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DNR urges anglers to use extreme caution while fishing
Associated Press
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While fishing improved over the last week, ice conditions around the state have deteriorated due to warm temperatures and recent rains.
Anglers will need to use extreme caution especially in the southern regions of the state, the state Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday in its weekly fishing report.
Walleye, northern pike and musky season is now closed on the Upper Peninsula inland waters, Great Lakes waters and the St. Mary’s River.
The new 2004 fishing licenses are now on sale. Anglers will have one month to purchase their new licenses before the April 1 deadline.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie has opened up. Boat anglers can be seen and are catching bluegill and perch. Anglers are also fishing the canals between Lake Erie Metro Park and Gibraltar and taking good catches of perch and bluegill. In the Huron River, anglers are starting to catch walleye. Bluegill and crappie can be found in shallow waters. Light numbers of steelhead have been caught, but the fishing remains slow. The Detroit River has open water. Those out there fishing in boats will need to watch for ice flows coming down the river.
Warm temperatures have eroded the ice conditions on Lake St. Clair. The Coast Guard went through and broke up much of the ice.
Most anglers are staying off the remaining ice. Extreme caution must be used especially in areas with strong currents or springs. Pressure cracks melt quickly, and strong winds will break the ice up leaving anglers stranded. Rescue units are usually required to get anglers back to shore. At 10 Mile Road, anglers were catching perch near the Coast Guard Station. At 15 Mile Road, a few vehicles including ATVs have gone through the ice. Some perch have been caught, but the fishing was slow. Those at 16 Mile Road are catching perch and bluegill on teardrops with red beads in the North Marina.
Saginaw Bay still has some walleye action off Linwood in waters 14 to 19 feet deep at dawn and dusk. Anglers are wading open waters near the mouth of the Hot Ponds and catching some walleye. Perch action has been spotty at Bay Port and Mud Creek. Anglers need to move around until they find an active school of fish. Stay in shallow waters about 6 feet deep.
Anglers need to use extreme caution on the Saginaw River, as warm temperatures and rain will cause the ice to deteriorate quickly. The better walleye action has been in the lower river from the mouth to the Independence Bridge. Anglers are jigging silver spoons with minnows. Some perch have been caught from the DNR launch upstream to Essexville. A few boat anglers were reported on the Tittabawassee River, but the fishing was very slow. Anglers will have a difficult time trying to launch their boats from the launch site on Gordonville Road because of ice.
Southwestern Lower Peninsula
Warm weather pushed the steelhead into action in the St. Joe River. Boat anglers are fishing below the Berrien Springs Dam and taking fair to good catches on spawn bags and Wobble Glows. Orange and chartreuse have been the hot colors. Anglers are catching walleye below the dam when jigging minnows. A few anglers are starting to catch some brown trout off the pier at St. Joe. Anglers need to use caution and beware of ice on the piers. No safe ice to report on any of the inland lakes in this area.
A light number of steelhead have been caught in the Kalamazoo River. Anglers are drifting spawn or wax worms under a bobber. Anglers fishing the inland lakes need to use caution and beware of honeycomb ice. Lake Macatawa near Holland is producing fair to good catches of bluegill and perch on wax worms and minnows.
Closer to Grand Rapids, the steelhead have become more active. Most fish have been caught when drifting spawn, wax worms or small flies over the deeper holes near the Sixth Street Dam. Anglers are also catching some walleye when jigging minnows. Near Lansing, anglers fishing the river below the North Lansing Dam have caught walleye and northern pike.
Many of the smaller lakes in the area are starting to open up. Crappie can be found on Muskrat Lake as long as the ice holds up. Those fishing at Sleepy Hollow State Park have caught bluegill when fishing at night.
Good northern pike action continues on Muskegon Lake. Most are fishing shallow waters up to 10 feet deep with tip-ups. Walleye and perch have been caught on small jigs. Crappie continue to hit on Big Blue Lake. Anglers need to use extreme caution due to changing ice conditions.
Northeastern Lower Peninsula
Fair fishing was reported on Black Lake near Cheboygan. Walleye have been caught when jigging small minnows. Northern pike have been caught in shallow waters 6 to 8 feet deep.
