NOTE: There will be no fishing report next week (November 28)! 

The warm-up helped with the steelhead bite and more anglers were out. Boat anglers were also taking advantage of what could be some of the last open water fishing in certain areas of the Lower Peninsula. Most were targeting walleye, pike, muskie and panfish. Calm winds allowed pier anglers to get out this week.

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Southeast Lower Peninsula

Lake Erie: Surface water temperatures were in the mid to upper 30’s. Those fishing the marinas were targeting panfish when using wax worms, a piece of crawler or minnows. A couple walleye were caught off the Metro Park at night when casting rapalas.

Lake St. Clair: Conditions were ideal the past few days, however not many people were fishing. Boat anglers will find some docks in at the ramps. Muskie reports have been fair. Most action was happening on the southern end of the lake. The best reports have been panfish in the canals where shore anglers were breaking through the skim ice.

St. Clair River: Not many boats anglers were going out, however the shore anglers were doing well for walleye.

Saginaw Bay: Surface water temperatures inside the bay were in the 30’s.

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Southwest Lower Peninsula

St. Joseph: Pier anglers continued to target steelhead and whitefish. Most were using fresh spawn.

Kalamazoo River: Had a good number of steelhead below Allegan.

Grand Haven: Pier anglers jigging for whitefish reported the action ws picking up.

Grand River at Grand Rapids: Had fair to good steelhead action for those drifting spawn and beads below the 6th Street Dam. Walleye were hitting on minnows. Steelhead have been caught in both the Rogue River and near Ionia in Prairie Creek.

Grand River at Lansing: A few anglers were heading out. This is a good time to fish below the dams for pike, walleye, smallmouth bass and even catfish.

Muskegon: Those jigging in the channel were getting whitefish. Small glow jigs are working best. Some were getting 3 to 5 fish. Walleye were moving into the channel.

Muskegon Lake: A few perch were found near the sand docks in 45 to 50 feet. Walleye were caught by shore anglers or boat anglers when drifting blade baits. A few were found 10 to 12 feet down in front of the North State Park when trolling crank baits.

Muskegon River: Water levels were coming down. Steelhead fishing improved with the warm-up. Try casting small spinners and crank baits or flies and beads.

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Northeast Lower Peninsula

Alpena: Surface water temperatures were in the mid 40’s. Those targeting walleye were casting body baits. Whitefish spearing can be good this time of year.

Thunder Bay River: Those fishing up near the 9th Street Dam might find the occasional Atlantic salmon or steelhead.

Houghton Lake: Was iced over except for the open water between Long Point and Brian’s Marina. A few anglers were staying close to shore and fishing in shallow waters for bluegill and crappie. Those fishing open water at the Reedsburg Dam caught crappie.

Lake St. Helen: Also had ice, however anglers were fishing in shallow waters only for panfish.

Tawas: Those on the state dock were targeting whitefish which move in to spawn this time of year. Try a small hook with a wax worm or single egg. Those seeking burbot were taking fish when using minnows.

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Northwest Lower Peninsula

Overall: While the inland lakes were starting to freeze over, there is no safe ice to report. With light winds this week, pier anglers have been able to get out and target steelhead and whitefish. Steelhead can still be found in the rivers.

Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell: Still had ice but no safe ice. Both lakes could very well open back up with the warmer temperatures.

Manistee: Surface water temperatures were in the mid to high 40’s. Pier anglers should find some steelhead.

Manistee River: Steelhead were in the deeper holes through the cold front however the bite should pick up with the warmer temperatures this week. Most were fishing below Tippy Dam.

Pere Marquette River: Continued to produce steelhead. The fish were bouncing back after the cold spell so the bite should be good for the next week or so.

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Upper Peninsula

Overall: On Lake Superior, surface water temperatures were in the low 40’s. Deep snow could be found along the northeastern end of the Upper Peninsula.

Little Bay De Noc: Only two launches have been used because some are closed, and some had ice. Most use the Kipling launch, which reopened with the warmer weather. The only other launch is Gladstone, however there is no dock in. The handful of anglers that have gone out reported good to excellent walleye catches. Most were trolling stick baits in 20 to 35 feet from the First Reef to the Center Reef. A few that anchored on the Center Reef also caught fish when casting stick baits along the break. The catches were a mix of large and small fish including some limit catches. Boat anglers should watch for any floating ice. Looking ahead at the extended forecast, the bay should remain open and fishable for the next week or so especially for boat anglers.

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Fishing Tip: Where to find northern pike in Michigan

Most places in the state are seeing cold temperatures, but despite that fishing for northern pike will continue to pick up. Pike are extremely popular during the ice fishing season but are readily available throughout much of the year.

There are many notable northern pike fisheries located throughout Michigan, including on Mus-kegon, Portage and Manistee lakes and Michigamme and Houghton lakes. But this species can be found in many other lakes and virtually all larger rivers in the state.

Please note there are many regulations for northern pike regarding minimum size and possession limit. Be sure to read up on this species in the current Michigan Fishing Guide.

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This report is intended to give you an idea of what is going on around the state. Updates come from Fisheries staff and Conservation Officers. With more than 11,000 inland lakes, the Great Lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams, not all locations can be listed. However, it is safe to say if a species is being caught in some waters in the area, they are likely being caught in all waters in that section of the state that have that species