Weekly Fishing Report: March 5, 2015
Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 03/05/2015 08:00 AM EST|
Find out where the fish are biting this week! |
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Weekly Fishing Report
March 5, 2015
Weekly Fishing Tip: Safety tips for spring ice fishing
It’s almost officially spring but there still may be numerous opportunities in different locations throughout the state to get out on the water. Just remember, there are a few important safety precautions to take if you plan to do so:
1. Towards the end of the season, ice becomes rotten and soft. Although ice may still be more than a foot thick, it might not be strong enough to hold someone safely.
2. Don’t forget to still carry the appropriate safety items, such as ice picks and a throw rope. And remember to wear a personal flotation device when heading out.
3. Continue to use the buddy system and know you’ll have someone with you to help if you fall through the ice.
4. Carry a fully charged cell phone in a waterproof plastic bag. Make sure it is easily accessible on your person in case of an emergency.
5. Pay attention to the weather. If it hasn’t been consistently cold or if there has been a lot of wind you can’t guarantee there will be solid ice to head out on.
For more information check out the ice safety tips page online.
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
The 2015 licenses went on sale March 1. This gives anglers one month to purchase their new license before they are required to have one on April 1. The 2015 Fishing Guides are also available at all license vendors so be sure to ask for your copy!
Lake Erie: A few perch are being caught in the Metro Park Marina. A couple walleye were taken in Brest Bay but some anglers are still heading out and fishing in Ohio waters. Those fishing the lagoons at Sterling State Park have taken a few panfish on wax worms.
Detroit River: A few perch were caught in Airport Bay and the canals around Gibraltar.
Livingston County: Northern pike have been caught in the shallows of Crooked Lake. A small number of bluegill and crappie were caught in Lake Chemung.
Oakland County: Those fishing Seven Lakes at the State Park have caught some bluegills and other panfish.
Lake St. Clair: Perch fishing reports have been spotty and most of the fish were small. Perch spearing season has closed, so anglers are now waiting for the bite to pick-up as things start to thaw out. Anglers are reminded that warming conditions will result in rapid loss of ice in areas with currents such as near the mouth of creeks and rivers. Use extreme caution as warmer weather starts to move in.
St. Clair River: Nearly all the river is jammed up with ice so there’s very little fishing at this time. Some open water is still present at the Bluewater Bridge.
Saginaw Bay: Walleye fishing picked up a bit. It seems after a few weeks of lockjaw, the fish were finally hungry! Success was spotty though. If you were in the right place you caught a good number of fish but if not, you went home empty handed. Some of the better walleye action was along the west and south shore.
Anglers did well off Erickson Road, Linwood Road, Boutell Road, Bay City State Park, Killarney Beach, the trailer park near the mouth of the Saginaw River, northeast of Spoils Island and in the Slot off Sunset Bay and Thomas Road. Vanderbilt Park remains the lone perch hot-spot for the entire bay. Catch rates were good in two to five feet very early in the morning. The perch bite is basically over by 10 a.m. There was little activity between Sebewaing and Caseville.
Saginaw River: Little has changed over the last month. Fishing for walleye was slow and sporadic at best. Those with cameras are seeing a lot of fish but they just will not bite. Warmer weather might just help. A couple fish were taken near the train bridge in Essexville when fishing the middle of the navigation channel. Those contemplating fishing this week might want to try the lower end at the Independence Bridge and downstream at dusk.
SOUTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Fishing continues to be slow when the temperature drops. Warmer weather by the weekend should help increase the bite especially for bluegills, crappie and perch.
St. Joseph River: Steelhead should become more active as temperatures rise to the 30’s and 40’s over the next week.
Gull Lake: Was still producing some smelt for those fishing at night. Anglers are reminded that the possession limit is two gallons.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Anglers will need to watch for flow ice coming over the dam. Steelhead are hitting on jigs with wax worms or pink and chartreuse spawn bags. Walleye were caught downriver between Johnston Park and Fulton Street. Try bucktail jigs, white twister tails and body baits. Those fishing off the west side of Fulton Street were using ¾ ounce bucktail jigs and three inch paddle tails.
Jackson County: Anglers fishing the inland lakes indicated little success and the panfish were small.
Clinton County: Ice fishing activity has been slow with limited catches.
Reeds Lake: Pike were hitting on sucker minnows. Crappie were 10 to 15 feet down in 30 to 40 feet. Perch were caught off the bottom with wax worms, minnows or spikes.
Muskegon River: Has steelhead but catch rates were spotty. Look for bite to improve over the next week.
NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Higgins Lake: Had good perch fishing off the North State Park, B & B Marina, near the Sunken Island, Treasure Island and off Flag Point in waters up to 70 feet deep. Lake trout fishing was good in 80 to 120 feet with some limit catches reported. Rainbow trout are still hitting in the shallows off Big Creek. A couple smelt reports have come in for those fishing at night. Not many but a few were caught off Big Creek in 40 to 50 feet and south of the west side boat ramp off Birch Lodge in 50 feet.
