Portage Area Lakes??

Kingor3 · Jan 4, 2010

mising that kalamazoo ice report thread..and since i stick to the portage area looking for some success stories and such...all the lakes locally seem to be fishable now...west austin hogsett long and gourdeneck...the last being my fav and just visited it today for the first time and fishin was just as I remember ...good...dont know much about long austin or west, all pretty shallow right..couple deep holes??

ESADE · Jan 5, 2010

I'm new to the area, but went out on hogsett a couple times and there was no size to anything caught. went past austin a couple times around first ice, but never saw anybody out. Did get some decent perch on portage lake though

Julez81 · Jan 5, 2010

I have been getting my limit or damn close every day for the last week in portage (gills), Pm for info.

Kingor3 · Feb 26, 2010

curious who in the area is reportin any good fishing for gills, crappie, or perch....im always fishin the same lakes and need to try something different...i'll start with decent gills on gourdneck 35 fow getting limits half the time and been seein some BIG gills on Indian lake as well not as many though..good luck

Julez81 · Feb 27, 2010

Things have slowed down on the ice for me. I actually went out yesterday and started checking the boat out and stuff. Getting my maintenance done. Gonna probably hit the river next weekend
Taking my fiance out this afternoon. Gonna proly run tip ups and look for some perch.

Kingor3 · Feb 27, 2010

started goin for quality vs quanity and Indian has fat slabs...8 gills over 8 inches this morning...love those filets

Bowslayer · Feb 27, 2010

I fished Hogsett and Austin this afternoon. Had a nice redear within the first minute of the day and nothing after it. Went to Austin at 5pm and ended up with 20 gills and a small crappie in 1.5 hours. The gills weren't huge by any means, but very tasty.
I haven't been on Indian in quite some time, first ice produced some huge gills and then things shut down, nothing but little guys. The person I fish with on Indian (my only access) has a very mean wife that won't let him go out and play! I'll probably be on Austin again tomorrow.
Has anyone caught any muskies on Austin using tip-ups? I've been trying a lot and cannot seem to get one to bite. The spearers have been making a nice dent in the population, but I can't seem to get one on hook and line. Any tips?

Kingor3 · Feb 28, 2010

i wish i had some pointers on musky but i dont know **** about it always do poorly with tipups have definately seen a couple of those muskies though at local bait shops and its baffling that they can live in such shallow water, sounds like long has em too eh? I've actually been hittin little indian, accessible through the nazerne camp boat launch and theyve got slabs in there too, gotta fight off dink perch to get em but they are there seems like they are they hittin the first time down or not at all....hogsett has been slow for me too, marking tons of fish but catching dinks...i just walked over to gourdeneck one day at 10 limited by 1pm

Julez81 · Feb 28, 2010

The only Musky I have caught were on opening day 2 years ago on Lower Crooked. I have seen them in Austin, but not caught one yet. There was a guy a couple weeks ago that had a Musky, on a tip up, on Austin that wouldn't fit thru his 8" hole, he tried to drill it bigger and the fish got off. At least thats what I read. I haven't targeted them thru the ice, might try soon or next year. I am doing better with my tip ups this year and have been catching pike almost everywhere I go so it might be worth a shot. I really don't know where to go to catch fish right now, maybe I'll come down to Gourdneck or Austin and try for some gills and drop a couple tip ups.

Bowslayer · Feb 28, 2010

Just got off of Austin, fished from 2 to dark with a real wet foot. Someone got a little auger crazy with a 10 incher and made a ton of holes. Unfortunately my foot found one of them. I did end up with a limit of 6-8 inch gills. Had to catch about 75 to make a limit. I tried my tip ups again with no luck whatsoever. I even had a nice 30+ inch pike stare at my bluegill jig for no less than 10 minutes, he just wouldn't bite. That would have been a lot of fun on 2 pound test and a schooley rod, a battle I'm sure I would have lost. Time to clean some fish!

Kingor3 · Feb 28, 2010

nice slayer...austin continues to suprise me...doesn't make sense but the reports are always good this year on austin...crazy would love to have seen that pike starin at the jig..i shouldve went to gourdneck, but went back to little indian only kept 12 but 7 are absolute pigs i guess thats why i keep coming back frustrating though catching dink dink dink then slab..guess i better give austin a shot

Bowslayer · Feb 28, 2010

Dink Dink Dink Decent is the story of Austin. There's a lot of small gills out there to the point of being silly. I can usually find a hole that has some bigger fish in it and stay on it til it dries up. I caught 15 7-8's in the same hole in 25 minutes today but fought off the little ones for three hours sight fishing in my shanty. I also caught a huge rock bass pushing 13 inches, I thought it was a big crappie at first, but I wasn't too dissapointed.
The ice is getting very slushy and nasty just like most lakes, walking around in it definitely sucks.

Julez81 · Mar 3, 2010

Hey guys. I just got a call from my dad. He wants me to take a business friend of his ice fishing for Perch. I was thinking of trying Hogsett or Limekiln. You guys know where do get some decent Perch right now?

Bowslayer · Mar 3, 2010

I caught quite a few on Barton 2 weeks ago right off the launch. I wouldn't necessarily call them decent, but plentiful! I did take home 15 7-9 inchers.

Julez81 · Mar 3, 2010

Alrighty thanks, I know if I have to, I can always catch fish there. I do a little better across the lake for Perch as far as quantity goes, but I have found them to be right in front of the access sometimes too. You catch them on minnows or like a mousie? #2 jigging rap has been money for me on Barton fishing Perch.