| Weekly Fishing Report | |
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Thursday, February 24, 2005 Recreational Fishing Report
Slow fishing was reported around most of the state. Cold temperatures, strong winds and cloudy water conditions were making it hard for anglers to catch fish. Anglers are reminded that the season to take walleye and muskellunge on the Upper Peninsula inland waters, Great Lakes waters and the St. Mary’s River will close on February 28th.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula Fishing continues on Lake Erie, but caution should be used, especially close to shore where some of the ice is breaking up. Walleye have been caught in Brest Bay when jigging Swedish Pimples, small Rapalas, or small Cleo’s in 15 to 17 feet of water. Perch anglers have caught some nice fish near the Banana Dike with minnows, wigglers and wax worms. Those fishing in the canals between Lake Erie Metro Park and Gibraltar have caught bluegill, perch and crappie. Northern pike are hitting on tip-ups. Open water remains on the Huron River. Those seeking steelhead are fishing at Flat Rock and Rockwood. Most are floating spawn, wax worms or flies. On the Detroit River, good numbers of northern pike have been taken on tip-ups with large sucker minnows and shiners. Perch in the 9 to 12 inch range were caught. Cloudy water conditions and poor visibility slowed the fishing on Lake St. Clair. Anglers are fishing for sunfish in the marina at 11-Mile Road and in 6 to 8 feet of water near Metro Beach. Early mornings and late evenings produced the most fish. Those fishing near Selfridge have caught perch, sunfish, bluegills, crappie and rock bass. Anglers are using small Rapalas and minnows in waters up to 5 feet deep. Reminder to anglers: The mudpuppy is harmless to humans and is an important contributor to the aquatic ecosystem and food chain as food for herons and fish. Please do not leave them on the ice to die, return them to the water immediately. Use caution when traveling on Saginaw Bay, as cracks are opening up and becoming a problem. Near Standish, yellow perch in the 8 to 12 inch range have been caught 2 to 3 miles off Hale Road and Palmer Road. Walleye along with a few perch were caught in the Catfish Hole off White’s Beach. Slow walleye fishing was reported from Linwood to the Bay City State Park. Light angler activity near Sebewaing. Perch fishing was slow off Geiger Road. Good catches were reported out of Bay Port when using small tear drops with minnows. Northern pike were reported at Port Austin and in the Pinnebog River. Unsafe ice conditions were reported on the Saginaw River. There are patches of open water all the way from Wickes Park in Saginaw downstream to Bay City. A few anglers were fishing on the edge of the current around the Independence Bridge in Bay City. Southwestern Lower Peninsula At St Joe, pier anglers continue to catch light numbers of brown trout off the river side of the pier. Suckers are also starting to bite. Water levels are still running a bit high on the St. Joe River. Boat and shore anglers have managed to catch steelhead on spawn and a few walleye. A run of steelhead were reported at Grand Rapids. Anglers are floating wax worms, crawlers and perch minnows up near the Sixth Street Dam. Steelhead can be found in the main river from Ionia to Grand Rapids. A few walleye have been caught off the wall. Closer to Lansing, walleye can be found near Moore’s Park. Jordan Lake reported fair to good fishing for bluegills, crappie and perch. Lake Ovid has bluegills, but anglers need to move around to find the large fish. Northern pike are hitting on Lake Lansing, but the fish are small. Good bluegill fishing was reported on Lake Chemung, Morrison Lake and Lake Alliance. Closer to Muskegon, pier anglers reported good steelhead action when floating spawn bags. On Muskegon Lake, those seeking northern pike on tip-ups are also catching some nice perch on golden shiners in 8 to 20 feet of water. Some large northern pike have been taken between Heritage Landing and Second Street. Those fishing near the State Park on the north end of the lake are taking northern pike on tip-ups. Others are fishing the marinas on the south side of the lake and catching bluegill. Boats are trolling crank baits for walleye near the mouth of the river. Anglers are catching perch on the west end of White Lake, but the fish are small. The White River had a run of steelhead near Hesperia. Northeastern Lower Peninsula Perch and walleye have been caught on minnows and wigglers in Mullet Lake. Walleye fishing was slow in Black Lake. Fair fishing was reported on Grand Lake. Keeper perch were caught when jigging perch minnows in 7 to 10 feet of water just north of Grand Island. Those with cameras reported the large fish are a foot or so off the bottom. Perch have been caught southeast of Three Sisters Island in 17 feet of water. Good northern pike action was reported on the north end of Grand Island. Most fish have been taken on a Swedish Pimple with a minnow. On Long Lake, anglers need to use caution as there is a pressure crack near the mouth of East Bay. Pike were caught on both the northwest and south side of the lake. Near Alpena, anglers are fishing the Thunder Bay River and catching light numbers of steelhead in open water near the Ninth Street Dam. Most are floating spawn or wax worms under a bobber. Near Oscoda, steelhead are hitting in the Au Sable River. Fishing has started to pick up in Van Etten Lake as more anglers are starting to catch perch. Walleye fishing has