When I was asked to go ice fishing on Houghton Lake, Michigan, I expected a hole in the ice, short pole, a bucket to sit on and a frigid wind. That’s how we fished the frozen lakes in Montana. My first surprise was when we left the road and drove the pickup over the frozen lake. My guide laughed and said it was his first time driving on the ice this season. That was not at all comforting. “You just need to stay away from the artisian springs. That’s where tourists get into trouble.”
As we drove to the middle of the lake, a shanty came into view through the snowflakes. All the shanties have the owner’s name on them and this one was big. Our guide called it a three hole shanty, which meant it would hold three fishermen on the bench, each with his own fishing hole. I got out of the truck and hurried toward the shanty. The ice creaked and moaned. I was glad the truck was parked some distance away.
The shanty was amazing. It had indoor lighting, a heater, radio, and all the supplies required for a day of fishing organized on shelves and on the walls. Duly impressed, I said, ”Now, that’s a shanty!”
We opened the hinged doors over the fishing holes and skimmed out the ice that had formed on the top. The water was crystal clear and you could see all the way to the bottom, a sand bar 12-15 feet down. The sunlight through the ice gave the sandbar a luminescent glow.
I got rigged up with his favorite bait, minnie heads. You popped the heads off the tiny fish and put them on your hook. He said to jig them a foot or two off the bottom. With those instructions, he went out to set the tip-ups.
Tip-ups were for the additional holes outside of the shanty. When you get a fish on, the flag pops up to let you know. After the tip-ups were set, he joined me in the warmth of the shanty. I had already shed my coat and hat. After a bit of jigging, I got my first bite. I watched the walleye move toward the minney-head. Then he took the bait. I set the hook and pulled in the first of three nice walleyes I caught that day. My guide caught 2 more on the tip-ups outside. I remained in my comfortable spot and throughly enjoyed the day.
I always thought you had to sit out in the cold on the ice and fish. If I could sit in a heated shanty and wait for a flag to come out of the water, I might not mind ice fishing. I had no idea that his method was even available. How many fish did you catch on the trip? What a wonderful experience for you. Thank you for sharing this experience with us.
Comment by kjamrozy — December 6, 2006 @ 9:56 pm |
Hi Kjam. This trip was definately ice fishing in style. I caught three that day, my guide caught 5, three inside the shanty and 2 outside on the tipups. It was great fun. They actually have a annual festival on the ice there call Tip Up Town where they have crazy activities like the polar bear dip (yes, they jump into a 12 X 12 hole cut in the ice in swim suits.) They set up a town on the ice and have snowmobile races and family events. They elect a mayor that presides over the activities. The parking lot is on the lake also. It’s so weird to see the vehicles lined up on the water. So what else is there to do in northern Michigan in January? I once saw a extended cab pickup that went through and just the back wheels were left above the ice. Guess he was too close to the artisian springs that feed the lake.
Comment by love2fish — December 7, 2006 @ 2:59 am |
Nice catch and thanks for the pointers.
Comment by Jean — January 27, 2007 @ 1:56 am |
Hi..just stopping by to say a Happy New Year…interesting post there, and i’ve bookmarked this blog too…keep up the good job
Comment by Siti Nurhaliza — January 9, 2008 @ 5:54 am |