Today we checked ice again in the areas we go to.  It was pretty consistent 11-12 inches with the top two inches being slush ice.  So it figures out to about 10 strong inches of ice.  ( Looks can be deceiving).  But we are definitely making progress.

I wish I could say as much for the fishing.  Today was a very slow day and those that tried the deep reefs and gravel late yesterday did not do well either.   I talked to fishermen today that were out in the gravel that didn’t even “mark” a fish, let alone get a bite.  Every time I stopped and visited with fishermen, their question was “Where are they?”  I’m beginning to wonder myself.  The shallower in close spots are producing some Walleyes, mostly too big to keep, and some “keeper” Perch, but not very many.   There was a lot of “experimenting ” going on this afternoon, people moving off into the mud off the sides of the deeper reefs and gravel and some fishermen already trying some of what would be the late season Perch areas we go to.   We’ll see how it goes with more fishermen looking and trying over the next couple days.

We are pulling out smaller private houses and have rentals out and ready for those reserved for the weekend.  I’m going to keep it ATV’s/snowmobiles for traffic out of our place to be safe.  There just isn’t enough  ice to put a lot of traffic on it all at once.  There are 4-6 inch cracks on some of the main lake ice out a mile from our shoreline, and I don’t want fishermen to wander onto something they don’t know about with a vehicle, especially if we get some snow tonight.

Keep a tight line.
Eddy