The cold snap most likely shut the steelhead fishing down along the piers, beaches and some rivers. Ice fishing on the inland lakes continues to get stronger as ice conditions improve. Safety is a must, so be sure to take a spud and check the ice ahead of you. 

All anglers 17 years of age and older are required to have a fishing license.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake St. Clair

The lake is freezing. Anglers have been getting into bluegills and sunfish at the north end out near the Raft Restaurant and Fair Haven Launch. The areas both in and outside the canals and docks have been the real hotspots. Pike have been seen cruising the area and a few have been speared. Yellow perch are abundant but the majority of fish caught near the Raft, Fair Haven and Selfridge were between 3 and 5 inches. The size goes up as you start heading down towards the Clinton River Cut Off and launch sites around the Metro Park.   

St. Clair River

Ice flows are extremely heavy and causing ice jams. 

Saginaw Bay

Near Pinconning, ice anglers were heading out up to ¾ mile off Whites Beach, but the perch bite was slow. A few anglers ventured out from the trailer park near the mouth of the Saginaw River and were targeting 8 feet of water. Those fishing in 4 feet of water off Finn Road caught nothing. At Quanicassee, those going out to 8 feet off Vanderbilt Park did manage to catch some perch ranging 8-10 inches in the morning.  They were using Russian hooks and beads. Some perch were also taken as shallow as 3 ½ - 4 feet. Try to avoid the murky river plume and you will find fish. Thomas Road had no one out as parking there is not good until the ice gets thick. From Sebewaing to Bay Port, a few pike were speared, but perch fishing was slow. Caseville had some ice fishing activity but not much success. 

Saginaw River

Ice fishing started but just barely. There was no activity at Wickes Park or Rust Avenue, but there were anglers out near Ojibway Island and they did get a few walleye when jigging fire-tiger or wonder bread rapalas tipped with minnows. There was some fishing activity off First Street, at various locations along Crow Island and near Vet’s Park on M-13 however most anglers caught undersize fish. The ice through Bay City was still sketchy. 

A few tried near the U.S.S. Edson, but no reports came in. As mentioned earlier, there were a few anglers creeping out on the river mouth; however, people need to be very careful on that river ice!  Some have started fishing in front of the Patterson Road launch ramp, but there again, that ice has been marginal and anglers need to use extreme caution. 

Tittabawassee River

Fishing here has ended for the time being. The river’s full of ice floes and the ramps were iced in.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Anglers are out on most of the inland lakes and catching bluegill and crappie. The large lakes still had areas with marginal ice conditions. Anglers will need to watch and see how the midweek warm-up will affect the ice. Remember to use a spud to check the ice as you head out.       

Grand River at Grand Rapids

Some nice steelhead were caught down below the 6th Street Dam. Try beads and spawn. 

Muskegon Lake

Anglers need to stay away from the middle of the lake and the area of the shipping channel due to freighter traffic coming in from Lake Michigan. Yellow perch were caught off the Sand Docks. Pike were caught in 12 to 24 feet off Hartshorn Marina.  Those fishing off the State Park caught bluegills in 3 to 5 feet. 

Muskegon River

Steelhead numbers are fair. Fish were in the deeper and slower water during the cold spell. The bite may improve with warmer temperatures. 

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Otsego Lake

Had a good number of anglers, and those seeking them managed to catch a couple fish up to 20 inches on tip-ups or when jigging blue minnows in 10 to 14 feet. Smaller fish were caught in shallower waters. Schools of perch were seen; however, they did not want to bite. Lake sturgeon between 48-50 inches were caught when jigging blue minnows or with tip-ups in 5 to 8 feet. The better action was at dusk and after dark. 

Lake Fifteen

In Montmorency County was producing some smelt. 

Higgins Lake

Perch were caught in 20 to 40 feet near the Main Island and the Sunken Island. Good pike action with a few fish over 20 pounds were taken off Sam-O-Set Road and the South State Park. Lake trout were caught by those jigging or using tip-ups with minnows in 80 to 100 feet. 

Rainbow trout were found off the Conference Center and Big Creek when using wigglers in shallow waters. A few smelt were taken off the west launch, Big Creek and the North State Park in the late evening. 

Houghton Lake

The East Bay has tightened up finally. The lake had about 6 inches of snow on top.  Anglers still need to use caution near the creeks and rivers. Also watch for multiple pressure cracks. Catch rates were up and down as some are doing well while others were not getting many. The fish seem to be moving around, so don’t be afraid to go shallower or deeper than normal. Bluegills are still hitting wigglers and wax worms, and crappie are hitting small jigging spoons tipped with a minnow. Glow lures seem to work better. For walleye, try jigging spoons or jigging raps tipped with a minnow head. 

