Saturday, March 10, 2018

Thursday, March 8, 2018 Michigan DNR Fishing Report

Thursday, March 8, 2018
Weekly Fishing ReportRead below or call: 1-855-777-0908
Click in the map above to find your weekly fishing report by region.


A reminder that walleye, pike and muskellunge season on the Upper Peninsula Great Lakes, inland waters, St. Marys River and all the Lower Peninsula inland waters will close at midnight on March 15th. Walleye and pike season is open all year on the Lower Peninsula Greats Lakes, Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and the Detroit River.

Southeast Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Lake Erie: Boats were out trolling for walleye but anglers will need to watch for floating ice. Fish were caught on crank baits in 13 to 21 feet. Shore anglers caught perch in the cut on the north end of the Metro Park.
  • If you're planning on fishing any of the canals near Lake Erie Metro Park or Point Mouillee State Game Area you can get all of your bait & tackle needs met at  Bottom Line Bait & Tackle. 
  • If you're planning on fishing out of Sterling State Park or the Brest Bay area you can pick up tackle from the nice people at Jeff's Bait & Tackle. 
Huron River: Was producing some steelhead up near the dam. Anglers were using fresh spawn or a jig tipped with a wax worm.
  • 7.6 Miles North of Huroc Park there is a Dicks Sporting Goods
  • 7.6 Miles North of Huroc Park there is also a Meijer which carries fishing tackle and some live bait
  • 7.6 Miles North of Huroc Park there is also a Petsmart which carries crawlers, wax worms, mealworms and red wigglers
  • 5.3 Miles south east of Huroc Park the people at Bottom Line Bait & Tackle can help with any bait and tackle you need whether you're chasing bass, steelhead or walleye. 
Detroit River: Shore anglers were getting some perch in the cuts, canals and marinas when using minnows, worms, red spikes and wax worms.
Wayne County Bait Shops: Click Here!

Flint River: Shore anglers are catching walleye with jigs tipped with twister tails, paddle tails, minnows and worms throughout the river.   
  • For a more accurate report on fishing the Flint River I suggest joining the Michigan Fish Slayers group on facebook.  There are always quite a few people giving updates on Flint River fishing. 
Saginaw Bay: Boat fishing along the west and south end of the bay was not possible due to ice that blew back in, although a few boats did get out by Spoils Island and took some walleye by vertical jigging in the ship channel. Shore anglers fishing the lower Kawkawlin River near Castaways and the cuts at Thomas Road and Kirk Road were taking a few small perch. There was not much happening on the lower Quanicassee River except for the odd crappie or a few perch caught from the Old State Road Bridge. Shore anglers caught a few perch and a couple pike in the lower Sebewaing River. The cut at Bay Port also produced a few perch. At Mud Creek, a few fish were still being caught in the early morning but tapered off quickly. A few walleye were also caught while perch fishing. Anglers are reminded that the inland walleye regulations call for a minimum size limit of 15 inches (not 13) and a daily bag limit of 5 fish (not 8). Shore anglers at Caseville were taking a few perch in the marina by poking a hole through the soft ice and fishing from the docks.
  • For a more accurate report on Saginaw Bay I suggest taking a look at the weekly Saginaw Bay Fishing Report given to you by Saginawbay.com

Saginaw River: Had a lot of activity at the Rust Avenue ramp and at the Zilwaukee ramp. Boat
anglers did well for walleye upstream from the Zilwaukee Bridge in 15 feet when vertical jigging and near the St. Mary's Health Building in downtown Saginaw. Boats from Rust Avenue were going upstream to the confluence of the Shiawassee and Tittabawassee rivers and did fairly well. Most were vertical jigging with a chartreuse jig tipped with a blue, purple ice or black ice plastic tail. Boats trolling for walleye in the lower river were not doing very well. The bite slowed with the cold temperatures but should pick back up as the weather improves.

Tittabawassee River: Fishing was slow but a few were taken while casting jigs or vertical jigging from boats. The water was still a little high and a little dirty but very fishable. The better walleye fishing was centered around Gordonville Road and upstream to the Dow Dam. Shore anglers did pretty well casting jigs with minnows or twister tails in the area from the Gordonville Road access site upstream as far as the train bridge. Boats were working both upstream and downstream. Almost all the walleye caught were smaller males; as the spring run has not yet started.

