Early Ice 2022
No more snow, cold temps, and no major freeze and thaw cycles. We are off to the best start in years and it is giving me some real hope to get out on some big water this year. I’m dreaming of fish with adipose fins and burbot already!
Local ice has been good with the exception of the tug paths on Muskegon and ice that blew out as a result of them. I’m not sure ice at the traditional sand docks will be stable all season. I don’t really fish there a whole lot but once again the tug has cut my favorite water in half. The good news is the lake is ready for machine travel although it will be awhile until the whole lake is accessible off of one launch.
I’ve covered a several miles looking for a good school of Lake Michigan perch. Other than a few here an there I have not found anything good. It definitely seems like we are experiencing some poor year classes of big lake perch. I’m certain there is a good school out there somewhere and I intend to find them at some point. It is just going to take a good crew of guys and a lot of work. We’ve been mixing it up with some other species in the meantime and that hasn’t been as disappointing. It is a sad state of affairs though when I am actually keeping crappie. Although I will admit it is unique to have found a school of them in Muskegon Lake.
I’ve also gotten a little time in fishing some shallow water gills and pumpkinseeds. Both times I’ve been out doing this I’ve had the girls with me. I went once with just Mabel and I, the fishing was great and she caught a bunch all by herself. She’s still probably a year away from really grasping the fish finder but I didn’t this time with anything but taking fish off the hook and dropping the bait down to the right depth. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I decided to take both of them. But it turned out pretty well even though the fishing wasn’t as easy. It is incredible the amount of snacks a 2 and a 4 year old can destroy while sitting in an ice shanty.
So far productive baits for us have been Clam Maggot jigs, drop kicks, speed spoons, and Tikka Minos (you can get those all at ClearH2O tackle). I’ve been tipping everything with spikes except the Tikka Mino. I always get 1000 of them before the season starts so I don’t have to keep making trips to the bait store. They’ll last all season if you keep the air out of a sealed plastic bag and in the refrigerator. It looks like we will be exploring some of the best perch grounds this weekend. Hopefully dialing something in for the rest of the winter.
I also had some bass fishing creep into my mind lately. I got the chance to the Allendale fishing team this week. It’s always fun for me to do things like that and it’s great to see kids getting involved in fishing!