Saginaw Bay - Dock Reports

Useful Information: Great Lakes Buoy Data, Inner Saginaw Bay Marine Forecast, Outer Saginaw Bay Marine Forecast, Lake Huron Open Water Marine Forecast, Surface Temp Map, Sebewaing Bay Cam, Huron County Caseville Beach Cam, Thomas Marina Web Cam, Great Saginaw Bay Map with Reef Locations, Area Map of Bait Shops and Launches

Past Year Reports 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

Apr-24th-2013 - Water levels have crested in most central Michigan rivers but flooding remains widespread and we just got another 1/2 inch last night. Who knows how long before the boat ramps on the area rivers are back to normal but expect mud, wood and other flood debris for a few weeks. Before all the rain and high water, channel markers and docks at boat launchs were starting to be put in.

At Linwood: Fair to good catches of walleye trolling Husky-Jerks in 16 to 18 feet of water. Find the clean water and you’ll find the fish.

At Bay City: Some walleye reported taken somewhere east of the Spoils Island. Again, find the clean water.

Nothing much going on up the east side of the bay from Quanicassee to Port Austin.

Perch fishing is good on the lower Kawkawlin River off the Bridge at State Park Drive. Excellent perch fishing was reported from the lower Saginaw River from the river mouth upstream to Essexville, with a lot of 10” and 11” perch taken on minnows. Walleye fishing in Saginaw Bay off the mouth of the Saginaw River was also excellent, with walleyes hitting jigs and minnows or about anything else thrown at them. Some channel cats were being taken out of the Hot Ponds.

Perch fishing was really excellent on the Quanicassee and Sebewaing Rivers early last week, but it kind of tapered off by the weekend. Spring rains this week may bring in some fresh fish, but don’t wait too long to get out there. Too much rain can be as bad as too little. Perch fishing hasn’t really cranked up on the Pigeon River in Caseville yet, but the water is colder outside of Sand Point. Not many people were fishing the pier, but the weather out there was windy almost all week.

It would be a good idea to call ahead to check current conditions before you make plans for the upcoming weekend - with all the rain and the rain yet to come the rest of this week, fishing conditions are sure to change.

Quanicassee River: Limits of large perch over the weekend on perch rigs & shiners from M-25 bridge downstream to the bay. Fishing not as good off the old State Road bridges.

Sebewaing: Good catches of perch in the river over the weekend. Perch running 8” to 11”; average catch 20 to 25 per angler. Perch rigs & shiners.

Caseville: Some perch being taken off the docks in the city marina. Breakwall has been empty, but the last of the ice just moved out over the weekend.

Last-ice perch anglers were doing fairly well off Newman and Newburg roads in 5 to 6 feet of water. Average catch was 10 to 25 perch per angler, 8 to 10 inches in size, and the perch were hitting both minnows and beads. Some perch were being caught in the morning off Bay City State Park, and some walleye in the evening There’s not much going on east of Bay City; the ice is bad, with lots of holes, thin spots, and pile-ups. A few boats are going out of Quanicassee generally staying in the river in search of perch, but with little success. Still some activity on thin ice at Sebewaing, Bayshore Marina near Bay Port, and in the marina basins of Caseville. Success for perch is slow and spotty at all of these locations.

Fishing Report:
Lots of walleye activity 3 to 3 ½ miles off Erickson Road, and also out near the Spark Plug off Linwood. (Anglers beware; there are several pressure cracks out there between shore and where you are going.) Good numbers of walleyes being taken, with some running to 4 or 5 lb. On the east side there was a lot of activity off Vanderbilt Park at Quanicassee for perch, but fishing was spotty. Anglers after walleyes were going to the Slot and further and were bringing back fish at most locations.

There was very little activity from Sebewaing to Bay Port Sunday, some anglers out after perch in the marina and in the Sebewaing river channel. The perch and pike spearing at Wildfowl Bay off the Mud Creek access site just south of Sand Point is reported slow. There are still some open water spots out there, so you need to watch where they’re going. Fishing in the harbor and marinas in Caseville found the perch finicky over the weekend. Those who fished with live minnows did better than the bead fishermen, those who use a soft plastic bead of various colors on a Russian hook.