With the warming trend I'd suggest  reaching out to the local bait shops in southeast Michigan to verify what your best options are.  Below are links to bait shop listings organized by county:

Southwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Coho salmon were starting to show up in the southern portion of Lake Michigan. New Buffalo and St. Joseph would be good places to start. Steelhead movement was good in the large river systems. The inland lakes were ice free for the most part.
St. Joseph River: Staff cleaning out the fish ladders reported good numbers of steelhead using the ladders at Berrien Springs and Niles.
Kalamazoo River: Had good steelhead movement.
Kalamazoo County Bait Shops: Click Here!

Grand River at Grand Rapids: Water levels are coming down and the river is fishable. Anglers were getting a good number of fish up near the Sixth Street Dam. Steelhead were hitting on spawn and a couple walleye were taken on a jig with a rubber tail, minnows, or flatfish.
  • For a more accurate report on the Grand River at Grand Rapids I suggest reaching out to the people at Al & Bob's Sports. Phone: (616-281-0777)
Rogue River: Was also producing some steelhead.
Grand River at Lansing: Very few anglers were out. The walleye bite slowed. A few pike were caught on minnows or crank baits in the downtown area.
  • For a more accurate report on the Grand River at Lansing I suggest reaching out to the          people at Grand River Bait & Tackle. Phone: (517-482-4461) 
Muskegon Lake: Is ice free except for the area off Cottage Grove. The State Park launch on the north end and most of the city launches on the south end are open. Boat anglers were getting some perch in 40 to 50 feet on the west end. A few walleye were caught in the channel and near the river mouth.


Muskegon River: Water levels continue to drop. Anglers will need to watch for debris coming down which is hard to see when the water is stained. Those casting have caught some very nice steelhead.

  • For a more accurate report on the Muskegon Lake & the Muskegon River I suggest reaching out to the people at Snug Harbor Outfitters. Phone: (231-719-0759)
Mona Lake: A few perch were caught near the Henry Road Bridge.

Northeast Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
Burt Lake: Fishing pressure slowed as some were having a hard time finding fish. A few walleye were taken in 7 to 18 feet. Some perch were caught but many were small. Spear anglers were seeing small pike along the weeds in 8 feet. Ice at the access sites was showing some damage and there was open water. Ice thickness varies. Anglers need to use caution near the river mouths and near the pressure cracks which have started to buckle.

Higgins Lake: With the shoreline ice broken up, the North State Park access site is the only place to get on the lake now. Avoid the area around Treasure Island and off Point Detroit. Smelt anglers are walking out from the State Park. The fish were hitting in 20 to 30 feet in the late afternoon and after dark. Lake herring were also caught. Lake trout were found in 100 feet or more. Perch were caught in 20 to 30 feet but many were small and keepers were few.
Nearby Bait & Tackle Shops: 
Higgins Lake Sport & Tackle: (989) 821-9517 
Sports Barn: (989) 821-9511

Houghton Lake: Still has ice fishing. Be sure to watch for old spearing holes which may not be visible because of snow cover. Use caution near the pressure cracks, the Middle Grounds and near any inlets. The bluegill, sunfish and crappie bite were good with limit catches reported for those using tear-drops. Green, white and purple were good colors. Walleye fishing slowed so anglers downsized and were using anything small such as a small Swedish pimple. Pike fishing continues to be good.
Nearby Bait & Tackle Shops:

Tawas: Boats launching from the lower river were heading down off Alabaster and catching lake trout in 10 to 20 feet when trolling spoons.

Tawas River: Shore anglers in the lower river caught a couple walleye or steelhead.

Au Gres: Boat anglers were heading out but no walleye were caught.

 Au Gres River: Shore anglers targeting walleye were not having much luck. A few did manage to catch the odd pike.

Northwest Lower Peninsula Fishing Report
There was still some ice fishing taking place however those heading out need to use extreme caution. Steelhead fishing was so-so. Anglers are catching a few winter fish, but the main spring run has not showed up yet. Reports have come in of brown trout caught off the piers along Lake Michigan.

