| Weekly Fishing Report | |
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Thursday, March 31, 2005 Recreational Fishing Report On Friday April 1, 2005, anglers will be required to have a 2005 Michigan Fishing License. Copies of the new Michigan Fishing Guide and Inland Trout and Salmon Guides are available at all license vendors around the state. Caution needs to be used by those fishing on any remaining ice around the state. River fishing is starting to improve in the Lower Peninsula.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula Lake Erie has open water, but not much fishing activity to report as few anglers have been out. Anglers fishing the Detroit River need to use caution and watch for ice flows that are still coming down the river. Fair to good perch fishing was reported when fishing near several of the islands. Steelhead action continues on the Huron River. Most anglers are fishing between Flat Rock and Rockwood. Anglers are reminded that walleye season on the river is closed and will not re-open until April 30th. Near Port Huron, anglers are now catching brown trout and steelhead when fishing near the mouth of the Black River. Anglers are floating spawn, wax worms and crawlers, or casting small spoons off the wall. Fair to good sucker catches were also reported. Steelhead are starting to hit in Mill Creek. The ice on Saginaw Bay is starting to deteriorate, and anglers need to use caution. The shore ice is also starting to break up making access more difficult. Perch have been caught in 5 to 10 feet of water straight off Palmer Road and in 2 to 4 feet of water off Geiger Road. Walleye fishing has picked up with fish caught in 16 feet of water off Erickson Road and Linwood. Fish were caught in 11 feet of water off the Bay City State Park and in 7 feet of water off Vanderbilt Park. Good catches of perch were reported off Bay Port, but anglers need to watch ice conditions as four anglers went through the ice over the weekend. Boat anglers are fishing both the Saginaw River and the Tittabawassee River, but the bite has been very slow. The Sebewaing River is open, but only a few small perch have been caught. Southwestern Lower Peninsula Good fishing was reported from the port of St. Joe. Limit catches of coho and brown trout were reported when fishing spawn on the bottom off both sides of the pier. More boats can be seen fishing around the piers. Coho and brown trout have been caught on orange and gold or blue and silver body baits when trolling in 15 to 25 feet of water. On the St. Joe River, anglers reported slow but steady fishing. The better catches seem to come in the mornings when drifting spawn. Boat anglers on the Kalamazoo River are starting to catch steelhead when drifting spawn. Fishing was slow this week on many of the inland lakes including Paw Paw Lake, which reported unsafe ice conditions. Port Sheldon is finally open and producing mixed catches. Brown trout seem to be back this year, with some caught on body baits near the bubbler. Steelhead and lake trout have also been caught. The dock is now in at the DNR ramp on Pigeon Lake. At Grand Haven, pier anglers are catching brown trout and steelhead when floating spawn or casting small spoons. Water levels are high on the Grand River at Grand Rapids. Anglers are catching steelhead when floating spawn off the bridges or up near the Sixth Street Dam. Good sucker catches were reported by those fishing for steelhead. A few crappie have also been caught. At Muskegon, boats are now trolling for steelhead and brown trout close to shore. Anglers fishing off the south pier have also caught fish. More open water can be seen on Muskegon Lake as ice conditions deteriorate quickly. Steelhead can be found in the Muskegon River. Northeastern Lower Peninsula Ice fishing continues on Grand Lake. Anglers should use caution and avoid the north end of the lake as the outlet is wide open around the dam and Sand Bay Marina. Bluegills and rock bass are starting to bite, but the perch fishing was slow. Use natural bait with a jigging device to attract attention. Those fishing Fletcher’s Floodwaters have caught bluegills and perch. Near Alpena, the ice was cleared off the boat ramp on the north side of the Thunder Bay River, so boat anglers can now access the river. The Upper River was still frozen, but it may break up by the weekend. Walleye season is closed until the opener on April 30th, but steelhead can be found in the river. Fair fishing for brown trout is expected for those trolling near shore in Thunder Bay. At Tawas, ice conditions are questionable and anglers are reminded to use extreme caution. Walleye fishing has picked up in 15 feet of water. The ice is gone from the area outside Tawas Point. Inside Tawas Bay, ice anglers are catching brown trout and menominee. Boat anglers are trolling along the edge of the ice pack and getting a few brown trout. At Au Gres, good numbers of