Ice Fish Michigan Ice Report 01.17.17

Benzie, Grand Traverse, Wexford County, Antrim, Leelanau, and Manistee Counties

We are currently facing an aggressive warming trend that is threatening ice conditions. To many people in the region this is great news, but it is depressing for ice fisherman! The 10-12 day forecast, indicates that most lakes will face very slushy and wet conditions, which will lead to potentially unsafe ice conditions. Of course, the weather forecast can change from day to day, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for colder temperatures. This ice report is regarding “current” conditions, and we expect things to deteriorate over the next week. Things will change each day, and so what may have been safe a day or two ago may not be on following days. Please be safe and use your best judgment when venturing out on the ice.

Crystal Lake in Benzie County
4-5in of ice coverage on the very east end of the lake. Anglers have had nice catches of perchin25ft of water fishing off the Beulah access. The remainder of the lake is virtually open water. The only fishable water is right off of the town of Beulah. We feel that this will change with the forecast and create unsafe conditions in the very near future.

Long Lake in Benzie County
10-11in of ice. Pike have been found in 7-10ft of water on top of, and adjacent to, weed beds and flats. Perch and pike have been found in 10-13ft of water. Tip-ups with golden minnows set 1-3ft of bottom have been most productive for pike. Minnows and small tungsten jigs have taken fair catches of perch.

Bass and Otter Lakes in Benzie County
9-10in of ice. Pike fishing in Bass Lake is still producing a lot of action on undersized fish in the 18-22in range. Crappie and bluegill have been found in 15-18ft of water at first and last light. Perch fishing in Otter Lake has been slow, but some fish have been found in 20-23ft of water.

Green Lake in Grand Traverse County
8-9in of ice. Smelt fishing has been slow on both ends of the lake. Marking fish has been relatively easy, however finding active schools has been difficult. 60ft of water has produced the most smelt action after dark. Anglers targeting pike have had success in 10-15ft in weed-covered flats and along steep breaks. Perch have been found in 35-45ft of water.

Long Lake in Grand Traverse County
7-9in of ice depending on the region of the lake. Long Lake can be very inconsistent in ice thickness. Anglers should use extreme caution fishing Long Lake. Anglers have had success finding active walleye both jigging and fishing tip-ups along steep breaks and adjacent to weed beds in 30-35ft. The hottest depth for both big perch and walleye has been 25-35ft, depending on the time of day. Large perch have been found in 30-40ft of water. Anglers have not found large numbers of perch. However, the perch being caught have been very nice in size.

South Lake Leelanau
8-9in of ice (on the south portion of the lake only). The north end of the lake is not producing safe ice at this time due to inconsistent weather and winds. Anglers have found pike, perch, and walleye off all major boat ramp sites. Walleye fishing has been best in 18-25ft on tip-ups and larger blue minnow presentations. Perch have been found in 15-25ft. Shallow weed clumps have produced nice quality catches. The deeper, softer weed-covered depths are producing larger numbers of fish.

Skegemog Lake in Antrim County
9-11in of ice coverage off the south shore (Baggs Road access site). Anglers using blues, tungsten jigs, and wax worms accompanied by an underwater camera have had great success. 11-16ft of water seems to consistently produce active fish. The larger perch have been coming on orange and green tungsten jigs tipped with spikes and wax worms. Anglers seeking musky and pike have been reporting slower action. A word of caution to anglers venturing close to the Skegemog and Elk Lake channel: a snowmobile went through the ice just 2 days ago. While the person was rescued, it shows that ice near any current can be weaker. The further to the west anglers venture, the thinner the ice is.

Portage Lake in Manistee County
8-10in of ice coverage. Anglers have been fishing mostly off the north access sites for perch, walleye and pike. Most perch have been found feeding on top of weed-covered areasin16-25ft. Large perch in smaller schools have been targeted in 35-40ft of water. This is also a great depth to jig and set tip-ups for walleye.

