Ice fishing continues around the state, but anglers should still exercise caution especially with much warmer weather moving in this weekend. Anglers should also pay close attention to strong winds which can shift the ice and cause pressure cracks.

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

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Those fishing the Metro Park Marina caught bluegills and yellow perch but were sorting out the small ones. Minnows, wax worms and spikes worked best.

Lake St. Clair: The main areas fished nearshore were still relatively stable. Strong winds over the weekend shifted some of the ice in the main lake. With warmer weather on the way, anglers should be very cautious about venturing out too far into the main lake, especially on windy days. Anglers at the Metro Park and Selfridge had decent catches of yellow perch. The fish were not active all the time and some anglers were getting frustrated when they could see fish in the hole, but they would not bite. Moving around and looking for active schools will often pay off.

Saginaw Bay: Anglers were fishing all over however caution still needs to be used and watch for the active pressure cracks along the west and south sides of the bay from north of Linwood to Quanicassee and ½ mile out from Finn Road. Those fishing off Coggins Road and up off the Pinconning Bar caught walleye. Limit catches were taken five to 10 miles out from Finn Road in 15 to 25 feet. Perch fishing picked up off Vanderbilt Park in 10 feet. The fish were 12-14 inches and some limit catches were reported. Be sure to watch out for the pressure crack near the Quanicassee River, head northeast toward Hidden Harbor instead. At Thomas Road, parking can be a problem because of too many trucks on the ice. The better fishing was 12 miles out with limit catches of walleye and big perch taken in 28 feet. Fishing pressure was light from Sebewaing to Caseville.

Saginaw River: Had lots of anglers out however watch the ice in the mid-channel because it was “iffy” in spots. Anglers are catching a lot of small walleye. A couple bigger ones were taken between Essexville and the mouth.

Some nice perch were caught in the evening at the mouth near the edge of the channel and the Yacht Club. Anglers can see walleye on the graphs and cameras, but they would not bite.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: The inland lakes were fishable however use caution near any inlets or outlets. Crappie and bluegill could be found in eight to 15 feet and many were suspended just a few feet below the ice. Bluegill could also be found in the deepest portion of the lakes.

Thornapple Lake: In Barry County had fair to good crappie fishing.

Sessions Lake: In Ionia County was producing some bluegills. A couple crappie were caught in 10 to 20 feet.

Lake Lansing: Is producing small panfish. A couple channel catfish were caught in 15 to 20 feet on the north end with tip-ups or when jigging with a piece of hotdog

Muskrat Lake: In Clinton County had sporadic catches of crappie. Fish were found in the deeper hole in 15 feet.

Grand River Grand Rapids: Was still running a bit high but anglers are taking some nice steelhead below the 6th Street Dam. Most are using spawn.

Murray Lake: In Kent County was producing some bluegills including limit catches. Most of the fish were smaller but good eaters.

Muskegon Lake: Catch rates were fair. Perch were found in 50 to 57 feet on the north end near Bear Lake. Pike were caught on tip-ups with golden shiners near Heritage Landing and Hartshorn Marina. Walleye anglers were using blues near the river mouth however anglers need to use extra caution near the river.

Muskegon River: Steelhead anglers were finding fish in the deeper holes.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Otsego Lake: Has good ice however the snow was too deep for ORV’s. There are some areas where there is six inches of slush, especially on the north end and around the shoreline. Fishing picked up with anglers taking walleye in seven to 15 feet with perch minnows or blues. Most of the fish were 12 inches but there were a few up to 22 inches. Pike were taken when jigging minnows in 8 to 10 feet.

Higgins Lake: Had a good six to eight inches of snow including some areas that are deeper because of drifting. The smelt action was fair off the North State Park and Big Creek in 40 to 60 feet at dusk.

More perch were caught around the islands however be ready to sort through the small ones. Lake trout were taken with blues on tip-ups or when jigging just off the bottom in 80 to 110 feet. More whitefish were caught on wax worms, wigglers or eggs on the bottom in 110 to 120 feet.

Houghton Lake: Anglers are still heading out however use caution and watch for two pressure cracks. There is the large one that runs from the West DNR launch to Johnsons Point and now another that has formed off that and runs north to south northeast of Heights Marina. Also, the ice off Long Point is soft and is not safe. The panfish bite was still soft but anglers are getting some. Hot colors were glow, pearl, orange or green. The fish are not schooled up, so anglers were moving from hole to hole after catching a few. Pike were hitting emerald shiners on the bottom.