Saginaw River on Saturday and Sunday was the busy with over 250 shanties on the river between Saginaw and Bay City on Saturday. Walleye were being taken just about everywhere, a lot of sorting through sub legal fish is necessary, but most are getting 1 or 2 legal walleyes and some had 3 or 4. Areas with lots of fishermen included Ojibway Island in Saginaw, Zilwaukee, Veterans Park along M-13 south of Bay City, around the Boys & Girls Club off Salzburg Road, the other Veterans Park near the M-25 bridge in Bay City, the area just downstream of the Independence Bridge, and the mouth of the river. In addition to walleye, a couple of nice catches of big perch (everything over 8”) came from the vicinity of the river mouth.

Jan 16th 2013 - After heavy rains last Friday night and near-record high temperatures on Saturday, ice conditions on greater Saginaw Bay became unsafe in most places. Anglers are cautioned to stay off the ice until the colder weather coming this week has a chance to make new ice. Ice fishing over shallow water for perch should be possible again after a few days of frigid weather.

River fishing for walleye on the Tittbawassee and Saginaw rivers was pretty good at mid-week last week, but rising muddy water and floating ice chunks made fishing nearly impossible after Saturday noon. Other area rivers including the Au Gres, Pine, Kawkawlin, Quanicassee, and Sebewaing are high and muddy, but long-rod anglers are getting a few perch in all of them. Fishing is generally rated as slow about everywhere. A few pike and walleye also came out of the Hot Pond over the weekend on crankbaits and jigs. Surf anglers fishing spawn off the mouth of Whitney Drain at Singing Bridge were taking a few nice steelheads but were putting in a lot of hours for each fish caught.

Jan 10th 2013 - Monday the ice blew out from roughly Finn Rd to the north/northeast and west leaving just a few areas with a couple hundred yards of shore ice on the west side. The east side held pretty tight but had a lot of big cracks open up, and the continued offshore winds the next couple days may do in a lot of that ice too. Wildfowl Bay also has lots of open water and thin ice areas. Most areas, with the exception of some marina basins, will be shot before the weekend. BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU GO OUT.

At Palmer Rd/ Pine River: Lots of activity here over the weekend; Steve estimated 300 people. They fished 2 to 3 feet of water. Perch action wasn’t red-hot, but most people got a few keepers. Ten to fifteen perch kept per angler was about the norm.

At Linwood: Lots of activity in the Linwood Marina basin and out front of the marina, and most people got a few perch. Guys casting tube jigs into the open water around the bubblers seemed to be doing better than the ice anglers.

At Quanicassee: LOTS of activity at Vanderbilt Park! There are estimateds of up to 500 people there last Saturday. Catches off Quanicassee were good earlier in the week, but the mass of humanity that descended on the place over the weekend apparently spooked the fish out of there. Fishing may pick up again the first of this week as the crowd declines….if the ice holds up.

Activity is limited to inside the marina basins at Sebewaing, Bayshore Marina near Bay Port and Caseville. They’re getting a few good perch at all locations, lots of sub-legal walleye in Caseville, and a few pike being taken by the spearers in Wildfowl Bay.

Nov-16th - 2012 - Yesterday perch fishing was hot, In the Saginaw River, at the mouth, at the island, past the island it did not seem to matter a whole lot. Hit the channel edges and load up, perch rigs and minnows. Those fishing walleye in and around these areas also did well trolling stick baits.

Caseville: Minnows are in the harbor and those fishing are starting to pick up some perch in the river 6 -8 inches with an occasional 10 mixed in, minnows and jigging ice fishing rods and perch eyes doing well too.

Saginaw River: The lower river fishing is day to day for walleye.

Saginaw River: Walleye are being caught near Bay City. Some are fishing up near the confluence of the Titan and the Shiawassee River (Wicks park) reports suggest the fishing success is day to day. Shore anglers caught perch in the lower river.

Saginaw River - getting perch at the mouth, and out from Bay City Yacht Club. (perch rigs/shiners)

Slow fishing from Quanicassee to Caseville. Hit or miss on bluegills and crappies at marinas. Small perch at Sebewaing, Caseville, and Quanicassee in the rivers. Boats had varying success for perch, but the better catches were from deeper water along the Shipping Channel.

