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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Saginaw Bay: Walleye were caught 6 miles out from Thomas Road. Anglers were also going to the south end of the slot. Yellow perch were caught in 8 to 10 feet of water. On the west side of the bay, there was open water from the Bay City State Park all the way up to Cody Esty Road. Fishing activity on the east side of Saginaw Bay was limited with high winds and snow. Anglers fishing for yellow perch reported mostly small fish with a few keepers in Wildfowl Bay. There were some bad ice spots from Sebewaing up to Wildfowl Bay. Anglers should use caution.

Saginaw River: The launch at Saginaw Marina was open over the weekend and anglers were fishing upstream near the confluence, but fishing was difficult with a lot of ice coming down. All access points downstream to the mouth had a combination of ice or ice jams and open water making access difficult to nonexistent. However, conditions were changing daily so anglers will want to use caution and watch for flowing ice.

Tittabawassee: Caldwell Boat Launch near Midland was open Saturday. A few boats launched and fished upstream. A couple of walleye were caught while jigging with a jig and twister tail combination. A lot of ice came downstream and there was a pile up at Gordonville Bridge, making launching and retrieving boats very difficult. There was a lot of ice in the Tittabawassee above Dow Dam, so anglers will want to be careful. Areas downstream of Caldwell had a combination of ice and open water making access and fishing difficult.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

Grand River: Water levels were very high. The Sixth Street Dam fish ladder is currently open, so migrating steelhead can get past the dam. The other fish ladders at upstream dams are expected to be opened sometime in the next few weeks after flows subside.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Tawas: Anglers were catching a few perch and smelt in 15 to 20 feet off minnows and wax worms. There were a few reports of walleye, pike, lake trout and brown trout located with only a couple of lakers caught in 15 to 20 feet off spoons. There was a lot of water on top of the ice and anglers should use caution and check conditions before venturing out.

Au Gres: There was a lot of water moving in the river and ice conditions are weakening and becoming unsafe.

Pine River: There were some pressure cracks that opened with the strong offshore winds on Sunday. Anglers should use cation before venturing out.

Eagle Bay Marina: There were some limits of crappie and bluegill caught in 2 to 4 feet of water off minnows, waxworms and white plastics.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Hamlin Lake: Hamlin Lake was producing decent catches of crappie and northern pike.

Higgins Lake: Anglers reported good catches of lake hearing, lake trout, smelt and yellow perch.

Lake Cadillac: Anglers reported some good catches of yellow perch.

Muskegon Lake: Anglers reported some good catches of yellow perch.

Muskegon River: Steelhead fishing was fair to good for brown trout. There was some early run walleye in the upper reach near Croton Dam. Anglers should try drift fishing with live minnows for both species.

Lake Mitchell: Anglers reported some good catches of crappie.

Big Manistee River: Steelhead and brown trout fishing was fair to good with better trout catches near Tippy Dam.

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Upper Peninsula

Little Bay de Noc: Weather conditions resulted in some deep slush pockets, creating travel challenges for some wheeled vehicles. Anglers fishing for walleye reported low numbers of fish, although the fish that were caught were quality fish. Anglers targeting shallower water depths out of the Ford River were catching large walleye. Anglers had limited success near the Days River and out in front of Gladstone. There were mixed reports from perch anglers with some reporting zero catches while others were catching a handful of fish. Anglers reported minnows being productive.

Keweenaw Bay: Lake whitefish and lake trout were the most common catches by anglers over the past week. Most anglers were fishing in deeper water for these fish with a few fishing under 100 feet of water. Some burbot were caught at night and during the day and those caught were on the bottom. Anglers consistently reported seeing dense schools of suspended fish from 15 feet off bottom up to 15 feet from the ice. These schools were mostly in depths less than 150 feet. The occasional brown trout and herring were reported as well. Most anglers reported catches on natural bait so try wax worms or cut bait.

Munising Bay: A few coho and splake were caught, but still no limits. Anglers were having success in Trout Bay. There were schools of smelt present, but they were located sporadically. A few lake herring were caught. Perch fishing remained slow. Best baits for coho were jigging spoons such as Swedish pimples.

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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:

• 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.
• Remove batteries from any electronics to prevent any potential damage from leaking batteries.
• 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.
• 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.