Near Alpena, steelhead action is starting to improve in the Thunder Bay River. Anglers reported fair catches near the Ninth Street Dam or the mouth of the river when drifting wax worms, spawn or flies. Long Lake is producing an occasional walleye along with some perch when fishing late afternoons and evenings. Near Oscoda, warm weather has turned on the steelhead fishing. Anglers are catching fair to good numbers of steelhead in the Au Sable River on spawn and wax worms.
At Tawas, walleye fishing is improving. Anglers reported good fishing near the end of Tawas Point in 30 feet of water with some 10- and 11-pound fish caught. Walleye continue to bite off the mouth of the Tawas River. Brown trout have been caught near the state police post. Perch fishing continues to be slow. Closer to Au Gres, walleye fishing has been spotty. Anglers are concentrating in waters 25 to 30 feet deep between two to three miles offshore. Anglers need to use extreme caution and carefully evaluate ice conditions before venturing out.
Good fishing continues on Higgins Lake with a record number of anglers on the ice due to warmer weather. Ice conditions near the DNR launch are deteriorating fast due to the heavy vehicle traffic. Anglers should avoid driving out on the ice in this area. Good smelt fishing continues in 40 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are using a small jig called a Hali with a wax worm or spike and are starting to catch fish during the day. Night anglers are using a glow-in-the-dark Hali and are catching smelt, perch, and bluegill. Some jumbo perch have been caught in 40 to 50 feet of water. Whitefish can be found off West Road in 90 feet of water. Lake trout and brown trout can be found in shallow waters near Big Creek. Rainbow trout can be found off King Road.
Northwestern Lower Peninsula
Anglers are still fishing on Lake Charlevoix, but caution must be used in areas with strong currents or springs. Warm weather will cause a honeycomb effect on the ice, creating weak spots. Perch and walleye can be caught on small minnows. Near Elk Rapids, lake trout have been caught on a Swedish Pimple with a wax worm in Elk Lake.
Closer to Traverse City, a handful of anglers are fishing the West Bay.
Anglers have caught some perch but the action was spotty. Light numbers of whitefish have been caught in 60 feet of water. The water is starting to open up near the mouth of the river, and anglers should avoid this area. Steelhead have been caught in the Boardman River when floating wax worms.
Near Frankfort, anglers reported a lot of water on the ice at Crystal Lake. Many have taken their ice shanties off the ice due to the recent warm weather. The north side of the lake has no ice along the shoreline. Lake trout fishing has been fair. Perch and smelt action was spotty, but northern pike and sucker fishing was good. On Green Lake, anglers continue to catch northern pike on tip-ups baited with smelt and sucker minnows. Perch fishing was fair in 60 feet of water with jigs and minnows. Smelt fishing continues to pick up as the ice melts. Most fish have been caught between midnight and sunrise. Anglers should stay away from the middle of the lake due to unsafe ice.
On the Manistee River, anglers will find open water all the way to Manistee Lake. Fishing has been a little slow at times, but a few fish have been caught from Tippy Dam to the Bear Creek access. Anglers on the lower section of the river reported more chrome colored fish moving into the river. Anglers are using spawn, wax worms, plugs, and flies. Many sub-legal brown trout have been caught near Tippy Dam. Walleye are hitting on jigs with minnows. On Manistee Lake, anglers are still taking some northern pike in 8 to 15 feet of water. Portage Lake is providing fair to good perch fishing.
At Ludington, anglers are catching steelhead on spawn bags in four to eight feet of water in Pere Marquette Lake. Part of the lake is starting to open up, so anglers need to use caution. Crappie continue to bite on Upper Hamlin Lake. Fair to good numbers of steelhead have been caught in the Pere Marquette River on spawn. Anglers are fishing from the mouth up to the Indian Bridge near Custer.
Upper Peninsula
Anglers fishing Keweenaw Bay reported some nice catches of jumbo perch.
Anglers are using green tear drops with wax worms in waters 45 feet deep. Lake herring and coho salmon fishing were slow. Fair to good fishing for lake trout in 60 to 110 feet of water with a No. 5 to a No. 7 Swedish Pimple. Good colors are plain white, green and white, or silver and brass. Those fishing deeper waters 150 to 320 feet deep are using white, chartreuse, or red and white jigs with cut bait, such as smelt or suckers.
