Many of the next level lakes are hardening up and are close or ready for ice an- gling. Lakes like Big Glen, Elk, Bellaire, Leelanau “north and south lake” and Crystal to name a few. These lakes are some of the deepest of Michigan’s inland lakes and many of these are known for great fishing for perch, walleye, smelt, cisco”herring” and multiple species of trout.
For jumbo perch, try Slab Grabbers, Tricky Rickey’s willow leaf spoons, Hali jigs, and Pimples. Many of these lures will also attract and catch ciscos as well. Tip these with a bead, atlas egg, or wax worm. Tip-downs and perch spreader rigs can be deadly when the bite is a little slower. A good place to start for perch is around the 35 to 50 foot range on lakes with trout potential. Set a few tip ups with grays or blues 7 to 15 feet off the bottom.
For walleyes, I would recommend staying shallow when jigging less than 35 feet of water. They seem to react to jigs well in shallower water. Save the deeper water for tip ups set a little closer to the bottom, two to four feet off, using any of the minnow species. I have taken some donkeys on sucker minnows and small goldens with multiple lines. Play with different types of baits to determine what is working better for a particular body of water. This method can also work well for pike. Also mix live and dead baits, you may find out that the pike in one lake may love dead baits, especially going into this timeframe.
I love fishing lake trout, they can be anywhere first ice but I would concentrate my efforts in 60 foot of water earlier on then move deeper as the February calendar moves on. It’s pretty tough to beat a Pimple sweetened with sucker or cisco meat. Good luck and always stay on top!
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