[Radar420]

I'm partial to Crystal Lake in Benzie County when it's safe - rainbows, Lakers, coho, burbot, smelt, and whitefish.

Depending where you go out of a 1/4 mi walk will get you to 50+ft deep IIRC

 

[Radar420]

I assume Crystal is safe right now? Is there any reason why it wouldn't be this late into the winter? This may be the play...

It's one of the last lakes to freeze but I've heard people are fishing it. Just not sure how much ice there is at the moment or what the weather this week will do to it (if anything).

My plan was to try for smelt up there this weekend though if I can get my lantern fixed.

 

[Radar420]

Call me a rookie, but what is the tactic with these fish? Lakers with jigging spoons and tip ups? What bait? Tungsten for smelt?

Anyone know of any inland lakes that offer decent walleye fishing?

Spoons, jigs, pimples etc (chrome and white are popular,) and tip ups with smelt or blues fished on the bottom in deep water for Lakers.

Small spoons with wax worms for whitefish near mud flats.

Minnows and wigglers fished in shallow water for rainbows.

Hali jigs and a half sabiki rig tipped with spikes and wax worms for smelt.

 

[Radar420]

Well, we went out on Crystal Lake last night for smelt. 3rd time skunkage. The ice was 4” of water on top of 6” of ice. The forecast calls for
Teens tonight and low 20s tomorrow night (Thursday), so you still have a stretch of useable ice out there.

I think if I was to go out on Crystal again, I’d probably join the shanties off the old boathouse foundation off shoreline road. There were 4 other shanties out there when we left (930pm), so hopefully they were catching something.


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Have you seen anyone fishing Herdsman Bay?