Weekly Fishing Report - February 21, 2013
Michigan Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 02/21/2013 08:00 AM EST
Weekly Fishing Report
February 21, 2013
Weekly Fishing Tip: Looking for inland trout this winter? Try Crystal Lake!
Lake trout, one of Michigan’s native sport fish, can be a fun species to target, even in the winter months. One of the best inland spots to target this fish is Crystal Lake in Benzie County, where the DNR stocks 60,000 lake trout each spring.
Crystal Lake consists of more than 9,700 acres of great fishing, with lake trout primarily hanging out in the western two-thirds of the lake where deeper water is available. If you’re interested in paying a visit to this destination, try one of the following techniques for lake trout:
1. Jig with heavy spoons or jigs and outfit your lure with a strip of sucker meat, smelt (of which there is a population of on Crystal Lake) or the head of a minnow.
2. Use tip-ups with a live smelt or emerald shiners to capture the attention of lake trout.
Crystal Lake has a healthy population of rainbow trout, yellow perch and burbot as well, keep that in mind as you head out on the ice! We should also mention Crystal Lake has coho salmon and is one of only two inland lakes in Michigan with its own population of “landlocked” coho salmon (the other being Glen Lake in Leelanau County)!
Want to know more about fishing for lake trout on Crystal Lake? Check out the lake map of Crystal Lake to get you started!
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
Ice fishing continues around the state. Anglers in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula need to use caution and watch for honeycomb ice which forms after a quick thaw and refreeze.
Lake Erie: Those fishing Bolles Harbor caught bluegill. Some were fishing off the boat ramp at Sterling State Park however few fish were taken. Perch were caught off Pointe Mouillee but it is a long walk to get out near the Banana Dike. While the number of fish taken was small, many averaged nine to 12 inches.
Detroit River: Anglers were catching a fair to good number of perch off Milliken State Park. Catch rates are still on and off but some reported decent catches.
Lake St. Clair: Had fishable ice at the popular locations on the Michigan side including Selfridge, Brandenburg, Fairhaven, Metro Beach and Gino’s. Catch rates were spotty but the lucky ones have caught some nice perch.
Saginaw Bay: Ice conditions are not safe. Anglers are being warned to stay off the Bay! The Coast Guard continues to rescue anglers from the ice flows. There is shore ice that extends about a mile out along the east side. Beyond that is open water. Strong west winds are churning up the waves where there is open water and this will weaken the shore ice. Anglers might want to stick to the inland lakes.
Saginaw River: Ice conditions continue to get worse and the water is muddy.
Tittabawassee River: Had some fishing activity up near the Dow Dam however conditions vary day to day depending on temperatures. Colder weather increases the amount of floating ice which makes fishing more difficult.
Anglers are getting out on some lakes however the small shallow lakes do have more ice than the large deeper lakes. The bluegill bite is slow but crappie have started to hit. The fish are suspended in 12 to 20 feet of water. Mornings or evenings are best.
St. Joseph: Stay off the piers. They are ice covered and dangerous.
St. Joseph River: Was producing good numbers of steelhead for boat anglers fishing between the Berrien Springs Dam and the Jasper Dairy Access site. Anglers do best on the warmer days.
Union Lake: In Branch County was producing some bluegills.
Rose Lake (Lake of the Woods): In Branch County had bluegill and crappie.
Marble Lake: Some anglers reported limit catches of bluegill.
Kalamazoo River: Boat anglers were fishing for steelhead up near the Allegan Dam. Some walleye were also caught.
Duck Lake: In Calhoun County was producing nice panfish including some very nice perch in small numbers.
Holland: Stay off the piers. They are ice covered and dangerous.
Grand Haven: Freezing spray has ice coated the piers.
Grand River at Grand Rapids: Is still producing steelhead. Some fresh fish were noted between the lake the Sixth Street Dam.
Grand River at Lansing: Catch rates slowed with the colder temperatures. Wait for the next warm up to target the dam in North Lansing and Moore’s Park.
Jackson County: When and where there was thicker ice on the inland lakes fishing was good for panfish. Several anglers reported near limit catches.
Round Lake: In Clinton County was producing small bluegills and a few pike.
Muskegon River: Was producing good numbers of steelhead. Try floating yarn, spawn or wax worms.
The inland lakes have ice however anglers should avoid the areas with inlets, outlets or a fast moving current because these areas may not be safe to travel over.
Au Sable River: Continues to produce good catches of steelhead. The Whirlpool and the Rea Road sties were accessible to most vehicles. Try spawn, wax worms, or small spoons. Fish making their way up into the river are fresh.
Lake Margrethe: Had ice fishing but catch rates were a bit slow.
Higgins Lake: Has been good for lake trout. Catch rates for perch and smelt were spotty at best.
Houghton Lake: Fishing was fair to good for walleye. A few large yellow perch have also been caught. Find the weedbeds and fish along the drop.
Tawas: The ice was holding but anglers were sorting through little perch all day long to come up with 10 to 12 keepers. The walleye bite and pike spearing were slow.