Tawas: Walleye were caught off Jerry’s Marina in 22 feet. A few lake trout were caught near the reef. Those spear fishing have taken a couple pike. On the Rifle Bar off Booth Road, walleye, whitefish and lake trout were caught in eight to 20 feet.

Au Gres: Walleye, pike and perch were caught south of the breakwall. Walleye along with a couple steelhead were caught north of the breakwall. In Wigwam Bay, walleye including some limit catches were taken in eight to 15 feet. Anglers were fishing off Hale Road, Pine River or Palmer Road. Perch fishing was spotty.

Au Gres River: Anglers were catching a lot of small walleye.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: The drowned river mouth lakes such as Muskegon, White, Pere Marquette, Pentwater and Portage were giving up good catches of perch. On area rivers, some reaches have ice and were unfishable.

Traverse City: Anglers on the East Bay caught lake herring however there were still some areas where the ice was questionable. In the West Bay, perch were caught on small jigs tipped with minnows or wax worms in 40 to 60 feet off Clinch Park. Some nice fish were caught however anglers were sorting through a lot of small ones.

Crystal Lake: Continues to produce pike for those using tip-ups with minnows. A few perch and rock bass were caught on minnows, wigglers and wax worms. Burbot were caught in deep water off the Yacht Club.

Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Ice fishing continues. Catch rates were slower but the regulars were still getting some nice panfish along with a few walleye and pike.

Manistee River: Steelhead fishing is still slow, although a few were taken up near Tippy Dam.

Hamlin Lake: The ice is NOT safe for vehicles. Fishing improved as anglers were getting 10-15 panfish along the east side which included bluegill, crappie, sunfish and the occasional perch. Most of the perch were small. Crappie anglers fishing between Indian Pete’s Bayou and the Narrows were taking five to 10 fish per trip in 30 to 37 feet. A couple decent catches of bluegill and sunfish were taken from the North Bayou. Those fishing the walleye grounds off Duneview Road managed to get a couple legal size fish though many were too small. Pike anglers did well along the upper lake with tip-ups or when spearing though some were too small.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay De Noc: Heavy snowfall made travel on the ice very difficult. Under the deep snow is a foot or more of slush in the low areas. Those venturing off the trail were getting stuck so be warned if you plan to fish the low traveled areas. Best walleye areas were on the south side of the Escanaba River using tip-ups or jigging rapalas in 28 to 40 feet. This was also a good area for big northern pike. The other walleye area was near Gladstone and pushing toward the east bank using the same in 25 to 35 feet. Perch catches were spotty with most anglers targeting the Butler Island area in five to 10 feet with minnows and wigglers. Many were fishing much shallower than the weeks before mainly because of access. Whitefish anglers reported fair catches off Sand Point with minnows or spawn in 70 to 80 feet.

Munising: Deep snow one to two feet or more in areas has made travel on the ice difficult. Shoreline areas seem to have the most slush. The ice in Trout Bay was very “iffy” and had areas with pack ice. Catch rates were slow with only a couple coho and splake taken. Whitefish were caught near Powell Point, but many were small. Perch anglers had some luck however the fish were small. Lake trout were caught near White Rocks and Wood Island Reef. No reports on smelt but anglers are getting two to three burbot per trip.

Cedarville and Hessel: Had good ice however deep snow and slush have been an issue for ORV’s if you get off the main snowmobile trail. Anglers caught some perch between five to eight inches using perch minnows and wigglers off Cedarville. Pike were spotted moving through the Snows Channel, but no reports of any fish harvested. From Hessel, perch between five to 10 inches were caught when jigging minnows and wigglers. Those targeting splake had no luck.

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Fishing Tip: Techniques to target trout through the ice

Many anglers look forward to the opportunity to target trout – and not just on April 27 for the statewide opener! Trout fishing through the ice can be quite fun, if you use the proper techniques. Consider the following….

Tip-Ups
Certain species of trout, particularly brown trout, really gravitate to tip-ups as they linger in shallower water. Consider your depth if you use this type of angling.

Jigging
Lake trout and brown trout can easily be attracted by jigging with a spoon. For lake trout use a piece of smelt or sucker as your bait. For brown trout use the head of a minnow.

Don’t want to sit on the ice looking for trout? Then gear up for the open water season! Check out lots of information about Michigan’s trout species online.

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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