Anglers are reminded that the 2017 Fishing Licenses went on sale starting Wednesday, March 1.  This gives anglers one month to purchase their new license before they are required to on April 1.  And be sure to hold on to your current copy of the Michigan Fishing Guide as it covers the rules and regulations for both 2016 and 2017!  

Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie:  Boat anglers at Luna Pier caught walleye when trolling crank baits in waters up to 20 feet deep.  Panfish were taken in the Metro Park Marina.  

Huron River:  Anglers caught steelhead and a couple walleye.            

Detroit River:  Boat and shore anglers were getting some nice perch down at the mouth, around the islands and in the marinas.  Most were using perch rigs and spreaders.  

Lake St. Clair:  Boat anglers will find two docks in at the Harley Ensign launch and 1 at the Fairhaven launch.  Selfridge had no docks in yet.  At Crocker, dredging to remove the muck will begin soon.  Some good perch catches were taken from Anchor Bay and the Grosse Pointe areas.   

St. Clair River:  Had reports of anglers starting to catch walleye in the North Channel.  

Saginaw Bay:  Had no fishing in Linwood as the ice was poor.  Anglers were fishing the Hot Ponds but no reports came in.  A few eight to 10 inch perch were caught in the cut off Finn Road when using tiny tube jigs under a bobber.  Quanicassee and Thomas Road had no anglers.  At Sebewaing, perch fishing in the marina was slow to fair with no limit catches but lots of sorting.  No report for Geiger Road to Bay Port as the ice was poor and not fishable.  Caseville and Mud Creek were very murky.  Perch fishing was spotty for those putting in a lot of time.  

Saginaw River:  Had good walleye fishing especially near downtown Saginaw and around the train bridge but once again rain slowed the bite.  Some perch were caught in the channel from the state launch to the mouth.  Those fishing downstream had to work a bit harder.  Blue ice minnows and chartreuse heads worked best.  

Tittabawassee River:  Also had good fishing for boat and shore anglers before the rain.  Anglers were using chartreuse ice minnows and chartreuse heads.  Shore anglers casting along Dice Road near Apple Mountain caught some walleye.  One angler had a limit catch but fished all day for it.  Most are casting jig heads with twister tails.  Hot colors were chartreuse and white.  

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph:  Boat and pier anglers have caught coho, steelhead and brown trout.      

St. Joseph River:  All the fish ladders are now open.  Steelhead fishing continues to be good.  The bite is better when the water is warming so the warmer days are best.    

Black River:  Steelhead were caught in South Haven.    

Kalamazoo River:  Had a lot of boat anglers catching steelhead especially on the warmer days.  Most are using spawn.  

Grand Haven:  Boat anglers trolling close to shore have caught coho, steelhead and the occasional brown trout.  Pier anglers have also caught a few fish.      

Grand River at Grand Rapids:  Continues to have good steelhead fishing with lots of fish caught.  Most are using fresh skein, spawn bags, wax worms or wigglers up near the 6th Street Dam.  A few walleye are still being caught.  

Grand River near Lansing:   All the fish ladders are now open.  During the warm up, pike and smallmouth bass were caught at the North Lansing Dam.  No big numbers but a couple steelhead and walleye were caught at the point where the Grand meets the Red Cedar.  

Muskegon River:  Has a good number of steelhead.  Boat anglers drifting have done well throwing streamers and stoneflies.  The walleye are up near Croton Dam however catching them has not been easy.    

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Mullett Lake:  The ice firmed back up but there is a lot of open water in Pigeon River Bay.  Anglers need to be careful around Dodge Point and Mullett Creek as well.  Overall, there was very little fishing pressure.  Those heading out caught a few perch near Round Point and between Aloha and Dodge Point in 30 to 45 feet.    

Alpena:  Thunder Bay had open water but a strong east wind could bring ice back in.  

Thunder Bay River:  Had open water.  

Hubbard Lake:  Had good walleye fishing but has shut down with the ice deteriorating.  The shelf ice was poor and limiting access to the lake.      

Oscoda:  Boat and pier anglers are taking some nice lake trout.  Boat anglers are trolling rapalas and the pier anglers are casting spoons.  Gold and orange or silver and orange were good colors. 

Au Sable River:   Steelhead are just getting started and were caught all the way up to Foote Dam.     

Higgins Lake:  The shoreline ice was breaking up.  Be careful along the west shoreline especially near Big Creek.  Anglers still had access at the North State Park launch and the west launch.    

Houghton Lake:  The shoreline ice is breaking up making it hard for anglers to get out.  The rain and warm temperatures continue to soften the ice.  Pike have been caught in 5 to 6 feet with a teardrop and wax worm.    

