Michigan’s waters promise great ice fishing every winter, and as enthusiasts across the state – and country – know, there are simply fantastic opportunities to catch walleye, pike, panfish, and rarer freshwater species like splake.
Blessed with lots of great places to fish, we’ve culled all but the best, offering you a list of the best places for a hard water adventure this winter. Keep reading to see the best ice fishing lakes in Michigan!
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Hamlin Lake
This man-made enclosure created by the dam from which it gets its name holds 5,350 acres of water. Just north of Ludington, it’s easy to reach and offers plenty of places to access the ice.
Separated into two halves by a narrows, the larger southern section features a long, relatively deep channel that provides over-wintering for pike and musky. When the ice is thick and safe, look for a deep hole in the north side of the lake near the dunes. The steep drop-off there provides two things predators need: ready access to prey and deep water to retreat to.
The drop-off north of the narrows is also a good place to look for pike, walleye, and musky.
Much of the western side of Hamlin Lake is shallow, reaching depths of only 10 to 15 feet. Plenty of sunlight makes its way down, creating a fertile zone for aquatic vegetation and perfect habitat for perch, crappie, and bluegill. Ditto for the lake north of the narrows east of Wilson Hill Park, where the bluegill fishing is excellent through the hard water.
Early in the season, I’d be looking for panfish just off Ludington State Park and in Stearns Bay, but later in the winter, expect to move to deeper water.
Hamlin Lake fishing surveys in 2019 reveal healthy populations of bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, largemouth bass, pike, rock bass, freshwater drum, and musky.
Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell
Anglers in Cadillac already know where to go for their ice fishing adventures, and they can pretty much walk to the hard water. They’re blessed to have two awesome lakes near them, Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell, which are joined by the Clam Lake Canal, creating 3,730 acres of excellent ice fishing each winter.
Pike, walleye, bluegill, and crappie are abundant on the lakes, and half of Cadillac’s bottom is 15-feet deep or less, offering plentiful sunlight to encourage healthy weed beds. These beds provide plenty of forage, as well as prime habitat for panfish.
Lake Mitchell’s bottom is composed of almost all such shallows.
The trick to fishing these lakes in winter is to find the holes and adjacent drop-offs where predatory fish will over-winter and hunt.
Lake Mitchell offers two such holes, one near the north end and one close to the southern shore. The topography isn’t steep around either of them but instead offers a gentle slope that’s home to weed beds. You simply can’t ask for better hunting grounds for walleye and pike, and of course, as the water temperature drops, the panfish will cluster there, too, to escape the cold.
Lake Cadillac’s deep water is predominantly on the eastern end of the lake, near Holy Road. That’s where I’d be looking for pike and walleye once the mercury really drops.
The pike are numerous enough to complicate walleye fishing, but the rare monster makes it worth fighting them off the rest of the time.
Saginaw Bay
Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay is a world-class location for ice fishing for walleye.
The Bay’s long history of commercial fishing, as well as problems with onesie alewives, had dramatically depressed sport fishing, but careful conservation efforts have brought the walleye population roaring back, with lesser – but still notable – success with yellow perch.
The central basin runs closer to the western shore than the eastern, and it becomes accessible in early to mid-January when the ice thickens and extends shore to shore. Water depths are ideal for holding walleye through the winter, and plenty of cisco, whitefish, and other prey items – including yellow perch – keep the walleye fat through the cold.
Probably the best place to hunt trophy walleye in Michigan, Saginaw Bay is a must-visit for serious ice anglers.
Munising Bay
Munising Bay can be found on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, and its sheltered waters provide excellent opportunities for some unique freshwater species. Splake, whitefish, burbot, and lake trout are common in Munising Bay, and great fishing locations are easy to come by.
At the south end of the bay, you’ll find steep drop-offs into 40 feet of water, as well as a warm-water discharge in the southeast corner. It’ll be easy to spot by looking for the clustered ice shelters!
Fish are attracted to this warmer water like moths to a flame, but the fishing is also excellent just off the public pier and farther up the bay at Sand Point.
Keep in mind that the water in the central basin is very deep, often reaching 150 feet or more. And the vast expanse of ice really rewards excellent fishing electronics such as ice fishing sonars and a plan.
Lake Gogebic
Lake Gogebic is located in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and its 13,380 acres are prime walleye and yellow perch territory.