12-01-2007, 07:45 PM
Upper Peninsula:[/url]
Due to the recent wind and snow, fishing activity near Copper Harbor, Marquette and on Lake Gogebic is slow this week. People have put their boats away for the year and are waiting on the ice-fishing season to start up.
By Escanaba, the walleye fishing at night is fair on Little Bay de Noc. However, anglers will have to deal with slippery conditions on the boat launch ramps.
Fishing activity has come to a standstill in the Manistique and Sault Ste. Marie areas.
If anglers can get a boat in on Munuscong Bay, the walleye fishing is fair during the morning hours. Try using a blue and silver colored crank bait as bait.
And anglers by Drummond Island and St. Ignace have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on area lakes and rivers.
Northwest:[/url]
Fishing activity in the Alanson and Boyne City areas is on hold, as anglers wait for ice to form on the local lakes and rivers.
Around Traverse City, only a few anglers are heading out on Lake Leelanau. Those who are venturing out are reeling in a few perch. Anglers along the Boardman River are catching an occasional steelhead.
In the Frankfort area, the steelhead fishing ranges from slow to fair on the Betsie and Platte rivers. Anglers on the pier on Lake Michigan in Frankfort are also reeling in a few steelhead.
By Bellaire, the walleye fishing is fair on Intermediate Lake, when the weather allows anglers to get out. Anglers casting a line in the water by the Elk River Dam are catching a few steelhead. Spawn bags are working well as bait.
Out of the Gaylord area, the steelhead action is fair along the Boyne and Jordan rivers.
And at Cadillac, anglers have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on both lakes Cadillac and Mitchell.
West:[/url]
Around Ludington, the steelhead fishing is good off the piers on Lake Michigan and along the shoreline for anglers interested in doing some surfcasting. Anglers on the piers are also catching good numbers of whitefish.
Out of the Muskegon area, the steelhead fishing ranges from fair to good for the anglers who are venturing out on the breakwall on Lake Michigan. Along the Muskegon Channel, the whitefish fishing is very good. Anglers are jigging spoons on the bottom of the channel, with the best fishing occurring at night. Muskegon Lake is producing fair perch and pike fishing. Most of the northerns are being caught on the east end of the lake, the perch are hitting on both minnows and spikes.
Anglers around Chippewa Lake have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season.
And at Baldwin, the steelhead action ranges from slow to fair on the Pere Marquette River. Anglers are using spawn as bait and on the fly section of the river stoneflies and imitation eggs are working well as bait.
Southwest:[/url]
In the Holland area, Lake Macatawa is producing fair bluegill fishing. Anglers on Lake Michigan are reeling in a few whitefish.
By Benton Harbor, the whitefish and lake trout fishing is fair on the piers on Lake Michigan. Anglers along the St. Joseph River are catching a few steelhead.
Around New Buffalo, the pike fishing is fair on the Galien River.
And by Kalamazoo and Three Rivers, fishing activity this week is slow. People have put their boats away for the year and are waiting on the ice-fishing season to start up.
Northeast:[/url]
By Alpena, the whitefish and perch fishing is fair on the Thunder Bay River. The whitefish are hitting on waxworms and rubber spawn, the perch prefer minnows as bait. Only a few people are out fishing near Grayling on Lake Margrethe, and for those who are out, a couple of perch, smallmouth bass and walleye are being caught.
Around Oscoda on the Au Sable River, anglers are catching a few steelhead and whitefish with an occasional lake trout being reeled in. And on Higgins and Houghton lakes, anglers have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on both lakes.
Anglers on the “state dock” in Tawas City are catching a few whitefish.
And at Au Gres, the crappie and perch fishing is slow in the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay.
East:[/url]
Out of the Linwood area, the perch fishing is fair in the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay. A lot of the fish being caught are small.
By Bay City, the perch action is hit-or-miss for anglers in the cuts along Saginaw Bay. Anglers in the Bay Port area are catching a few bluegill and perch in the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay.
Fishing activity this week is slow by Harbor Beach.
In Lexington Harbor, the perch action ranges from slow to fair.
Around Port Huron, the walleye action is fair on the St. Clair River. There are only are few people out, due to the weather, but many of the anglers out whipping at night are limiting out. The walleye action is fair for anglers casting from shore. The steelhead fishing ranges from fair to good along the river between the mouth of the Black River to the Thomas Edison Inn.
Central:[/url]
Anglers by Mount Pleasant , Lansing and Jackson have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on area lakes and rivers.
