Muskegon Lake Ice Fishing Update

We’ve finally got some decent ice making weather and an iced over Muskegon Lake. We could do without all the snow and the shipping traffic making things less than ideal. But hey at least we can get around to the perching grounds.

I’ll say it has been interesting so far perching. Our first couple trips were pretty much tip toeing around the snow piles which had thin ice under them. We were able to cover quite the distance but it was slow going and resulted in a lot of small fish. There were a couple flurries of big ones but definitely not what we were looking for. We were able to make it further out as the ice got thicker and got into the right fish.

However the schools weren’t really snapping. They seemed to be spread out over large areas and not bunched tightly together. The bite is never as good when every hole in an area the size of a couple football fields has a few fish. You can sit there and grind on them or keep moving looking for an area there are stacks upon stacks of them.  However in these areas there were some absolute tanks so that always makes it fun and keeps you there longer.

We are at the point now where machines are on the ice and that has opened up a whole lot more options. Some of the slush is miserable to drive through but it at least answered some questions about what is up with the bite. I have been everywhere from the “sand docks” to “Bear Lake” and have found some piles of fish. However the bite has been the same all over…a struggle. Clam Speed Spoons, Maggot jigs, and homemade perch rigs tipped with spikes or perch eyes have been taking all of our fish. I usually stay too mobile to worry about trying minnows.

There have been some surprises this season. One that I’ve never seen before is a bunch of smelt are mixed in with the perch. It’s nothing to go home with a few smelt on every trip. We have noticed some of them are puking up small gobies and I’m sure the perch are feeding on those gobies too. Other things we’ve been on the lookout for are ciscoes. I know of 5 hooked up with so far this year and I was lucky enough to get one. I’m fairly certain I know a ciscoe when I see one on the Humminbird so the pressure is really on when one is spotted. When I got my opportunity I had 2 come in at the same time. It took them 5 different attempts before one finally hooked up. I was really nervous they would lose interest after missing it so many times. It was so much fun fighting one on the perch tackle. We’ve also seen a couple walleyes caught and a big catfish lost underneath the ice.

The coolest thing so far this season is I actually got to go fishing with Amanda again. My parents came out and I fished with my dad the day before and then they watched the kiddos while Amanda and I went. Huge thanks to them for letting us get out on the ice once again. It was super cold so instead of going mobile we fired up the heat and got comfortable in the Clam Nanook. The fishing wasn’t on fire but we did get some nice ones including a season best 13 incher.

Hopefully this ice will hold on awhile and we can get a few weeks of them really biting out there. I’m looking forward to what the rest of the winter has in store for us!