# Michigan this weekend - Feb 14th-16th



## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

Anyone headed up north? If so, where to? Contemplating a trip but none of my normal fishing buddies can go. Interested in networking if I go. Contemplating Lake Saint Helen. Would prefer to avoid some of the heavily pressured lakes


----------



## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

TDD11 said:


> Anyone headed up north? If so, where to? Contemplating a trip but none of my normal fishing buddies can go. Interested in networking if I go. Contemplating Lake Saint Helen. Would prefer to avoid some of the heavily pressured lakes


I will be up there this weekend as well. Fishing Houghton. To be honest, I think that whole area is going to be pressured. I'll send you a PM.


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

Couple of us will be up as well....we are staying in cadillac and are within 30-45 mins of other larger lakes like houghton and saint helens and so forth. Free fishing wknd will have every lake pressured.


----------



## squid_1 (Jun 2, 2005)

Trying to get an ice update. Wouldn't mind hitting the canals off Lake St. Clair around Metro.


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

Judging by the last two weeks and it hitting 50 and 46 id doubt theres much safe ice even in the canals but who knows?


----------



## Steelhauler (Apr 7, 2004)

I'll be up in the Traverse City area. Not quite sure which lakes I'm going to hit yet. I guess I'll figure it out once I'm up there.


----------



## BudIce (Jan 10, 2015)

squid_1 said:


> Trying to get an ice update. Wouldn't mind hitting the canals off Lake St. Clair around Metro.


I was there this past weekend Fair Haven area the bay we fished had 4” it was a zoo there Saturday but spots to fish. our Group caught a bunch of dink perch 1 good one & a LM bass but had a blast


----------



## fishwendel2 (Nov 19, 2007)

We are headed to Devils Lake, Round Lake and or Wamplers 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

Headed to burt lake for fri to sun


----------



## Fish2Win (Jan 21, 2009)

fishwendel2 said:


> We are headed to Devils Lake, Round Lake and or Wamplers
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Do they have good ice up there?


----------



## fishwendel2 (Nov 19, 2007)

4-5” is better than 0.0 here. Only 3.5 hrs from Columbus. Talk to Knunstons in Brooklyn for reports


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

fishwendel2 said:


> We are headed to Devils Lake, Round Lake and or Wamplers
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


When are you headed up? Friday or Saturday?


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

fishwendel2 said:


> We are headed to Devils Lake, Round Lake and or Wamplers
> 
> I am not sure if it holds true for any of the other lakes but we fished an ice tourny on clark lake a few years back and the guys who won it said they were fishing in 2-3' of water and they had monster crappies......??? idk if its like that anywhere else in that area.


----------



## Fish2Win (Jan 21, 2009)

What tourney?? Midwest open?


----------



## Fish2Win (Jan 21, 2009)

In the Midwest open tournament the winning team only had 2 of 8 crappie that day. I think it was 2014. Tough lake for crappie. You would be off going to devils or wamplers IMO.


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

I found the info so it was 3 crappie one going over a pound.


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Anyone have general information about either the Waterloo or Pickney recreation areas? Quite a few lakes in that stretch between Jackson and Ann Arbor. I'm still thinking about another trip to MI but don't want to go all the way up to Mitchell/Cadillac if i don't really have to. Can't make it this weekend or next, but might be able to skip a work day and squeeze in a weekday trip since that is only a 2.5 hour drive for me.


----------



## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

AtticaFish said:


> Anyone have general information about either the Waterloo or Pickney recreation areas?


I've camped at Proud Lake a couple times. Towed my 13' boat there and did very well on crappies with the occasional pike in between. It's a small portage system so there is some current around the creek bed but some of the bays were excellent for crappies. I've also fished Kent lake a handful of times with mild success on walleyes and pike.


----------



## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

AtticaFish said:


> Anyone have general information about either the Waterloo or Pickney recreation areas?


I can’t offer any info on ice conditions, but I have fished Silver Lake in Pinckney several times (open water). That lake is loaded with gills, big bass & small pike. I’ve always wanted to fish the ice in the area (especially Silver, North, and South Lake). But, it is difficult to get any current info.


----------



## fishwendel2 (Nov 19, 2007)

If you are headed to Devils Lake there are two good access points. The DNR launch ramp(west side) and near the Highland Inn (east side). You can park there and drag across the road to the lake. Knuston's in Brooklyn, MI is a good source for ice conditions (517) 592-2786


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Rooster said:


> ............But, it is difficult to get any current info.


Best information i can get is from here.....

https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/forums/icefishing-lp-inland-lakes-and-rivers.69/

No discussions about the specific lakes i was looking at but lots of talk right now and maybe can get at least half a guess from reports of lakes nearby.