Aug -20th - 2012 - Well, last week was the best week for fishing in the last three weeks in greater Saginaw Bay …as long as you’re after perch! Walleye fishing was slow to non-existent at all ports and most anglers had switched over to perch fishing. There is a chronic shortage of shiner minnows at most bait shops, as this is the toughest time of year for the minnow catchers to get them and wholesalers’ supplies of minnows caught last fall are exhausted. Just the same, if you can get minnows you can catch perch out there. A word about walleye, walleye fishing always slows down in Saginaw Bay at this time of year for a couple of reasons. First of all, a lot of the walleyes have moved out of the bay into deeper water to get away from warm summer water temperatures. Secondly, all of the baitfish born this spring have now reached a size where they are attractive to walleye and other predators, and the forage base in the bay has reached its annual peak. So food is at its most abundant point of the year and the fish don’t have to look very far to get a meal.

Good perch fishing is reported from several locations, including the abandoned shipping channel just north of Bay City (there were six boats fishing along the old channel at 10 AM this morning), the vicinity of the Spark Plug (buoys 11 & 12), the Black Hole, and 17 feet of water off Linwood. Perch being brought in averaged 8 to 10 inches with some larger than that. Boats fishing out of Sebewaing are mostly going for perch fishing up by Lone Tree Island or going across the Bay and fishing the areas mentioned above; the few guys still trying for walleye aren’t having much success. At Caseville, the traffic was mostly pleasure boats as the town celebrated the annual Cheeseburger Festival.

Aug -8th - 2012 -Windy weather made for light fishing pressure on greater Saginaw Bay and southern Lake Huron last week. There just weren’t many times when boat anglers could fish comfortably. The weekend was particularly light for pressure, with hot, muggy threatening weather on Saturday and high winds on Sunday. Very few boats ventured forth. Nevertheless there are fish out there to be caught for the versatile and persistent angler. Perch are starting to turn on in the inner bay, as they usually do in August.

Walleye fishing is pretty much confined to the area north and west of Buoys 1&2. Perch are starting to bite around the Spark Plug and in the Black Hole. The biggest problem the perch fishermen have (besides the weather) is finding shiners for bait at the local bait shops. (Wholesalers have used up most of the shiners they caught in the spring and often substitute fathead minnows which most anglers consider an inferior perch bait.) Very little fishing activity at Quanicassee, Sebewaing and Bay Port last week, but pier anglers fishing right at the end of the Caseville pier were getting good catches of smallmouth bass on worms or minnows fished under slip bobbers.

Jul -23rd - 2012 - Field Reporter Paul Smith's Report -The fishing was tough and the water was rough with 2 foot plus waves the crew looked more like disco dancers in the back of the boat than fishermen. I saw Blue make a couple of moves that would have made Travolta envious. We fished the eastside of the inner Bay and ran spinner rigs and crawlers, 30 - 40' back with 1.5 oz in-line weights, and 1/4 oz Hot n Tots, 40 -45' back. Both programs caught fish we just couldn't get a good bite going. We ended up with 7 nice walleye for our efforts with about a half dozen undersize throwbacks.

At Caseville: Fishing off Oak Point and the reefs slowed down over mid-week, probably due to winds and weather, but should pick up again after the weather stabilizes.

At Caseville: Walleye fishing was excellent off Oak Point, around the Steeples north of Big Charity Island, and around the reefs off Sleeper State Park.

Best fishing was definitely out in the vicinity of buoys 1 & 2, at the very end of the shipping channel. Trollers are working the whole area, in anywhere from 19 to 30 feet of water. Lots of fish being taken, but a lot of sorting through short fish also. Some good catches were also reported from the edges of the weedbeds closer to shore. Conversely, the Slot and the east side of the bay is pretty quiet right now with not much success over there. Nothing much going on around the Callahan Reef at the south end of the bay either, although some fish were taken from 7 feet of water around the Spoils Island. Most trollers from the east side are crossing over The Bar and fishing the deep zone just east of the shipping channel, or heading for Buoys 1 & 2

5-22-12 -Some bigger fish were taken by those jigging in the river, although most boats have resorted to trolling the open waters of Saginaw Bay . The MWT winner weighed in just over 40 pounds on 10 fish jigging by Vets Bridge —no more than 1000 feet from the tourney dock. Otherwise those out in the bay are sorting through a lot of sublegal fish—a ratio of what right now looks to be about 3 to 1 sublegal to legal fish especially on the east side of the Bay. There are also a lot of big cats and drums (master angler sized of both) being caught too, unless you bump up the trolling speed to 1.6 or higher. With the water settling out more and more everyday, blues and purples have worked well when trolled way out from the boat; otherwise chartreuse, antifreeze, pinks, and orange have still been good colors in the dirty water if you can find it.

