122813--wixom lake... first time ice fishing in nearly four years!

Comment

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 29, 2013 at 11:02am

Ken, you're right.

Most owned shanties are placed over some known bit of structure: channels, rock piles, drop offs, etc., and the owner just waits it out until the fish comes back there. Meanwhile, there are football or hockey games to watch, adult beverages to consume and hot lunches to eat. Sometimes, particularly on weekends, it seems the whole town turns out to "Shanty Town,m" and it becomes a community gathering - on the ice.

For those who are unfamiliar, the small, round, dark colored structures are temporary, tent shelters. The ones I'm familiar with present as a plastic clamshell-like affair, which you fold open wherever you want to fish. When the day is done or the fishing slows below ones "patience threshold," you fold 'er up, load your gear on top and drag it somewhere else. That how we did it. I only rarely saw the inside of a permanent shanty.

Comment by Slip Sinker on December 29, 2013 at 10:40am

Next week im going to fish the deep breaks adjacent to large expanses of gill and crappie spawning areas. Im picturing suspended fish and should be able to target readily on the sonar.

Comment by Slip Sinker on December 29, 2013 at 10:31am

It was amazing how they held to that 2ft ceiling.

Comment by John Sheehan on December 29, 2013 at 10:12am

Ken , ha ha !,last time out last year I saw ,on the flasher unit, the perch come up from bottom to my jig .If I raised it above two feet they retreated .If I waited they would come 2 feet from bottom to grab the offering . They had a 2' zone they would not deviate from.

Comment by Slip Sinker on December 29, 2013 at 9:59am

McScruff... the shanties with the instep are rentals and seem to be positioned in the same spot throught the whole season. most of the shanties seem fixed all season long and probably owned by locals. most of them seem to follow the deepest portion of the resevoir or original creek channel.

Jeff... just some smooth inclineing at the shore edge.

your exactly right Steve right in front of the launch... a very nice access. Steve do you ice fish in the area?

John... i bought the lowrance elite 4 ice... this unit will be shared in the summer with my kayak including the portable rechargeable battery. the little ice fishing trip was an experimental introduction for myself with the new equipment and to see if i would be physically able to enjoy it for any length of time. we hit 40 deg plus that day and a nasty cold front with sub zero on the way so it was a brief window for me to hit the ice. personally i like ice fishing in 30 plus weather.
ive seen my finder in operation on you tube and i was really anxious to give it a shot. i did stumble on a simple pattern for these little perch. drop the jig all the way to the bottom snap the jig up about 3 ft lower at 2 ft an slightly twitch. to much action and they turned away and retreated to the bottom. on the finder screen i saw the fish leave the bottom and follow the jig up and strike the lure. fun fun fun!

dick... i found the commeradery on the hard water excellent. the sharing of information was first rate. fisherman are a great bunch arent they?
there is a ice festival held held on houghton lake just north of me every year called Tip up Town ... its truly an amazing good time.

Leo ... i tried the vertical jigging too in soft water. tough to keep stationary when you want to lock in to a particular piece of structure. im wondering how spot lock by minn kota would handle this fishing strategy. very pricy though.

Comment by John Sheehan on December 29, 2013 at 8:20am

I use a Hummingbird tricolor Flasher 1CE-35 .Love it and it certainly helps locate active fish and determine patterns of depth they'll respond to.

Comment by John Sheehan on December 29, 2013 at 8:17am

Great opportunity for camaraderie and fishing talk! Got anymore pics of scenes like this Ken ?Good luck ice fishing ; I look forward to your catches and those of your pals!

Comment by Steve Totten on December 29, 2013 at 7:37am

Looks like the Tobacco River side by the public launch, usually a good area for crappies around the drop off.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on December 29, 2013 at 4:30am

Ken referenced the big draw down of the lake......How does that impact the existing ice? Does it just slowly drop with the lowering lake level?

Comment by dick tabbert on December 29, 2013 at 12:27am

Wow how I wished I could be there. Looks like fun city.

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