Pike and walleye season on the Upper Peninsula Great Lakes, the St. Marys River and U.P. inland waters as well as all Lower Peninsula inland waters will close at midnight March 15. The season is open all year on the Lower Peninsula Great Lakes, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair River and the Detroit River. Musky season on all the Great Lakes and inland waters as well as the St. Marys River also will close at midnight March 15.
Keweenaw Bay: Anglers reported slow to good fishing in the morning, but those who fished in the evening saw little to no action. Coho, splake, brown trout and some whitefish were caught in shallow, while those out deeper caught lake trout and whitefish. Most of the whitefish were on the small side. Anglers were jigging with both live and artificial bait. Shore anglers caught coho along with the occasional brown trout and splake.
Little Bay De Noc: Ice conditions are starting to deteriorate, and anglers should remove any remaining ice shanties before it is too late. Anglers should not be driving out on the ice due to dangerous conditions, and rain this week only will make it worse. Walleye were caught around the Escanaba River when jigging or using tip-ups in 30 feet. Perch slowed, but a few good catches were reported at Kipling by those using minnows and wigglers in 28 to 35 feet. Pike were active near the Day’s River when using tip-ups in 14 to 20 feet and near the Escanaba River in 32 feet. Anglers have one more weekend left to target walleye.
Manistique Lake: Walleye and panfish were caught on Big Manistique. Most were taken on jigging spoons tipped with a minnow. Perch fishing was starting to pick up, but most were small. Pike and panfish were caught in South Manistique.
Cedarville and Hessel: Still had ice anglers around the Les Cheneaux Islands. A few more perch were caught in Musky Bay, but anglers still were sorting out the small ones. A couple pike up to 24 inches were also caught in Musky Bay. In Hessel Bay, more perch were caught, and while many were on the small side, a few more 10-inch fish also were reported. Those jigging minnows in Hessel Bay and Wilderness Bay caught a couple splake. There were no reports of any smelt runs in the area.
Fishing Tip: Targeting walleye at the end of ice season
Walleye are a popular target for many ice anglers, particularly as the season wears on. Pursuing these aggressive fish can be a great adventure, especially if you follow some of these tactics.
Focus on using jigs with spoons or minnows or tip-ups with live bait to see the most success. You might want to use a few tip-ups and then jig around that same area.
Think about the depth of water as well as the time of day. Walleye fishing through the ice usually begins and ends in shallow water areas with deep water more productive during the heart of the winter.
Learn more about walleye fishing during Michigan’s winter on our walleye page at Michigan.gov/Fishing.
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