Fishing Report

Walleye and pike fishing continue to be good. Anglers are jigging for walleye in 8 to 12 feet of water while the pike anglers are using tip-ups in 6 to 9 feet. Bluegill action is still slow. Use caution around the pressure cracks.

Still has ice with lots of snow. Pike and crappie have been caught.

Good pike fishing continues on the west side of the lake near the Boy Scout Camp and in the small cove on the north end of the lake. Fair to good crappie fishing was also reported.

Good fishing continues for lake trout, whitefish, herring and coho. A word of caution seems in order though as strong northeast winds this week could make travel on the ice very tricky especially out past Squaw Beach and north of the lighthouse.

Anglers are fishing with wigglers in Cedarville Bay and around Little Joe Island. Musky Bay is still the hot spot however the catch rate there is still only fair to good. Wigglers and wax worms are the preferred baits.

Has good numbers of steelhead but not many anglers have been fishing.

Has good numbers of steelhead. Boat anglers have done well when fishing above High Bridge Road. About half of the fish caught were skippers which is a good sign the spring run is just beginning. A few brown trout were caught.

Perch and whitefish have been caught in the West Bay when fishing in 45 to 85 feet of water near the Boardman River.

Boat anglers reported fair to good steelhead fishing.

Has good steelhead fishing above Fulton Street. Anglers are using jigs with wax worms, spawn, or minnows under a bobber. The waters below Fulton Street are frozen. Fair to good walleye fishing was reported between 5 and 9am between Fulton Street and the Sixth Street Dam. The action has also been good when night fishing between 10pm and 2am.

Has opened up from Berrien Springs down to I-94. Boat anglers reported good steelhead fishing when using flat fish or Hot-n-Tots. Gold was the hot color. Good walleye fishing when jigging with minnows or twister tails.

Walleye are hitting in 30 feet of water off North Point, the hotel, and straight off the mouth of the river in the evenings. A few pike were speared in the bayou just south of the river mouth.

Walleye have been caught in 25 to 30 feet of water, with the better fishing in the evening. Perch were also caught, but sorting out the small ones is necessary. A few menominee were caught inside the harbor.

Fair to good numbers of steelhead are in the river.

Anglers are reminded that river ice is always a higher risk than lake ice and extreme caution needs to be used. Those fishing have caught a mixed bag of walleye, brown trout and steelhead. Good numbers of perch were reported in downtown Alpena.

The wind has blown the ice off Thunder Bay. Those fishing around the marina have caught walleye, brown trout, steelhead and whitefish.

Anglers are catching walleye near the Zilwaukee Bridge. While many of the fish are running small, anglers are taking some keepers home.

On the West side of the Bay, walleye have been caught in 6 feet of water off the mouth of the Rifle River and the Pine River. Perch action was slow. Really good walleye fishing was reported south of Pinconning off Erickson Road about 3 to 5 miles offshore in 19 to 23 feet of water. Caution needs to be used and watch out for the pressure cracks! At Linwood, anglers are fishing about 4 miles out on the south side of the Black Hole. Some are fishing in 11 feet of water near the Bay City State Park, but most are in 20 feet of water. Those wading out near the Hot Ponds are taking pike, white bass and catfish. Near Quanicassee, some pike were speared near Vanderbilt Park. Off the end of Thomas Road near Fish Point, anglers have caught walleye in 20 to 26 feet of water, which is about 8 to 10 miles out. At Sebewaing, anglers have caught a few small perch and speared a couple pike in the marina. Action has been slow off Geiger Road.

Good perch action continues on the south end of Grosse Ile when fishing in not only Gibraltar Bay, but also in the cuts and canals. The fish are running 10 to 14 inches long and have been caught in about 4 feet of water. Pike activity was a bit slower.

Walleye fishing has slowed however anglers are still jigging in Brest Bay. Perch action on the north end of the Banana Dike slowed, but the ice was still fishable. Perch action off the Metropark Marina has picked up when using shiner minnows, wax worms, and wigglers with teardrops. Ruby red and chartreuse green have been good colors.

Flows have varied from 4,000 to 8,000 cfs over the past few days making for good fishing conditions. Not many anglers have taken advantage of the improved weather yet but decent action for steelhead can be had, especially behind the hotels, in the “Kiddie Poolâ€, and around Lock 7. Egg sacs, Hot-n-Tots, and Rapalas are suggested baits.

Flows are expected to remain at 750cfs through Wednesday night, February 28. The more seasonable weather of the past few days has finally tempted a few anglers out on the river and these anglers have caught some steelhead, primarily in the upper end between Altmar and Pineville. If you go be prepared to trudge through a lot of snow to get to the river.

In the West Bay, a few anglers have fished in front of the Boardman River however the ice is not locked in and extreme caution needs to be used.

Good numbers of steelhead have been caught up near the Sixth Street Dam. Jigs with wax worms or spawn and #10 stone flies have caught fish. As of this report no ice is coming down the river, however ice could be moving by the weekend and waters could turn muddy. Anglers are reporting lots of walleye hitting on bucktail jigs, walleye minnows or chartreuse and white paddle-tails.

Should have fair to good numbers of steelhead up near the dam.