While fishing in the Upper Peninsula keeps improving, the heavy snow along with mild temperatures and resulting thick layer of slush is giving anglers a good work out when traveling across the ice. Good catches of bluegill were noted on many of the inland lakes in Gogebic and Iron counties. On the Menominee River, anglers are catching steelhead and brown trout when drifting fresh spawn between the Train Bridge and the First Dam. Anglers need to use caution as the river ice is deteriorating fast. In Green Bay near Menominee, anglers have caught perch and smelt when still fishing with minnows in 35 feet of water near the marina.
In Little Bay De Noc, travel on the ice was limited due to heavy snow cover, deep slush and fog. Perch fishing has improved. Anglers are jigging wigglers in 10 to 25 feet of water around Kipling. Some jumbo perch have been caught off Gladstone in 25 feet of water. Splake and whitefish were reported from the Terrace south to the Escanaba Yacht Club. Anglers are jigging with spawn for whitefish in 45 feet of water.
Splake can be found suspended in 25 to 45 feet of water when jigging minnows or Rapalas. Some anglers have been attempting to remove their shanties from the ice, or at least set them up on blocks. This will allow for easy removal with the changing weather conditions.
Anglers fishing the Bay at Munising have caught some small lake whitefish. Splake are still not active, and only a few coho and smelt have shown up. Lake trout have been caught in Christmas Bay in waters over 100 feet deep when jigging with a single egg, wax worms or Swedish Pimples. Ice conditions remain unpredictable in Trout Bay. In Luce County, splake have been caught in Belle Lake. Around Newberry, ice conditions are getting sloppy with deep snow melting and turning into slush. Good perch action was reported on Big Manistique Lake when jigging minnows.
Near Munuscong, anglers are fishing with minnows and wigglers in three to five feet of water around Grassy Island and catching eight- to 12-inch perch. At Cedarville, anglers reported slow fishing and difficult travel on the ice due to thick slush.
Associated Press
Comment on this story
Send this story to a friend
Get Home Delivery
While fishing improved over the last week, ice conditions around the state have deteriorated due to warm temperatures and recent rains.
Anglers will need to use extreme caution especially in the southern regions of the state, the state Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday in its weekly fishing report.
Walleye, northern pike and musky season is now closed on the Upper Peninsula inland waters, Great Lakes waters and the St. Mary’s River.
The new 2004 fishing licenses are now on sale. Anglers will have one month to purchase their new licenses before the April 1 deadline.
Southeastern Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie has opened up. Boat anglers can be seen and are catching bluegill and perch. Anglers are also fishing the canals between Lake Erie Metro Park and Gibraltar and taking good catches of perch and bluegill. In the Huron River, anglers are starting to catch walleye. Bluegill and crappie can be found in shallow waters. Light numbers of steelhead have been caught, but the fishing remains slow. The Detroit River has open water. Those out there fishing in boats will need to watch for ice flows coming down the river.
Warm temperatures have eroded the ice conditions on Lake St. Clair. The Coast Guard went through and broke up much of the ice.
Most anglers are staying off the remaining ice. Extreme caution must be used especially in areas with strong currents or springs. Pressure cracks melt quickly, and strong winds will break the ice up leaving anglers stranded. Rescue units are usually required to get anglers back to shore. At 10 Mile Road, anglers were catching perch near the Coast Guard Station. At 15 Mile Road, a few vehicles including ATVs have gone through the ice. Some perch have been caught, but the fishing was slow. Those at 16 Mile Road are catching perch and bluegill on teardrops with red beads in the North Marina.
Saginaw Bay still has some walleye action off Linwood in waters 14 to 19 feet deep at dawn and dusk. Anglers are wading open waters near the mouth of the Hot Ponds and catching some walleye. Perch action has been spotty at Bay Port and Mud Creek. Anglers need to move around until they find an active school of fish. Stay in shallow waters about 6 feet deep.
