Hi Folks, Slowly but surely winter is attempting to show her face. The ice has been slow to form. I have been able to fish one lake that now has 10” of good black ice was several inches of slush on top of that. Many lakes and ponds are still not safe to ice fish. It looks like this next week should really make some ice as we have an arctic cold blast moving in. The fishing the last two weeks has been decent. We have focused on deeper water. 8’ to 12’ has been productive for both yellow perch and northern pike.The perch bite has been very consistent. The small perch are greedy and will bite almost any jig tipped with a maggot. The larger perch are a bit more fussy. A fire tiger Hali Jig tipped with a fat head minnow has been productive on larger perch and the occasional pike. Every fish on the jig stick have been holding tight to the bottom. Our pike sets have been just off the bottom. I like setting the baits enough off the bottom that they struggle in an attempt to get shelter on the bottom. Pike are sight feeders. Struggling fish get their attention. Golden Shiners and small perch have both enticed fish. Hopefully next week I will be able to expand my operation and pursue walleye as well as pike. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
