While ice fishing continues to the north, anglers in the southern areas of the state are starting to fish open water. Boat and pier anglers are heading out. Some of the rivers still have high water levels which will hopefully recede by the weekend.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Boat anglers are trolling crank baits for walleye in Brest Bay, but no reports have come in. Those fishing off the Metro Park were taking some limit catches of yellow perch. The boat launch at the Metro Park has four docks in.

Huron River: Anglers are getting a couple steelhead near the dam at Flat Rock and near Labo Park. Most are using spawn or a jig and wax worm.

Detroit River: Boat anglers are taking a few walleyes, but it is still early. Those fishing the canals near Gibraltar caught a good number of perch. Boat anglers need to go slow and watch for ice coming down the river.

Lake St. Clair: Most of the ice is gone and any remaining ice should not be considered safe. There is still some ice present at the Selfridge and Fairhaven boat launches. The Harley Ensign Launch and Brandenburg Park are wide open however there are no docks in anywhere and they won’t be for a couple weeks.

St. Clair River: Had no ice flowing in the main river. There is very little ice currently in Lake Huron. Boats are launching out of Marysville and Decker’s Landing. Some walleye and salmon are being caught near Port Huron.

Saginaw Bay: Ice fishing has deteriorated to the point that it is no longer safe to go out on any remaining ice. The Coast Guard is warning people to stay off the ice. Several anglers have been rescued off Linwood because the shore ice broke loose and drifted out into the bay. The perch, sucker and steelhead runs have not really started yet. Several area rivers were high, fast, and muddy. With no significant rain in the forecast, the cuts and rivers should be lower by the weekend.

Saginaw River: Was high, fast and muddy. Anglers are reminded that walleye fishing in the river is closed until April 27. Boat ramps were not yet open but should be soon. It’s probably a little early for the spring perch run, but it will start soon. The river should be more fishable by this weekend.

Quanicassee River: The ice on the river has broken up and some anglers were open water fishing. They did not catch much but at least it’s a positive sign of spring.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Had some pier anglers fishing open water in the channel. A couple boats were just outside the piers.

St. Joseph River: Steelhead have been caught near the Berrien Springs Dam. Anglers reported a good number as well as some large fishing being caught.

Grand River at Grand Rapids: Has high water levels and a swift current which made steelhead fishing a bit more difficult. Steelhead fishing should be good by the weekend.

Rogue River: Was high however water levels should recede by the end of the week.

Grand River near Lansing: The fish ladders are now open.

Muskegon: Pier anglers are out targeting steelhead and brown trout.

Muskegon Lake: Still had ice however anglers would be wise to stay off it. There are a few areas of open water and the ice is starting to get soft. Those still wanting to ice fish should head further north.

Muskegon River: Had very high-water levels at Newaygo and Bridgeton which will make fishing almost impossible. Hopefully the levels will drop by the weekend so the trout anglers can get out.

White River: May be a better option for steelhead fishing as water levels here tend to go up and down much faster. The North Branch would also be a good place to fish.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

McCormick Lake: In Montmorency County had slow brown trout action.

Grand Lake: Was producing some good perch catches.

Long Lake: Was also producing perch.

Higgins Lake: The smelt bite was extremely slow and very few fish were marked. The lucky ones were getting up to 50 fish a night however that was not the normal. Most were fishing off the north or west launch. The perch were running small. Lake trout were found in 80 to 100 feet with tip-ups or when jigging a white tube jig.

Houghton Lake: Still had ice fishing however anglers should not try to drive across the pressure cracks. The bluegill bite was starting to improve. Most are using a tear-drop with a wax worm. Try purple, chartreuse or gold. If the bite is slow along the weed beds, move to the outside edge of them. Anglers have also caught a few bass, crappie and rock bass.

Tawas: Did not have much happening in the way of ice fishing.

Tawas River: The lower river was opening-up. A couple steelhead and suckers were caught on spawn.

Au Gres: Had poor ice conditions.

Au Gres River: The lower end of Whitney Drain below the Singing Bridge had a little open water where a couple steelhead were caught.

Rifle River: Had flood warnings due to ice jams.

