The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Beware
Anglers need to avoid rushing
Story and photoby Mike Zielinski
PUBLISHED: January 31, 2008
Although we live alongside some of the greatest freshwater fishing waters in the world, we ice fishermen pay a price during the winter.
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The lakes and rivers are too massive and the weather too mild lately for these waters to freeze enough to make venturing on them safe during all but the coldest periods and those periods are generally short.
Wind is another factor. It moves water, and depending in which direction the winds blows, water levels on Lake Erie can rise or fall by up to a foot in just a few hours.
This causes huge sections of ice to break off and create problems for anyone caught standing on it.
An offshore wind can move the sheet away from land and safety.
That's when a poor decision can turn into a life-or-death situation very quickly.
Every year the local TV stations gleefully report about another group of foolhardy ice anglers who either went through thin ice or were blown out into the open water aboard a sheet of floating ice.
Volunteers leap to the rescue, risking life and limb in the line of duty to save the hapless anglers.
On several occasions it has been the same people requiring rescue. A judge would call them repeat offenders. I call them idiots.
Sure, everyone makes a mistake but to repeat it a week later suggests that not only the ice is frozen this time of year.
There is a saying among seasoned ice fishermen: "First ice and last ice make for the best fishing."
Unfortunately this often proves to be very accurate and it lures people out onto some treacherous ice.
I know a few guys who won't fish from a boat for anything but blissfully brave icy winds and cold temperatures just to get out on the ice. They consider this their element and are happy just to be there, whether the fish cooperate or not.
Like lemmings, the ice fishermen often throng over the beaches and breach the seawalls to get out onto the frozen water and claim their small sphere of influence.
With the weather finally normalizing a bit for winter, many local waters are beginning to receive their winter coverings of ice.
The key word here is beginning, not attained.
Use caution. Ice fishermen are anxious to get out on the hard water. I can't blame them. Ice fishing can be fun and very rewarding. Succulent fillets of panfish, pike or walleyes taken through the ice make for some of the best eating there is.
And as a result, a few anglers always seem to display a devil-may-care attitude about ice conditions.
Ice fishing can be as cheap or as expensive a recreation as you want to make it.
Basic elements include adequate cold weather clothing and footgear, something to bang a hole through the ice with (spud or auger) and rods that can cost anywhere from a few bucks to $50.
Live bait is the most popular and consists of minnows and several varieties of grubs. Well outfitted anglers usually also carry a depth finder, some type of portable shelter and vehicle to pull it.
Many include a small portable underwater TV unit and global positioning systems (GPS) to find their way over the ice.
According to Bill Dougherty of Bottom Line Tackle, there is about four inches of ice over the lagoon along the banana dike.
Dougherty said the fishing is very slow out there, although it always improves as we head into February.
"There are guys on the ice in the Lake Erie Metropark catching some panfish as well as the frozen canal along South Gibraltar Road," Dougherty said. "The boat launches are mostly all frozen in now. I have gotten word that Belanger Park in River Rouge is still producing a few nice perch on shiners."
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources advises that ice is building in the southern sections of the Lower Peninsula but most of the lakes are still not safe.
Those traveling on the ice should fish with a partner, take an ice spud to test the ice, wear a personal flotation device, take a cell phone and be sure to tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return.
The local big waters are slow to ice over, but there are really a number of options if you truly want to go ice fishing.
Many of Southeast Michigan's small inland lakes should be shaping up and have enough ice to make fishing on them relatively safe by next weekend.
Public access to some of these lakes can sometimes be tough, but there are plenty of options.
"There are more than enough lakes with public access," Jeff Braunscheidel, Lake Erie Management Unit fisheries biologist.
"The waters of Stoney Creek Lake located inside the Stony Creek Metropark is a popular fishing spot for pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, perch, bluegills and crappies.
"The state record crappie was caught here and the opportunity to catch a lot of fish is good.
"And for a reasonable fee, it is open to the public.
"Union Lake is another sleeper for panfish," said Braunscheidel. "You might catch some 10-inch bluegills here, which are real trophies in Michigan.
"This lake also contains a good population of walleyes and red eared sunfish. Again, there are several public access sites for your use.
"Bald Mountain Recreation Area near the town of Lake Orion is a good bet to get kids started ice fishing." said Braunscheidel. "The reason is the quantity of tiny lakes of less than 30 acres that are full of panfish and can keep a child interested for awhile."
So there you have it, the where, how and when of ice fishing. Now, if nature continues to cooperate and delivers some really cold weather we can finally get out and enjoy another of Michigan's outdoor wonders.
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