Weekly Fishing Report: February 19, 2015
Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 02/19/2015 08:00 AM EST|
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Weekly Fishing Report
February 19, 2015
Weekly Fishing Tip: Fishing for walleye, northern pike and panfish this time of year
There are numerous tactics anglers can implement to experience great walleye, northern pike and panfish fishing.
When fishing for walleye, one thing to think about is to look for the right areas within a lake where you can find decent sized fish. Suggested locations include turns, big changes in depth, humps or other places walleyes like to sit tight. Also remember the critical periods of time when walleye are best fished: early and late in the day. For more information on fishing for walleye in Michigan, check out their page online.
When fishing for northern pike, something to remember is that most of these fish are hiding out in weedy areas where they can take cover yet still find ample food sources. Often times these spots will consist of bays with access to deep water. For more information on northern pike fishing, check out their page online.
And lastly, when fishing for various panfish, it’s important to note that these species typically live just about anywhere so you should work the entire water column when you head out. For those in shallow water, they’ll typically feed for short periods of time in the very early morning and late in the day. For more information on fishing for panfish in Michigan, visit the sunfish page or the crappie page.
This tip was adapted from Michigan Outdoor News.
Click on the links below to jump to the report section that interests you most:
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Southwest Lower Peninsula
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Upper Peninsula
Fishing has been a bust with the artic temperatures and it looks like we’re facing another week of the same kind of weather. Very few anglers have been out so updates for this week are limited. A warm-up on Saturday may be the best chance to get out and fish. Anglers are reminded that ice shanties on Lake St. Clair must be removed by sunset on Sunday, February 22.
Lake Erie: Only a few perch were caught in the Metro Park Marina. Walleye anglers have done well in Ohio waters. Many are heading out from Crane Creek and fishing out near West Sister Island. Those staying in Michigan waters have caught fish in Brest Bay but the action was still hit-or-miss. Anglers need to pay close attention to wind direction because a west wind can break the ice up quickly.
Detroit River: Had very few anglers except for the few that were perch fishing in Airport Bay.
Washtenaw County: Whitmore Lake was producing small perch and a few pike. Anglers on Ford Lake are catching panfish and white bass. Lake Independence was giving up some pike and bluegills.
Lake St. Clair: Severe cold and drifted snow has hampered fishing activity. Perch fishing was slow but some were caught off the Fair Haven access site. The crappie bite was good with fish ranging 11 to 14 inches.
St. Clair River: Continues to produce some trout and salmon when conditions allow for shore fishing.
Saginaw Bay: Before the storm and artic temperatures, some nice catches of big perch were taken very early in the morning off Vanderbilt Park in six to eight feet. Some fish measured 12 to 14 inches. Walleye were taken north of Spoils Island. A lot more pressure cracks developed along the west side especially from Pinconning south to Erickson Road so be careful out there! Some anglers are still heading out seven to eight miles but fishing has just not been that good.
Perch anglers from the Sebewaing area were going down to Quanicassee to fish Vanderbilt Park. At Mud Creek, fishing pressure was light and perch catches were averaging six to eight fish per angler if they kept any. Pike spearing on the east side of the bay is really slow this winter. A few lake trout were caught in the Caseville area.
Saginaw River: Fishing on the river was uniformly slow from the mouth all the way through Saginaw. Those using underwater cameras off Wickes Park in Saginaw could see walleye however they either ignored the bait or followed it briefly then swam away. While the fish are in no mood to bite, try this weekend as the warmer weather may entice them.
SOUTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Fishing has slowed including the bluegill, crappie and yellow perch bite. Anglers fishing deeper water with small and light tackle are doing best.
The Grand, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph River have a lot of shelf ice making it more difficult for those targeting steelhead from a boat.
Gull Lake: Was giving up some smelt for those fishing at night. Bluegills were slow but a few were caught. Pike were taken on tip-ups or when spearing.
Lake Lansing: Had some crappie starting to hit once again. Best time to fish is very early morning or late afternoon until about 10pm.
Morrison Lake: Has bluegill and crappie however getting them to bite has not been easy. Anything big and bright seems to spook the fish so try suspending very small ice flies.
Jordan Lake: In Barry County was producing bluegill, crappie and even some perch.
Muskegon River: Access sites will be a challenge under current conditions and steelhead fishing will not be easy with the cold water temperatures.
NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Burt Lake: Had fewer anglers than usual for this time of year. Those braving the cold usually target walleye along the south end or in Maple Bay.
