fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

It has been an enjoyable, but rather brief period of time for safe ice this year to fish in Northern Michigan. Made it out yesterday for one final trip.

Started out over in the "muskie zone", and managed to get a single northern pike to strike but missed the hook up. I was running a small perch spoon and a large pike jig. Of course the bite came on the micro spoon with a #12 sized single hook! Caught a few small perch and decided to move to deep water (17') and target yellow perch.

Since this would be my last time out I planned to bring home a limit of 25 perch. The location of set up #2 was a good choice. The first perch was pushing 10" and I felt good to start laying them down on the ice. Once my pile reached about 15 a seagull landed right outside the shanty and started to beg for a treat. Must have heard all the commotion or smelled fresh fish! You definitely have to keep your kept fish "indoors", otherwise they would be taken one by one until you had nothing left!

As soon as I reached 20 fish the end goal was in sight. I was almost at the daily limit. Then, all of the sudden, I heard a snowmobile approach, slow down and coast to a stop at my door. A rider got off and said "Hey in there...have you been watching what is going on at the North edge of the ice where it meets the open water?"

I gulped and said "No"...with a certain amount of apprehension to what I knew was a loaded question. I quickly stepped out and noticed I could see water slowly approaching over the ice like a freshwater tide. Yikes! I said "Thank you!", and proceeded to break down and load up my gear tote in the wink of an eye!

During the last hour of fishing, the ice was creaking, thundering and groaning like a bowling alley on league night. In my head I said..."Yep...this is my last time out for the season!" It does not matter if you have 12 inches of ice below your feet because there are other properties of natural physics at work. Like a big crack that could separate you from the main ice body...leaving you on a floe! I did happen to notice our local Coast Guard helicopter making rounds earlier in the day, and I suspect that they have been keeping tabs on "us" fisherfolks.

The wind was blowing strong from the South, and I suspect that a high pressure system, along with the wind, made the giant body of lake ice "tilt" and lean downwards below the open water. Regardless of the "why", we all got our tails in Boogie mode and vacated the ice pronto. Back on shore as we swapped stories a couple of us noticed that there were still a few guys sitting out on buckets pretty far out. Two of us hopped back on our snowmobiles and made final rounds to advise people about what was going on and to offer quick rides back to the launch. Everybody was content to stay, and honestly, I think they were fine, but we gave them a strong caution about paying attention to conditions.

Spoke with a fellow from a spear fishing shanty and talk quickly turned to muskie. For a few days, he and I were stationed about 400' apart. I mentioned how I had an encounter with a "mid" 40 inch muskie...twice in the same day, and he replied back that a fish of 46" stopped under his hut but he let it go because it was short of the legal taking size of 50". We were both pretty sure it was the same muskie.

I enjoyed hanging out for another half hour with him, and getting the run down on the muskie spearing routine from the several decades he has spent in the pursuit. Super nice guy and I hope to see him out again next year. Who knows, we might even fish together via both my shanty for perch, and inside his bob house for spearing!

I kept some 7 inchers today in an effort to reach the 25 limit. Due to the sudden urgency to leave the ice I stopped 5 short. No way was I sticking around for 5 more fish!


Busy scaling the perch...step one before the fillet process. This electric rotary scaler is the "cat's meow". Each side of a fish takes less than 5 seconds! Made by Bear Paw products in Bellaire, MI.

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

I enjoyed your adventure yaker. I am curious though. Do you leave the skin on your fillets for cooking??

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

Nice 👍

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Graywulff! I grew up always eating the skin on scaled perch...so that is what I still do. I guess I am a creature of habit!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you NJ! It was a great season for me on the ice! I really enjoy "sight fishing" while standing over top of the fish! So fun to watch them come up...get a tease from wiggling the line and then seeing if that was enough to convince a fish to bite!

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

I enjoyed reading your posts. You should be an outdoors writer.

Billycrap2 Loc: Mason county,W(BY GOD) Virginia, 🇺🇸🦅

You definitely having a adventure day of catching almost your limit and making it back off of the ice 👍🏽👍🏽
Let hope you both get to together again this summer and do lots of fishing 🎣
Thank for sharing your experience and catching of your adventures and that Muskie getting your heart rate up
you might hook on one this spring season 👍🏽👍🏽🎣🎣🎣🐟🐟🐠🐠🐋🐋🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

I’m sure it’s just plain good that way. I will try it this summer. Thanks.

J in Cleveland Loc: Cleveland, Ohio

Thanks for taking us along Yacker! Yours was the only ice fishing I could experience. Never had good ice for me!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you NJ! Sometimes when I am involved in a fishing adventure my mind wanders to an imaginary keyboard and I start composing thoughts while I'm still out. Mostly in the past it was to ultimately share what happened with friends and family. Over the last 2 years on this Stage, it has been additionally fun to share stories you all of you as well!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you Billycrap2! Glad that you enjoyed the "recap" of my day on the ice. I do not often target muskie around here, but this coming season I plan to include them more often!

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

You share your stories very well. They are always a treat.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Once battered, the thin skin...especially on really small fish...almost seems invisible. It saves a step, and also helps prevent loosing even a scrap of meat.

When I fillet them, I make the first cut behind the gill...turn the knife horizontal, and then just run down along the backbone to the tail...leaving the rib bones intact. Once deep fried, those bones come off easy as pie before enjoying the fillet.

It drives my wife crazy...but when it comes to a baked potato, I like the outer skin on those better than the inside! Nice and crusty!

As a kid, my mom used to deep fry my brook trout "whole"...just gutted with the head off. I ate the fins and all...just like a potato chip!

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Thank you J! I had to take advantage of whatever we were dealt this season, and tried to get out as often as possible. Now that the ice season is over (as far as I'm concerned), I probably won't post any fishing stories until the waters thaw out!

I'll be headed down your way tomorrow, with Columbus, OH as the destination...so I'll be watching out for fishermen when I pass by any water! It will be a quick 2 day trip....

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

Just for fun today I was looking up the Company that makes that scaler, and found out that the owner probably retired and moved to Arizona. The current cost of the scaler was $260.00, which blew me away! I picked mine up at a local garage sale many years ago for 5 bucks!

At that rate, I would probably start skinning my perch and not bother with scaling!