By: Capt. Ben Wolfe
We have finally hit the point of no return; the boats are packed away and winterized, the ice fishing gear is prepped and ready for use. We had a fantastic December in the Traverse City area, the weather was very mild for the first half of the month, allowing anglers to take advantage of some great open water fishing opportunities. Now that January is upon us, we will all be switching gears in hopes of fishing our favorite inland lakes for first ice panfish, walleye, perch and northern pike.
When venturing onto the ice for the first time of the year, checking for safe ice is very important. Always have a good, sharp spud, frequently spot-checking the thickness and quality of the ice. Properly using a spud can be a key difference maker in safely staying on top of the ice. Lakes that get early snowfall coverage will develop less quality ice than others. Anglers should carefully look for at least 3.5-4.5 inches of clear blue ice before walking out on any body of water. Early ice is exciting, but the utmost caution should always be used when venturing out.
First ice can offer the best action of the hard water season. Perch and panfish tend to be very active at this time, remaining in shallower water in pursuit of any food still correlating to weed- and rock-covered flats. It’s amazing to see how active the fish are on a graph at this time of the season, compared to mid-February. Small tungsten jigs and light fluorocarbon line will produce positive results. Tipping your jig with wax worms, spikes, and soft plastics is always a sure way to produce a good catch of fish.
Steelhead action should remain hot for the month of January. December offered plenty of rain during the first couple of weeks which, in turn, pushed good numbers of fish into area tributaries. River levels seem to be maintaining above average flows with temperatures in the mid to high 30’s. Anglers should take advantage of any January day above freezing. Hitting the river for winter steelhead can be cold but very rewarding. In January, 8mm and 10mm trout beads under a float will help anglers cover large areas of water while producing solid results. Anglers wishing to fish bait will have great success with spawn bags in white, peach and pink netting, as the water levels drop and visibility clears, smaller bags seem to work very well.
We at Sport Fish Michigan would like to wish everyone a safe and successful January; we hope to see you on the water.
Capt. Ben Wolfe
Sport Fish Michigan
(877) 442-4294
www.sportfishmichigan.com