1MoreKast - I like the looks of Kent, that is not one i had really looked at in the past. Good sized lake but with a bunch of access points. Thanks for the heads up!


----------



## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

Well, I'm not going to go up for a weekend trip. I am thinking about a day trip tomorrow, just to the SE region to one of the lakes mentioned recently (Devil's, Round, Kent, etc). Is anyone else headed to that area and want to link up tomorrow? I'll have my own flipover & gear. So far no fishing buddies are available so I'll probably be solo.


----------



## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

Burt lake today, has about 14 inches of ice and a foot of snow on it. Not much ice time today but caught a rock bass and goby. Back at it tommrow.

I noticed the locals are a bit anoyed with the amount of people visiting the area. People that were working for the bait shop were anoyed at how busy they have been this winter. One guy said "its good for the owner just not for me"

Tons and tons of snowmobile riders up here. They say all the ramps are packed on the weekends.


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

Well got back from our trip up north to Mitchell and Cadillac.....fished alllllll over Cadillac on Friday......I seen nothing but 2-4" perch....thats it. We fished Mitchell the entire day. Started on the east side and made our way west....first spot didnt see a single fish. Moved half way across the lake....seen one mark up high and thats it.....moved again to outside of little cove where we have fished before and caught fish and seen fish.....caught quite a few 3-6" gils....seen small perch and actually seen 4 walleye. Any keeper that swam through didnt even give the jig a look....just acted like Dory......Had a monster pike come through.....every bit of 35-40".....had a small tungsten on so I didnt want to mess with him and pulled my jig up quick and he damn near chased it out of the hole....was cool to see. We had a good time over all...drank some beers....caught....well...some fish and had some good laughs and good weather. Plenty of snow up there right now for sleds. One thing we did learn is you can cook an awesome frozen pizza on the little buddy heater......wrapped up in foil and continually rotate it.....oh my.....might taste even better with some beers and the environment!!!!  the place we stayed at was perfect though. Could leave from there on the sleds and go right to the end of the street which was 2 blocks and jump right on Cadillac. If you want to fish mitchell u cruised to the end of cadillac jumped right on a trail and crossed the street to pilgrim's and launched right onto mitchell. Easy and convenient not having to worry about parking or anything. The home owner left two awesome snack pack's for us with Dots pretzels "best out there by far" crackers, cheese dip, sausage log, pickled spicy asparagus (if you have never tried you are missing out) little pizzas, klondike bars etc. Awesome house for 2-3 guys. Overall we are disappointed in the fishing...the lakes are just beat to hard and too many locals keep small fish. We love the area and the atmosphere....its simple and easy....just dont go there with high expectations and you will be alright! LOL.....and yes, here comes the sunset pic cause you know the fishin was $h!t!!


----------



## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

I got to fish Devil's Lake yesterday for around 5 hours. Drilled a lot of holes, tried shallow flats up to 4', >30' deep holes, and all around the contours in between. I only ever marked one fish that came off the bottom to check out my jig as I was dropping it down. Threw my jig box at that fish trying to get it to show interest but it never showed interest again.
I've never fished water that clear, tried to drill a series of holes and then come back to them 5 minutes later to check for marks in case they had spooked, didn't seem to matter. You could sight fish, but I never saw any fish. Lol

One local said he fished for 6 hours, had 12 total crappie and bluegill, said he never moved from 8FOW, just waited for them to swim by. I moved around a lot in comparison. Quite a few other people out fishing but I never saw a fish being caught. The 2 buddies that went with me said they saw a big pike swim by while I was out exploring.

We found some weeds, not crazy thick like I'd like though, but they didn't hold any fish.

I'd love to get off the beaten path up there, or find a small lake that isn't pressured as much. And have ALL DAY or all weekend to figure them out.
But it was great to scratch the itch, and the weather was beautiful.


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I was watching the other forum and there were a lot of people saying it was slow this weekend. Glad you guys made it out.

TDD11 - How much ice did you have on Devils? From what info i could glean from the internet there is quite a variance with the lakes that far south.


----------



## TDD11 (Aug 5, 2015)

AtticaFish said:


> I was watching the other forum and there were a lot of people saying it was slow this weekend. Glad you guys made it out.
> 
> TDD11 - How much ice did you have on Devils? From what info i could glean from the internet there is quite a variance with the lakes that far south.


There was 7-9" of ice there, with a couple inches of snow on top in places, and a few inches of crusty slush and slop in other places. 4" of it was good clear ice, and the top 3-4 was white ice.

