| Michigan offers
anglers four seasons of recreational fishing.
Each winter thousands of anglers take to the ice
to seek walleye, perch, northern pike, bluegill,
crapple, lake trout and smelt. Each ice fishing
season in Michigan varies. The month of December
in many years doesn't offer any ice fishing as
the weather always varies. This year a great deal
of snow has blanketed the ice that already began
forming over bodies of water.
The heavy
snow cover has not been good for those planning
recreational activity on the ice for several
reasons: heavy snow cover insulates the ice and
slows freezing activity, makes it especially
difficult to evaluate the condition of the ice by
sight, and can hide cracks and weak spots.
This year, it
is very important that anglers consider the
"snow effect" and use extreme caution
when deciding whether to head onto the ice.
Ice fishing
is not the only recreational activity that takes
place on ice-covered bodies of water in our
state. Skating, snowmobiling and just walking on
the ice are common winter outdoor pursuits.
It is
important that ice anglers and others who plan to
venture out onto the frozen outdoor lakes and
streams both understand and accept that there is
no such thing as "safe ice" when
talking about the outdoor ice. Ice does not form
at a uniform rate, even on the same body of
water. Ice is highly unpredictable and the
thickness and quality can vary widely.
Each
individual must make a personal decision whether
to go onto the ice in any given area. The degree
of risk can be greatly minimized by gaining
knowledge about the properties of ice and
specifically, the lake of stream you may be
planning to fish.
Talk to bait
and tackle shops near the lake or stream you've
picked. Most local residents familiar with the
lake will readily tell you where the dangerous
areas are likely to be found. Dress for the
outdoors. Take advantage of the new,
lighter-weight clithing that offers maximum
warmth and is also water repellant.
Lansing
State Journal
|
 John Dean settles in
to fish on Saginaw Bay near Pinconning during
mid-December. Dean says he's been fishing in
about the same spot for 52 years
Justin
Schmidt pulls a pickerel out of Promised Land
Lake in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Schmidt as his
friend caught 12 pickerel all together, all of
which they released back into the lake.
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