Bear Lake in Manistee County
9-11in of ice. Anglers have been targeting walleye and pike off of southwest and north access sites. The more aggressive fish have been feeding along weed-covered drop-offs and contour changes in depths ranging from 12-18ft. Pike and walleye seem to be on the move together feeding in the same areas.

Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac in Wexford County
10-12in of ice. Blue gill and crappie have been slow and small during the middle of the day. However, crappie and bluegill have been on the move in both lakes during early morning and late evening. Transitioning from 8-10ft weed flats to 16-20ft holes and drop-offs throughout the day. Walleye have been found in 19-21ft on Lake Mitchell. Pike have been active throughout the day; larger pike have been coming on tip-ups using 4-5 inch sucker minnows as bait. Weed covered flats ranging from 9-12ft have been best for pike.

Ice Fish Michigan Ice Report 01.08.17

Benzie, Grand Traverse, Wexford County, Antrim, and Manistee Counties

After a week of inconsistent temperatures, we wished for colder weather, and our wish came true! This past week in northern Michigan was by far the coldest we have experienced this year. Cold temperatures and heavy winds have added multiple inches of ice to all bodies of water. After accumulating a large amount of snowfall in the past week, walking conditions on most lakes have gradually become more difficult. Some lakes listed below have 3-6 inches of snow with 1-2 inches of slush, we would like to prepare all anglers for these conditions. Despite lots of good ice on most of our lakes, caution should still be taken when venturing out with a 4-wheeler, snowmobile or larger vehicle. There are still the occasional reports of people finding weaker ice, especially towards the southern part of the state. In fact, an airplane went through the ice just a couple of days ago in Lowell out on Murray Lake. But our guess is that very few ice anglers are taking their airplanes out to go fish, so this is likely just an isolated incident!

Crystal Lake in Benzie County
1-2” of ice coverage on the very east end of the lake. We hope that this lake will continue to build ice in so that anglers can take advantage of excellent perch, lake trout, and whitefish fishing. There is currently NO safe, fishable ice on Crystal Lake. Heavy winds is causing the small amount of ice present to shift with the waves.

Long Lake in Benzie County
8-10” of ice. Pike have been found in 7-10ft of water on top of, and adjacent to, weed beds and flats. Perch and pike have been found in 10-13ft of water. Tip-ups with golden minnows 1-3ft off of the bottom have been best for pike. Perch minnows and small tungsten jigs have taken good catches of perch.

Bass and Otter Lakes in Benzie County
6-8” of ice. Pike fishing in Bass Lake has been producing a lot of action on undersized fish: 18-22inch range. Bluegill and crappie have been found in 15-18ft of water at first and last light. Perch fishing in Otter Lake has been generally slow, but some fish have been found in 20-23ft of water.

Green Lake in Grand Traverse County
5-6” of ice. Smelt have been found fishing off the south state park access at 30-40ft. Pike anglers have had success in 10-15ft in the weed-covered flats and along steep breaks. Perch have been found at 35-45ft.

Long Lake in Grand Traverse County
5-6” of ice (depending on the region of the lake). Long Lake often has inconsistent ice thickness. Anglers should use extreme caution fishing Long Lake. Anglers have had success finding active walleye jigging and by using fishing tip-ups along steep breaks and adjacent to weed beds. The best depth for walleye seems to be 20-30ft, and varies by the time of day. Large perch have been found in 30-40ft of water. While there has not been larger numbers of perch – the perch being caught are good-sized.

Skegemog Lake in Antrim County
8-9” of ice coverage (off the south shore access site). Anglers using blues, tungsten jigs, and wax worms with an underwater camera have had great success. 11-16ft of water has been yielding active fish. The larger perch have been caught on orange and green tungsten jigs tipped with spikes and wax worms.

Portage Lake in Manistee County
4-6” of ice coverage. Anglers have been fishing for perch, pike, and walleye mostly off the north access sites. Most perch have been found feeding on top of weed-covered areas in 16-25ft of water. Anglers looking for large perch in smaller schools have been targeting 35-40ft of water. This is also a great depth to jig and set tip-ups for walleye.