been slow. At Tawas, walleye have been caught near the pressure crack and inside the bay near the artificial reef. Northern pike spearing has improved with some limits taken. Those fishing shallow waters near the boat ramp have caught brown trout, rainbow trout and whitefish on spawn. Near Au Gres, walleye have been taken in 20 to 30 feet of water at the pressure crack and beyond. Use extreme caution when traveling near the pressure cracks. Smelt fishing continues on Higgins Lake. Fish have been caught in 27 to 30 feet of water near the North State Park. Late afternoons and evenings have produced the best catches. Perch are biting, but the fish are small. Lake trout and whitefish have been caught right off the bottom in waters 100 feet deep. Use wax worms, wigglers or a single egg. Rainbow trout can still be found in shallow waters in front of the Conference Center and Big Creek. You will want to limit your movement on the ice as these fish are spooked easily. Northwestern Lower Peninsula Slow fishing was reported on the inland lakes in this region of the state. Perch and walleye fishing was spotty on Burt Lake and Crooked Lake. The key is to keep moving around until you find some fish. Fair fishing was reported on Pickerel Lake. Both Bays at Traverse City have open water, however; anglers are having a hard time launching boats as there is some snow and ice along the shoreline. In the East Bay, whitefish can be found in 200 feet of water near Yuba. Perch can be found in the West Bay. Steelhead fishing in the Boardman River was hit or miss. Smelt fishing on Green Lake was fair. Cedar Lake was slow but should pick-up. Walleye have been caught in Long Lake. Lake Leelanau has walleye and small perch. In Crystal Lake, lake trout and whitefish can be found in waters 90 to 130 feet deep. Anglers reported catching burbot and the smelt fishing has started to improve. Big Glen Lake has produced some large northern pike catches. At Manistee, bluegills and rock bass have been caught on the north side of Manistee Lake near Sengs Marina. Most anglers fishing the Big Manistee River can be found above High Bridge. Some are catching steelhead up near Tippy Dam when floating spawn, wax worms or wigglers under a bobber. Inland, good northern pike action was reported on tip-ups or when spear fishing on Portage Lake, but the fish were small. Perch can be found in the deep waters off Leonard Street, but anglers will need to find an access point. Near Ludington, fair to good bluegill fishing was reported in Upper Hamlin Lake. Crappie are hitting on small teardrops with minnows. Walleye have been taken in Lower Hamlin Lake when jigging minnows or wigglers. Northern pike can still be found in the shallow waters of Pere Marquette Lake. Most anglers are still concentrating near the City Park. Those fishing the Pere Marquette River have caught light numbers of steelhead near the Indian Bridge. Upper Peninsula Panfish activity took a dip as fishing slowed this week. Some of the better reports have come from Groveland Mine Ponds and Hamilton Lake Chain in Dickinson County. Lac Vieux Desert and Squaw Lake are good waters to try for northern pike. Anglers are catching walleye, but most of the fish are running on the small side. Slow fishing was reported on the Menominee River. Along the upper stretch, light numbers of bluegill and crappie have been caught from the First Dam upstream to the Grand Rapids Dam. Fair catches of northern pike were reported near Mason Park and Grand Rapids Dam. On the lower stretch of the river, a few brown trout and steelhead were caught when casting spoons and Rapalas from the Train Bridge up to the First Dam. While fishing has been slow in Little Bay De Noc, Portage Point has produced the best catches when jigging 12 to 25 feet off the bottom right along the break. No vehicles have been driven out in this area. Several nice perch were caught when jigging wigglers and minnows in 25 to 35 feet of water out from the ship docks in Escanaba. Butler Island near Kipling has produced lots of small perch in the 6 to 10 inch range. Walleye anglers are having better success when fishing into the evening hours. Some reported a good bite around 8pm in 25 to 35 feet of water near Gladstone. Others are fishing straight out of Kipling in 21 to 30 feet of water. Good numbers of whitefish can be round in 70 to 85 feet of water around Sand Point. The weather seemed to play a part in the slow fishing conditions up near Munising. The whitefish catches did slow yet again, and the coho fishing has not picked up yet. Anglers can be seen fishing from Sand Point to the West Channel. Recent snows have once again covered the ice making easier travel for those walking. There is still no ice to report near Christmas or Au Train. Coho fishing should pick-up once the weather stabilizes. In the area around Munuscong, walleye fishing was reported as good. Anglers are jigging with minnows in shallow waters 3 to 4 feet deep along the pressure crack off Grassy Island. Anglers should still use caution when fishing near the pressure crack located near the mouth of the Munuscong River. Northern pike are still hitting, but the fish are small. Herring can still be found in Raber Bay, but the action was slow. At Cedarville, the perch fishing in Musky Bay remains excellent. Anglers are jigging with minnows in 12 to 16 feet of water. Moscoe Channel and Cedarville Bay around Little Joe Island are producing some perch as well, however; the catch is slow and the fish are small. |
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