Ice Fishing 2013 - 2014 Summary

This pike from several years ago re-invigorated my interest in local ice fishing, and provided some fodder for continued faith in Reeds Lake.

*****

I’m usually pretty careful about capturing and recording the specifics of each trip in my fishing log, but this Ice Season past, I pretty much did the same thing, each time out.  Ice fishing has become, for me in these last few years, all about setting tip-ups for the available, local in-season predators; and that pretty much means “pike” around here.  So, lacking the motivation to specifically chronicle each trip, but still wanting to acknowledge that I had a pretty pleasant and somewhat productive season, here’s a general summary of my ice fishing experiences over the last few months.

Winter 2013-2014 was likely one to be remembered for a generation or more.  Recent winters have been sporadically intense, but lacking stamina.  We typically experienced (enjoyed?) breaks in the harshness every few weeks.  This wreaked havoc on ice conditions, and generally limited access to safe ice for any extended/predictable period.  This year, The Cold set in around the end of November and still has barely relented.  The Cold has been accompanied locally by near-record amounts of snow.    I’ve literally gone months without seeing my grass or driveway surface; and even our road has been ice-covered for weeks at a time. 

Ice conditions were looking good to me around Christmas.  While others were sporadically fishing before Thanksgiving on select waters, and under certain circumstances; the waters I prefer are deeper and slower to form safe ice.  I’m also pretty conservative about considering ice “safe”, and so I probably missed out on a couple of very early ice opportunities.  Just as ice fishing became personally feasible, we had a quick thaw.  I thought we were in again for another on/off season when Winter really settled in, seemingly permanently.  So we ended up on the ice before New Year’s Day, and folks are still out there on the same ice today!

Our early sessions were characterized by tons of flags, but fewer hook-ups and even fewer legal fish.   It’s fun to get a dozen or more flags in a session, but it’s also fun to catch some worthwhile fish!  I worked pretty hard at covering water, finding hot holes and so forth, but on any given day, any particular hole, whether in 6 feet of water or 30, could be the producer.    Our pike topped out at only 28 inches or so, and most were 20 to 23 inches.  These were released with care, hopefully to continue to grow into the next few years’ target. 

Kelly with our first "keeper" of the ice season.

I rig my tip-ups pretty minimally, and I prefer bigger baits.  Maybe lots of our flags were due to sub-20 inch fish.

I couldn’t help but notice that Kelly, with his single hook straight to mono, got more flags with his traps than I typically got with mine.  I typically rig for pike with fine wire and a double-hook quick-strike rig.  I know I have a better hooking percentage and lower break-off percentage than my primary ice partner, but I also recognize you need to get bit!  So maybe next year, I’ll work some more fluoro rigs into the mix.  They used to work when we were fishing for Muskegon Lake walleyes!

One day we had perfect conditions for hoofing it across the lake to a prime structure.  Given the lack of quality fish and fishing pressure at our early ice location, we chose to try this more remote spot one Sunday morning.  Kelly was a few minutes ahead of me that morning, and I could see him across the lake, setting traps as I collected my gear for the 15-minute walk across the ice.  As I walked across the access point, I was joined by a couple of other fellows.  I hustled it across to Kelly and we discussed what he was seeing with his graph, as I thought about complementing his three traps with mine.  Just as I finished drilling my first hole (which turned out to be The Spot for the day, in 12 feet of water right along a prime break from a feeding shelf into the main lake basin and  30 or more feet of water), my fellow companions caught up to me and started setting up shop.  Uncomfortably close, too, in my opinion.  As it turned out, they were pan-fishing and we didn’t really compete for fish on this day; but I’m still baffled in their comfort in setting up so close to us.

Our reward for the day was lots of action and a few legal pike, but none of the local lunkers to which I’m accustomed to catching here in the open water aboard Numenon.   But we captured The Spot on Kelly’s new sonar/gps unit, and we’ll be back.

I was alone for my next trip (MLK Jr. Day is an odd holiday to have in the working world), and I chose to hoof it even farther across the lake to an even lunkier spot.  My reward that day?  No fish action whatsoever, but I did get to spend a nice day outside, and I did watch our local bald eagle for a while.   The eagle disappeared from our area soon thereafter, pushed farther south,  and I’d like to think that my lack of action was because a giant pike was sulking in the vicinity.  I liked being alone, and this spot has enough history with me to keep me enthusiastically engaged for a few more sessions.  I’ll undoubtedly risk some more slow fishing here in the future for the possible reward of a nice, big pike through the ice.

Fish like this gator are known to live nearby.

A couple of weekends later I spent a day and a half with Kelly and his family at his in-laws’ home on the banks of a chain of lakes in Newaygo County.  A near-blizzard on Friday made the weekend uncertain, but by noon on Saturday we were both up there, with several dozen baits and our limit of tip-ups set.  With well over a foot of snow on the ice, extremely low temps and strong winds, conditions were pretty brutal; but made tolerable through the use of the house’s boat house as a shelter, a fire pit, a portable propane heater, fine outdoor clothing and a good attitude.  Home-made chili, a couple of beers and a picture window through which to watch for flags during meals sure helped, too.  Both dinner and breakfast were interrupted by a flurry of flags; that was simply fun.   Again, the yield for a couple of dozen flags was only a few legal pike.  All were returned safely to the water.

At this point in the season, my attention turned to Florida.  Kelly took a 31-incher through the ice while I was in Florida, and that will have to be the Ice Fish of the Year; but honestly, it’s tough to get overly excited about ice fishing (except for the pleasant company and experiences I hope I’ve outline here) when something like my recent Florida experience is in play.

Not a bad alternative to ice fishing...

This was supposed to be the year I got serious about ice fishing again and equip myself with a new sonar/gps for the ice.  I haven’t been quite able to pull that trigger (my C-bucks have been going towards other gear), but we’ll see how the new Humminbird SI works out on Numenon.  I can always get one next year, or convert my displaced Lowrance unit into an ice machine. 

So, I think I’m ready to put this ice season behind; but I’m by no means ready for the season to come.  There are so many things to address.  New sonar installation!  Fresh line!  Worm supplies!  Mack’s Smiley Blades for coho and walleyes!  Muskie spreads!  While I’m addressing these open-water issues, I’ll ponder this assessment; ice fishing this season was a pleasant, healthy winter diversion.  I ice fish with friends, and we shared many laughs.  While the fish I encountered weren’t necessarily all that exciting, each flag represents the upper bound of potential for the lake I’m fishing.  That unrealized potential is my companion every time I set a trap, and I still feel a rush of greatness with every waving flag.  I really am an optimist!

This flag could mean anything's at the end of the line.  I choose to think it's a Monster Pike!