Ice fishing in Michigan

I know we have some lurkers from the UP and some members, I have never ice fished in Michigan and I think this year it time to scratch it off the bucket list.

So…..

A). Has anyone taken a trip to the UP?
B). Any reccommendations? Looking for perch and panfish.

I know lake Gogebic is know for perch, any other lakes to try? I am just looking for ideas, not specific spots. Any help is awesome! thanks

well i haven’t panfished in Michigan but I’ve been to bay de noc for walleyes. i know bay de noc has a pretty good perch population and some nice sized ones too. I’ve also heard gogebic has some huge perch. although I’ve also heard that you need a snowmobile to get around because of all the snow they get up there.

My cousin has a cabin near Iron Mountain

We have fished Emily Lake mixed bag there Perch Crappies Bluegills Walleyes and Pike

I believe Chicagon also has nice perch in it

Come on Yoopers we are calling you out

Little Bay DeNoc has a very underrated perch bite because of the focus on walleye up there. Plus, a lot of the locals don’t understand that getting away from the local hole can be a good thing. I caught a legitimate 15″ perch up there last December that is now on my wall. Munuscong has the best late ice bite anywhere, hands down. Bring your waders though cuz you have to wade out to the ice.

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Little Bay DeNoc has a very underrated perch bite because of the focus on walleye up there. Plus, a lot of the locals don’t understand that getting away from the local hole can be a good thing. I caught a legitimate 15″ perch up there last December that is now on my wall. Munuscong has the best late ice bite anywhere, hands down. Bring your waders though cuz you have to wade out to the ice.

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Good Grief 15″ perch….wow. The adventure to seek new fishing spots is 75% of the fun, taking a snowmobile ride deep into the woods, drilling/looking for fish, then putting a good bite together. Thats a successful trip!

15 inch perch is a TANKER!! That is exciting!!

Got a cabin on chicaugon lake that Pat Howard mentioned and this is where I do most (95%) of my ice fishing. It houses good sized perch that I limited out on in an hour and half this summer fishing. It has a lot of good structure throughout although it is a very clear lake. I have nearly 20-25 ft visibility during scuba diving in the summer. Walleyes are still there but the winter bites have slowed down for a bit in the last years. Chicaugon is also fun for whitefish if you hit it at the rigt time. Emily lake is connected to chicaugon which houses just about the same species and is a much smaller lake.

Combine these two lakes with Sunset lake and few others in the area and you definitely have a good trip in store. From the south metro I can make it there in about 4.5-5 hours. And unless you go during a ice fishing tournament or contest, most lakes won’t have more than 10-20 shelters on them. Really is ice fishing at its best. Any other questions about that area let me know. I haven’t done much fishing outside the county though.

I’m going up there tomorrow to prep some gear and deer hunt (finally). Hopefully some of the smaller lakes are starting to freeze. Chicaugon is 1100+ acres and first ice for fishing isn’t usually until mid-decemer, or even later this year. I’ll have a better idea after this weekend.

Welcome to iDo moore653

Thank you for posting.

It truley is some great ice fishing up there away from the crowds

Do you fish much at night on the clear water Lakes ? ?

Well I really enjoy reading everything that is on this website so I figured it was time to join.

But on chicaugon I’ll fish till 5, maybe 6 then call it quits. Usually a good walleye bite late afternoon but dies off around then. The only time I go out at night is for spearing on Sunset lake with a buddy who has the set up for it. Otherwise I stick to the day.

Thanks so much for the info…I know that area house’s alot of great potential lakes for some nice size perch. Whitefish are a blast to catch through the ice and are very good table fare. Do they fish for sun fish or crappies in that area?

I haven’t and don’t know anyone that targets them specifically. I’ve pulled a few out during the summer but couldn’t give you any info about winter. Sorry.

I don’t know if you will ever make it under the bridge but White Lake and Muskegon Lake are said to have some good perch and walleyes in them. They are both right off of Lake Michigan. I am going to check it out for the first time this year but everything that I have heard says that those lakes are a blast to fish.