The 2019 fishing licenses will go on sale starting this Friday, March 1. This gives anglers one month to purchase a new license before the 2019 license year kicks off on April 1.

Ice fishing continues around the state however fewer anglers have been out, so reports are very limited this week. After the high winds, watch for pressure cracks. Deep snow coupled with drifting and slush to the north will make travel on the ice much more difficult.

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: Ice on the northern end remained relatively stable. The traditional nearshore areas did hold up in the wind. Areas offshore at Brandenburg, Selfridge, Harley Ensign and the Metro Park did open-up over the weekend and extreme caution should be used if venturing too far from shore. The lake is open water from the Clinton River Cutoff south to the Detroit River. This open water will allow the ice to shift and make for dangerous conditions if we get a strong north wind. Bluegill and sunfish were caught at the Raft Restaurant. Though the action was slow, anglers continue to bring in decent quantities and some good size fish. Try a smaller than average size jig with a spike; color was not important. At Selfridge, a few anglers found schools of fish just south of the ramp. Cotton Road has been tricky as anglers were either getting perch or not. Those that did were using jigs tipped with a spike.

Saginaw Bay: The recent strong winds blew the ice out of the Bay on west side. At Pinconning, the ice has blown out to the point that you can’t even see across the open water to the ice beyond. There is open water just beyond the point at the little bay off Pinconning Park, and as close as maybe 200 yards offshore from Neuman Road. Open water was reported just outside Nayanquing Point, and at Linwood the open water is maybe a mile offshore. On the east side, there are ice shoves 20 feet and higher off the Thomas Road area, so the ice also broke up there due to the strong wave action. Cold weather this week may harden things up a bit, but this could be the end of ice fishing on the Bay, except for a few secluded areas where shore ice may be fishable for a while.

Saginaw River: Is running fast and muddy after the rain. Ice on the river does not look good. There was no one fishing the river including at the mouth or around the U.S.S. Edson. The ice appears white and honeycombed and no one should be on it.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: Ice fishing on the inland lakes remains good. Bluegill and crappie continue to provide decent catches, and it is becoming more of a late winter bite with most of the action at twilight. Yellow perch are becoming more active. Lakes connected to Lake Michigan may have severe pressure cracks due to the high winds and waves so use caution. Steelhead action was good on the warmer days. Slight temperature increases help the steelhead become more active. Anglers are picking up some nice brown trout.

Lake Ovid: Was producing a light number of small bluegills and the occasional crappie.

Grand River Grand Rapids: Water levels are still up after the rain and snowmelt. Those fishing below the 6th Street Dam continue to catch some nice steelhead on spawn.

Muskegon Lake: The ice was holding for the most part however there are some bad spots, so anglers need to use caution. A couple machines have gone through in a few of those spots. Be smart and use a spud ahead of you to check the ice thickness. The perch seem to be scattered throughout the lake. Walleye and pike fishing was better along the southern side of the lake as opposed to the north end. Fish were caught by those jigging off Hartshorn Marina and Fisherman’s Landing. Small walleye were caught near the Black Buoy.

Muskegon River: Water temperatures are cold. Those targeting the deeper holes are being rewarded with a couple nice steelhead.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Burt Lake: Ice fishing continues although anglers may encounter deep snow drifts after the strong winds. Those targeting walleye have caught some keepers. Try the south end and Maple Bay. A few perch were also caught.

Mullett Lake: May also have difficult travel due to drifting snow. Walleye were caught, try jigging on the north end. Perch anglers target fish in 15 to 20 feet off the State Park.

Otsego Lake: Ice conditions are good, but slush was making it hard for anglers to get snowmobiles and ORVs out. Some areas had six inches of slush especially along the shore. Anglers are seeing pike, perch and bluegills on their cameras. Those heading out were jigging wax worms or using tip-ups with minnows.

Houghton Lake: Fresh snow is covering the area near the pressure cracks, so anglers need to use caution. There is still a large crack that runs from the West DNR launch to Johnsons Point and another one that formed off that and runs north to south northeast of Heights Marina. The bluegill bite was still slow. The fish are not schooled up, so anglers need to move around to find them. Those targeting walleye were getting a few keepers as the bite improved.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: Ice fishing is still going strong on the inland lakes however fewer anglers have been out. We are getting reports of steelhead being caught in the rivers however ice and snow continue to hamper fishing efforts.

Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Ice fishing continues. The bite was slow, so anglers were moving around to find fish. On Cadillac, try the east end for bluegills and perch. On Mitchell, try the west side including Big Cove for bluegills or the south end for walleye.

Manistee River: Some are getting steelhead up near Tippy Dam. With cold water temperatures, they are fishing the deeper holes with spawn and beads.

Pere Marquette River: The bite was slow but those putting in the time were getting a couple steelhead. Most were found in the slow deep water.

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Upper Peninsula

Lake Gogebic: The slush problems are very bad. If you do not have a long track snowmobile or are willing to walk, don’t attempt to go out on the ice. If you do go out, bring a shovel and stay closer to shore so you are retrievable. The perch bite has been good. Fair catches were reported along the west shore flats with wigglers.

Keweenaw Bay: After the storm on Sunday, there is another 10 inches or more of snow on the bay which will not help the slush problem. Lake trout fishing was fair in 100 to 275 feet when jigging 1-2 oz. jigs with cut bait on the bottom. Splake fishing was fair in 15 to 40 feet with tip-ups and minnows, spoons or jigging raps. Brown trout were caught in 20 to 40 feet with jigs and minnows. Anglers have seen schools of lake herring, but none were caught. Try a spoon with a wet fly about six inches above the spoon. Smelt are abundant however the bite has been slow. Try using a spring bobber. No reports on coho or whitefish.

Little Bay De Noc: Anglers have been struggling with the snow and slush and as a result very few are participating. Travel is limited to snowmobiles although some side by sides with tracks had been out. All others did a lot of shoveling.
Walleye anglers had very little to report however perch anglers were catching them. Most were undersize. Perch fishing was fair in Kipling with wigglers or minnows in and around 30 feet. Several anglers tried to rescue their shanties, but many were buried with all the blowing snow. If you have a shanty out there and have not checked it in a while, you probably should.

Munising: Another round of heavy snow added another eight to 15 inches or more in some areas. Ice thickness in bay was good however there may be some pressure cracks after the high winds. Travel on the ice was difficult. Anglers caught coho and burbot in Trout Bay however the ice may be unstable after the high winds. Good catch rates for lake trout were reported near the White Rocks and Wood Island Reef with cut bait in 120 to 160 feet. A few splake were caught off Sand Point. Night anglers did well for burbot but not smelt.

Cedarville and Hessel: Ice was holding however there is deep snow and slush on top. Perch anglers were jigging perch minnows, minnow heads, wax worms, spikes and wigglers however many were caught on spikes. Most were seven to nine inches. Pike up to 26 inches were caught on minnows.

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Fishing Tip: Tips to stay safe when ice fishing in early spring

Winter is winding down, but there’s still time to go ice fishing. But remember, there are a few important safety precautions to take if you plan to do so:

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 when heading out.
3. Continue to use the buddy system and 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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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