Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Michigan Ice reports?

I am looking to hit the ice this coming weekend. i was wondering if anyone has been out (and returned) on the ice yet?

Brian - Has the wind blown any bare ice areas on your pond?. If so ice should be 4"-6" by Sat. If drifted snow is around the edges test those areas carefully because ice does not freeze as fast under deeper snow cover along the edges. I shovel shoreline areas where I want to enter pond and ice freezes faster and thicker below snow free areas. I will check my ice thickness at noon. since my pond is sheltered by evergreens ice thickness is usually 2"-3" less than exposed ponds.

Brian,

You can also go to IceShanty.com in the Michigan category and ask.

Ice thickness in NW OH surprised me. I had 4" of good solid fresh ice on my main pond which is sheltered by evergreen trees; now no snow on top of ice. Snow that was there melted and refroze Sunday when there was about 1"-2" of ice. Wind blew most of the pond clean of snow. Gaining about 1" of ice per night which is about normal when temps are around 10F or below at night. Good ice at 4" thick is pretty strong and will 'just about' but not quite hold up a good sized tractor and small shed:
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=242753&page=1

Ice thickness by Sat for Brian's SE MI pond should be 5"-6" thick, maybe more. Brian, report back what you find for ice thickness and photos of any fish you catch. What you plan on using for bait?

probably waxies or mousies. I have never fished this early. I have just started ice fishing a couple of years ago. What should I be hunting for? I was thinking crappie on a local small lake.

Hey Coach, you are in SE MI. Give the WE a try in Saginaw Bay on the ice. Quite a bit of fun!

Happy WE dinners! Yum, Yum!

That is a lot of water out there. Where would I start for info on the Bay?

Every lake is different, I'd recommend getting out there and drilling a few holes to check thickness.

Shoveling paths is a good idea. I personally walk a path from cabin to where I ice fish on snowshoes to check thickness, then drive a snowmobile back and forth on that same route to smash the snow down and let it freeze deeper overnight before bringing multiple people out. Sometimes you get slushy areas on top of ice, and a snowmobile compresses the snow to allow everything to freeze up really nicely.

Coach,
On unknown big water such as Saginaw Bay I would start by checking with nearby bait shops (see next informative post). They will give general areas where fish have been caught. Then look for groups of shanties or areas active with anglers. Ice on the Great lakes is risky due to shipping traffic and wind induced ice flows. The Bay will have safe ice slower than smaller inland lakes. On unknown waters be VERY careful of upwelligs and spots of thin ice which is why I prefer ice fishing on ponds that normally have uniform ice providing snow is not thick; then be careful.

Why not harvest a few fish (3-6) from your pond? It shouldn't take long to catch a few fish. This way you get to do some sampling of the current stock. Record sizes caught. Harvest any fish you hook deep and a couple in the slot size you have establised for those for achieving your pond goals. When you get your 3-6 fish quit for the day. Don't overfish your fish in a small pond. IMO, two main goals are trophies (harvest mid range sizes to improve recruitment to larger sizes), or numerous /overall quality fish (harvest larger individuals of each species).

Iceshanty.com Michigan section! I feel like the Aflac Duck!

Quack, Quack, aaaaffffllllaaaaccckkkkkkk! (cody addition)

One day later and that 4" of ice is now 5". The smaller 'back' pond that is exposed and out in the open has 7" of ice.

Thanks cecil,

You may be the goose, but, as my wife says, i'm the brick wall. I did go there and the reports are good. I will report back after the outing on Saturday. I will try the Bay later in the year. I used to hate ice fishing (vertical jigging while freezing), but have lately really enjoyed he peace and quite of the ice. I think that came with having kids!

Cody you stinker!

A great day on the ice. We had 5-6 inches everywhere. Caught lots of BG, BC and a few perch. Catch of the day goes to my friend, Terry.



A 23 inch LMB on a mousey and 2 LB test! We are going again tomorrow!