Good walleye fishing at a variety of locations, including; 10 to 18 feet off Linwood, 17 feet east of the Spark Plug near the Bar, 6 to 8 feet off the Trailer Park just north of the end of Patterson Road, the Callahan Reef (reports of a lot of sublegal fish over there), 12 to 14 feet in the Slot from Oakhurst to the tip of Fish Point, (best boat access from Quanicassee, Sunset Bay Marina, or Sebewaing), and the north end of the Slot from the Buoy south outside the islands (Access from Bay Port or Bayshore Marina). Most keepers are running 15 to 18 inches. Anglers drifting and casting jigs in Wildfowl Bay are also picking up walleyes, some a bit bigger than already mentioned. Boat anglers from Caseville are mostly going down and fishing the top of the Slot inside Sand Point. Archers continue to pursue carp and gar in the shallows, cuts, and canals. The best of the carp-shooting will probably be over pretty soon.

5-2-12 - Most walleye fishing has been concentrated around the mouth of the Saginaw River and the Spoils Island. A few boats were also fishing 7 to 8 feet of water off Bay City State Park and the mouth of the Kawkawlin River. Boat anglers are trolling and vertical jigging in the Lower Saginaw River at many locations from the river mouth up to about the Independence Bridge. Anglers fishing the Hot Pond channel are mainly catching and releasing a mix of bass and pike.

Not too many boats going out of Quanicassee last week, and those that were, headed west to the area off Finn Road. They were trolling 7 to 11 feet of water and using both crankbaits and crawler harnesses and were getting some walleyes. Success was rated as a few fish per boat, but at least one limit was taken from 6 feet of water. There was even a one coho salmon taken off Finn Road last week. Panfish action in Sunset Bay and Sebewaing marinas was slow last week, probably due to the cold weather lowering water temperatures and scotching the spawning urge of crappies and sunfish. Anglers casting in the lower Sebewaing River were catching a mix of bass, pike and walleye, although the walleyes were few in number. A number of catch & release bass anglers were fishing off Bay Port and around Beadle Bay, and they reported success was slow probably also due to cold water temperatures. Fishing was slow at Caseville, with just a few smallmouths being caught & released off the pier.

Mar -28th - 2012 - Perch fishing in Saginaw Bay off the mouth of the Saginaw River along the shipping channel from Buoy 22 to Buoy 18, just past the Spoils Island, was excellent during the early part of last week, with a lot of 8”to 12” perch taken. Unfortunately, fishing tapered off over the weekend. Shore anglers fishing in the boat basin and channel at Finn Road got a few 7 to 8 inch perch. The Quanicassee River was reported slow for perch, with lots of people trying it for awhile, coming and going. Shore anglers fishing the drain at Garner Road were sorting out some 7 to 8 inch perch.

Perch fishing seems to be pretty well done in the Sebewaing River, but boat anglers going out to the end of the channel off Sebewaing were still doing pretty well. Perch fishing was reported slow at Bay Port and Caseville.

At Sebewaing: Lots of perch fishing activity in the Sebewaing River over the past week. Lots of sorting, same as everywhere else, but some were able to sort out enough nice ones for a mess. Perch fishing at Bay Port and Bayshore Marina was hit and miss last week, but both spots are worth a look on any given day you happen to be up there.

At Caseville: Lots of shore fishing activity last weekend, also a lots of sorting, but a few really nice perch taken. Pier anglers last week also took a couple whitefish and a few walleyes, as well as the odd brown.

At Sebewaing, Some perch and also a few nice crappies and bluegills are being out of the marina basin last week. Success is running hot & cold. The Sebewaing River remains froze over with the cold weather over the weekend, but the ice is rather thin to walk on and not fishable. Fishing pressure on the bay from Sebewaing north to Geiger Road is very light and ice conditions are very poor. At Bay Port, anglers using air boats are getting some very nice perch, and other anglers on foot are doing well too, but really need to use caution and spud their way out.

At Caseville: Ice conditions are poor outside the city marina, fishing pressure is light, and mostly small perch and sublegal walleyes are being caught.

