Houghton Lake Memorial Weekend 2012 Fishing Report

Sunfish at Reedsburg Dam

There's good news and bad news.

Good news first.

The Walleye and Bluegill are biting on Houghton and Higgins Lakes. I'm not positive but I've heard the Bluegill are biting on St Helen lake also.

In Houghton Lake: Best places are near the weed beds along the south shore, west shore and the middle weed bed. Also fishing should be good in the East Bay near Harveys Marine. The North Bay holds some nice sized Northern Pike and Walleye.

In Higgins Lake: Rock Bass, Perch and Bluegills are being reported along the west/south shoreline in 15-20 ft of water.

Nice size Crappie at Reedsburg Dam

In St Helen: Some of the best Bluegill fishing in the state is near the weed bed off Artesia beach (near the west end.

Bad news.

The fish were biting at the Cut River but have slowed considerably. Best times for fishing would be late morning/early evening.

Reedsburg Dam flooding side

Reedsburg Dam also had great fishing on the low side but the water level has dropped considerably in the past week. Fishing has dropped off BUT fishing on the flooding side of the dam has started to pick up for Bass and Bluegill. So Reedsburg is a toss up for this weekend.

Backus Lake no report due to high winds but Bluegills and Perch plus some Northern Pike and Bass are always possible. Try near weed beds along shore or in the middle.

Backus Dam off M-18 fishing has been poor due to high fast moving water but could improve over the weekend.

Rock Bass at Reedsburg Dam

Weather forecast is for plenty of sunshine and high temperatures in the 80's. Great for sunbathing not so much for fishing. Also wind predictions are between 10-15 mph. So mornings and evenings should be optimal with lower temps and less wind. Fishing should be good all day.

Best Bait I have been getting hits on both live bait and plastics. Check with your local bait shop for which is working best for what your after.

Fishing Dead Stream Flooding Mar 20,2012

Crappie near Reedsburg Dam

I had a pretty successful day of fishing on Dead Stream Flooding by the Reedsburg Dam. I went out around 2 in the afternoon and worked my way around from the boat launch to the dam and back before finally finding a spot with the fish biting. I'm not sure if it was the spot or the time as it was near 5 before I tried the last spot where I finally had a bite.

First catch was a small (maybe 18" Northern Pike), then a Largemouth Bass. A short move to get away from the wind brought me to an area of dried cattails and clumps of vegetation. It was also a hot spot for Sunfish and Crappie most bigger than 8".

I was fishing nightcrawlers on a 1/32 oz orange jighead about 12" below a weighted orange bobber. Seems I had a bite in each direction I cast my line.

The water levels are high right now from winter runoff so the area I was in may not be accessible in the summer when water levels are low. I know the area is filled with tree stumps that are easily seen from shore in the summer.

Backus Creek Spring 2012

I plan to try kayak fishing this year to reach several areas around Houghton Lake that are not accessible by boat in the summer. Fish are pretty much undisturbed in these areas so I expect the fishing to be very good to excellent.

One area is near a Backus Creek dam. It was a busy area last summer with many people fishing from the shore. The water level was low last year and some people were walking out on what is normally water covered vegetation. In the evenings fish can be seen breaking the surface just outside of casting range. If the fish won't come to me, I'll go to them.

I have already had a great deal of success catching Northerns, Largemouths, Sunfish, Bluegill, Crappie and Dogfish (Bowfin). I believe this to be a great year of fishing. If you haven't been fishing in awhile this could be a good year to take it up again. Dust off the old fishing rod and grab some friends and get out to the water, drop a line in and relax. Introduce a youngster to fishing this year.

Backus Lake Update: Logging is still going on near Backus Lake and the heavy equipment is taking it's toll on the dirt roads. Though their adding dirt and grading there are still some areas you won't be able to get a camper past. Hopefully by May they'll be finished and have the road back to an accessible level for campers.

Come up and see us soon.

Ken S

Houghton Lake Fishing Report-Reedsburg Dam Pt 2

Dead Stream by Reedsburg Dam

Hi Again
It was a beautiful day here in Houghton Lake, with temperatures close to 60 degrees. So I took advantage and went fishing. I jumped into the Ford Explorer and headed west along M-55. My first stop was Lymans on the Lake bait shop to get some live shiners. Now what I call shiners are called "blues" by the folks at Lymans. Their a bit larger than minnows. I was after Northern Pike today. As I mentioned in my previous post the Pike are biting at Reedsburg Dam (on the riverside west bank). I arrived at my destination around 11:00. Once I made it down the hill and had my folding chair setup, and after several tries to get a blue on my hook, I was ready to fish.

With my brand new orange, weighted styrofoam bobber made for using in foam covered waters, I cast my line to where I thought the big ones would be waiting. I expertly dropped the bait just this side of the fast moving current. The bobber no more than hit the water and it disappeared under the foam. Like any good angler I  gave the pole the required jerk back and up over my head. After all I was after the big one and I needed to be sure the hook was set. But there was no tension in the line. Still my boober was gone. I heaved back again expecting the pull and jerk of the hooked fish. Nothing. Then I realized I had forgot to reset the bail on reel after I had made my cast. The strike had been so quick I forgot to give the reel a crank. So instead of setting the hook I had paid out an extra twenty feet of line.

I figured the fish was long gone or had swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker (maybe even my brand new orange weighted styrofoam bobber made for using in foam covered water). And was happily sitting under some rock and laughing at me (if it is possible for a fish to laugh). I began reeling in line until I had taken up the slack and gave the pole an easy flick. Bam! The pole came alive as the Pike on the other end decided to make a fight of it.

Now I don't usually go for Northern Pike. I go after Walleye, Perch, Sunfish, Bluegill and Bass. Just whatever happens to be biting where I wet my line. But this is the first time catching Pike in a river. Not only do you have to work the fish to the shore but also guide it around the rocks. All told I caught 5 Northern Pike, 3 were of legal size (24"), the other two were only about 20" long. There was a sixth one but I only had him for about 5 seconds and my line broke, setting my brand new orange, weighted styrofoam bobber made for using in foam covered water, free to float around the currents. It did eventually make it's way to shore so I was able to retrieve it. Hey, it's not the money (approximately .70 cents) it's the principal of the thing.


Until next time, stay safe, stay dry and hang on to your bobber.

Ken