Otsego Lake: Anglers reported occasional catches of pike and walleye.
East Twin Lake: In Montmorency County was producing sub-legal walleye.
Fletchers Pond: Was giving up some pike and a fair number of bluegill, crappie and yellow perch.
Higgins Lake: Was still producing some rainbow trout in shallow waters near Big Creek and the Conference Center. Wigglers work best. Some managed to find a few perch around the Main Island and the Sunken Island when using wax worms, wigglers or minnows. Lake trout can be found in 80 to 90 feet when using blues or golden shiners. Pike anglers are using suckers.
Houghton Lake: Is iced over however anglers on the south east end should stay away from Denton Creek because there is always open water in that area. Anglers are getting bluegills in 10 to 12 feet. Walleye anglers are getting some keepers when using Do-Jiggers along the north shore.
Lake St. Helen: Was still producing some pike but everything else was slow. Few anglers have been out because of the weather. Not much snow on the ice however the ice is a bit bumpy at this time.
Tawas: Fishing was between slow and non-existent due to weather conditions. A few walleye and small perch were caught in 22 feet off Jerry’s Marina.
Au Gres: Anglers were not able to head out from Booth Road because of problems with snow drifts. Access is still possible off Santiago Road where a few walleye were caught in 20 feet. A few walleye and a couple nice perch were taken off Palmer Road in 10 feet. Rumor has it some nice catches of perch were taken off White’s Beach.
NORTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Traverse City: The East Bay had a few portable shanties out. The West Bay had ice but there is still open water as well. Anglers need to use caution as they venture out. Anglers caught a few whitefish and burbot.
Green Lake: Those targeting smelt were out after dark. Pike were caught on tip-ups when the weather allowed. The bluegill and perch bite were slow.
Portage Lake: Was still giving up some yellow perch when anglers can find a school of fish. Pike were active and hitting on sucker minnows.
Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Did produce some perch and crappie for those braving the cold. Try very small flies or very small jigs with wax worms or spikes.
Lake Missaukee: Anglers caught crappie and bluegill and some were lucky enough to take a northern pike 30 inches or more. Walleye fishing was slow.
Manistee River: Those braving the cold and putting in the time have caught steelhead. The water is cold so use a slow presentation in the deeper holes. Fishing should be good by the weekend.
UPPER PENINSULA
Keweenaw Bay: Catch rates were slow but those targeting smelt did good when fishing at night between Baraga and Bucks Marina. Those fishing out from the Falls River, Perch Corner in L’Anse and off Sand Point picked up a few lake herring, coho, splake and the occasional brown trout. The Whitefish Hole east of the Baraga Marina was slow over the last week. A few lake trout were taken out from Jentoft’s Dock, the Whirl-L-Gig, Old Mission and off Pequaming.
Menominee River: Walleye anglers fishing near the Hattie Street Dam had success when jigging rapalas or small spoons tipped with a minnow head in the very early morning or late evening.
Little Bay De Noc: Had low angler participation with the cold weather. Snowfall and drifting made travel a bit more difficult in some areas. Walleye anglers reported fair catches at best with no one area better than another. Most were jigging rapalas with minnows in 23 to 35 feet. Perch anglers had similar results when using minnows or wigglers in 10 to 30 feet. Several jumbo perch were reported near the ship docks in Escanaba when using minnows in and around 30 feet. Whitefish anglers reported fair catches with minnows or spawn in 80 to 90 feet off Sand Point.
St. Mary’s River: Had no change from last week. Those fishing Munuscong Bay reported slow catch rates for walleye and perch.
Cedarville and Hessel: Those fishing Musky Bay are catching perch and undersized pike in 10 to 13 feet. Little Joe Island was producing some nice fish in four to six feet. Hessel Bay is seeing the most action for perch and catch rates just keep improving. Try 10 to 12 feet with wigglers, wax worms or minnows.
The Weekly Fishing Report is intended to give anglers an ”idea” of what is going on around the state. Updates for the report come from our DNR Fisheries Creel Clerks (seasonal staff) and field staff as well as DNR Conservation Officers working in in the field. General information when available can be found in the first paragraph for each section of the report. For those looking for specific information on a certain body of water or port, it is safe to say if a certain species is being caught in some waters in the area, more than likely they are being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species.
While we would love to include all waters and ports of the state that simply is not possible, especially with more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams.
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