fishing in omegaw county

FISHING AND CANOEING GUIDE WEST BRANCH / OGEMAW COUNTY

Great Lakes, Great Fishing Await You In Ogemaw County

Download Brochure – pdf format 688 kb

Clear LAKE

Clear Lake is reached by taking I-75 to Exit 212, north on Business Loop 75 to Fairview Road, then left on Clear Lake Road and right on Horseshoe Lake Road.

Foster Township

Water Acres: 171

Deepest Point: 49′

Type of Bottom: Gravel, Marl, Organic Sand

Fishermen will find walleye, pike, bass, pan fish, perch and crappie in Clear Lake. Four small islands are found in this lake with a footbridge to one of them. Tip: Try around the islands and gravel beds during spring for bedding fish.

Download Map – ‘Clear Lake’ from Michigan DNR pdf format 597 kb

george LAKE

George Lake is reached by taking M-33, turn east on Rose City Road (F-28), right on Shady Shores Road (F-17), then left on Forest Drive.

Hill Township

Water Acres: 186

Deepest Point: 90′

Type of Bottom: Gravel, Pulpy Peat Sand

Fishermen will find walleye, musky, pike, bass, panfish, perch, crappie, suckers, bullheads and carp. Wiggins Island is found in this lake. Tip: Crappies can be caught near the feeder creeks with minnows.

Download Map – ‘George Lake’ from Michigan DNR pdf format 530 kb

hardwood LAKE

Hardwood Lake is reached by taking M-55 east to Henderson Lake Road then left to Hardwood Lake

Mill Township

Water Acres: 172

Deepest Point: 35′

Type of Bottom: Detritus, Gravel, Pulpy Peat Sand

Fishermen will find pike, bass, pan fish, perch, crappie, suckers, bullheads, and carp.Tip: All species seem to have a pretty good size structure for the densities of the fish.

Download Map – ‘Hardwood Lake’ from Michigan DNR pdf format 505 kb

lake george

Lake George is reached by taking I-75 (Exit 212), then South on Cook Road to Channel Road then turn right to Lake George. Lake George is close to I-75 and close to shopping in West Branch.

Edwards / Horton Townships

Water Acres: 89

Deepest Point: 48′

Type of Bottom: Marl, Nodules, Pulpy Peat Sand

Fishermen will find rainbow trout, pike, bass, panfish, perch, suckers and bullheads. Nice size bass and panfish. Bluegill are 7-8 “, crappie 10-12”. Tip: Look for all species to be shallow early in the season, moving deeper when the water warms.

Download Map – ‘Lake George’ from Michigan DNR pdf format 661 kb

peach lake

Peach Lake is reached by taking M-55 to Peach Lake Road then north to Forward Street.

West Branch Township

Water Acres: 208

Deepest Point: 70′

Type of Bottom: Marl, Pulpy Peat Sand

Fishermen will find walleye, pike, bass, panfish, crappie, suckers and carp. Tip: Some walleye success can be found just to the right of the public access.

Download Map – ‘Peach Lake’ from Michigan DNR pdf format 553 kb

rifle lake

Rifle Lake is reached by taking M-33 East on Rose City Road (F-28), right on Shady Shores Road (F-17), then left on Forest Drive to Birchpoint Drive.

Hill Township

Water Acres: 183

Deepest Point: 70′

Type of Bottom: Gravel, Pulpy Peat Sand

Fishermen will find walleye, pike, bass, pan fish, perch and crappie. Rifle Lake is a quiet lake with good fishing.

Download Map – ‘Rifle Lake’ from Michigan DNR pdf format 251 kb

rifle river recreation area

18 Miles NW of West Branch on Rose City Road (AuSable State Forest)

Approximate Size: 4449 Acres

Phone: (989) 473-2258

Fishermen will find brown trout, rainbow trout, steelhead, salmon and suckers in the Rifle River. North of M-55 is best for brown trout, while South of M-55 is best for steelhead. The Rifle River originates at Devoe Lake in Ogemaw County at the Rifle River Recreation Area.

Download Map 2 – ‘Fishing’ pdf format 315 kb

RIFLE RIVER RECREATION AREA FISHING

The Rifle provides fair to good brown trout fishing during the spring until about the last week of June, and again from about Labor Day until the end of the trout season. At these times, spin casting with hardware and streamer fly-fishing are productive methods. The slack fishing period which occurs during the summer appears to be the result of high water temperatures coupled with low stream flow.

Except for Skunk Creek and Ammond Creek, most tributaries north of Selkirk can be described as good to excellent trout streams. Of these, Klacking, Houghton, Gamble and Wilkins creeks are the best. Clacking Creek has an excellent population of brown trout with many fish larger than 14 inches and with some going over 20. Fishing is usually a challenge on this stream due to its extreme clarity.

Gamble Creek is a good brown trout tributary, and enters the Rifle via a diversion ditch around the northwest end of Devoe Lake.

Houghton Creek is an excellent feeder stream to the Rifle River and is large enough to support fly-fishing, after it is joined by Wilkins Creek. A previous state record brown trout of 36 5/8 inches, weighing 17 pounds five ounces, was taken from this stream in 1952.

Although brown trout typically predominate in the tributaries of the Rifle, some fine brook trout are also present.

Of the tributaries which center below Selkirk in Ogemaw County, only Eddy Creek can be considered a good trout stream. The West Branch of the Rifle, a sizable tributary, supports fair to good trout populations above Flowage Lake. From Flowage Lake to its confluence with the mainstream, the West Branch is considered nontrout. At this point, the West Branch represents about a third of the Rifle’s drainage area.

Each spring, the Rifle supports a tremendous sucker run from Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. While most of the excitement and activity relative to this sucker run takes place in the lower Rifle near Omer, the run extends to nearly all the waters in the system. For example, both Klacking and Prior creeks receive heavy runs.

CLEAR LAKE PARTY STORE

2224 Clear Lake Road – West Branch, MI 48661

Phone: (989) 345-5193

DEAN’S BAIT & TACKLE INC

2260 M-33 – Alger, MI 48610

Phone: (989) 836-2460

MCGREGOR’S COUNTRY STORE

3980 Henderson Lake Road – Prescott, MI 48756

Phone: (989) 873-3863

PARKVIEW ACRES

2575 E Rose City Road – Lupton, MI 48635

Phone: (989) 473-3555

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