Saginaw Bay (Bay City Area) a few perch were caught off White’s Beach however beware of the ice past the first pressure crack. Perch were caught off Newman Road just south of Pinconning. Walleye fishing was pretty good three miles off Linwood with a fair number of limit catches but use extreme caution beyond the first pressure crack.
Walleye fishing was good and some perch were caught near Spoils Island. Along the east side of the bay, most anglers were after perch near shore. A few were caught off Vanderbilt Park however there was still some open water out there so anglers need to use extreme caution. Crappie were caught in Sunset Bay Marina. Walleye were caught out in the Slot in 15 feet however be very careful beyond the first pressure crack. Perch fishing from Sebewaing to Caseville was slow and spotty throughout much of the area including the marina at Sebewaing and off Geiger Road. Most of the activity was off the Mud Creek access site in Wildfowl Bay where catch rates range from getting “skunked” to maybe 25 taken by the luckiest anglers that found a school of active fish. Success rates declined with all the noise from anglers traveling across the ice.
- Saginaw River had a lot of anglers but catch rates were slow. There are a lot of sub-legal walleyes in the river this time of year so anglers at all locations have to do a lot of sorting. Jigging rapalas are the standard however spoons also work and hot colors are blue and silver, perch or fire-tiger. The slowest action was down in Saginaw and as far north as the Zilwaukee Bridge as the water was muddy after the snow-melt. Most of the walleye caught between the Zilwaukee Bridge and Bay City were sub-legal. Those fishing around the U.S.S. Edson only caught the occasional keeper. Watch the ice near the mouth as there were some areas with open water and some thin ice close to shore.
- Tittabawassee River was not fish-able at the time of this report. There was too much ice for open-water fishing but the ice was not safe to walk on. The current increased after the weekend thaw.
Au Gres Area: The best walleye fishing was off Booth Road at Point Au Gres in 15 feet. At Palmer Road, walleye fishing was good with some limits reported. Perch fishing was spotty but the fish range seven to nine inches.
- Au Gres River was producing mostly sub-legal walleye.
Outer Saginaw Bay:
Port Austin had a few shanties in the harbor.
Tawas Area had good walleye fishing in 15 to 20 feet in the Bay. Some limit catches were reported. Perch fishing was also good with a fair number of 7.5 to 10 inch fish caught. Fishing inside the harbor was slow.
Weekly Fishing Tip: Four tips for fishing for Northern Pike in winter
As ice fishing season continues to plug along, now may be the time to learn some tips and tricks for targeting northern pike!
1. Consider using a fluorocarbon leader that will be practically invisible to any pike, as opposed to a steel leader.
2. Keep your bait lively, both by using a well-aerated bait container and very sharp hooks to minimize injury.
3. Consider using something flashy with your bait, such as a small spinner blade, to entice pike in murky water.
4. Don’t be afraid to keep some slush around your hole in the ice to prevent pike from being spooked by your opening.
Want more information on fishing for northern pike? Visit their website to get started.