Saginaw Bay rain left the ice covered with anywhere from six to 12 inches of slush and standing water which made travel difficult. Linwood had a lot of anglers. They are going three to four miles out and getting walleye near and beyond the first pressure crack. Walleye are being caught in the old shipping channel off the Bay City State Park. Open-water anglers fishing at the mouth of the Hot Pond are taking some walleye and pike when casting any lure with a chrome or silver finish. Over at Quanicassee, those spearing off Vanderbilt Park are getting a few pike. Anglers off Thomas Road are going to the middle of the Slot and taking walleye in 15 feet. The only activity at Sebewaing is pike spearing. At Mud Creek, persistent perch anglers are getting an average of 10 keepers per trip and those pike spearing are taking a few fish. Perch were caught at Caseville.
Saginaw River a few limit catches of walleye were taken near Wickes Park by those using a white jig with minnows or a blue and silver rapala in 10 feet of water. There was a lot of fishing activity in front of the St. Mary’s Health Building on Washington Avenue. Walleye were caught on a chartreuse jig with minnows in 25 feet of water in the mid-channel. Walleye caught between the Zilwaukee Bridge and Bay City were smaller. There was a lot of fishing pressure downstream of the Independence Bridge. Walleye were caught but anglers had to sort out the small ones. Perch were taken on perch rigs. Some decent catches were taken near the railroad bridge down by Essexville and the mouth.
Tittabawassee River anglers are being warned to stay off because of increase flow with all the rain. The ice is not safe anywhere.
Au Gres anglers have caught some walleye three to four miles off Santiago Road in 20 feet of water. Some are heading south and going off the end of Hale Road.
Au Gres River is mainly producing sub-legal walleye with a few keepers.
Outer Saginaw Bay:
Oscoda – Au Sable River with the drastic change in weather, anglers will be able to access the river at most of the access sites. The launch on Rea Road is open but iced up after the thaw and refreeze. A limited number of vehicles can park there but anglers will need 4-wheel drive to launch from there. Foote Dam is still open for vehicles although the snow was still pretty deep in some areas. Most of the fishing platform was accessible and some trails were broken along the edge of the river. High Banks has open parking but watch the stairs as they are very icy. A two track was broken to the Boy Scout Camp but the hard snow makes it difficult to get to. The Whirlpool is open but the access road and the launch were very icy. Steelhead are in the river. Check out the deeper holes along the bends.
Tawas snow and slush is making for difficult travel on the bay. They’re getting some small perch in 15 feet and walleye in 20 feet off Jerry’s Marina. Those not able to get out on the bay have also caught perch and walleye inside the State Harbor.
Weekly Fishing Tip: Finding pan-fish through the ice
Have you been attempting to target pan-fish during your ice fishing trips this winter, but aren’t having much luck? Consider the following things.
- Are the pan-fish sticking to shallow or deep depths? Are they hanging out in the weeds or on the rocks? Are they suspended or are they hugging the bottom?
- Due to the weather much of the state has experienced recently, pan-fish are likely to be in deeper water to find more oxygen. Keep that in mind when you look for them!
- Also keep your presentation efforts in mind. A popular effort includes putting a jig on the bottom and using a twitch-pause-twitch routine with it.