Pickerel Lake: In Emmet County was producing pike and walleye.
Intermediate Lake: In Antrim County is producing walleye and pike.
Green Lake: In Grand Traverse County is producing bluegill and a few small perch. For pike, try tip-ups off the State Park. Smelt are being caught just not in big numbers. Try just off the Music Camp which is north of the State Park.
Portage Lake: Is producing some perch but no big numbers.
Manistee Lake: Is producing perch. Some limit catches were reported.
Manistee River: Anglers are becoming more interested in steelhead fishing however the reports coming in were on the slow side.
Lake Missaukee: Is still good for panfish.
Lake Cadillac: Is still producing fish however the bite was not consistent. Anglers are marking a lot of fish however catch rates were slow.
Lake Mitchell: Is producing fish however the bite is slow just like Cadillac. For pike, try spearing or tip-ups. For panfish try teardrops with minnows or wax worms. The better fishing may be at night.
Hamlin Lake: Catch rates for bluegill were slow and the fish appear to be smaller than what they usually are this time of year.
Lake Gogebic: Had good walleye fishing. Most are using tip-ups or jigging rapalas in seven to 11 feet of water. Catch rates for perch were just fair in 12 to 17 feet.
Copper Harbor: Much of the ice broke up and blew out into the lake. There was still some ice around the State Dock but catch rates were slow.
Keweenaw Bay: Anglers fishing for smelt between Baraga and Bucks Marina have caught fish on teardrops with wax worms in 30 to 50 feet of water. Lake trout were caught out from Jentoff’s Dock and Whirl-I-Gig Road. Try 180 to 230 feet of water. Some lake trout anglers have ventured out to the broken up pack ice that has frozen in place however this does not mean the ice is safe just because others are out there. Coho and lake herring have been nonexistent. A few whitefish were caught east of the Baraga Marina in 70 to 90 feet of water.
Chicagon Lake: Catch rates were fair with a few walleye taken just before and right after dark. Try tip-ups with sucker minnows along the edge of the weeds in 10 to 15 feet of water. Perch caught during the day were smaller. Bluegills are showing up in 10 to 17 feet of water. The whitefish action was slow with only a few fish caught in the early morning. Slush on the lake is bad in places so use caution.
Iron Lake: Has a few large patches of slush. Catch rates for bluegill were starting to pick up. Many were small but a few keepers were caught. Crappie fishing was slow. Best time to fish was just before dark. Pike continue to bite but most were small.
Groveland Mine Ponds: Island Lake and East Lake were slow with only a few smaller bluegill caught. The West Lake had bluegills, crappie and perch caught in the middle in 15 feet of water. Most were jigging wax worms or minnows. On South Lake, bluegill, crappie and perch were caught straight out from the boat launch in 25 to 30 feet of water.
Lake Antoine: Was producing small yellow perch and some bluegills for those jigging wax worms or using tip-ups. A few pike were seen but none taken.
Little Bay De Noc: Ice conditions remain good but travel on the ice has worsened with deep ruts from frozen slush especially in the heaviest traveled areas. The thickest ice is in the northern bay and it tapers down as you move south. A Coast Guard Cutter came in and broke up the ice near Escanaba, so caution needs to be used. Catch rates for walleye and perch slowed with the colder weather. Garth Point and the areas off Gladstone Beach and the Escanaba River had fair walleye catches at best. Anglers will want to fish from late evening into the night when jigging rapalas or using tip-ups in 18 to 30 feet of water. Good numbers of small perch were caught near Kipling. The bigger fish were in the deeper water. Try jigging minnows or wigglers in 14 to 30 feet. Pike spearing was fair to good just east of Butler Island in 10 to 12 feet of water with natural and artificial decoys. Whitefish action was fair to good out from the Terrace Bay Inn. Fish were caught on spawn or minnows in 30 to 40 feet of water. The better catches were near Sand Point in 75 to 85 feet.
Munising: Anglers are widespread from the West Channel near Christmas to Sand Point. There is at least six inches of snow on the ice which makes walking a little more difficult. Whitefish action was slow. A few splake were caught at various locations but catch rates remain slow. The fish range from sub-legal to 20 inches. A few perch were caught at Sand Point but many were small. Keepers were eight inches with the occasional 10 inch fish. Many are jigging for lake trout in the West Channel but no fish were reported. For herring, those spearing in the early morning have not done well at all. Those fishing in the evening had good catches of burbot. No fishing in Trout Bay as ice conditions were not safe.
Munuscong Bay: Had good walleye and perch fishing for those jigging in the deeper water. Try off Rocky Point in 10 to 15 feet.
Cedarville and Hessel: Catch rates have picked up. Hessel and Musky Bay have a lot of smaller perch but also have some nice ones being caught. Most are fishing minnows, wigglers or wax worms in 10 feet of water.
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Enjoy your catch! Eat safe fish! Learn about eating safe, local and healthful fish from our Great Lakes State at www.michigan.gov/eatsafefish.