Frozen Tundra

Fished with Doug S. Temperature this afternoon was 19 degrees and the temp was dropping as the day went on. The wind was out of the northeast 10 to 20 knots, which made for some cold ice fishing. We decided to do the Grosse Ille tour today. The ice was 10 to 12 inches thick and in spots it was very slippery. We used minnows and spikes trying to catch some perch. Started fishing on the Trenton Channel and all that we caught were some small perch. We drove around the island to all our usual spots and it did not look very promising. Made one more stop on the Detroit River off Church Road and we only had a couple of bites. Decided to call it a day with no fish. We thought about fishing Airport Bay but we were not up for the long walk out to our fishing spot(over a mile).

Rough Ride to the Lake

Fished with John and Joe. We fished a small lake in Chelsea out by the prison. Temperature this morning was 26 degrees and it was snowing and raining on the way out to our fishing spot. The ride out to Chelsea was terrible, the roads were snow covered and the windshield kept freezing over from the rain and snow which made for a difficult ride to the lake. Once we got there safe and sound we had to walk through about 6 inches of snow to get to our fishing spot, which was not that bad because we built up a lot of heat on the way out. The only good news is that it quit snowing when we got there. Drilled 3 holes for fishing (about 12 inches of ice) and we never had to move, which is always a good thing. We were fishing in about 8 feet of water using small jigs tipped with mousies. Started catching fish right away but we had to sort through them. Stayed there for about 3 hours and we kept 47 fish. 43 bluegill, 3 sunfish and 1 crappie. We all had a great time and the weather was not that bad once we arrived at the lake.

Evening Gill Fishing

Fished with Doug Esch on a small lake in Bridgewater. Temperature this afternoon was 29 degrees and the wind was very light out of the north. The ice is 10 inches thick. We were fishing for gills and crappie using mousies and wax worms. The bite was steady and as the daylight was starting to fade the crappie started to bite. We were fishing in 16 feet of water jigging about a foot off the bottom. The lake has some nice gills and crappie in it and today did not let us down. Kept 15 gills and 3 crappie on a beautiful night for fishing.

Mr. Bow Fin

Fished with Daryl and Dale on a small lake in Chelsea by the prison. Temperature this afternoon was 22 degrees and when we quit fishing it was in the upper teens. The wind was light out of the east and the ice is 9 inches thick. Finally we have some snow on the ice so it makes the walking out to the fishing spot a lot easier. Our goal was to catch some bluegills and maybe some pike. We were using spikes and wax worms for the gills and very large shiners for the pike. Well, we caught some gills and the bite got real hot just before dark for the gills but Dale also caught 2 bow fin, the largest measured 28 inches. We also caught a bass, some perch and some crappie. Kept 31 bluegills, 1 perch and 1 crappie.

Bowfin (Amia calve)

The bowfin is a primitive fish that lives in muddy bottomed lakes and marshes. Sometimes called "dogfish," bowfins are often seen gulping air at the surface. They can grow to over 3 feet long. The males guard the eggs in a circular nest hidden among water plants, and also protect the young after hatching, as shown in this poster. These fish are predatory, feeding on other fish and crayfish. They are not highly regarded as a food or game fish. (This info comes from the Michigan DNR site)

Bolles Harbor

Fished with big Doug at Bolles Harbor. Temperature this morning was 29 degrees and when we quit fishing it was 31 degrees. The wind was out of the southwest at 10 knots. The ice is 9 inches thick and very slippery. The water was a little dirty from all the melting snow and rain we had last week. The fishing report was not very good but we decided to try Bolles Harbor anyways. When we got to the harbor 1 fisherman was leaving the ice already because he caught nothing, and it was only 8:00 AM. We went fishing anyways and did not do much better. After an hour of fishing we caught 1 little perch, so we left there and went to Sterling State Park. We drove around in the truck and checked out all the lagoons and no one was fishing so we just came home. So far this year Bolles Harbor has been a bust.