Pine River: Was starting to open-up and should be fishable by the weekend.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: All rivers in the area had extremely highwater levels which makes for difficult fishing conditions. If we do not get any more rain, conditions should improve by the weekend. Ice fishing continues, although most anglers seem to be done for the season. There was ample ice in the region however; anglers need to use caution as any holes that were in the ice when it rained last week have opened-up and are now quite large. Snow had drifted and frozen over the holes concealing them.

Lake Charlevoix: Ice anglers are still getting lots of cisco. When you find a school of fish the action can be very good. Most were fishing in Horton Bay or near Whiting Park when jigging spoons in 90 to 110 feet.

Traverse City: Ice fishing was still decent in both the East and the West Bays however the number of those heading out is declining as the weather gets nicer. Anglers are getting whitefish and a few perch.

Lake Leelanau: Perch were caught on the South Lake near the west launch.

Crystal Lake: In Benzie County had steady lake trout action. Perch numbers were low, and the fish were small.

Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Ice fishing continues although not many anglers are heading out. Those that do were targeting panfish.

Pentwater River: Was producing a couple steelhead for those using spawn.

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Upper Peninsula

Keweenaw Bay: The slush and most of the snow is gone and there is now some honeycomb ice on the top layer. The thickness varies so anglers need to use caution especially near any holes that were previously drilled. With warmer temperatures this week, be sure to check the ice with a spud every time you head out. The coho bite was very good in 10 to 14 feet but the action slowed. The lake trout bite was good in 150 to 200 feet and the splake action was hit-or-miss in 15 to 55 feet. The whitefish bite was also slow but usually starts to pick up this time of year in 55 to 80 feet. Smelt fishing had been slow. A few brown trout and steelhead were showing up in front of the river mouths.

Marquette: Had slow fishing again. The Upper Harbor near the “Bubbler” is now open water and a few anglers launching small boats from the beach were picking up the odd coho, brown trout or Chinook salmon but most were not having much luck. The ice in the Lower Harbor was holding with cold temperatures freezing any water and slush on top so it was slippery for those walking. The only anglers out there were the few targeting burbot at night. Daytime catches were almost nonexistent.

Little Bay De Noc: Access has been extremely hard this year. Saunders Point has open water so avoid this area. Perch fishing was spotty although anglers were getting enough fish in the Kipling area to keep them interested. Most were caught on minnows or wigglers in 30 feet. A few were also found in and around 17 feet. Of the fish caught, some were very nice jumbo perch. Fair to good whitefish catches were reported off Sand Point with minnows or spawn in and around 75 feet. Anglers were trying to remove their ice shanties, but many were frozen in. Shanties must be off the Bay by midnight on March 31.

Munising: Still has ice fishing however catch rates were poor with only a few coho and splake caught. Coho anglers were jigging a Swedish pimple or small jigging spoon. The whitefish action was slow. Night anglers targeting burbot and smelt did good for burbot but slow for smelt.

Cedarville and Hessel: Perch five to 10 inches have been caught in Musky Bay with wigglers. Splake and perch were caught in Hessel Bay when jigging wigglers or spikes in 12 to 17 feet. The perch were smaller. While the ice is holding, anglers still need to use caution and be aware of the areas with a strong current.

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Fishing Tip: Storing ice fishing equipment for next season

You may want to think about getting ready to store your ice fishing equipment. The key is doing it properly, so you’ll be ready to hit the ice next winter! Here is a checklist of things to do:

1. If you have an auger, check for any damage and dry all the blades before storing it. You may want to consult your power auger’s manual to know how to appropriately handle any leftover gas and how to protect the engine.
2. Remove batteries from any electronics to prevent any potential damage from leaking batteries.
3. Make sure your portable shelter is completely clean and dry before storing. You may want to put some moth balls in it or hang it to keep pests at bay.
4. Take a full inventory of your rods, reels and tackle to see what you might need/want next year. Also remove all bait or line from your hooks and lures for storage and make sure everything is dry.

By the time everything is properly stored you’ll be itching to get out on your favorite stream, river or lake for some spring 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