 Lake Charlevoix: Still had anglers fishing the South Arm. Perch fishing was decent in 20 to 30 feet.
  • For a more accurate report on Lake Charlevoix I suggest reaching out to the people at Tom's Bait & Tackle. Phone: (231-536-3521)
Traverse City: Anglers were getting a few perch along the south end of the West Bay.

 Betsie River: Was producing some steelhead.
  • For a more accurate report on the Betsie River I suggest reaching out to the people at Frankfort Tackle Box. Phone: (231-352-7673)
  • For a quick list of Benzie County Tackle Shops: Click Here!
Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Ice fishing season is over. Any remaining ice should not be considered safe.

 Manistee: When they could get out, boat anglers trolling for trout and salmon caught brown trout. A few coho were also mixed in. Those vertical jigging in the channel caught a few walleye.

 Big Manistee River: Some chrome colored steelhead were taken in the lower section of the river.

 Ludington: Boat anglers were getting some nice catches of brown trout and a few coho when trolling along the beach in 10 to 15 feet. Pier anglers caught brown trout.

 Pere Marquette River: Anglers were getting steelhead though the return of cold weather will slow the bite. Try fishing the deeper holes until it warms back up.
Nearby Bait & Tackle Shops:
Don's Sporting Goods: (231) 723-5028
Tangled Tackle Co.: (231) 887-4242
Pappy's Bait & Tackle: (231) 848-4142
Andy's Tackle Box: (231) 477-5737

Upper Peninsula Fishing Report

 Keweenaw Bay: The ice stops a few miles out near Pequaming and over to the red rocks. Lake trout fishing was slow with limited success off of the Whirl-I-Gig. Some were fishing near the edge of the ice however anglers should not go that far because the ice could break free at any time. A few coho and splake were caught out from the Falls River. Smelt fishing has been very good. Anglers were taking fair catches off the Baraga Marina and Sand Point during the day but the catch rates go up after dark when using a light in the water. Try a small spoon with a teardrop jig tied above it and wax worms.

 Little Bay De Noc: Still had ice in many areas but was also showing signs of receding and areas of open water have appeared in various spots. Anglers will need to use caution as some vehicles have broken through the ice in shallow areas. Walleye anglers reported few catches. Those fishing the Ford River reported stained water with no visibility. The best reports came from the head of the Bay in 14 to 22 feet and out from the Escanaba ship docks just south of the Escanaba River in 30 feet when jigging rapalas or using tip-ups. Perch catches were low for those targeting the Kipling flats in 23 to 30 feet with minnows and wigglers. Those looking for the large perch were using small rapalas in deeper water. Several anglers caught whitefish while jigging for perch. Pike were the most caught fish whether targeting them or not. Spearing around Butler Island was good with many fish in shallow waters 4 to 10 feet deep. If anglers plan to head up for the last weekend of walleye season, it would be a good idea to ask the locals about ice conditions before venturing out.





 Marquette: When the bubblers were free of ice, good numbers of coho along with the occasional brown trout or splake were caught. The ice blew in last Saturday afternoon and anglers were no longer able to access the bubblers by boat or the ice as it was not safe to walk on.

 Au Train: Had very little fishing pressure around the area.

 Munising: Ice fishing pressure was high on the weekends. Catch rates for coho and smelt were slightly less than the previous week but anglers continue to do well overall. Catches varied from group to group with some reporting no fish while others reported fair catches. For coho, they are using a Swedish pimple or assorted jigging spoons. Schools of smelt were more prevalent late afternoon into the evening but a couple anglers did well during the day. The best option for smelt is a Hali jig or a tear-drop jig tipped with wax worms. Whitefish catches remain low however most anglers were targeting coho and smelt. Most fish appear suspended anywhere from 10 to 40 feet depending on where the schools of smelt are. Night anglers reported fair catch rates for burbot with most running 22 to 24 inches.

 Brevort Lake: The bite slowed but anglers were still finding some perch and walleye.

 Cedarville and Hessel: Fishing had picked up some around the Les Cheneaux Islands with perch anglers getting 8 to 16 inch fish on spikes, mousies, wigglers and minnows in 12 to 18 feet. Some 26 to 34 inch pike were also taken on minnows. One 44 inch musky was harvested. Anglers need to use caution where there is a strong current and around the island points which had open water or bad ice.

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