Winter is definitely having a hard time getting cold in Northern Michigan this year. As we reached late January I still had not been out ice fishing yet this season! Many of our local lakes are still open, or have a temptingly thin layer of shore ice forming. Smaller water bodies are better, but still lack the hefty ice thickness that I prefer.

After what seemed like an eternity this year, I decided to give one of my local favorite lakes a try today to see what might happen. There was open water out in the center, but upon my arrival I noticed a good number of shanties set up close to shore, and that was all I needed to give me a boost of confidence to join the group. Turns out the ice was just shy of 5 inches, so I felt "OK" about staying out. I went out to my favorite haunt, which was void of fishermen and waiting for my arrival.

Went thru a one pound tank of propane to keep the shack warm, and after approximately 170 perch caught, managed to reach my daily limit of 25 fish. Whew...it sure took a while though! I was using plain hardware for tackle, so at least I did not have to keep baiting hooks. This lake has a reputation for small perch, and today was par for the course. You catch and release a lot of fish during a typical outing. It's a great place to bring children because the action is usually steady.

I started to fish with 2 rods in a pair of holes, but quickly discovered that there was going to be too much action on the bite to keep them from getting tangles. Set aside rod #2 and just enjoyed tending a single rod. Very wise decision. The fish were striking on the drop, or within moments of holding steady and giving just one or two subtle jigs of the rod tip.

It was one of those days when you could do no wrong in terms of lure offerings. Everything I dropped under the ice caught fish. I like experimenting when the fish are hungry because it helps determine just how well any given lure may work in the future. If they ignore a bait during a feeding frenzy, then it most likely is a dud!

Got home, cleaned fish and fired up the skillet with some peanut oil on the stovetop. Ten fish sounded about right as far as portions go due to the rather petite sizes. The raw lengths today ranged between 8 and 12 inches, with most fish in the 9" range. Once you carve out a fillet on a small perch, the meat portion compares to an hors d'oeuvre! The meal was delicious, and I was handsomely rewarded for my efforts on the first outing of the 2023 season.

Thank you Ryp! I'm thinking about investing in a larger cylinder too! The one pounders are nice and tiny for transport, but a bit pricey unless you start re-filling them from a larger unit. I hope you struck paydirt on the ice fishing today!

I went this morning to fish for a couple of hours before family was arriving and only caught one measly perch...and too small too keep. I was in the same spot...but accompanied by over 50 other groups! Inside the shanty all I could hear was the sound of gas, drill and hand augers making swiss cheese out of the lake ice. The frequent sounds of Jet Sleds being towed by stampeding elephants were filling in the remaining dead spaces with enough echoes to bring an East Coast whale up the St. Lawrence Seaway!

That is Saturday fishing traffic for yah! The word must have gotten out from how folks did a few days ago! No worries though...it's a free world and nobody owns the lake! It was more fun to see all the commotion than it was to fish!

Winter is definitely having a hard time getting cold in Northern Michigan this year. As we reached late January I still had not been out ice fishing yet this season! Many of our local lakes are still open, or have a temptingly thin layer of shore ice forming. Smaller water bodies are better, but still lack the hefty ice thickness that I prefer.

After what seemed like an eternity this year, I decided to give one of my local favorite lakes a try today to see what might happen. There was open water out in the center, but upon my arrival I noticed a good number of shanties set up close to shore, and that was all I needed to give me a boost of confidence to join the group. Turns out the ice was just shy of 5 inches, so I felt "OK" about staying out. I went out to my favorite haunt, which was void of fishermen and waiting for my arrival.

Went thru a one pound tank of propane to keep the shack warm, and after approximately 170 perch caught, managed to reach my daily limit of 25 fish. Whew...it sure took a while though! I was using plain hardware for tackle, so at least I did not have to keep baiting hooks. This lake has a reputation for small perch, and today was par for the course. You catch and release a lot of fish during a typical outing. It's a great place to bring children because the action is usually steady.

I started to fish with 2 rods in a pair of holes, but quickly discovered that there was going to be too much action on the bite to keep them from getting tangles. Set aside rod #2 and just enjoyed tending a single rod. Very wise decision. The fish were striking on the drop, or within moments of holding steady and giving just one or two subtle jigs of the rod tip.

It was one of those days when you could do no wrong in terms of lure offerings. Everything I dropped under the ice caught fish. I like experimenting when the fish are hungry because it helps determine just how well any given lure may work in the future. If they ignore a bait during a feeding frenzy, then it most likely is a dud!

Got home, cleaned fish and fired up the skillet with some peanut oil on the stovetop. Ten fish sounded about right as far as portions go due to the rather petite sizes. The raw lengths today ranged between 8 and 12 inches, with most fish in the 9" range. Once you carve out a fillet on a small perch, the meat portion compares to an hors d'oeuvre! The meal was delicious, and I was handsomely rewarded for my efforts on the first outing of the 2023 season.

Thank you Ryp! I'm thinking about investing in a larger cylinder too! The one pounders are nice and tiny for transport, but a bit pricey unless you start re-filling them from a larger unit. I hope you struck paydirt on the ice fishing today!

I went this morning to fish for a couple of hours before family was arriving and only caught one measly perch...and too small too keep. I was in the same spot...but accompanied by over 50 other groups! Inside the shanty all I could hear was the sound of gas, drill and hand augers making swiss cheese out of the lake ice. The frequent sounds of Jet Sleds being towed by stampeding elephants were filling in the remaining dead spaces with enough echoes to bring an East Coast whale up the St. Lawrence Seaway!

That is Saturday fishing traffic for yah! The word must have gotten out from how folks did a few days ago! No worries though...it's a free world and nobody owns the lake! It was more fun to see all the commotion than it was to fish!