Saginaw River: Some walleye were being taken near the confluence of the Shiawassee and Tittabawassee rivers upstream from Rust Avenue, but walleye fishing was better from Lee Street in Saginaw downstream to Cass Avenue at the south end of Bay City. There were several good days last week with most boats sorting some keepers out of a lot of sublegal fish. Keepers were running 15 to 18 inches with occasional fish from 4 to 5 lb taken. Boat anglers were casting or vertical jigging and jig heads baited with minnows were the standard bait. Down in Bay City proper, boat anglers were taking some nice catches of perch in front of the Bay Aggregate cut. Walleye anglers were sorting through a lot of short fish. Ice at the river mouth made launching at the Patterson Road ramp too difficult, but launches near the Independence Bridge were useable.

Caseville was filled with revelers at the Cheeseburger Festival, and few if any were out fishing there.

July 26th-2011 - Walleyes are still being caught to a limited extent in relatively shallow water off Finn Road (3 to 10 ft) by trollers long-lining crawler harnesses over the top of the weed-beds (no bottom bouncers). Some walleyes are still being caught out of the Slot off Sebewaing and Bay Port, off Linwood in 19 feet of water, 10 to 19 feet off the west side of the Coryeon Reef (the Bar) and out beyond Buoys 1 and 2. Crawler harnesses are still producing well, with purple, red & silver or blue & silver blades being good colors. Hot-n-tots are also producing with black & gold as a hot color.

At Bay Port: State site is somewhat shutdown at this time as the dredging crew is there finally starting the clean out. Anglers making it out were hand lining a few walleye in from some of the deeper holes and weed banks in Wildfowl Bay, but those going out around the Islands or off of Sand Point report slow fishing with just a few fish managed by those making the trip out. Water temps up that way remain pretty cold as it had just began to creep into the upper 60s but this last cold front and northerly winds brought colder water back in and has cooled it down back into upper 50’s and low 60s.

At Caseville: Pretty quiet. A few anglers fishing along the breakwall and river catching some bullheads, small perch, sheephead, and walleye(at night). Most of the boat anglers are going out of Bay Port.

Surface water temperatures in the inner bay are reported to be about 69 degrees after the recent warm spell. Here’s hoping it doesn’t keep getting warmer too fast and drive the walleyes out to deeper water like last year .

At Quanicassee:, Trollers are going either west to the Callahan Reef or northeast into the south end of the Slot as far north as Sebewaing and doing well on walleye. They’re also getting perch, catfish and sheepshead incidental to walleye. At Sebewaing, trollers are going straight off the channel in the Slot and south from there. Fishing is also fair outside the islands as far north as Sand Point, and at deeper holes in Wildfowl Bay, but it’s better as you go south.

Not much happening at Caseville yet. A few walleye taken at night off the end of the pier. Carp are continuing their annual rituals in the river and marina basins there, making things murky.

Carp are starting to move into cuts, rivers and marina basins in earnest as the weather warms a bit, and bowfishermen are out after them. The carp in the marina basins will probably put a crimp in bass and panfish fishing while they are there in numbers, as other fish tend to leave until the carp are done with their annual romp in the swamp.

For the archers among us, carp are just now starting to move into the rivers and cuts to spawn. They are at least two weeks behind schedule, just like all the other fish runs this spring.

At Caseville: Some walleye taken off the pier by night fishermen. Not many boats out yet.

The Saginaw River: At the mouth boats are getting out, and the skid piers were put in last Friday. Walleye fishing out on Saginaw Bay is still reported slow. The fish are late in showing up due to the lingering cold weather and ice.

The Quanicassee River: There’s some shore fishing activity at the public access site and also at the Old State Road bridge, and they’re picking up a few perch at both locations. Lots of sorting, with keepers running 6 to 8 inches. Mornings are best, but ice has been forming every night and this has hampered fishing.

At Sunset Bay Marina : Ice anglers inside the marina have been catching some small bluegills and sunfish.

At Sebewaing: Ice anglers in the marina have been getting some perch, but the ice is badly honeycombed so be careful! Shore fishing is possible later in the day in the Sebewaing River . Cold night-time temperatures have been causing the river to ice over at night, which hampers shore anglers in the morning until it opens up later in the day.

At Caseville: A few shore anglers have been out on the Pigeon River , but without much success as yet. Like Sebewaing the river ices over at night and doesn’t become fishable till later in the day.

Mar 22nd 2011 - Ice conditions around greater Saginaw Bay are deteriorating quickly and anglers venturing forth are cautioned to be very careful out there. Don’t go out alone, tell your next of kin where you are going.