Anglers need to use extreme caution on the Saginaw River, as warm temperatures and rain will cause the ice to deteriorate quickly. The better walleye action has been in the lower river from the mouth to the Independence Bridge. Anglers are jigging silver spoons with minnows. Some perch have been caught from the DNR launch upstream to Essexville. A few boat anglers were reported on the Tittabawassee River, but the fishing was very slow. Anglers will have a difficult time trying to launch their boats from the launch site on Gordonville Road because of ice.
Southwestern Lower Peninsula
Warm weather pushed the steelhead into action in the St. Joe River. Boat anglers are fishing below the Berrien Springs Dam and taking fair to good catches on spawn bags and Wobble Glows. Orange and chartreuse have been the hot colors. Anglers are catching walleye below the dam when jigging minnows. A few anglers are starting to catch some brown trout off the pier at St. Joe. Anglers need to use caution and beware of ice on the piers. No safe ice to report on any of the inland lakes in this area.
A light number of steelhead have been caught in the Kalamazoo River. Anglers are drifting spawn or wax worms under a bobber. Anglers fishing the inland lakes need to use caution and beware of honeycomb ice. Lake Macatawa near Holland is producing fair to good catches of bluegill and perch on wax worms and minnows.
Closer to Grand Rapids, the steelhead have become more active. Most fish have been caught when drifting spawn, wax worms or small flies over the deeper holes near the Sixth Street Dam. Anglers are also catching some walleye when jigging minnows. Near Lansing, anglers fishing the river below the North Lansing Dam have caught walleye and northern pike.
Many of the smaller lakes in the area are starting to open up. Crappie can be found on Muskrat Lake as long as the ice holds up. Those fishing at Sleepy Hollow State Park have caught bluegill when fishing at night.
Good northern pike action continues on Muskegon Lake. Most are fishing shallow waters up to 10 feet deep with tip-ups. Walleye and perch have been caught on small jigs. Crappie continue to hit on Big Blue Lake. Anglers need to use extreme caution due to changing ice conditions.
Northeastern Lower Peninsula
Fair fishing was reported on Black Lake near Cheboygan. Walleye have been caught when jigging small minnows. Northern pike have been caught in shallow waters 6 to 8 feet deep.
Near Alpena, steelhead action is starting to improve in the Thunder Bay River. Anglers reported fair catches near the Ninth Street Dam or the mouth of the river when drifting wax worms, spawn or flies. Long Lake is producing an occasional walleye along with some perch when fishing late afternoons and evenings. Near Oscoda, warm weather has turned on the steelhead fishing. Anglers are catching fair to good numbers of steelhead in the Au Sable River on spawn and wax worms.
At Tawas, walleye fishing is improving. Anglers reported good fishing near the end of Tawas Point in 30 feet of water with some 10- and 11-pound fish caught. Walleye continue to bite off the mouth of the Tawas River. Brown trout have been caught near the state police post. Perch fishing continues to be slow. Closer to Au Gres, walleye fishing has been spotty. Anglers are concentrating in waters 25 to 30 feet deep between two to three miles offshore. Anglers need to use extreme caution and carefully evaluate ice conditions before venturing out.
Good fishing continues on Higgins Lake with a record number of anglers on the ice due to warmer weather. Ice conditions near the DNR launch are deteriorating fast due to the heavy vehicle traffic. Anglers should avoid driving out on the ice in this area. Good smelt fishing continues in 40 to 60 feet of water. Anglers are using a small jig called a Hali with a wax worm or spike and are starting to catch fish during the day. Night anglers are using a glow-in-the-dark Hali and are catching smelt, perch, and bluegill. Some jumbo perch have been caught in 40 to 50 feet of water. Whitefish can be found off West Road in 90 feet of water. Lake trout and brown trout can be found in shallow waters near Big Creek. Rainbow trout can be found off King Road.
Northwestern Lower Peninsula
Anglers are still fishing on Lake Charlevoix, but caution must be used in areas with strong currents or springs. Warm weather will cause a honeycomb effect on the ice, creating weak spots. Perch and walleye can be caught on small minnows. Near Elk Rapids, lake trout have been caught on a Swedish Pimple with a wax worm in Elk Lake.
Closer to Traverse City, a handful of anglers are fishing the West Bay.