walleye have been caught in 15 to 20 feet of water out near the pressure crack. Walleye were caught in 5 to 10 feet of water off the mouth of the Au Gres River. The waters have opened up on the East Branch of the Au Gres River. Shore and surf anglers are fishing for steelhead and brown trout with spinners, spoons, and spawn sacks. The Rifle River is starting to open up and anglers are fishing for suckers. The runs should be going strong in the next week or two if the weather holds out. Smelt can still be found in Higgins Lake. Anglers continue to fish near the State Park on the north end of the lake. Perch can be found in 20 to 40 feet of water, but catches were spotty. Lake trout continue to bite in deeper waters. Houghton Lake reports fair to good fishing for bluegills and crappie. Northwestern Lower Peninsula At Traverse City, both the East Bay and the West Bay have open water and the boats are out fishing for perch. Large perch have been caught on wigglers and perch minnows in 55 to 60 feet of water. Whitefish have been caught in the East Bay near Elk Rapids. Lake trout are hitting in the West Bay when fishing near the Red Buoy. Steelhead fishing has been fair in the Boardman River. Anglers are still fishing on the last ice in both Lake Leelanau and Big Glen Lake. Fair to good catches of lake trout were reported. Near Frankfort, perch and smelt are still hitting in Crystal Lake. Lake trout fishing was fair to good. The Betsie River is producing fair catches of steelhead. At Manistee, boat anglers are starting to troll along the shoreline for brown trout. Many of the launch sites are open, and the docks are in on First Street. Anglers fishing the mouth of the Big Manistee River have caught steelhead when floating spawn. A few anglers have started to fish the mouth of the Little Manistee River as well, but the bite has been slow. Not much happening at the weir as the grates are in, but the pumps have not been turned on. There should be a fair number of fall and winter fish above the weir for the April 1st opener, but not many spring fish made it up there. At Ludington, boats are trolling along the shoreline and catching brown trout. Pier anglers are catching steelhead and brown trout when floating spawn. Anglers are still ice fishing for perch in Pere Marquette Lake. The ice is holding on Upper Hamlin Lake where anglers have caught bluegills and crappie. Steelhead are starting to move into the Pere Marquette River. Anglers are fishing near the mouth or in the lower stretch near Custer. Anglers are still ice fishing on Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. Fair to good bluegill fishing was reported in Lake Missaukee. Upper Peninsula Slow fishing was reported in Keweenaw Bay as ice conditions have started to deteriorate with each passing day. In the Lower Menominee River, brown trout have been caught from the Train Bridge upstream to the First Dam when casting Fire Tigers. It was reported that this area was 90 percent ice free. Perch, crappie and bluegills have been caught near the River Park Campgrounds when jigging wax worms. Action was slow in the Upper Menominee River with light catches of crappie and bluegills taken near the access site at 18th Avenue, and off Mason Park. Warm temperatures have started melting the shore ice around Little Bay De Noc. The area off Kipling seems to be in the worst shape because of the constant use. Anglers need to use caution when traveling across the ice as open water will begin to appear almost daily. Anglers are reminded that ice shanties must be removed by midnight on March 31st. Whitefish and burbot have been caught when jigging spawn, corn or minnows in 70 to 80 feet of water off Sand Point. Perch fishing was spotty when jigging minnows and wigglers in 6 to 17 feet of water around Butler Island. Anglers are still waiting for the large perch to start moving into shallow waters. At Marquette, fishing remains steady with a fair number of boat anglers catching coho salmon in the Upper Harbor. The ice pack has been moving around the harbor making it a challenge to find the bubblers. The Lower Harbor was still iced in as of this report. A few anglers have been fishing near the mouth of the Carp River with limited success. Closer to Munising and Christmas, coho fishing has been spotty. Near Au Train, lake trout fishing has been fair, but the coho fishing was slow. Whitefish, splake and smelt have also been slow. While the ice seems to be holding due to the cold nights, anglers still need to use caution and watch ice conditions carefully. Near Munuscong, perch anglers are jigging wigglers and wax worms in shallow waters around Sugar Island. Perch fishing was just fair in Musky Bay and good in Cedarville Bay. Jigging wigglers and wax worms in 6 to 8 feet of water has worked best. Snow and slush on top of the ice is still making travel difficult.
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