There were utvs,ATVs, and sleds out. One UTV spent an hour plowing a big circular track, and a dirt bike rode the track for probably an hour after that. 

As you mentioned, local lakes and ponds in that same area were completely wide open.


----------



## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Scum_Frog said:


> just dont go there with high expectations and you will be alright!


Thanks for the report. Planning to go up there on the last weekend of the month. Low expectations on the fishing, but high expectations that there will still be ice....tough year!


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

Rooster said:


> ......Planning to go up there on the last weekend of the month.......


I may be up there at the same time. Still just planning stages but that is the weekend that will work if i decide to go.


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

if I were you guys id be doing research on trying to fish canals of st clair and maybe be able to get on the lake close cause going to cadillac is not worth it.


----------



## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

I’m still looking for better options, but the weather for the next two weeks is not going to be kind to the ice below M-10. I would LOVE to fish a few lakes is SW Michigan, but at this point, I will just be happy to get a few more days on the ice with even a slim chance of catching something.


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I left the fish biting on my last day at Mitchell when i had to leave, and was getting decent size fish at the time...... so that makes me want to go right back to my GPS point and start over. haha I have been reading some of the St Clair posts and it doesn't sound like they have much ice (if any) at the moment. Canals might be different. I figure 2 weeks is still a ways out so have to see what the weather brings, i don't trust the weather man.


----------



## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

Myself and few other guys fished Houghton this past weekend. It was NOOO BUENO. Dink perch and a few dink crappie. We had several others on snow mobiles zip by us to chat they weren't doing so well either. All the reports were just as poor. We actually fished Lake James too - we got permission from the AirBnB house we rented and while the bite was more frequent the fish were still very small. Now I'm not going to say we didn't have fun - we had plenty of that. Fish just would have been a nice added bonus. We fished pretty hard so I can't say we didn't try. Still very grateful to be on hard water at least once this year!

Also - a lot of people were fearful of the free fishing weekend and it being a mad house - it wasn't. I wouldn't let that stop anybody next time.


----------



## brad crappie (Sep 29, 2015)

I know I have heard some of the locals have been not to pleasant to deal with questions about where the hot bite is I understand cause the spot could be fished out, littler everywhere, and parking issues! Next thing u know no more access boys and girls just saw it happen! U can’t even tell some of your fishing buddies that’s the way it is!


----------



## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

I’m keeping an eye on a few lakes in SW Michigan, and that is still a possibility. I’m pretty sure they will be fished this weekend, but not sure the ice will last until next weekend. They fished great last year at this time, but no guarantee that it will be the same this year.

There was 13” on Mitchell as of yesterday’s report, and THAT is not going anywhere in the next few weeks. Nice set-up on Cadillac…..walk out from the room, Pizza place within walking distance from the ice for some carry-out to the hub, and Mitchell is just across the street. Oh, I have caught some very nice crappie out of Cadillac, and I’m sure there are still some left in there. I’ve always wanted to try Lake Missaukee, or the guys at Pilgrim’s could point us to a local lake with the “hot” bite, or AtticaFish can give me the GPS coordinates for his secret spot on Mitchell (LOL).

But, we will probably just walk out from the room, drink beer & watch flags during the day, and hunt for some crappie at night. Good times!


----------



## Stampede (Apr 11, 2004)

Anybody gets a good tip on a southern Michigan lake with fishable ice i'd appreciate the tip. Not 100% sure but wanting to drive up early sat, fish till dark and drive home. Hope for a smaller panfish lake maybe less crowded but will take what I get. Thanks.


----------



## fishwendel2 (Nov 19, 2007)

Stampede said:


> Anybody gets a good tip on a southern Michigan lake with fishable ice i'd appreciate the tip. Not 100% sure but wanting to drive up early sat, fish till dark and drive home. Hope for a smaller panfish lake maybe less crowded but will take what I get. Thanks.


Look into Devils, Round, or Wamplers lakes. Will be up that way on Fri/Sat


----------



## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

If it were me id be keeping a close on on LSC canals....those seem to be stacked with fish if you can get on Ive seen a ton of guys getting limits of good gils and perch everytime and its not a far drive at all. Might make a day trip up that way soon.


----------



## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I've seen some awesome catches from those channels posted in the past. I've been watching the thread on the MI forum and they are saying it is hard to get to the channels though this year since the openings to the main lake might not have good ice and people are getting tickets for crossing private property to get to some of them. Gotta know where to go i guess..... and i wouldn't have a clue where to start.


----------



## icantdecide (Sep 22, 2017)

A group of us are heading up to Skegemog next weekend. Anyone have experience there?


----------

