still winter

Hi Folks, Guided local today for northern pike.  Still cold and blowing outside.  We found 24" of ice and walking required care as the ice was slippery.  Ice conditions do vary this time of year and caution is advised, but the last week's cold weather has extended the ice fishing season.  We had two flags with pike today.  Fish in the 5lb to 6lb range.  Females with eggs who were released.  We set goldens under tip ups from 2' to 8' of water.  Lots of weeds.  The perch fishing was decent as we landed 30 yellow perch, but no real big yellow bellies.  Will be chasing pike again Thursday.  It is not looking very favorable for opening day currently.  Still pretty darn cold.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  Have Fun, Willy

hard water pike

Hi folks, Been up north guiding northern pike the last few days.  Still 14" of ice where we fished, but the shore line is getting thin.  It is the time of the year where a ladder or a board are helpful getting off the ice.  The shoreline ice is the first to recede and caution is advised when getting on or off.  Been unseasonably cool this week so the integrity of the ice is still good.  We fished a shallow bay that dumps into deep water two days in a row.  There is a small stream that enters into the bay and it is a dark bottomed mucky area that supports new weed growth early in the season.  Perfect spawning water for pike.  We landed 5 male northern in the mid 20" range and lost a fish.  We hooked pike in 2' to 18' of water.  Not sure the northerns have blasted into the spawning areas in full force yet.  We fished with small golden shiners as that was the only bait we could purchase. We had a lot of tip ups spread out well and the whole area covered thoroughly. Not a lot of luck fishing perch and we managed to jig one pike.  The pike fishing will only get better, it is a matter of whether the ice holds up.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  have fun, Willy

coming to an end

Hi folks, Guided on the hard water all this last week with 3 trips.  Been a good guiding winter for me as more and more folks seem interested in ice fishing.  Lots of snow pack on the ice currently.  Still 2' of ice under my shanty with another 2' of snow and slush on top of that.  Needed snow shoes to get to the shanty.  Trout season concludes on Tuesday March 15 and then I will be guiding and fishing northern pike after that.  Trout fishing this last week was pretty slow.  Still catching tons of smelt and some nice 10" plus perch.  The perch have been holding to the bottom in 30' and the smelt have been suspended.  Most of the smelt we located with electronics and caught them at 12' to 15' off the bottom.  Hali jigs and bibbits in copper, silver, and gold have worked well.  Tipping the jigs with maggots certainly help on the smelt.  Pike fishing should begin to heat up and the next month and a half is the best time of the year to hang a big northern.  Just remember any pike over 30" is definitly a female laden with eggs and they should be handled with care.  Remember to obey the bait laws and keep VHS at home.  have Fun, Willy