Southeast:[/url]
The perch fishing is fair in the canals off Anchor Bay in the Fair Haven area. However, most of the land is privately owned and access to the canals is limited. Anglers around Harsens Island are catching a few perch in the canals.
On the south end of Lake St. Clair, the perch fishing is fair in the canals by St. Clair Shores, but again access is limited since most of the property along the canals is privately owned.
Along the Detroit River, the walleye fishing is fair at night near the Coast Guard Station. In the Downriver area along the Detroit River and on Lake Erie near Monroe, fishing activity this week is slow.
And at Belleville, the crappie fishing is fair on Belleville Lake. The best fishing is found near the Belleville Bridge and by Rawsonville Road. Both waxworms and minnows are being used as bait. Anglers along the Huron River, by the dam, are catching a few steelhead.
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday, November 29, 2007 [/font] [font "Arial, Helvetica"]Recreational Fishing Report[/font]
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]![[Image: fish_reportmap2_23340_7.gif]](http://www.michigan.gov/images/fish_reportmap2_23340_7.gif)
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[url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]
The whitefish action should be very good as the fish start feeding just as soon as they are done spawning. Whitefish catches should remain good at least through the first week of December. This is the only time of year this deepwater fish can be taken near shore. While skim ice is starting to form on the inland lakes, it is still too early for safe ice.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Boats trolling in Brest Bay have caught walleye. Those casting off the piers and rock walls at night reported slow walleye action. Recent strong winds will most likely scatter the fish.
Detroit River - Walleye fishing continues in the Trenton Channel. Perch anglers have caught fish south of Celeron Island and east of Sugar Island when fishing minnows just off the bottom. Some are fishing the weedbeds in shallow waters 3 to 6 feet deep.
Huron River - Water levels are back to about normal for this time of year. Light numbers of steelhead have been caught when using a jig with a wax worm or spawn under a bobber. Bluegills and crappie have been caught in the backwaters.
Lake St. Clair - Perch are still being caught between Nine Mile and Twelve Miles Roads and off the Grosse Point Yacht Club when using jigs with wax worms. A few walleye were caught in shallow waters.
Lexington - Steelhead are being caught in the harbor when using spawn.
Harbor Beach - Some nice perch are being taken inside the harbor by the lighthouse. Remember to use caution if you plan on going out on the lake this time of year.
Saginaw Bay - Strong winds and low water levels have kept anglers off the water. When boats can get out, they are still taking perch off Linwood.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph River - Still getting good reports of steelhead fishing from Berrien Springs down to the Paw Paw River however there are very few steelhead going through the ladder. Water temperatures are right around the 44 degree mark.
Kalamazoo River - Steelhead and brown trout have been caught up near the Allegan Dam. Walleye anglers have done well when bouncing rapalas off the bottom.
Grand Haven - Pier anglers are catching whitefish when using small egg sacks or wax worms.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Limits of steelhead have been caught on small white spawn bags or jigs with wax worms. A few lake trout were caught in the deeper holes. Walleye have been caught day and night when bouncing minnows off the bottom or when slow trolling with floating rapalas. Crappies were still being caught over at Riverside Park when using minnows.
Grand River at Lansing - Has seen few anglers and basically no reports over the last week. Look for walleye and catfish when fishing up near the dams. Good baits have been crawlers, minnows or wax worms.
Muskegon - A few boats are still going out when the weather permits, and those trolling right in front of the pierheads are still catching salmon and steelhead. Whitefish are still being caught along the channel when fishing off the wall.
Muskegon Lake - Some are catching perch while others are not. Either way, anglers will most likely need to sort out the small ones. Minnows work best.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Alpena - The last week of November is the peak of whitefish action in Alpena. As they finish spawning, whitefish resume their feeding patterns and are easier to catch. Good catches were taken along the various reefs in Thunder Bay. Most are using spawn bags to catch whitefish and steelhead. Good fishing should last through the first week of December.
Thunder Bay River - Good catches of whitefish are being taken below the Ninth Street Dam. Some steelhead have also being caught. Boat anglers are fishing mainly near the mouth.
Oscoda - Look for good whitefish action when fishing off the piers. When the spawning is done, the bite will be aggressive.
Au Sable River - A mixed bag of whitefish and steelhead are being caught in the lower river. The whitefish action should remain good through the first week of December. Spawn works best.
