The new 2006 fishing licenses will go on sale starting March 1, 2006. Anglers will have one month to purchase their new license before the April 1st deadline. The 2006-2007 Michigan Fishing Guides and Inland Trout and Salmon Guides will also be available. Anglers are being asked to keep both guides for use over the next two fishing seasons, as the next printing will not take place until 2008.

Lake Erie – Anglers are ice fishing at the Lake Erie Metro Park Marina. The boat ramp there is now closed.

Huron River – The water level is still high. Steelhead are still being caught using wax worms. A few small walleye have been caught on a small jig with a twister.

Detroit River – Good catches of yellow perch are being reported in the cuts and canals of the lower end of the river. Fish ranging from 7 to 12 inches were reported in the lower end of the Trenton Channel as well as the canals and marinas near Grosse Isle. Shiner minnows and perch rigs worked the best.

St. Clair River – Fishing has been slow with frigid temperatures and strong winds. Most fish are being caught in the ponds. Northern pike and some small pan fish have been caught near 40th Street and Fox Rd. Minnows and wax worms have worked the best. On the Canadian side, perch are being caught in Sarnia Bay.

Saginaw Bay – Ice conditions have improved in the eastern end of the bay, however there is still open water so remember to use extreme caution. Near Quanicassee, good to average catches of walleye have been reported off Hidden Harbor and Thomas Road. Some nice fish ranging 18 to 22 inches have been caught here. Perch are being caught in the marinas at Quanicassee and Sebewaing. In Bay City, anglers are catching walleye near the Bay City State Park in waters 7 to 8 feet deep. On the western end of the bay, the shore ice is improving but there is still open water. Perch are being caught all over the western side of the bay in 2 to 4 feet of water using minnows.
 

St. Joseph – It’s starting to get real icy on the piers but anglers have caught a few whitefish off the south pier when the weather permits. With the frigid temperatures over the past weekend fishing was extremely slow. Only a couple of people braved the wind and cold for the Free Fishing Weekend events.

St. Joseph River – Boat anglers are catching steelhead from the Jasperdairy boat launch up to the Berrien Springs Dam. Walleye have been caught in the deeper holes on jigs or minnows. Try night fishing at the dam.

Grand River at Grand Rapids – Walleye activity is good near Fulton Street and the Post Office. Evening fishing has been the best. Steelhead are being caught at the Sixth Street Dam.

Grand River at Lansing – Water levels are still high and have hampered fishing. Try fishing along the walls or bridge supports where the fish are holding. Steelhead are still being caught below the Moore’s Park Dam. No safe ice to report on the inland lakes in this region.

Muskegon Lake – Has open-water. There are no reports of fishing as of this report. There is not enough ice for ice fishing and not enough open water for boating.

Fremont Lake – Anglers are catching good numbers of bluegill and northern pike.

Big Blue Lake / Muskegon County – Anglers have caught fair to good numbers of bluegill and northern pike in the north end of the lake in Turtle Bay. Night fishing for crappie has been good.
 

Black Lake – The recent snow and cold temperatures have kept anglers away. A few yellow perch have been caught while jigging with minnows and on tip-ups in 10 to 25 feet of water.

Fletchers Flood Waters – Northern pike action has been slow but they are still biting. There are no good perch or crappie catches to report. Bluegill and sunfish are running small in size but are biting well. Ice conditions have improved but anglers should always use extreme caution.

Tawas Bay – Perch fishing has been very slow in the bay. A few brown trout have been caught. Walleye action was slow while northern pike spearing was fair.

Au Gres River – Anglers have again ventured out on the ice and have caught some yellow perch. Use extreme caution as there is limited shore ice. A few walleye have been caught but most have been of sub legal size.

Higgins Lake – Anglers are ice fishing but there is still snow cover. Smelt fishing is good in the evening and after dark. The best catches have been near N. Higgins Lake State Park in 40 to 50 feet of water. Wax worms or spikes are the preferred baits. Yellow perch have been caught out by the Sunken Island as well as N. Higgins Lake State Park area. Small minnows and wigglers worked best. A few lake trout have been caught while jigging. Whitefish have been hitting well on wigglers.

Houghton Lake – The extreme cold temperatures and strong winds kept all but a few anglers off the lake this past weekend. There is no fishing to report at this time, but with a little luck and slightly warmer temperatures, fishing should pick up.
 

