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!

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!

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!

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!