Tawas - Those fishing off the Tawas State Dock are catching whitefish when using spawn bags or a single egg on a small jig. This is pretty much the only time of year this deepwater fish can be caught near shore. Those fishing off the dock at night have caught some walleye when casting rapalas.
Higgins Lake - Has nothing to report at this time as most are hunting instead of fishing.
Houghton Lake - It looks like boat anglers are about done as skim ice is now covering the entire lake.
Muskegon River - A few pike have been caught on minnows when fishing near the Reedsburg Dam.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Lake Charlevoix - Perch anglers have caught fish in the South Arm when fishing minnows just off the bottom.
Traverse City - Windy conditions have kept boats off both the East Bay and the West Bay. Look for whitefish and steelhead action to continue once the winds have died down.
Boardman River - Water levels are low and clear, and this has slowed fishing. Those fishing up near the dam have caught some steelhead when using wax worms.
Manistee - Steelhead fishing remains slow with only a few fish being caught off the piers and in the surf. A few whitefish were caught but other than that, not much is going on.
Big Manistee River - The lower river is producing a few fish, but fall runs in all area rivers have been hampered by low water levels. Now colder water temperatures will start to come into play, as steelhead do not move much when water temperatures drop below 40 degrees.
Lake Cadillac - Skim ice is starting to cover the lake but anglers need to remember that skim ice is not safe ice. It is still too early for ice fishing.
Ludington - A few boats are still going out when the weather permits. Pier anglers and those surfcasting have caught fish.
Upper Peninsula
Boat anglers may not be able to access their favorite fishing hole as some of the waters are starting to ice over. The small shallow lakes are ice covered but the ice is not safe. Only the large deeper lakes are still open.
Stanley Lake - In western Iron County, is providing some walleye action when fishing close to shore only.
Chicagon Lake - In Iron County, anglers have reported that the whitefish spearing season has been slow.
Little Bay De Noc - Thin ice is forming around the shoreline and boat launches. Not many anglers have been seen, but those going out are fishing for walleye mostly in the evening. Good to excellent catches were reported straight out of the Kipling launch and over to the East Bank when trolling stickbaits 6 to 20 feet down along the break. Some were working the waters 18 to 23 feet deep along the Narrows.
Due to the recent wind and snow, fishing activity near Copper Harbor, Marquette and on Lake Gogebic is slow this week. People have put their boats away for the year and are waiting on the ice-fishing season to start up.
By Escanaba, the walleye fishing at night is fair on Little Bay de Noc. However, anglers will have to deal with slippery conditions on the boat launch ramps.
Fishing activity has come to a standstill in the Manistique and Sault Ste. Marie areas.
If anglers can get a boat in on Munuscong Bay, the walleye fishing is fair during the morning hours. Try using a blue and silver colored crank bait as bait.
And anglers by Drummond Island and St. Ignace have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on area lakes and rivers.
Northwest:[/url]
Fishing activity in the Alanson and Boyne City areas is on hold, as anglers wait for ice to form on the local lakes and rivers.
Around Traverse City, only a few anglers are heading out on Lake Leelanau. Those who are venturing out are reeling in a few perch. Anglers along the Boardman River are catching an occasional steelhead.
In the Frankfort area, the steelhead fishing ranges from slow to fair on the Betsie and Platte rivers. Anglers on the pier on Lake Michigan in Frankfort are also reeling in a few steelhead.
By Bellaire, the walleye fishing is fair on Intermediate Lake, when the weather allows anglers to get out. Anglers casting a line in the water by the Elk River Dam are catching a few steelhead. Spawn bags are working well as bait.
Out of the Gaylord area, the steelhead action is fair along the Boyne and Jordan rivers.
And at Cadillac, anglers have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on both lakes Cadillac and Mitchell.
West:[/url]
Around Ludington, the steelhead fishing is good off the piers on Lake Michigan and along the shoreline for anglers interested in doing some surfcasting. Anglers on the piers are also catching good numbers of whitefish.
Out of the Muskegon area, the steelhead fishing ranges from fair to good for the anglers who are venturing out on the breakwall on Lake Michigan. Along the Muskegon Channel, the whitefish fishing is very good. Anglers are jigging spoons on the bottom of the channel, with the best fishing occurring at night. Muskegon Lake is producing fair perch and pike fishing. Most of the northerns are being caught on the east end of the lake, the perch are hitting on both minnows and spikes.
Anglers around Chippewa Lake have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season.
And at Baldwin, the steelhead action ranges from slow to fair on the Pere Marquette River. Anglers are using spawn as bait and on the fly section of the river stoneflies and imitation eggs are working well as bait.
