been caught in different areas when jigging minnows about a foot off the bottom in waters from 5 to 12 feet deep. From Alpena, there is no ice near the Ninth Street Dam. A couple steelhead were caught recently, but the bite was slow. Walleye action continues on Beaver Lake when jigging minnows and wigglers. Bluegills were hitting on wax worms at Fletcher’s Pond. Crappie are hitting on perch minnows. A few northern pike have also been taken. Walleye can be found in Hubbard Lake. In Montmorency County, a limited number of splake have been caught in Lake Avalon. At Tawas, perch fishing has been slow in Tawas Bay. Pike spearing was spotty. Brown trout fishing was fair inside the pier. Walleye fishing was good in 15 to 25 feet of water in the evenings. Anglers need to use caution when crossing the pressure cracks. Near Au Gres, walleye have been caught in 15 to 25 feet of water. Walleye have been caught in the Au Gres River, but many of the fish are sub-legal. Steelhead and walleye have been caught just off the mouth of Whitney Drain when jigging lures tipped with minnows or using tip-ups. This fishing opportunity may be short lived as the ice at this location comes and goes. Good fishing continues on Higgins Lake. Lake trout are hitting on tip-ups in waters up to 120 feet deep. Good numbers of whitefish have been caught in 80 to 100 feet of water when jigging Sand Kickers or Swedish Pimples in white pearl. On the north end of the lake near the Conference Center, rainbow trout have been caught in shallow waters a foot deep on wigglers. In front of Big Creek on the northwest side of the lake, smelt have been caught on wax worms and wigglers in 55 feet of water. Northern pike can be found in Houghton Lake along the weed beds. Walleye fishing was slow. Northwestern Lower Peninsula Near Traverse City, boats can be seen in the horizon as open water remains in both Bays. In the East Bay, anglers are catching whitefish when jigging Swedish Pimples or Sand Kicker jigs in at least 200 feet of water near Elk Rapids. Along the Boardman River, anglers are catching steelhead but some fish are running on the small side. Those fishing the West Bay are taking good numbers of perch. The key is to keep moving until you locate a school of fish. Fishing on the inland lakes seemed to slow a bit. On Crystal Lake near Frankfort, whitefish have been caught in the evenings. Lake trout fishing was fair. Smelt have been caught while hook and line fishing in Green Lake. Anglers are fishing in 40 to 50 feet of water with spikes. Some large northern pike have been caught along with some nice panfish. Lake trout have been caught in Big Glen Lake when fishing near the bottom in waters up to 130 feet deep. Perch fishing has been spotty. Closer to Manistee, anglers continue to do well when spearing northern pike in Manistee Lake. Bluegills are hitting on wax worms while crappie and a few walleye at hitting on small perch minnows. Good pike fishing continues when using tip-ups or jigging golden shiners and sucker minnows. Some anglers are fishing the Big Manistee River, where water levels are up slightly and muddy from recent rains. Anglers are floating spawn and catching 4 to 8 pound fish. Good northern pike fishing continues on Portage Lake. Perch fishing has been sporadic, as the fish seem to be scattered. Walleye fishing was good, but the fish seem to be on the move. Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell have been the hot spots for northern pike fishing. Near Ludington, anglers fishing at night on Upper Hamlin Lake are catching bluegills on wax worms and crappie on perch minnows. Fair walleye fishing was reported on Lower Hamlin Lake when jigging minnows. Northern pike can be found in Pere Marquette Lake when fishing near the City Park. Upper Peninsula Walleye continue to bite in the early mornings as well as an hour before dark in Peavy Pond. Most fish have been caught in 30 feet of water using large sucker minnows. Ice conditions near the dam and the mouth of the Michigamme River are very poor and can change hourly. Anglers need to use caution. Fair to good fishing continues for perch on Lake Gogebic. Lac Vieux Desert still takes top honors for northern pike catches, when using tip-ups with large sucker minnows. On the Menominee River, anglers are catching bluegill and crappie when jigging wax worm near Mason Park. Heavy angler pressure was reported both below and above the Grand Rapids Dam. Those targeting northern pike had good success below the dam just north of the McAllister Bridge. Some large pike have been taken in the back waters above the dam. Use the public access site on the Michigan side of River Drive which is just west off US-41 at Wallace. In Little Bay De Noc, pressure cracks have opened in many areas throughout the Bay creating dangerous conditions. Anglers need to use extreme caution when traveling on the ice. Good whitefish action reported off Sand Point when jigging minnows or spawn in 60 to 75 feet of water. Good numbers of walleye have been marked south of the Escanaba Yacht Harbor. Fair catches were taken in 25 feet of water along the flats as well as 25 to 45 feet down along the breaks at dusk and before daylight. Perch catches were down in numbers, but up in size. Many 10 to 14 inch perch were caught when jigging in 12 to 25 feet of water near the First and Second Reefs. Some nice walleye have also been caught on tip-ups with minnows. At Munising, the snow melted leaving most areas quite slushy. Watch for soft spots. Fair success was reported by those seeking whitefish. Light numbers of coho along with a few splake have been caught. At Sault Ste. Marie, the catch rate for whitefish has started to slow in Mosquito Bay. Even though the bite has tapered off a bit near Munuscong, anglers are still taking some nice walleye, yellow perch, and northern pike. Fish have been caught in shallow waters 4 to 5 feet deep near Grassy Island and on both sides of the pressure crack that is located near the mouth of the Munuscong River. Anglers are jigging with small shiner minnows. Spearing action for herring has been slow in Raber Bay. At Cedarville, excellent perch fishing was reported in Musky Bay. While a good number of perch are running small, anglers reported taking fair to good numbers of fish that were 12 inches or larger. Most are jigging with wax worms or wigglers. Perch have also been caught in Moscoe Channel, Cedarville Bay and around Little Joe Island.
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