Anglers have caught some perch but the action was spotty. Light numbers of whitefish have been caught in 60 feet of water. The water is starting to open up near the mouth of the river, and anglers should avoid this area. Steelhead have been caught in the Boardman River when floating wax worms.
Near Frankfort, anglers reported a lot of water on the ice at Crystal Lake. Many have taken their ice shanties off the ice due to the recent warm weather. The north side of the lake has no ice along the shoreline. Lake trout fishing has been fair. Perch and smelt action was spotty, but northern pike and sucker fishing was good. On Green Lake, anglers continue to catch northern pike on tip-ups baited with smelt and sucker minnows. Perch fishing was fair in 60 feet of water with jigs and minnows. Smelt fishing continues to pick up as the ice melts. Most fish have been caught between midnight and sunrise. Anglers should stay away from the middle of the lake due to unsafe ice.
On the Manistee River, anglers will find open water all the way to Manistee Lake. Fishing has been a little slow at times, but a few fish have been caught from Tippy Dam to the Bear Creek access. Anglers on the lower section of the river reported more chrome colored fish moving into the river. Anglers are using spawn, wax worms, plugs, and flies. Many sub-legal brown trout have been caught near Tippy Dam. Walleye are hitting on jigs with minnows. On Manistee Lake, anglers are still taking some northern pike in 8 to 15 feet of water. Portage Lake is providing fair to good perch fishing.
At Ludington, anglers are catching steelhead on spawn bags in four to eight feet of water in Pere Marquette Lake. Part of the lake is starting to open up, so anglers need to use caution. Crappie continue to bite on Upper Hamlin Lake. Fair to good numbers of steelhead have been caught in the Pere Marquette River on spawn. Anglers are fishing from the mouth up to the Indian Bridge near Custer.
Upper Peninsula
Anglers fishing Keweenaw Bay reported some nice catches of jumbo perch.
Anglers are using green tear drops with wax worms in waters 45 feet deep. Lake herring and coho salmon fishing were slow. Fair to good fishing for lake trout in 60 to 110 feet of water with a No. 5 to a No. 7 Swedish Pimple. Good colors are plain white, green and white, or silver and brass. Those fishing deeper waters 150 to 320 feet deep are using white, chartreuse, or red and white jigs with cut bait, such as smelt or suckers.
While fishing in the Upper Peninsula keeps improving, the heavy snow along with mild temperatures and resulting thick layer of slush is giving anglers a good work out when traveling across the ice. Good catches of bluegill were noted on many of the inland lakes in Gogebic and Iron counties. On the Menominee River, anglers are catching steelhead and brown trout when drifting fresh spawn between the Train Bridge and the First Dam. Anglers need to use caution as the river ice is deteriorating fast. In Green Bay near Menominee, anglers have caught perch and smelt when still fishing with minnows in 35 feet of water near the marina.
In Little Bay De Noc, travel on the ice was limited due to heavy snow cover, deep slush and fog. Perch fishing has improved. Anglers are jigging wigglers in 10 to 25 feet of water around Kipling. Some jumbo perch have been caught off Gladstone in 25 feet of water. Splake and whitefish were reported from the Terrace south to the Escanaba Yacht Club. Anglers are jigging with spawn for whitefish in 45 feet of water.
Splake can be found suspended in 25 to 45 feet of water when jigging minnows or Rapalas. Some anglers have been attempting to remove their shanties from the ice, or at least set them up on blocks. This will allow for easy removal with the changing weather conditions.
Anglers fishing the Bay at Munising have caught some small lake whitefish. Splake are still not active, and only a few coho and smelt have shown up. Lake trout have been caught in Christmas Bay in waters over 100 feet deep when jigging with a single egg, wax worms or Swedish Pimples. Ice conditions remain unpredictable in Trout Bay. In Luce County, splake have been caught in Belle Lake. Around Newberry, ice conditions are getting sloppy with deep snow melting and turning into slush. Good perch action was reported on Big Manistique Lake when jigging minnows.
Near Munuscong, anglers are fishing with minnows and wigglers in three to five feet of water around Grassy Island and catching eight- to 12-inch perch. At Cedarville, anglers reported slow fishing and difficult travel on the ice due to thick slush.
