Weekly Fishing Report: March 19, 2015
Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 03/19/2015 08:00 AM EDT|
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Weekly Fishing Report
March 19, 2015
Weekly Fishing Tip: Buy your 2015 fishing license!
For many of you it may be time to buy your 2015 fishing license so you can enjoy the numerous angling opportunities available in Michigan each year. This year’s license is valid until March 31, 2016.
Are you aware of the two simple ways you can buy a Michigan fishing license?
1. Visit your local license retailer and make a purchase in person!
2. Use the E-License system on your computer, tablet or mobile phone to buy a license online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Just visit www.mdnr-elicense.com to get started!
For additional information on fishing licenses in Michigan – including license requirements – visit michigan.gov/fishing.
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
Elevated water levels will continue on streams and rivers through the weekend as runoff from melting snow continues. Caution is urged when walking the river banks.
Anglers are invited to attend “Conversations & Coffee” with the DNR Fisheries Division. The public will have a chance to meet with managers and fisheries biologist to discuss local and statewide fisheries management activities and concerns as well as get specific questions answered. For meeting dates, times and locations visit http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-349640--,00.html.
Lake Erie: Will not be usable to anyone as the ice is in poor shape but there is still enough to prevent boat anglers from going out. A few were ice fishing for perch at the Metro Park Marina but those days are numbered.
Huron River: Continues to produce the occasional steelhead.
Detroit River: Has quite a bit of flow ice coming down. Boat anglers will need to keep watch. Some were jigging for walleye in the Trenton Channel. A few perch were still being caught in the canals around Gibraltar.
Lake St. Clair: Still had ice but it was deteriorating quickly especially in the areas with a current. The top layer of ice was honeycombed and granular with hard ice underneath however with temperatures above freezing this week conditions will be very dicey by the weekend. It appears time to hang up the ice fishing gear and start preparing for open water fishing.
Clinton River: Anglers have caught a couple steelhead.
St. Clair River: Patchy ice flows can restrict shore fishing however when the waters open up anglers have caught steelhead and coho on large shiners fished near the bottom or when casting spoons near the surface.
Saginaw Bay: Warm weather over the past 10 days coupled with strong wind is causing ice conditions to deteriorate quickly. This is the time of year when ice becomes extremely unpredictable and dangerous. Anglers need to use extreme caution! The shoreline ice is getting bad. Watch out for pressure cracks and think twice before crossing them. Anglers have been rescued near Pinconning and the mouth of the Saginaw River. Those fishing off Palmer Road caught walleye including some limit catches. Most of the activity was about 1 ½ miles out in seven to eight feet inside the first pressure crack. Some nice perch were also caught. Decent size perch and a few walleye were taken in eight feet near White’s Beach. Down off Cody-Estey Road and Pinconning Road, walleye were taken in 14 feet however be extremely careful around the pressure cracks as the ice was not good. A lot of anglers were fishing off the Bay City State Park. Some were going out three miles for walleye while others stayed close to shore and caught fish in four to five feet. The bite was best before 9:30 a.m. The ice is getting bad near the mouth of the river so avoid the area. Those heading out from Finn Road caught some walleye toward the north end of Spoils Island however stay away from the Hot Pond Channel! Bluegill and crappie were caught inside the marina basin at Sunset Bay. Walleye fishing in the Slot has slowed due to questionable ice conditions. At Sebewaing, the river is getting dirty and those fishing the marina said it was slow. Mud Creek was spotty. Those fishing the east side of the bay need to watch out for large areas of open water near the islands.
SOUTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Anglers were still getting out on some lakes but extreme caution needs to be used because last ice is dangerous. Shoreline ice was extremely soft.
St. Joseph River: The fish ladders are open and steelhead have started moving through at Berrien Springs. The river is turbid due to all the runoff during the past week. Stream flow is within normal range for this time of year. A lot of anglers were fishing below the dam.
Black River: At South Haven was producing a couple steelhead or brown trout.
Kalamazoo River: Anglers are reporting good catches of steelhead below the Allegan Dam.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: The fish ladders are open. Anglers are reporting good catches of steelhead below the 6th Street Dam. Movement through the ladders will increase as water temperatures get above 39 degrees.
Grand River at Lansing: All the fish ladders are open.
Muskegon River: Steelhead fishing is slowly improving and will only get better as water temperatures warm up. Most of the river is free of ice flow but snowmelt has the water stained.
NORTHEAST LOWER PENINSULA
Although many lakes still have fishable ice, anglers still need to use caution. Rivers and streams are beginning to open up.
Grand Lake: Perch fishing started to pick up.