Bear Lake in Manistee County
8-9” of ice. Anglers have been targeting pike and walleye off the southwest and north access sites. More aggressive fish have been along weed covered drop-offs and contour changes in depths ranging from 12-18ft. Walleye and pike are grouping together feeding in the same general areas.

Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac in Wexford County
9-10” of ice. Crappie and bluegill in both lakes, transitioning from 8-10 foot weed flats to 16-20 foot drop-offs and holes throughout the day. Walleye have been found in 19-21ft on Lake Mitchell. Pike have been active throughout the day. Larger pike have been caught on tip-ups using 4-5 inch sucker minnows. Weed-covered flats ranging from 9-12ft have been best for pike fishing.

Ice Fish Michigan Ice Report 01.03.17

Provided by Sport Fish Michigan

Benzie, Grand Traverse, Wexford County, Antrim, and Manistee Counties

Happy New Year! We are very excited for the 2017 ice season.

We were concerned about this past week’s warming trend and the impact it would have on the area’s inland lakes. But the lakes formed better conditions due to the thaw. Snow cover gradually disappeared and refroze creating really nice walking conditions and thicker ice. With high winds and limited amounts of snowfall, most of the lakes listed in this report have nearly no snow coverage at this time.

Long Lake in Benzie County
5-7” of ice. High winds this past week has caused the ice in some areas to be thicker than others. Pike found in 7-10ft of water on top of, and adjacent to, flats and weed beds. Spearing has been slow, but tip-up action has been fair using golden minnows and smaller suckers 1-2ft off bottom.

Bass and Otter Lakes in Benzie County
3-4” of ice. The safest and most consistent ice conditions are closer to the access sites on both lakes. Pike fishing in Bass Lake good on undersized fish: 18-22inch range. Blue gill and crappie have been found in 15-18ft of water at first light and last light.

Green Lake in Grand Traverse County
3-4” of ice. Anglers have been fishing off the south launch where ice conditions are best. Everyone should use extreme caution when venturing out on Green Lake. Cooler weather in the next week or so should continue to build ice on Green Lake. First ice for smelt, perch, and large pike.

Long Lake in Grand Traverse County
3-4” of ice depending on the region of the lake. Long Lake can have inconsistent ice thickness. Anglers should use extreme caution fishing Long until after this upcoming cold front, which should add a few inches of good ice. Active walleye both jigging and fishing tip-ups along steep breaks and adjacent to weed beds. The best depth seems to be 16-22ft, depending on the time of day.

Skegemog Lake in Antrim County
4-5” of ice coverage off of the south shore access. This is lake we are happy to see freeze so early. Skegemog is a great lake to target first ice perch in the shallow weed flats. Anglers using blues, tungsten jigs, and wax worms should have great success. 11-16ft of water seems to be consistently productive.

Portage Lake in Manistee County
3-3.5” of ice coverage. Anglers have been fishing primarily off of the north access sites for perch, pike and walleye. Perch are feeding on top of weed covered areas in 16-25ft. Anglers looking for large perch in smaller schools have been targeting the 35-40ft, which is also a great depth to jig and set tip-ups for walleye.

Bear Lake in Manistee County
3.5-4.5” of ice. Anglers have been targeting pike and walleye off of the south west and north access. Aggressive fish have been feeding along weed covered drop-offs and contour changes in 12-18ft of water. Pike and walleye seem to be moving together and feeding in the same areas.

Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac in Wexford County
7-8” of ice. Crappie and bluegill active in both lakes from 8-10ft on weed flats to 12-18ft in holes and drop offs.

We at Sport Fish Michigan look forward to many safe and successful days during this 2017 season. With that in mind, we encourage all anglers to take this report as reference and not as a guarantee. Ice conditions change with the weather patterns. It is always good to use your best judgment and always check the ice with a good spud and a friend! Tight lines… we look forward to fishing with you!