| Newaygo County is a winter wonderland with many | | | | enthusiasts. There are special lines, rods, power |
| outdoor activities to keep the outdoor enthusiasts | | | | augers, shelters and warmer clothing that make |
| happy year round. | | | | ice-fishing not only bearable, but also downright fun. |
| Activities include 144 miles of snowmobile trails within | | | | To really get into the sport, though, doesn't require a |
| the Manistee Forest, 234 natural inland lakes and 2 | | | | huge investment. |
| large dams to offer up some excellent ice fishing. | | | | Hess Lake Rentals offers modern fishing cottages for |
| Hess Lake Rentals welcomes you to the finest trails | | | | rent with a 2 person ice shanty, poles, auger and |
| in Michigan. Enjoy riding on rolling and twisting trails | | | | heater for just $95.00 per day. Cottages are |
| past picturesque lakes and rivers. These trails are | | | | equipment with everything you need to enjoy a day |
| brushed, signed and groomed for your safety and | | | | of ice fishing on Hess Lake. |
| riding pleasure. | | | | Hess Lake offers up some nice crappies (the size of |
| Unload your sled at one of these staging areas: | | | | footballs) right after the first ice and seem to last |
| 1. Newaygo Motor-sports Park north of Newaygo on | | | | only 2-3 weeks. You can also expect a Northern Pike |
| M-37 | | | | or two, but I have not yet seen any caught. |
| 2. White Cloud staging area west of M-37 on M-20 | | | | Other nearby lakes includes, Bills Lake and Fremont |
| 3. M-37 in the Village of Baldwin | | | | Lake. Bills Lake has had several recent plantings of |
| 4. Southwest of Baldwin 76th St. west to staging | | | | Rainbow trout and Walleye, while Fremont Lake is |
| area at Bozos | | | | know for its walleye, crappie and bluegills. |
| 5. U.S. 10 in Branch Timbercreek Campground | | | | While we are covering winter fishing, we can not |
| You will find services you might need on the trail or | | | | forget about the awesome winter steelhead fishing |
| close by, whether it's gas, food, lodging, parts etc. | | | | on the Muskegon River. |
| You can obtain trail report from many local | | | | Croton is where the Majority of action starts. For |
| snowmobile clubs or the MSA (Michigan Snowmobile | | | | three miles below the Croton dam is solid spawning |
| Association) at or NCSC (Newaygo County Snow | | | | gravel and expansive riffles. This section is loaded |
| Chasers) at | | | | with many resident trout from 12" to 16". |
| The purpose of the NCSC is to promote the sport, | | | | The Mid-section, Thornapple access to Newaygo is |
| increase quality of the trail system, educate and | | | | where large numbers of Great Lakes Steelhead and |
| promote safe operation through safety courses. | | | | Salmon migrate to hold and spawn throughout the |
| Memberships are available from $15.00 for an | | | | winter and spring. |
| individual and $20.00 for a family. | | | | The months of November, December, March and |
| The sport of ice-fishing is one of the fastest-growing | | | | April are the best times of the year for Steelhead. |
| forms of angling. The reasons are obvious. You don't | | | | Ten pound steelheads are common but there are fish |
| need a whole bunch of gear to get started. But don't | | | | up to 20 pounds! |
| get me wrong, because we've come a long way | | | | You may obtain up to the minute fishing reports |
| from the days of chopping a hole with a spud and | | | | from Parsley's Sport and Fly Shop (231-652-6986) |
| sitting on a bucket. | | | | located on the banks of the Muskegon River, or |
| Today, ice-anglers have a multitude of new gear | | | | contact one of the many local river guides. |
| available that is designed just for ice-fishing | | | | |