LANSING -- Warmer weather means anglers will have to be cautious than ever about heading out onto the ice, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says.
The ice on inland lakes around the state is holding, but shoreline ice will deteriorate quickly as temperatures reach 40 degrees, the DNR said Wednesday in its weekly recreational fishing report. Slush may create travel problems on lakes with snow cover, and areas known to have a current or runoff from melting snow should be avoided.
Permanent ice shanties in the southern portions of the Lower Peninsula should have been removed on March 1, the DNR said.
Mullett Lake: Anglers have caught a few nice perch on the east side of the lake, but had to sort through many small ones. Not much activity with cisco, walleye, pike or musky.
Traverse City: Both the East Bay and the West Bay have open water, but no docks have been put in at the launch sites.
Boardman River: Runoff waters have produced a light run of steelhead.
Lake Leelanau: Catch rates for walleye and perch have slowed. Watch for slush by the weekend which could make travel a little more difficult.
Crystal Lake: Is still producing some smelt for those fishing at night. Look for lake trout just off the bottom.
Betsie River: Steelhead fishing is starting to pick up with fish caught in the lower river from the State Game Area to Adams Road. Anglers are drifting spawn in the deeper holes and around the log jams. Those fishing near the Homestead Dam caught fish on streamer flies or spawn.
Green Lake: Smelt anglers can be found in the northeast portion of the lake between the two access sites. For pike, try tip-ups off the State Park.
Lake Missaukee: Still had ice and is producing panfish.
Lake Cadillac: Ice fishing continues at least for a bit longer. Anglers are catching crappie along with the occasional bluegill. Pike are hitting on tip-ups.
Lake Mitchell: Had good crappie fishing with limits taken on the west side of the lake in Big Cove. This is also a good spot for pike.
Manistee River: Snowmelt and runoff should produce some fair to good catches of steelhead, especially in the lower river.
Pere Marquette River: Is producing some good catches of steelhead. UPPER PENINSULA
Keweenaw Bay: Lake trout fishing was good when jigging in 130 to 270 feet of water off Whirl-I-Gig Road and Old Mission. Ice conditions vary so use caution. Some anglers report the ice moving up and down while fishing. Warm weather this week will weaken the ice even more. Smelt were caught at night between Baraga and Bucks Marina in 30 to 60 feet of water.
Menominee River: Menekaunee had slow fishing. Those with cameras can see the bluegills and perch, but catch rates are slow. Sixth Street had bad ice with open water, so those using the access site need to use extreme caution. Boom Landing and the Mystery Ship sites were busy with tip-ups rigged for pike and walleye. Some nice pike were caught but not many walleye were seen. Those wading and casting near Boom Island had hopes of landing brown trout and steelhead, but none were reported. More are fishing off the Cat Walk but catch rates were slow. Those targeting walleye through the ice on the Wisconsin side near the Hattie Street Dam seem to catch more fish during the evening hours.
Green Bay: Anglers around the bay and inside the walls of the marina are targeting panfish while jigging minnows or wax worms. Perch were caught but they were small.
Little Bay de Noc: Ice conditions remain tricky to navigate with pressure cracks presenting most of the problems. Anglers have had consistent problems trying to cross in the Kipling and Gladstone areas. Use caution and "look before you leap," especially with a vehicle. The ice is thicker in the north end of the bay than in the southern sections. With warmer weather in the forecast, many have started to remove their ice shanties. The better walleye fishing was in the head of the bay when using tip-ups with large minnows in 6 to 20 feet of water. Most caught large fish with many in the 10-pound range. Reports for the rest of the bay were spotty when jigging or using tip-ups in 15 to 30 feet of water. Anglers were fishing in the southern waters, but the ice there is dangerous and should be avoided. Catch rates were down but did increase for those fishing in 28 to 33 feet of water around the Center Reef. Try jigging minnows. Whitefish action off Sand Point in Escanaba was fair to good, but the area is dangerous so only foot traffic is recommended.
Munising: A fair number of splake along with a few whitefish have been caught in 50 to 60 feet of water. Some reported coho in Trout Bay which is off Grand Island but said the ice was unpredictable.
Munuscong Bay: Walleye were caught in deep water near the channel. Try 25 to 35 feet. Anglers are reminded to use extreme caution near the channels.
Cedarville and Hessel: Anglers are catching small perch in 6 to 8 feet of water in Musky Bay and the east end of Hessel Bay. Big perch were spotted but weren't biting. Catch rates were just fair in Cedarville Bay and the Moscoe Channel.
Brevoort Lake: Is producing some walleye.
