Michigan Ice Fishing: Shanties, Lakes and How a Trip Works

Michigan ice fishing is a whole winter culture, not just a way to fill the off-season. On the big lakes and Great Lakes bays, shanties gather into small villages, people drive or ride out to their spots, and some setups are heated, insulated and comfortable enough to spend the day or longer. You can also do it with a bucket, a hand auger and a short rod. This guide covers how it works, what you catch, where people go, and the rules to know.

Read the ice safety guide before your first trip. The Michigan DNR is blunt about it: there is no reliable inch-thickness that makes ice safe, and your safety is your responsibility.

Source: Michigan DNR: Ice Safety, checked October 24, 2026.

How Michigan does ice fishing

The DNR notes that plenty of anglers prefer ice fishing to open water, partly because the ice lets you reach almost any part of a lake without a boat. Almost every fish you catch in summer can be caught through the ice, and some bite more often in winter.

Simple setups. On calm days you will see anglers on folding stools or upturned five-gallon buckets. The bucket doubles as a gear carrier. Many people pull a sled or a homemade gear box on skis, and the DNR points out how inventive Michigan anglers get with rigs to haul gear and stay comfortable.

Portable shanties. On windy days a shelter is close to essential. Pop-up hub tents and flip-over sled shelters are sold at sporting goods stores, and you set them up and take them down each day. Our shelters guide explains the types.

Permanent shanties. In northern Michigan, where the ice season can run for months, some anglers build large, removable shanties and leave them on the ice for the season. The DNR describes them with insulated walls and many of the comforts of home, warmed by propane heaters that also keep the holes from freezing. Some people stay out for long days or overnight. If you plan to sleep on the ice, read the carbon monoxide section of the shelters guide first.

Shanty villages. Where the fishing is good and access is easy, shanties cluster together. Pure Michigan describes a shanty village on Little Bay de Noc, and DNR fishing reports have noted shanties off Penny Park on Manistee Lake.

Getting out there. Some anglers walk, some drive, and some ride snowmobiles or ATVs. On Little Bay de Noc, anglers have driven onto the ice over a frozen shoreline berm, and a DNR report from a mild stretch in February 2026 said travel was good there even for wheeled vehicles. Conditions can flip quickly. A 2018 DNR report from Houghton Lake said vehicles could not get out from one launch because the ramp had buckled, and warned anglers not to drive across a pressure crack. The National Weather Service gives separate thickness guidelines for walking, snowmobiles and vehicles, covered in our safety guide.

Source: NWS: Ice safety, checked October 24, 2026.

What you catch through the ice

• Walleye. The main target on Saginaw Bay, Little Bay de Noc, Houghton Lake and Lake Gogebic. The DNR’s tip is to fish from dawn to mid-morning and again from late afternoon to sundown.
• Yellow perch. The most widespread winter fish, found on most of the lakes in this guide. Expect to sort through small ones for keepers.
• Northern pike. Caught on tip-ups baited with minnows, and on some waters speared; DNR reports from Saginaw Bay mention pike taken by spearing. Spearing has its own rules, so check the regulations before you try it.
• Bluegill, crappie and other panfish. Houghton Lake and Hamlin Lake are known for them.
• Lake trout, whitefish and smelt. Deep, clear lakes such as Higgins Lake, and Great Lakes bays like Keweenaw Bay, Munising Bay and Grand Traverse Bay in years it freezes. Munising Bay also gives up coho salmon and splake through the ice.

Most anglers use short, limber rods with small jigs or spoons tipped with wax worms, spikes, wigglers or minnows, and set tip-ups in other holes. Electronic fish finders are common gear now.

Where people go

The DNR lists dozens of ice fishing spots across the state on its ice fishing page. These are the best known for a trip.

Saginaw Bay

A big, shallow bay of Lake Huron with walleye out deeper and perch nearshore. DNR reports describe walleye anglers working spots like the Black Hole, the Sparkplug and Spoils Island in the lower bay, walleye out from Sebewaing on the east side, and perch nearshore from Sebewaing to Wildfowl Bay. The Saginaw River in Bay City draws crowds of walleye anglers too. This is Great Lakes ice: reports regularly mention active cracks and open pockets, so go with local knowledge. See Saginaw Bay.

Houghton Lake and Higgins Lake

Houghton Lake is Michigan’s largest inland lake, about 22,000 acres, and the DNR lists walleye, bluegill, crappie and sunfish there in winter. It is also home to Tip-Up Town USA. Nearby Higgins Lake is deep and clear, with lake trout, smelt, whitefish and pike on the DNR list. Game & Fish noted that Higgins usually is not safely frozen until well into January, with lake trout typically fished in 70 to 130 feet. See Houghton Lake.

