Marquette lakes and Pike.

[DaWaitaz]

Going to Independence for three or four days this January.  Wouldn't mind spending a day of it on some good pike water. If you were to pick one lake out of Independence, Teal, Deer, Saux Head or any of the other lakes in the Marquette area....which one would you set Tip ups on?  Depending on the weather we may take to the road one day and try another lake....or we may just stay put hard to say..we have five guys, two shanties and a couple of snowmachines...we normally fish Gogebic but we were up on the Yellow dog this spring and liked Big Bay so well we thought we would come back. Loved the Lumberjack tavern...nice folks, great establishment and everyone we talked to were cordial and pleasant.

[srobocop]

Independence is such a good lake for everything and every year i hear about multiple people getting big pike out of there. I personally don't go for pike so i couldn't recommend a good lake for that, but if you're willing to make the trip, there are big muskies in Lake Michigamme.

[referee]

No pike in Teal, thank God. Indy would be my choice for pike.

[jjmoser]

I dont have much experiance with the UP but I went to a lake in Qwinn called little Shag lake and did real well on northerns and one jumbo eye. 

[DaWaitaz]

Thanks...I had heard that Independence was good for all three species. Like them or not there is nothing like pulling a great big ol pike up through the hole. I caught a 39 incher this year during a tourney and took second place...I pickled it.  First time I ever pickled a fish...not bad, kind of chewy the jury is still out I ate a little of it and gave 3/4ths of it away. My brother in law said he liked it a lot....but he travels to Japan frequently and has developed a taste for odd stuff...if it crawls, swims or quivers he will eat it and say it was good.

We have gone as far as North bay Ontario for ice fishing, we've been to Portage, Gogebic, Lac View Desert, LBDN, and a number of lower state lakes over the years...we have always wondered about Michigamme it never looks inhabited when we drive by it...it looks like pike or muskie water though.

I've been following Browning13's posts.....Great pics, keep them coming. I'm hoping my son picks Marquette or Michigan Tech for his college destination. We are in Union City Michigan...south of Battle Creek and we are still waiting for winter...snow and ice come slow and we have had years of virtually zero ice.

[mud_n_fun]

Independence is a great place as well as the lumberjack. It's been alot of years since I have been there. Couldn't tell ya how it is now. But it is still one of my most memorable walleye lakes from my past. Best of luck to ya.

[killitandgrillit]

I dont have much experiance with the UP but I went to a lake in Qwinn called little Shag lake and did real well on northerns and one jumbo eye. 

You must have been on Shag, not little Shag. Little Shag has rainbows, bass, and big bluegills....Big Shag has ALOT of pike, some LMB, and a smattering of really big walleye (the DNR stopped planting them years ago). My buddy Trav pulled a 24" walter out of there a few years back. Anyways, if you want lots of pike action, Shag is a good bet- shiners set 5 feet under the ice in 10 FOW should keep you hopping all day. There are also a small number of scary big Tiger Muskey in there (DNR stopped planting those years ago too). The channel between Shag and Mitchell (on the shag side of the channel) is a good bet for consistent pike action, along with the flats to the right of the launch. I know the lake and the area like the back of my hand- any questions, let me know.

Deer lake in Ishpeming would be a good bet for action and size if you dont intend on keeping anything...still a Mercury advisory on that lake.

[DaWaitaz]

I'll look up shag on the map...looks like a 50 mile drive or so...I guess if we don't see much action on Indy I'll head down there perhaps.  I hope the fish are there this year, we have had hit and miss success like anywhere I suppose.  Sucks only having three full days to make the memories.

[srobocop]

more than likely you'll never have to leave lake independence, pretty solid lake

[browning13]

ill make another vote for indy, its also great for perch and walleye

[bottom fisher]

The last two posts say it all !! stay at indy as planned and enjoy the "jack" there are also more then enough people willing to make suggestions to ya, most of the locals have been there all of their lives and know exactly where to go on the lake GOOD LUCK !

[DaWaitaz]

Great.....my group is ready....45 days and counting.  Hope the weather takes it easy on us this year...Froze like fish sticks last year in Bergland....it was so cold the lanterns wouldn't light and I got a touch of frostbite on my neck riding the sled out to the shacks....-15 with chill at around -30 but that probably doesn't surprise any of you guys and gals who make the UP your home.  I didn't realize that I had several burn holes in my gloves (touched a lantern top I suspect) It's amazing how apparent it becomes while your traveling 25 miles an hour in -30 wind....despite heated grips my hands felt like I had held them over a fire....I would have cried but seriously I was to cold to tear up. We had a small propane grill with us and grilled a couple of pork chops....took about an hour to cook them we had to pile a bunch empty 12 pack boxes around it so it would heat. It gets cold down here but nothing like that...I opened a coke walked outside and set it down to check a tip up, someone said "hey look at that can" it was slowly emptying itself...a frozen coke snake was creeping up and out of the top...turned to slush in about 1 minute.    so...I'm hoping for warm weather, 0 degrees will do.

[oreodane]

Greenwood Reservoir S. of Ishpeming has the most consistent big pike in Marquette Co.  Fish near the rocks across from the boat launch, use dead smelt on tipups.  There's also walleye, bluegills and crappie.