W ell, it’s official El Niño sucks! But all is not lost for ice fishing with some colder temperatures on the horizon. The rivers are fishing well for steelhead and lake run brown. With any luck January brings us some ice to stand on! As I pace around the house, I realize that instead of boohooing about the lack of ice one should be taking advantage of this unseasonable weather and intermittent rain events with some steelhead and trout fishing. The warmer weather has the steels and browns still on the chase, so the streamer and the swing guys are putting some fish on the board when it comes to the fly scene. The Big Manistee, PM, Betsie, and Boardman all are viable for browns and steels as well as many others. Look for the early-freezers lakes like Cadillac and Mitchell, Manistee (Kalkaska County), Missaukee or many of the shallow potholes or arms of lakes. Make sure to play it safe and don’t push the envelope on thin ice. Happy New Year and always stay on top!