Southwest:[/url]
In the Holland area, Lake Macatawa is producing fair bluegill fishing. Anglers on Lake Michigan are reeling in a few whitefish.
By Benton Harbor, the whitefish and lake trout fishing is fair on the piers on Lake Michigan. Anglers along the St. Joseph River are catching a few steelhead.
Around New Buffalo, the pike fishing is fair on the Galien River.
And by Kalamazoo and Three Rivers, fishing activity this week is slow. People have put their boats away for the year and are waiting on the ice-fishing season to start up.
Northeast:[/url]
By Alpena, the whitefish and perch fishing is fair on the Thunder Bay River. The whitefish are hitting on waxworms and rubber spawn, the perch prefer minnows as bait. Only a few people are out fishing near Grayling on Lake Margrethe, and for those who are out, a couple of perch, smallmouth bass and walleye are being caught.
Around Oscoda on the Au Sable River, anglers are catching a few steelhead and whitefish with an occasional lake trout being reeled in. And on Higgins and Houghton lakes, anglers have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on both lakes.
Anglers on the “state dock” in Tawas City are catching a few whitefish.
And at Au Gres, the crappie and perch fishing is slow in the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay.
East:[/url]
Out of the Linwood area, the perch fishing is fair in the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay. A lot of the fish being caught are small.
By Bay City, the perch action is hit-or-miss for anglers in the cuts along Saginaw Bay. Anglers in the Bay Port area are catching a few bluegill and perch in the cuts and marinas along Saginaw Bay.
Fishing activity this week is slow by Harbor Beach.
In Lexington Harbor, the perch action ranges from slow to fair.
Around Port Huron, the walleye action is fair on the St. Clair River. There are only are few people out, due to the weather, but many of the anglers out whipping at night are limiting out. The walleye action is fair for anglers casting from shore. The steelhead fishing ranges from fair to good along the river between the mouth of the Black River to the Thomas Edison Inn.
Central:[/url]
Anglers by Mount Pleasant , Lansing and Jackson have hung up the fishing poles for the final week of the firearm deer season and the action is slow on area lakes and rivers.
Southeast:[/url]
The perch fishing is fair in the canals off Anchor Bay in the Fair Haven area. However, most of the land is privately owned and access to the canals is limited. Anglers around Harsens Island are catching a few perch in the canals.
On the south end of Lake St. Clair, the perch fishing is fair in the canals by St. Clair Shores, but again access is limited since most of the property along the canals is privately owned.
Along the Detroit River, the walleye fishing is fair at night near the Coast Guard Station. In the Downriver area along the Detroit River and on Lake Erie near Monroe, fishing activity this week is slow.
And at Belleville, the crappie fishing is fair on Belleville Lake. The best fishing is found near the Belleville Bridge and by Rawsonville Road. Both waxworms and minnows are being used as bait. Anglers along the Huron River, by the dam, are catching a few steelhead.
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]Thursday, November 29, 2007 [/font] [font "Arial, Helvetica"]Recreational Fishing Report[/font]
[font "Arial, Helvetica"]
[/font] [url "http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu/"][font "Arial, Helvetica"][#000000]Great Lakes temperature map[/#000000][/font][/url]
The whitefish action should be very good as the fish start feeding just as soon as they are done spawning. Whitefish catches should remain good at least through the first week of December. This is the only time of year this deepwater fish can be taken near shore. While skim ice is starting to form on the inland lakes, it is still too early for safe ice.
Southeast Lower Peninsula
Lake Erie - Boats trolling in Brest Bay have caught walleye. Those casting off the piers and rock walls at night reported slow walleye action. Recent strong winds will most likely scatter the fish.
Detroit River - Walleye fishing continues in the Trenton Channel. Perch anglers have caught fish south of Celeron Island and east of Sugar Island when fishing minnows just off the bottom. Some are fishing the weedbeds in shallow waters 3 to 6 feet deep.
Huron River - Water levels are back to about normal for this time of year. Light numbers of steelhead have been caught when using a jig with a wax worm or spawn under a bobber. Bluegills and crappie have been caught in the backwaters.
Lake St. Clair - Perch are still being caught between Nine Mile and Twelve Miles Roads and off the Grosse Point Yacht Club when using jigs with wax worms. A few walleye were caught in shallow waters.
Lexington - Steelhead are being caught in the harbor when using spawn.
