N/R - How much snow is on Higgins??

[ClamMan30]

Hi,

I will be up on Higgins (likely) this weekend, and was wondering if we will still be able to drive out with vehicles...with this recent addition of the snow, I am questioning whether or not that will be a good idea. Anyone that has information on this issue - and is willing to pass it on??

JL

[outsider]

4x4 was a must last weekend. So if you're talking about anything less this weekend, DONT. With the snow that we just got some 4x4's will have a bit of difficulty. If you are 4x4 I would take a shovel and some kitty litter to be on the safe side , and stay on the established trails. JUST my $ 's worth LOL
OUTSIDER

[WATTS]

We were up last weekend and didn't have any problems. All 3 trucks had 4x4. I would bring a shovel but leave the cat litter home. Cat litter is hard clay , so if you get it wet? Sand is far better, get it at home improvement centers in bags. Perch fishing was slow & small at the 20' sunken island due east between the west boat launch and Flynn island. The smelt were slow at night. There were lots of fish, my VEX was all lite up but the bite was slow. The best luck was to drop down any depth and SLOWLY jig up. they seemed to hit better when jigging up. We were just north of west launch, lots of shantys. GOOD LUCK WATTS

[outsider]

I've used kitty litter many times and never had a prob , your unstuck before it turns to mud. But sand is good , either way they'er both organic and harmless which is what matters :lol:
As far as the fishing and the new snow we got, The dink perch are'nt worth the effort. And you dont have to go out far enuf to have a prob to get to the smelt. IMO perch fishing on Higgins needs a break for a season or 2 to let the perch population regroup. To much pressure for to many seasons has knocked the population down to a 5" year class , give em a chance to grow.
OUTSIDER

[ClamMan30]

Outsider,

I think you may be right, even though I have only fished the lake once...I was talking with a guy from work today who has been fishing Higgins for almost 40 years - he said he remembers the times when big perch were the norm (all the time). Now he knows that good perch are hard to find. He remembers the same thing about big blue gills at Houghton Lake. Now, maybe things are overfished - when small ones are the norm, yet, you just don't catch that many, maybe they do need to multiply and grow.

I have been reading this site about how people have done this year (Higgins), and everyone reports "small perch". There's probably some guys that are catching some toads but aren't telling - but the majority of us here (vexilar users included) are catching the dinks to the he's close range - but still throwing them back. Actually, I threw all that I caught back last week, however, it sounds like the big ones are just spotty at best - and we should let them try to correct themselves over time. Lord knows there are some good predator fish in that lake and like the perch might say: "perchin ain't easy". By that I mean being a perch isn't easy work in a lake that breeds such a variety of voracious small fish eaters - browns, smallies, and pike.

Good luck out there the rest of the year...I'm looking for some batteries here - maybe I'll hear ya on 7-0

JL

[swampbuck]

for larger perch I would suggest that maybe you take a little different approach. try using live minnows on small hooks in 15-20 feet of water. look for areas with rocky bottom. I am talking about the shallow side of the drop-off.

a couple locations to try would be out from evergreen park on the east side of the n. state park or out in front of little creek.

it also might help if you cut a larger hole in your shanty, so that you can see down there better, that way you can move your bait away from the smaller ones and toward the larger ones. if you have never fished a larger hole in higgins you got to try it. its like fishing in a fish tank. and when a large pike or trout comes through you you might get a case of trout(buck) fever.

[beer and nuts]

I'm not sure I buy the stop fishing/let them rest theory on Higgins for perch.

For one, there is a ton of perch in Higgins, literally all along the dropoff on the entire lake one can catch small perch. With sooo many perch, how can they be pressured into growing(or not growing) small.

My thought is this, way too many smelt way too many perch tons of minnows(based on shallows in the summer) I think the lake doesn't have enough food to support the millions of smaller fish. Lack of food lack the size! And is it possible the perch are stunted!?

The smelt WILL crash one of these years, causeing the huge amount of lake trout to target the perch population. Reducing the abundant numbers. If one remembers the perch fishing was was very good when the smelt were at very low numbers, remember when Redmon Bait would sell smelt, smelt that came from Crystal Lake cause the couldn't catch any smelt from Higgins. Crash the smelt and watch the return of the perch. Of course thats my theory.