Cisco herring fish.jpg

A 13-inch Cisco fish was caught by Ryan Campbell on Muskegon Lake in late March. The species of fish, also known as a Lake Herring, once thrived in Muskegon Lake a and still do well in some fisheries, like St. Mary's River, but are rarely caught in Southwest Michigan.

(Bill Funk/Courtesy Photo)

MUSKEGON, MI – A blast from Muskegon Lake’s past bit on an ice fisherman’s hook in late-March.

A 13-inch cisco fish was caught by Ryan Campbell, said Bill Funk, owner-operator of Shoreline Service Bait and Tackle on Muskegon Lake. The species of fish, also known as a lake herring, once thrived in Muskegon Lake and still does well in some fisheries, like St. Marys River, but are now rarely found in Southwest Michigan.

Funk, who has fished the lake since the 1970s, said “This the first one I have seen caught on Muskegon Lake.

“They’re supposed to be here, but we haven’t seen them in great numbers since the '40s and 50s,” Funk said. “To me, it’s a neat thing.”

Funk said several other customers have since reported catching ciscos.

Questionable ice, limited fishing possibilities

As of Wednesday, April 2, fishermen were still being spotted out on the ice in Muskegon Lake and White Lake – despite the fact that it’s the second week of spring.

“We’re into the adults-only section,” Funk said.

Kyle Buck, owner of Great Lakes Guide Service, said that fishing possibilities are limited.

“At this point, I would recommend everyone stay off any ice in the area as the shoreline edges are unsafe,” he said. “The perch fishing should be good as soon as the ice is gone and we are able to get out there in boats.”

Fishing fans have had some reported success on non-icy rivers, targeting steelhead or suckers, but Buck wasn’t as optimistic.

“At this time, most if not all rivers in our area are blown out, muddy and over the banks making the steelhead unfishable,” he said.

Buck said there could be good fishing on the piers on Lake Michigan, but Funk said that ice has blown up onto the piers, making fishing difficult.

New fishing rule

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources released a short list of rule changes for the 2014-2015 fishing year that started Tuesday, April 1.

Among the new rules is one regarding the use of bait crayfish. Non-native crayfish species, including but not limited to red swamp crayfish and rusty crayfish, may not be possessed or used for bait, whether dead or alive, on any public or private waters of Michigan, according to the DNR.

Detailed information on fishing rules can be found in the DNR's 2014 Michigan Fishing Guide, available at most major sporting goods retailers, and on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/fishing.

Stephen Kloosterman covers local government, employment and the outdoors for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at sklooste@mlive.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

.