Inner Saginaw Bay:
On the west side of the bay, walleye were caught at the blackhole in Pinconning in 25 feet of water. Walleye were also caught at the cigar in front of Linwood in 18-23 feet of water and at the old dumping grounds in 20 feet of water. Some yellow perch were also caught at these locations. Anglers were also catching yellow perch at the spark plug in 25 feet of water. On the east side of the bay, fishing for yellow perch from Sebwaing to Bay Port had been hit or miss with lots of small perch to sort through. Those doing best were waiting for schools of perch to move to them. Anglers reported northern pike in the same areas while perch fishing.
Saginaw River anglers reported slow fishing through most of Bay City and Essexville, with a lot of sub legal walleye caught and released in this area. Upstream in the south end of Bay City at Cass Avenue and in the vicinity, anglers did well catching good numbers of walleye with some limits taken. Anglers did well in this area fishing the edge of the channel in 20 to 25 feet of water jigging a blue and silver or orange jigging Rapala. Anglers should plan to do lots of sorting. Most walleye were running in the 13 to 16-inch size range. Elsewhere walleye fishing was pretty slow at all points upstream around the Zillwaukee Bridge and through Saginaw.
Au Gres Area, some small perch and walleye were caught in the Au Gres river off jigs and spoons tipped with minnows. There were some reports of walleye caught out past Pt. Au Gres (Access off Booth Rd.) in 20 to 25 feet of water off jigs and spoons tipped with minnows.
Pine River perch fishing was slow with lots of sorting to keep a few. Anglers were catching perch in 5 to 10 feet of water off jigs tipped with minnows or jack hooks / spoons. Walleye anglers were venturing out as far as 1 to 5 miles, catching a few fish in 12 to 20 feet of water, off jigs and spoons tipped with minnows. The evening bite was performing the best.
Outer Saginaw Bay:
Tawas Area perch fishing continued to be slow with some smaller fish caught in 12 to 20 feet of water off minnows and waxworms. A few walleye were caught in 15 to 22 feet of water off jigs and spoons tipped with minnows.
Fishing Tip: Understanding fish posture to help with ice fishing success
Fish often maintain one of two postures – one where they are ready to strike (fins up and backs arched) or one where they are focused on traveling (fins tucked in). Understanding these postures can aid in your fishing success, particularly through the ice.
The first step when using fish posture to impact your ice fishing techniques is to have appropriate equipment, such as sonar. This tool allows you to visualize the posture and react effectively.
Secondly, pay attention to time periods of aggressive posture. Most likely you will see it exhibited around sunrise and sunset – plan your trips accordingly.