Northeast Lower PeninsulaIce anglers need to use caution and stay away from any pressure cracks.Some are getting the occasional steelhead or brown trout, while most were targeting walleye, perch, crappie and bluegills. Ice conditions were unknown. Those heading out should stay away from the rivers on both the north and south ends. Ice fishing continues for walleye, pike, bluegills and perch. Was iced over for the most part; however, the ice thickness is not uniform by any means, and there is slush in the middle of the lake, where water had come up. Anglers may find 4 inches in one spot and only an inch in the next. Snow cover on the lake will slow the freezing process. Those looking to fish may want to target rainbow trout in shallow waters only with wigglers or wax worms. Try near Big Creek and off King Road. Anglers should stay clear of the Muskegon River, Cut River, Denton Creek and Backus Creek as vehicles have gone through the ice. Anglers should not cross the pressure crack that runs from Long Point to the Heights area due to unsafe ice. Vehicles should not go off the launch on the west side due to poor ice conditions. The bite was slow, but walleye and a few perch were found in 8 to 12 feet by those jigging a rattle jig to lure them in then dead sticking with a minnow. Pike were caught by those using tip-ups with golden shiners. Bluegills were hitting in the morning and late afternoon. Continues to see a good number of anglers. Most have caught bluegill, crappie and walleye. The better pike fishing is usually off the boat launch on the First Lake. Had no fishable ice. There was some ice inside Northport Marina, where anglers were getting a few walleye and pike on jigs tipped with minnows. Several pike were taken on tip-ups at Eagle Bay Marina. Decent-size bluegills and crappie were taken on wax worms, and a few small perch were caught on minnows. Back to Top |
Northwest Lower PeninsulaHad ice in both the east and west basins, especially along the edges. Ice conditions in the deep hole were unknown. Anglers need to be aware of where the deep holes are and any areas with natural springs. There was some slush on the ice with a good 8 inches of snow on top. Anglers were taking limits of perch off the beach access site when jigging wax worms and minnows in 5 to 15 feet. Anglers reported schools of jumbo perch but could not get them to bite. Most of the fish harvested were 7-9 inches. Splake 14-21 inches were caught off the beach access, around the island and off the boat launch when jigging minnows. Ice anglers were fishing the South Arm. Those targeting perch had mixed results. In Grand Traverse County had slow fishing, with just a few small perch and small walleye caught. Over a foot of snow has resulted in slushy ice conditions. A few anglers were out getting panfish. Both lakes had anglers out targeting walleye, pike and panfish. On Mitchell, anglers could be found off the state park and in Big Cove. Anglers are finding steelhead when drifting spawn or beads in the slower water. Those fishing below Tippy Dam caught the occasional brown trout. Back to Top |
Four tips for fishing for northern pike in winter
Now may be the time to learn some tips and tricks for targeting northern pike through the ice:
- Consider using a fluorocarbon leader, which will be practically invisible to any pike, as opposed to a steel leader.
- Keep your bait lively by using both a well-aerated bait container and very sharp hooks to minimize injury.
- Consider using something flashy with your bait, such as a small spinner blade, to entice pike in murky water.
- Don’t be afraid to keep some slush around your hole in the ice to prevent pike from being spooked by your opening.
northern pike page on our website.
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