January is Boating Month
Having a utility style boat definitely proved its worth this month. While someday I hope to be able to have both the bass boat and my duck boat ready to go at all times. It’s just one or the other right now and I don’t think I’d pull the bass boat with salt on the roads anyway. However there was definitely a period where it could have been used this January. Either way I didn’t expect to get 7 January boat trips in.
I’ve got some real experimental things I’d like to be doing in the big lake. However the stars really have to align for me to get out there in the War Eagle or I’ve got to find a buddy with a bigger boat that will entertain my silly ideas. Those ideas could either be shining successes or epic failures. But oftentimes I’d rather have a good adventure and do some exploring than go do something that has a 100 percent success rate. I’ve got a couple of such friends who are up for it but weather and schedules never really aligned this winter.
The perching was good though and there are way more Lake Michigan perch in than last year. There have been some easy days and some grinder days out there but overall numbers are great. I was really worried last year we were going to be missing a bunch of year classes. However it seems there is a pretty good year class that isn’t quite ready to go in the bucket but should carry us for the next few years. Perch rigging and Clam Speed spooning have been working well. Spikes, minnows, and salted minnow heads have been best. There’s no good place to get minnows on the south side of the lake where I launch. I also don’t always feel minnows are necessary. I’ve been patting the dead ones dry with paper towel, letting air dry a bit, then putting them in a baggy with kosher salt and freezing. That way I’ve always got some minnow style offering for the next trip.
I went off the deep end and dabbled into some trolling. One of those experimental things, but it worked and now I’ve got to accumulate some trolling gear for the War Eagle. Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit to do any real testing but at least we are finally going to get on some ice.
While none of this seems immensely important to bass fishing. I can assure you it helps keep me in the groove and in tune with fish/nature. Simple things like knowing when to pull the plug on a perch school and keep searching. Those aren’t easy decisions to make sometimes because it sucks pulling up an anchor. Maybe there are no fish, maybe there are lots of fish but they aren’t the right size, maybe I’m marking the right ones with my Humminbird Helix ( I can tell how big they are) and they won’t bite. Either way I’ve got to decide whether to go or how long to stick it out for. Because even though I’m not in a perch tournament, I certainly didn’t launch my boat to come home without a limit of them. Plus I just like catching fish no matter what they are and If I didn’t fish for a whole month, I know I would start to get cranky (ask Amanda). So while nothing about January was optimal, I’m grateful I was still able to get on the water and make the most of it.
Now for the ice!