Harbor Beach - Some nice perch are being taken inside the harbor by the lighthouse. Remember to use caution if you plan on going out on the lake this time of year.
Saginaw Bay - Strong winds and low water levels have kept anglers off the water. When boats can get out, they are still taking perch off Linwood.
Southwest Lower Peninsula
St. Joseph River - Still getting good reports of steelhead fishing from Berrien Springs down to the Paw Paw River however there are very few steelhead going through the ladder. Water temperatures are right around the 44 degree mark.
Kalamazoo River - Steelhead and brown trout have been caught up near the Allegan Dam. Walleye anglers have done well when bouncing rapalas off the bottom.
Grand Haven - Pier anglers are catching whitefish when using small egg sacks or wax worms.
Grand River at Grand Rapids - Limits of steelhead have been caught on small white spawn bags or jigs with wax worms. A few lake trout were caught in the deeper holes. Walleye have been caught day and night when bouncing minnows off the bottom or when slow trolling with floating rapalas. Crappies were still being caught over at Riverside Park when using minnows.
Grand River at Lansing - Has seen few anglers and basically no reports over the last week. Look for walleye and catfish when fishing up near the dams. Good baits have been crawlers, minnows or wax worms.
Muskegon - A few boats are still going out when the weather permits, and those trolling right in front of the pierheads are still catching salmon and steelhead. Whitefish are still being caught along the channel when fishing off the wall.
Muskegon Lake - Some are catching perch while others are not. Either way, anglers will most likely need to sort out the small ones. Minnows work best.
Northeast Lower Peninsula
Alpena - The last week of November is the peak of whitefish action in Alpena. As they finish spawning, whitefish resume their feeding patterns and are easier to catch. Good catches were taken along the various reefs in Thunder Bay. Most are using spawn bags to catch whitefish and steelhead. Good fishing should last through the first week of December.
Thunder Bay River - Good catches of whitefish are being taken below the Ninth Street Dam. Some steelhead have also being caught. Boat anglers are fishing mainly near the mouth.
Oscoda - Look for good whitefish action when fishing off the piers. When the spawning is done, the bite will be aggressive.
Au Sable River - A mixed bag of whitefish and steelhead are being caught in the lower river. The whitefish action should remain good through the first week of December. Spawn works best.
Tawas - Those fishing off the Tawas State Dock are catching whitefish when using spawn bags or a single egg on a small jig. This is pretty much the only time of year this deepwater fish can be caught near shore. Those fishing off the dock at night have caught some walleye when casting rapalas.
Higgins Lake - Has nothing to report at this time as most are hunting instead of fishing.
Houghton Lake - It looks like boat anglers are about done as skim ice is now covering the entire lake.
Muskegon River - A few pike have been caught on minnows when fishing near the Reedsburg Dam.
Northwest Lower Peninsula
Lake Charlevoix - Perch anglers have caught fish in the South Arm when fishing minnows just off the bottom.
Traverse City - Windy conditions have kept boats off both the East Bay and the West Bay. Look for whitefish and steelhead action to continue once the winds have died down.
Boardman River - Water levels are low and clear, and this has slowed fishing. Those fishing up near the dam have caught some steelhead when using wax worms.
Manistee - Steelhead fishing remains slow with only a few fish being caught off the piers and in the surf. A few whitefish were caught but other than that, not much is going on.
Big Manistee River - The lower river is producing a few fish, but fall runs in all area rivers have been hampered by low water levels. Now colder water temperatures will start to come into play, as steelhead do not move much when water temperatures drop below 40 degrees.
Lake Cadillac - Skim ice is starting to cover the lake but anglers need to remember that skim ice is not safe ice. It is still too early for ice fishing.
Ludington - A few boats are still going out when the weather permits. Pier anglers and those surfcasting have caught fish.
Upper Peninsula
Boat anglers may not be able to access their favorite fishing hole as some of the waters are starting to ice over. The small shallow lakes are ice covered but the ice is not safe. Only the large deeper lakes are still open.
Stanley Lake - In western Iron County, is providing some walleye action when fishing close to shore only.
Chicagon Lake - In Iron County, anglers have reported that the whitefish spearing season has been slow.
Little Bay De Noc - Thin ice is forming around the shoreline and boat launches. Not many anglers have been seen, but those going out are fishing for walleye mostly in the evening. Good to excellent catches were reported straight out of the Kipling launch and over to the East Bank when trolling stickbaits 6 to 20 feet down along the break. Some were working the waters 18 to 23 feet deep along the Narrows.