Inner Bay: Fair perch fishing has been reported off Newman Road the middle of last week, but now it’s mostly smaller fish. Lots of small perch being taken in the marina basin at Linwood. The launch at the mouth of the Saginaw River is almost (but not quite) clear of ice as of Sunday evening. The Quanicassee River is open, boats are launching there, and shore anglers are getting some perch. One whitefish was also caught there last week. Cuts from Quanicassee to Fish Point are open and shore-fishable. Ice anglers in the marina basin at Sunset Bay Marina were catching some small bluegills and sunfish. Ice has become unsafe from Sebewaing northward along the east side of the bay. Some ice remains in the marina basins but it is not to be trusted. Some anglers are using airboats to go out for walleye and perch. The Sebewaing, Pigeon and Pinnebog rivers are all open, running high and muddy with a lot of floating debris, making fishing difficult.

Anyone going that far out to fish walleyes needs to be cognizant of changing ice conditions, should tell someone where they’re going and when they expect to be back and they should definitely carry both a cell phone and a GPS. Walleye are great fish, but they’re not worth dying for.

Saginaw River - Ice conditions are unsafe in the Saginaw River except at the mouth, where they’re just not good. Not much being caught off the mouth of the Saginaw River last week either. On the Tittabawassee, boats are launching at Center Road, but anglers should beware of ice jams down near the confluence of the Tittabawassee, Shiawassee, and Saginaw rivers. Some walleye were being caught, but the run is clearly not in yet. Small boats are also launching at the Gordonville Road ramp just south of Midland, but fishing up near the Dow dam is still slow. Anglers should try casting instead of vertical jigging, as water levels are still relatively low. Get that bait away from the boat.

Saginaw River - Ice conditions are bad everywhere except near the mouth where they are just not good. Not much fishing activity. Too much ice to launch a boat, but the ice is too weak to stand on.

Feb 24th 2011 - From Dock Reporter Terry T - Have not been out at all-weather and bad ice has kept me off- 14 guys went out last Sunday and not one keeper - Everyone there is a real good deal going on June 18th & 19th at Vets Park in Bay City-we are taking wounded vets out for a day of fishing-hope to have a hundred boats to get them all out. If someone hasn’t heard about the event click the link to Walleyes for Warriors or call Nels Larsen 989 837 2681. Leave a message on recorder if I am not by the phone.

The thaw last week did not help ice anglers in mid-Michigan. Conditions deteriorated and waters in and near the mouth of the rivers became turbid. Fishing picked up at one point but shut down with the snow storm. A few walleye were caught in shallow waters off Pine River and Palmer Roads. Areas of open water were reported off Linwood and the mouth of the Kawkawlin River. Some perch were caught off the Bay City State Park, the trailer park at the end of Patterson Road, and off Vanderbilt Park. Fish shallow, 5 to 7 feet of water. Fishing off the east side of the bay was light. Ice near the mouth of creeks is not good and Wildfowl Bay had a lot of bad spots. Lake trout were caught off Caseville before muddy water from the Pigeon River shut it down.

Saginaw River - The recent thaw coupled with heavy snowfall has produced dangerous ice conditions.

Inner Bay - Some walleyes being taken just south of the Black Hole, with anglers going out of Erickson and Linwood Rds and fishing 20 feet of water or more. Walleye anglers continue to fish The Slot off Thomas Road. Perch fishing is slow and spotty all over the bay, but anglers who are persistent and move often are still getting a few decent fish. There’s still a fair amount of effort near shore by walking anglers after perch around Vanderbilt Park, Sebewaing marina, and similar locations. A few lake trout are being taken just off the mouth of the Pigeon River at Caseville.

Saginaw River - Lots of sublegal walleyes being caught from the mouth upstream to Saginaw, but very few legal fish yet. Watch out for that river ice this week!!!

Saginaw River - Sublegal walleye continue but a few keepers were caught at Essexville near the Anderson Marina and the Coast Guard Station. Those fishing near the Independence Bridge have also caught the occasional keeper. Smaller walleyes were caught between Bay City and Saginaw. A few perch were taken off Patterson Road near the mouth.

Saginaw River - The ice is not safe yet so anglers are advised to stay off the river and wait for a longer stretch of much colder weather.

From Dock Reporter Jose - Fished Vanderbilt both days this weekend. Tons of perch swimming around in about 5 foott of water. Caught around 40 all weekend but had to weed the small ones out. Seen some jumbos in the hole so we know they are out there but the small ones proved to be more agressive. Suprisingly they were hitting between 12 and 3 o'clock both days. Lots of ice around a foot or so.