Little and Big Bay de Noc

At the north end of Lake Michigan near Escanaba and Gladstone, Little Bay de Noc is a walleye and perch fishery with shanty villages, guide services and shanty rentals. DNR winter reports describe perch and walleye in the upper bay, with pike as a bonus. Big Bay de Noc is fished too; Pure Michigan’s advice is to check ice depth on both bays before heading out. See Bays de Noc.

Lake Gogebic and the western Upper Peninsula

Lake Gogebic in Gogebic County is on the DNR’s list for perch and walleye. Across the Upper Peninsula, the DNR and local partners plow snow at a little over 25 boating access sites in 10 counties to make ice fishing easier to reach, and they review the list each spring.

Grand Traverse Bay, when it freezes

The bays at Traverse City do not freeze every winter, which is what makes it an event when they do. The Watershed Center, which keeps the record, calls West Bay frozen only when solid ice reaches Power Island. The west arm froze in about 80 percent of winters before 1980 and just under 40 percent since, and it typically freezes in February or March when it does. In a frozen year, anglers jig for lake trout and catch whitefish, burbot, cisco and perch. Base yourself in Traverse City.

Manistee and Ludington lakes

On the Lake Michigan shore, Manistee Lake has had shanties off Penny Park and perch and pike near the Ninth Street launch, according to past DNR reports. Near Ludington, Game & Fish has called Hamlin Lake the top winter bluegill lake in the state, with first-ice action on the upper lake. See our Manistee inland lakes guide and Hamlin Lake guide.

When the season runs

Ice fishing runs from first safe ice to the end of the shanty season, and both ends move every winter. Small, shallow inland lakes freeze first. Deep lakes and Great Lakes bays freeze later, and some, like Grand Traverse Bay, only in cold winters. Late in the season, shanties must come off the ice by deadlines that differ by zone, and anglers must also pull them whenever the ice becomes unsafe. The DNR suggests checking with local bait shops that your spot has enough ice before you go. Its weekly fishing report resumes in winter for selected ice fishing waters.

Winter Free Fishing Weekend

Twice a year the DNR waives fishing license fees for two days. The winter weekend falls on the Saturday and Sunday of Presidents Day weekend in February. Residents and visitors can fish inland and Great Lakes waters for all species, all fishing rules still apply, and the Recreation Passport is not required at state parks and boating access sites that weekend. Details are on the DNR Free Fishing Weekend page. Some local winter festivals are scheduled for the same weekend, so book lodging early.

Tip-Up Town USA

Houghton Lake’s Tip-Up Town USA bills itself as Michigan’s longest-running winter festival. It is held in January, over parts of two weekends, at the southern DNR boat launch off M-55, and a badge sold at local businesses is required. The lineup includes ice fishing, a carnival, a polar bear dip, and snowmobile and side-by-side races. Dates are posted by the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Guides and shanty rentals

A guided day or a rented shanty is the easiest first trip. On Little Bay de Noc, guide services rent shanties set up on the ice with propane heat, windows, bench seats and fish-finding electronics, and they tell you what depth and lures to fish. The floor is still lake ice, so warm boots and thick socks matter even in a heated shanty.

When you book, ask how they check the ice and get you to the shanty, what is included (bait, tackle, auger, heater fuel), whether holes are drilled before you arrive, and whether a license is your responsibility. Local bait shops and visitor bureaus know who is renting each winter.

Where to stay

Base yourself where you will fish, since winter driving eats time. Escanaba and Gladstone put you on the Bays de Noc. The Houghton Lake area covers Houghton Lake and Higgins Lake, and the local tourism bureau lists lodging, bait shops and winter events. Bay City and the towns along the bay’s east shore, such as Sebewaing and Caseville, are near Saginaw Bay access points. Traverse City, Manistee and Ludington work for the Lake Michigan side and are good bases for a mixed winter trip. Ask any lodge whether it caters to ice anglers with fish cleaning or ice reports.

Rules and licenses

The Michigan DNR sells licenses and sets the rules. Anglers 17 and older need a license. Check the current Michigan Fishing Regulations for limits, seasons, spearing rules and the number of lines you may use, and read our fishing licenses guide.

Michigan also has ice shanty rules. The DNR says all shanties must come off the ice by a date set for your zone, and you must remove all garbage that goes with the shanty, including plywood and propane tanks. Shanties also must carry owner identification. A 2018 change in state law gave owners more ways to identify a shanty and let the DNR set removal dates based on conditions. Requirements change, so check the current rules each season before you set a shanty out.

Source: Michigan DNR: Ice fishing, checked October 24, 2026.