Walloon Lake / Charlevoix County – Extreme caution still needs to be used on both the West Arm and North Arm narrows. Good yellow perch fishing was reported in the West Arm off Resort Township Park access, Stolt Road, Sumner Road and Eagle Island Road. Perch have also been caught in the South Arm and out from the town Walloon Lake. North Arm hotspots include the Gruler Road access site and out from the golf course. Anglers in all of these areas have been fishing between 10 and 20 feet deep using perch minnows, blues, grays and wax worms. A few smelt have been caught off the Sumner Road access site while fishing pinheads in 60 to 75 feet of water. Walleye anglers have been fishing in the West Arm near Eagle Island Road, the base of the North Arm, the upper North Arm and near the Sumner Road access site. At these locations, anglers have been fishing at depths of 14 to 30 feet deep using blues and grays.

Thumb Lake / Charlevoix County – Splake fishing has been good. Anglers have been fishing near the islands, the public access point and off McGee Road parking area near the deep holes. Try using tip-ups in about 20 feet of water with live bait suspended just off the bottom. Anglers are reminded that the minimum size limit for splake in Thumb Lake is 12 inches. A few northern pike have been caught in the northwest end of the lake using sucker minnows. Smelt are starting to show up in the lake and anglers are using pinheads in the deeper holes throughout the lake. Sizes have varied.

Traverse City – Both the East Bay and West Bay continue to have open-water. No fishing information to report.

Boardman River – Light numbers of steelhead have been caught near the dam in Traverse City on jigs or wax worms.

Long Lake / Grand Traverse County – Walleye and perch have been caught using blues or jigs.

Green Lake – Smelt fishing has been good. Anglers are reminded to use caution and stay away from the middle of the lake.

Spider Lake – Bluegill and crappie have been caught.

Pere Marquette Lake – Ice has formed and anglers are now ice fishing. Anglers are reminded to use extreme caution. Perch are being caught out from the city park using minnows. A few northern pike have been caught as well.

Upper Hamlin Lake – Good bluegill fishing has been reported out from Wilson Hill Township Park. Anglers are catching northern pike on tip-ups. Those fishing the lower end of the lake are catching walleye near North Bayou.
 

Keweenaw Bay – Most of the bay has open water, as a good portion of the ice that had formed in the bay broke up and blew out. Shore anglers caught some coho while casting Cleo’s off of Sand Point near Baraga.

Lake Gogebic – Frigid temperatures and strong winds kept most anglers off the ice this past weekend. The few anglers that did venture out had poor luck fishing for walleye and yellow perch. The few perch that were taken were caught with wigglers in about 30 feet of water. Ice conditions were decent in some areas and frozen slush in others. Anglers should still use caution as ice conditions are still not as thick as usual for this time of year.

Menominee River – High winds and bitter cold temperatures slowed angling activities. Those that braved the weather had good catches of crappie and bluegill. The yellow perch catch was slow and most fish were small in size. The best catches took place at the Sixth Street boat launch site and the Menekaunee Harbor. Minnows and wax worms produced the best catches.

Green Bay – No ice fishing activity, as the bay continues to have open-water.

Little Bay De Noc – Ice conditions have improved slightly but dangerous conditions still exist over much of the Bay. The Escanaba area of the Bay is not safe, and continues to be extremely dangerous! Driving vehicles out on the ice is not recommended. Walleye fishing again remained slow, but anglers marked good numbers of fish from the Gladstone area north to Garth Point. Most fished the Second to Center Reefs while jigging right off the bottom in 20 to 30 feet of water. Perch fishing slowed as well this week but anglers reported some very good catches off Butler Island. Most fished in 6 to 12 feet of water jigging wigglers and mousies. Anglers have started to target whitefish off the Escanaba yacht harbor. The ice is all new in that area so anglers are urged to use extreme caution, as this area can be dangerous.

Big Manistique Lake – Excellent walleye fishing has been reported. Try using large minnows on tip-ups and jigging with a variety of lures tipped with minnows.

Munuscong Bay – Ice conditions are good near Munuscong, but fishing has been slow. A few perch have been caught near Fowlers Bay. Anglers are using minnows in 4 to 6 feet of water.