Long Lake: Was producing perch on the south end. The size was smaller but a good number were caught.
Grass Lake: In Montmorency County was producing a good number of hand size bluegills.
Fletchers Pond: Is producing a good number of bluegills but many were small.
Higgins Lake: The ice is holding but the shoreline ice was starting to go especially along the west side. Anglers were heading out from the North State Park and the launch on the west side. Perch were caught on the north end and along the shelf that runs out to the Sunken Island in 40 to 60 feet and in shallow waters 15 to 20 feet. Lake trout action slowed as most anglers are perch fishing. Those with cameras have seen smelt out from Big Creek in 20 feet however they will not bite.
Houghton Lake: Still has ice and anglers are targeting bluegill and perch. Most are fishing along the weed beds a couple hundred yards offshore. Try wax worms or spikes for bluegill and perch minnows or wax worms for perch.
Tawas: Those spearing pike in the bay took several fish 30 inches or more. Perch fishing was slow. A few walleye were taken off Jerry’s Marina and the mouth of the Tawas River, but success was spotty. A couple lake trout were caught by those targeting walleye.
Au Gres: A couple anglers going out just north of the breakwall caught a few walleye along with a couple whitefish or lake trout in seven to 10 feet. The water was muddy out from the Rifle River and the Pine River because of snow-melt.
NORTHWEST LOWER PENINSULA
Ice fishing is still going, but anglers really need to be cautious. Even with lots of ice if it doesn’t get cold at night, the ice can change quickly. Steelhead fishing is slow because water temperatures are still cold from the snowmelt. Once the snowpack is gone, the spring run will begin.
Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Anglers are still fishing however extreme caution needs to be used. Safety is always a concern on first and last ice. Some bluegills and crappie were caught just under the ice.
Lake Missaukee: Ice anglers were getting panfish. Be careful and pay close attention to temperatures and wind direction.
Manistee River: Anglers are starting to catch more steelhead and the catch rates will only improve as the water temperatures rise. Melting snow has the water levels up.
Hamlin Lake: Anglers were catching a mixed bag of fish including a fair number of bluegill.
Pere Marquette River: The ice is pretty much gone. Snowmelt will stain the waters and raise the levels. Those targeting steelhead will want to try spawn in the deeper holes until the water warms up.
UPPER PENINSULA
Marquette: The ice is deteriorating out near the “bubblers” and there are pressure cracks near shore on both the Upper and Lower Harbors. The ice is no longer safe and several miles out you can see stretches of open water with ice flow. Water levels at the mouth of the Carp River and the Dead River have started to rise slightly because of runoff. Those fishing the Carp River have caught the occasional steelhead on spawn or crawlers.
Au Train: The mouth of the Rock River and the Au Train River are slowly starting to open up. There was no activity at the Brownstone launch. The bay remains frozen with some pressure cracks near shore.
Menominee River: The dam at Menominee has two gates partially open so anglers are now open water fishing. A couple dozen anglers were fishing near Hattie Street.
Little Bay De Noc: Walleye season ended much the same as last year. Ice conditions have deteriorated quickly and shoreline ice has opened up in many locations. Although some anglers were still driving out on the Bay, the ice is getting dangerous and driving on it is no longer safe. Extreme caution needs to be used near the rivers, Sand Point, Saunders Point and the entire southern sections. Perch anglers had fair catches but most of the fish were small. The better catches were between the Second and Center Reefs with wigglers or minnows in 17 to 28 feet.
Munising: Warmer weather equals more anglers but catch rates were slow. Walking conditions are slick so bring your cleats. Ice conditions in the bay were still good, the snow cover is gone but there were pockets of slush near shore. Pressure cracks are beginning to show up around the shoreline at Sand Point and small open water pockets are beginning to pop up. A couple keeper size splake were taken on jigging lures, eggs or minnows. Catch rates for whitefish did improve some after several hours of effort. Try a single egg or wax worm on the bottom. Anglers were marking schools of smelt but none were caught. A few coho were taken and catch rates should pick-up soon. Those in the spearing shacks had poor to fair results for herring in the early morning. Trout Bay continues to have fishable ice though catch rates were slow for a mixed bag of chinook, coho, lake trout, herring and burbot.
St. Mary’s River: Walleye season is closed so anglers are now targeting perch which were scattered in Munuscong Bay. The better fishing was up in Fowlers Bay when using minnows in four to six feet. The ice has water and slush on top.
Cedarville and Hessel: Pike season is closed but perch fishing is starting to improve in Musky Bay and Hessel Bay. Fish were caught on wigglers and wax worms in six to 10 feet of water.
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!