January got off to a wild start with lots of snow piling up on some medium thickness ice, but the fish were biting. You needed to be prepared for some water to come up out of the hole as the weight of the snow is pushing down on the ice. After a hard cold snap and then rainy weather, the lakes have firmed back up and the bite is back on. More importantly the conditions are making it easier to get out fishing.
The bluegills are still darting in and out of the weed beds. Smaller jigs with live bait seem to be the ticket. Some luck on real fine small plastics on #16 and #14 jigs. Since they are still in the shallower waters some of the old standby lead jigs are just as good as your new tungsten’s. Grubs and spikes have both been producing. My friend Jeff reported that the weed beds on Murray Lake are producing until the Muskie come in, then they shut down.
Crappies are biting and have not been moving around too much. You should find them suspended over some deep holes. Reeds Lake in 40+ feet, hovering at about the 27 foot mark, has been my personal path to a limit on nearly every visit. They are typically off to one side or the other of the hole. Structure will dictate the side. They need an escape route when the predators pass through the area. Bright jigs, #14 and #12 garnished with a bright plastic grub during the day have worked well. Use the GPS and a free app on your smartphone to record the spot when you find them. They haven’t been hitting real hard on the bite but if you can detect them sucking it in, you will be into a limit in no time. Late evenings minnows have been producing moderate results according to Big John S. I was able to get the glow jigs with a glow plastic working for the first hour of dark on a couple of trips in January.
Tip ups started slow but most of the predator fish are starting to setup patterns that make them predictable enough to be worth drilling the extra holes. As February comes in we expect the bluegill to start to move deeper and the crappie schools to start moving around.
Safe ice seems to be prevalent, but always use caution when heading out onto an unfamiliar lake. I recommend keeping a five yard comfort zone between you and anyone not in your group out of courtesy, sometimes the quiet is as pleasing as the catch. Please remember to share ice conditions on http://www.miiceguys.com/report-ice and observe limits and rules. Be a great Michigan sportsman!
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