Lake St. Helen

Is producing a few walleye in the First Lake for those using a Swedish pimple and small minnow.   

Tawas

Ice anglers were out off Jerry’s Marina and fishing back in the “armpit.” Most were walking out to 15 to 20 feet. Catch rates have been slow, with only a couple walleye caught here and there. No good word on perch yet. 

Au Gres

Quite a few anglers were fishing down off the mouth of the Pine River and Palmer Road. Most were fishing in about 8 ½ feet of water and getting some walleye in the evening, though the action was not red-hot as most were only getting two to three fish per trip. Perch fishing was slow to fair.    

Au Gres River

Ice anglers on the lower river caught a few walleye and pike. They are getting a mix of small and legal-size fish.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Walloon Lake

Continues to produce a few perch for those using minnows. A good spot in the winter is near the narrows at the base of the West Arm.   

Lake Skegemog

Had decent perch fishing. 

Lake Missaukee

Ice anglers are taking some bluegill and crappie. For pike, try along the east side.       

Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell

Ice fishing is going strong, and anglers were still doing decent especially for walleye and pike. Bluegill numbers were up and down. Walleye anglers were jigging or using tip-ups in 10 to 15 feet. Pike are hitting mainly on tip-ups. Kentwood Park on Lake Cadillac was producing some nice crappie. On Lake Mitchell, bluegill and crappie were found out from Small Cove.

Hamlin Lake

Anglers were using Wilson Hill Park to access the lake, though anglers are still being advised to use caution as there may be thin spots. Catch rates slowed, with most getting 10 fish or less. Though the numbers were down, the size of the fish has been decent, with a few big crappie mixed in with the bluegills. The perch were small at 3-5 inches. Those targeting pike had limited success, and many of those caught were undersize. A few walleye were caught. Near the South Bayou, anglers were struggling to find keeper-size bluegill. 

Mecosta County

Inland lakes in the area were producing bluegills, crappie and some perch. Pike anglers are taking fish on tip-ups or with spears. 

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay De Noc

Ice conditions improved with the cold temperatures, moving anglers as far south as Portage Point. The Portage area was still considered dangerous. The head of the bay had drifted snow cover. The pressure cracks are large and were noticeable, but may become covered with additional snowfall. Caution needs to be used. Walleye fishing picked up, with fair to good catches reported near Portage Point when jigging rapalas or using tip-ups with minnows in 30 to 50 feet. The Escanaba Power Plant area, Gladstone Bay as well as the Second and Third Reefs produced fair catches using the same in 27 to 50 feet. Pike were speared in the Escanaba Yacht Harbor using live decoys in 10 feet, and a fair to good number of pike were caught off the Escanaba Beach in 25 feet with minnows. Perch anglers reported spotty catches but good enough to keep anglers interested. The best action was still along the Kipling flats, with wigglers or minnows in 27 to 50 feet. The numbers are fewer, but the size of the fish has made up the difference. No one is targeting whitefish, but several had been caught in the channel in Gladstone Bay when targeting walleye.

Cedarville and Hessel

The shanties that were on the east side of Musky Bay were no longer there, so not sure if ice conditions were unsafe or if anglers just moved. From Hessel, fishing pressure picked up as anglers were getting perch up to 11 inches when jigging spikes, wax worms and wigglers in 12 to 17 feet. No word on splake; however, anglers did see a couple legal-size pike.

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Fishing Tip: Using a bass technique to target steelhead

Are you a bass angler? A standard technique you use may be perfect for catching steelhead in the winter.

You might want to think about using lures that would normally be more difficult to reach when using standard steelhead fishing techniques. Choose medium-diving crankbaits and be sure to use braided line, which will aid in navigating obstacles under the water. Cast across the current and retrieve just fast enough to get the lure under the water but not so fast that it will snag the bottom. During the retrieve, let the lure swing downstream.

Another successful approach to try is to position yourself directly upstream of a deep hole and cast straight downstream. Retrieve the lure directly through the hole. Again, make sure to retrieve the lure fast enough to get in under the water but slow enough to keep it from snagging up on the bottom.

Steelhead are one of Michigan’s most popular sport fish; don’t miss your opportunity to target them this winter!

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This report is intended to give you an idea of what is going on around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and Conservation Officers. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams, not all locations can be listed. However, it is safe to say if a species is being caught in some waters in the area, they are likely being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species