Houghton Lake: While fishing has been slow anglers are still picking up some crappie along with a few perch and the occasional walleye. The better bite has been very early morning or late afternoon into the evening. Some bluegills were also caught.
Lake St. Helen: Had a good crappie bite for those using wax worms, mousies or minnows. Fish were caught all day however the better bite was from late afternoon until dark. Some bluegills were also caught and the pike action was still good.
Tawas: Perch fishing was slow with a lot of sorting and few keepers coming from 15 to 18 feet off Jerry’s Marina. Only a few walleye and a couple lake trout were caught in 20 to 22 feet. Ice anglers fishing outside the rock wall caught a couple lake trout. Those spearing managed to take a couple pike.
Au Gres: Some walleye were caught straight off the mouth of the river in 12 to 22 feet. Booth Road and Santiago Road had light walleye activity but more anglers were fishing off Palmer Road where some limit catches were taken in five to 20 feet. These anglers were also getting two or three nice perch when targeting walleye.
NORTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Not a whole lot to report this week. Pike fishing remains good but not much to report on panfish or walleye. There is interest in steelhead fishing however there is a lot of ice covering the streams right now.
Traverse City: Has plenty of ice and pressure cracks. Bring a spud and be careful. Cisco were hitting big spoons like a Swedish pimple. The fish are suspended in 50 to 70 feet. A good number of lake trout have been caught off the bottom in 100 to 125 feet with jigging spoons. Whitefish and burbot were also caught.
Bear Lake: In Kalkaska County is producing rainbow and brown trout.
Starvation Lake: Is also producing some rainbows and brown trout.
Green Lake: Has smelt for those fishing after dark. For northern pike, try tip-ups along the shallows off the State Park.
Crystal Lake: In Benzie County is producing some smelt and burbot.
Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Tip-ups and pike fishing go hand-in-hand on both lakes and a good number of fish have been caught. The crappie bite was fair to good and a few perch were taken. Try a very small jig with minnows, wax worms, or spikes.
Ludington: Commercial vessel traffic will utilize the port through March 5. A tug boat will taking a barge into port and utilizing the docks near the S.S. Badger. All ice anglers, snowmobilers, ATV operators and other users of the ice should avoid the area.
UPPER PENINSULA
Keweenaw Bay: Fishing has slowed once again. Anglers are hoping catch rates will improve with warmer temperatures. A few coho and splake were caught out from the Falls River. A couple lake trout were taken in 60 to 150 feet off Old Mission. Smelt fishing was slow.
Menominee River: Walleye are still being caught at the Hattie Street Dam. Anglers are using jigs and minnows.
Little Bay De Noc: Travel on the bay is good although some vehicles have gotten stuck in snow drifts. Walleye anglers had little to report. The better fishing was 20 to 30 feet at the Center Reef and along the “Hump” off Gladstone in 28 to 35 feet with rapalas and minnows. Those fishing around the shipping docks in Escanaba were using rapalas or tip-ups with minnows in 30 to 35 feet. Those thinking about fishing down near the Ford River need to use extreme caution. For perch, reports show fewer than a dozen fish taken in 10 to 27 feet near the Second and Center Reefs. No whitefish to report.
Indian Lake: Anglers caught very few walleye or perch.
Munising: Snow cover on top of the ice remains substantial though walking conditions improved some with the snow settling. Deep slush pockets may still be present especially around the shoreline. Reports from around the bay indicate poor to fair catch results on a mixed bag of fish. Most are fishing 40 to 70 feet. The splake were small but a few keepers ranging 16 to 20 inches were caught on jigging lures, eggs and minnows. Whitefish reports were slow. Try a single egg or wax worm on the bottom. Anglers are marking schools of smelt within the bay and a couple catches were reported. A few coho have started to trickle in. Those spearing had poor to fair results for herring. Trout Bay had fair to good catch rates for coho, lake trout, herring and burbot.
St. Mary’s River: No change from last week. Catch rates remain slow for perch and walleye.
Cedarville and Hessel: No change from last week. Deep snow makes for difficult travel on the ice. The only reported catches were a few perch taken from 22 feet in Government Bay.
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.
Do you have a great spot to go fishing that you'd like to share? Consider submitting it to the DNR for the Family Friendly Fishing Waters project!
Revenue from fishing and hunting license sales supports DNR activities to enhance Michigan’s natural resources. These license sales also increase federal revenue to the State of Michigan for the management of these resources. Please help support Michigan’s abundant natural resources by purchasing a fishing and hunting license each year. You can purchase fishing licenses online 24-hours a day!