2/14/2019 Southeast Lower Peninsula, Michigan DNR Fishing Report

Southeast Lower Peninsula

To access the original Michigan DNR fishing Report: Click Here!

Lake Erie: Some bluegills and yellow perch were caught in the Metro Park Marina. Bluegill were hitting on wax worms or spikes and perch on minnows. The panfish bite at the Downriver Marina was slow but a few were taken on jigs and wax worms.

• If you're planning on fishing any of the canals near Lake Erie Metro Park or Point Mouillee State Game Area you can get all of your bait & tackle needs met at  Bottom Line Bait & Tackle.

Detroit River: Airport Bay at the south end of Grosse Ile was producing some perch ranging 10 to 12 inches.

• For more public lakes to fish in Wayne County: Click Here! 
• Wayne County Bait Shops: Click Here

Irish Hills Area:  Ice conditions were poor on lakes in Jackson County, forcing the cancellation of the Midwest Open Ice Fishing Tournament, scheduled for Feb. 10 on Wamplers Lake. With colder temperatures in the forecast the ice should stiffen back up soon.

Lake Orion: There was up to 6 inches of ice on inland lakes in Oakland County, but warm rainy weather made a mess of things. Fishing pressure was very light. A few panfish had been caught on Orion, Lakeville and Graham lakes and the action should resume with colder temperatures in the forecast. Predator and rabbit hunting have been slow to get started with the poor weather conditions.

Lake St. Clair: Anglers took nice catches of perch in front of Gino’s when jigging red and chartreuse teardrops tipped with minnows. Those venturing about a mile out from the Clinton River Cut-Off had some luck spearing pike. The perch action was spotty however some were getting 15 to 25 decent size fish from all access points when they found the fish. Those targeting bluegills near the Raft Restaurant were getting limits however the bite was slow, and it was an all-day effort. There was open water off the point at the Harley Ensign launch however anglers were still fishing in the bay opposite the river side.

• For a more accurate report on Lake St. Clair I suggest reaching out to the people at Sportsmen's Direct  as their weekly LSC fishing report is usually far more in depth.  Phone: (586-741-6052)
• Macomb County Bait Shops: Click Here!

Saginaw Bay: Fishing really picked up over the last week if anglers didn’t mind going 12 to 15 miles out. The action was best in the deepest part of the inner bay. Anglers need to use caution as there is a very active pressure crack about 1 ½ miles offshore running from the mouth of the Saginaw River all the way up to Linwood. There is slush in the crack making it appear to be frozen, but it’s not and several machines went in last weekend. Further north off Coggins and Erickson Roads, anglers were going 12 to 15 miles out to the vicinity of Buoys 1-4 and doing well on walleye and perch in 28 to 30 feet.

Along the south end, walleye anglers did well off Finn Road near Buoys 9 & 10 and around the Spark Plug (Buoys 11 & 12). Perch anglers off Vanderbilt Park near Quanicassee took some perch ranging 10 to 12 inches. No limits but most averaged about 10 fish. Anglers are cautioned to avoid the area of Hidden Harbor off King Road, as there’s a bad spot near the access where machines have been going through the ice. Those heading off Thomas Road and going 12 to 15 miles out near Buoys 1-4 caught good numbers of walleye and large perch. Activity from Sebewaing to Caseville was very light. Those near the Mud Creek access site caught a couple dozen perch, one walleye and one pike. The Pigeon River at Caseville was running fast and muddy which made for poor fishing in the harbor and along the break-wall.

• For a more accurate report on Saginaw Bay I suggest taking a look at the weekly Saginaw Bay Fishing Report given to you by Saginawbay.com

Saginaw River: Had poor fishing along the entire river and ice conditions were iffy at best. Recent snow melt and run-off coupled with rain has made the river fast and muddy and wrecked the ice in the main channel. A few were inching out on the turn basin near Ojibway Island but not catching anything. There was very little activity from there downstream through Bay City. There was some fishing near the mouth, but anglers had to stay away from the shipping channel due to thin ice. One angler recently went through the ice off the Patterson Road launch.

Below are links to bait shop listings organized by county:  

• Wayne County Click Here!
• Washtenaw County Click Here!
• Bay County Click Here!
• Monroe County Click Here!
• Livingston County Click Here!
• Ingham County Click Here!
• Genesee County Click Here!

Your area may not be listed within this fishing report so below is a list of links to pages in Southeast Michigan to help guide you to public lakes in your county.

Clinton County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Genessee County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Hillsdale County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Jackson County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Lapeer County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Lenawee County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Livingston County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Oakland County Public Lakes Page 1: Click Here! 

Oakland County Public Lakes Page 2: Click Here!

Washtenaw County Public Lakes: Click Here!

Wayne County Public Lakes: Click Here!

New Regulation: Perch limits on Michigan waters will be lower starting April 1, 2019. The video below gives the details: