The 2022/2023 ice fishing season hasn’t gotten off to a good start in West Michigan with almost no safe ice. Here are some places further north with safe ice.
Bad ice fishing weather
A sign warns of danger as ice thaws on a pond in southern Wisconsin.
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I sure thought in November, when parts of West Michigan were hit with the first good amount of snow and cold, that I would be in hard water before Christmas. Well, Mother Nature has had other plans for those of us in West Michigan who enjoy ice fishing.
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Ice fishing is one of my favorite things to do with my son and I was expecting to have a fry or two by now. Every time it got cold in the latter part of 2022, a few days later it rained, warmed up, or both.
I love the taste of bluegills and other panfish caught through the ice, but I’m not one to risk my life fishing for bluegills on thin ice. I started looking around to see how far I would have to drive to find some ice and here is what I found.
Places north of Grand Rapids with safe ice
Thin ice freezing around some trees.
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I love the taste of bluegills and other panfish caught through the ice, but I’m not one to risk my life fishing for bluegills on thin ice. I started looking around to see how far I would have to drive to find some ice and here is what I found.
Cadillac and Mitchell Lakes
Family ice fishing
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I’m thinking of driving up to Cadillac this weekend and trying Lakes Cadillac and Mitchel. Both have had steady ice since mid-December. Both are huge lakes, so if you’ve never been there, ask your local bait shop for some tips or just see where the other angler is.
Lake Houghton
Ice fishing
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Houghton Lake is a drive, but it is one of the best ice fishing lakes in Michigan. It is relatively shallow and is usually one of the first lakes to freeze over. Houghton Lake is just about everything an ice fisherman could want, plus there are plenty of hotels and bait shops around the lake.
Otsego Lake
The ice fishing trap patiently waits for fish under the ice.
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Otsego Lake in Gaylord has good ice and lots of people fishing the lake. I saw a video that was from yesterday and there were tons of people at the lake. I even saw an ATV out there.
Upper Peninsula – Lake Gogebic
Ice fishing shacks in the frozen harbor.
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Lake Gogebic in the Upper Peninsula is a great lake if you are looking for great ice and a lake. It already looks like a small town on parts of the lake with all the ice shacks that will be going up over the next few months.
My friend Curt who lives on the west side of the upper peninsula has been catching some crap and says the ice is very good in the Iron River area.
Get about 2 hours north of Grand Rapids and almost any lake of any size has some decent ice. Lake Michigan is not yet ice fishable, but if you travel north some of the cuts have some ice for sure. I’m sure there are some small ponds around West Michigan that might be fine, but I say fish with extreme caution.
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