Tawas:  Did not have much to report.  Any remaining ice in the bay was not safe.  

Tawas River:  Had a few suckers in it but the river was very muddy.    

Au Gres:  Had no reports.  Eagle Bay Marina at the end of Sagatoo Road had open water and pockets of ice that were bad.  Slow fishing except for a few perch.  

Au Gres River:  Water at the Singing Bridge was very muddy.  A few anglers tried surfcasting but had no luck.    

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Little Glen Lake:  In Leelanau County had a few anglers go through the ice.  Use caution.    

Boardman River:  Anglers were steelhead fishing between the mouth and Sabin Dam.        

Green Lake:  Had more than one report of unsafe ice conditions.  Shoreline ice was deteriorating and anglers had not been out since the last warm spell.  

Crystal Lake:  In Benzie County had a couple anglers go through the ice.   

Lake Cadillac:  Still had some ice fishing however ice around the shoreline was not good.  Avoid the areas with open water especially near the mouth of the canal where water flows into Lake Mitchell.    

Lake Mitchell:  Still had ice fishing as well but stay away from the canal.  Pike and crappie were caught in the early morning and at night.  

Lake Missaukee:  Ice anglers had small catches of pike, perch and crappie.   

Portage Lake:  Completely opened up and ice fishing was halted.   

Manistee Lake:  Completely opened up and ice fishing was halted.   

Manistee River:  Had good steelhead fishing.  Anglers were using jigs with a wax worm or spawn and beads.   

Pere Marquette River:  Had good steelhead fishing with the warmer weather.  A good number of fish were reported near the Custer Bridge where anglers were getting some limit catches.    

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Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay:  The ice has been gone for a week now.  The warmer weather had a few boats out trolling stick baits for coho or jigging for whitefish with Swedish pimples.  The launch was open in Baraga however ice did once again stack up at the launch.  Conditions here change daily.  Shore casting was slow.  The Falls River was still frozen.  

Menominee River:  Those fishing the Hattie Street Dam have caught trout, whitefish and walleye with small spoons and stick baits.  

Little Bay De Noc:  Very warm temperatures last week have made ice conditions very dangerous.  Some anglers were still fishing but were walking out only.  From Escanaba north to Kipling there are patches of open water mostly around the edges.  Colder temperatures and heavy snow could mask bad ice conditions so please use caution when traveling the Bay.  Angler participation was very low.  Walleye anglers mostly fished around the Second Reef in 25 to 35 feet.  They were marking fish but few catches were reported.  Perch anglers fishing the First Reef had good catches of small fish using minnows or wigglers in 10 to 20 feet.  Small fish were also caught around the Second Reef in 20 to 30 feet.  

Munising:  Warm temperatures in the mid 50’s deteriorated ice conditions and even though temperatures dropped back into the 20’s, most anglers feel the ice has not firmed back up.  Anglers should avoid these areas:  Bay Furnace area and the red can access off M-28 at Christmas, Powell Point, Grand Island Access, Brown public access and Sand Point where an angler actually fell through.  

Snow and slush will create soft spots and mask areas that are not safe.  Extreme caution needs to be used.  The better access site was the Anna River city docks.  Catch rates were low with only a couple nice splake taken by those jigging rapalas or Swedish pimples.  Those using cut bait or minnows did better than those using eggs.  A few anglers reported a couple schools of herring and smelt off the Anna River.  For smelt, try a teardrop with wax worms or mousies.  Some were jigging for coho off the Ann River but had no luck.  

Grand Marais:  Had no fishable ice in the harbor.  Heavy ice cover on the pier prevented anglers from targeting whitefish.  No anglers were at the Sucker River.  

Cedarville and Hessel:  Muskie Bay in Cedarville had anglers targeting perch and pike.  Catch rates for perch increased with some getting 20 to 40 fish that were eight to 12 inches.  Catch rates for pike were slow for those using tip-ups or spears.  Those getting a few keepers had a fair number of throwbacks.  Anglers should avoid the Middle Channel which has open water.  The ice was holding in Hessel Bay however the ice has disappeared along the shoreline around some of the islands.  Use caution.  Those targeting perch had mixed results and catch rates were day-to-day.  The good days saw up to 25 keepers and the off days had maybe one or two.  The fish ranged seven to 11 inches.  Most were jigging a combination of natural and artificial baits in 15 feet.  Both minnows and wigglers had success.  The Les Cheneaux Island area had moderate fishing activity.  

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Fishing Tip: Safety tips for spring ice fishing

It’s almost officially spring and there still may be opportunities in different locations throughout the state to get out on the ice. Please remember to take these safety precautions if you plan to head out:

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. 

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 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 on ice fishing, visit Michigan.gov/fishing. 

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