Fishing Michigan

One of the most effective types of lures for just about any species of fish caught through the ice are spoons.  All, but the finickiest bluegill will hit a spoon.  They appeal to the neutral fish, as well, as the most aggressive.  They come in all sizes from 1/16th of an ounce up to 1 oz.   Here are some of my favorites broken down by company, sizes and species to target with them.

Northland Tackle offers quite a few spoons to choose from.  The combination of colors, glows and decals can call fish in from a long way off.  The most versitle for panfish up to walleye are the Forage Minnow spoons.  The 1/16th and 1/8th oz spoons are ideal for agressive crappie and perch.  The 1/8th is idea for perch, and effective for timid inland lake walleye.  The 1/4 oz will get you jumbo perch and can even be used on the Great Lakes for walleye.   The Fire-Eye Minnow spoon offers the colors and glows too,  but with a different shape for more flutter action.  The 3/16th and 3/8th sizes can be used on inland and big water walleyes.  The Buck-Shot Rattle Spoons have been without peer for many years, combining colors with a rattle chamber on the backside of the spoon.  From crappie and gills, to walleye, all the way up to northern pike;  these spoons will call agressive fish in.  They can also be twitched or jiggled for less aggressive fish.

Will cover a Michigan original tomorrow, and one of the most popular spoons for ice fishing of all time.

Sometimes you have to repair your shanties, and sometimes you have to replace the parts.  That was the case for me after getting back from the championship, one of my Fish Trap Pro’s developed a couple of holes in the sled.  This is the backup that I had bought off my old tournament partner when he moved to Florida.   He had never installed the optional runners to the base (sled section) of the shanty.

The first thing I had to do was make a warranty call to Clam, the parent company who makes the Pro.  I explained the circumstances in which the holes developed in the base.  The solution was if I bought the runners, then the company would send me a new base.  That was more than fair in my book, so that’s the route I went with.  Here is pic of the runners still in the shipping tube.  The same runners will also fit the Fish Trap Scout, a slightly lighter model that uses the same base/sled for its platform.

The runners actually arrived a couple of days before the new base, so I had some time to think of what improvements I might make with the shanty as before actually starting the work. There weren’t too many and I decided to make this a step by step piece for the blog.  This is a fairly common repair to many types of shanties, and folks should think of ways to install runners of some type onto any brand they might happen to buy.  This is also a good idea for any sleds that you might use to haul your gear across the ice.  That is Guage nosing around under the table.

All the repairs made can be done by one person, and you can also put any shanties together by yourself the first time as well.  That doesn’t mean things won’t go a little smoother with the help of a second pair of hands.  This true when installing the runners, but you can do it by yourself like I did here.  You are going to need a drill, some wrenches, screwdrivers and either a heat gun or hair dryer.  Start in the front of the sled where it curves up, on each side measure your starting point and drill your holes through the runners and sled/base.  Then install your first bolt through the bottom and use the washer and locking nut on the interior of the sled.  Next  you take the heat gun and begin to mold the runners to the sled by warming them up to the point they become pliable.  When you get it to where it fits tight against the sled, drill your next hole and install the hardware.  Repeat the process till you have both runners installed.

This is a quick look at the bolts coming through the shanty’s new base.  Now the directions said to install six sets of bolts, washers and nuts,  but they had a whole more than that in the bag of parts.  I just decided more has got to be a little better, and put in a few extras, specially in the front where the sled curves up.  I did it just to draw the runners tighter to the sled.  See the holes to the right, which is the front of the sled?  Instead of waiting I installed the old rope from the original base through these.  You can also use a hitch if you so choose.

Here is the original shanty with the old base still installed.  Notice how Kyle (old tournament partner) had offset the seat base to the right in the picture.  He did this to make it easier for him to jig with his right hand while fishing inside on cold days or sight fishing.  With the new design of the FT Pro’s, the person really can make the unit roomier and easier to fish out of, to their own preferences.

The easy part is the tear down of the original.  The first thing I removed off was the molding that goes along the bottom edge of the sides and rear of the sled.  The molding is secured by small screws and anchors the edge of the fabric to the base.  Next came the corner brackets for the support poles of the shanty’s tarp.  Finally I removed the seat assembly.  That blue material is a rod hammock which I left attached.

The next step is all about placement, where do I want my gear in the sled to sit?  The easiest way to settle the issue is to bring your gear out and put it in different positions so that fits and you can get the most out of its location.  This is really a good idea to do before you mount the rest of the old brackets and assemblies.  I placed some buckets, my Vexilar and tackle bags in the places I thought they would be the most accessible to me while fishing and still be secured while traveling.

After settling that issue and doing a little measuring, my next step was to install a set of eye bolts in the interior of the base.  I used two bolts, a washer for the interior, and then a washer, locking washer and nut on the outside.  The inside washer prevents the “eye” from digging into the base and weakening the material around the installation.  Then I ran a bungee cord from front to back, not only to help secure items that might get bounced around, but to reinforce the strength of the sled as well.  I was using and empty cat litter bucket while trying to get the placements down.  Cali decided to hop up onto the table to see what was going on.  Not exactly a cat person, but since Bonnie almost ate the darn thing we adopted her, and she now rules the shop.  Not having a clue what to name her, Cali is short for “Calico” cat.  Original I know, I have heard it before!

With that done began the installation of the old parts onto the new base.  First off was the seat assembly.  I will use either hand for jigging, so I placed the seat more in the middle.  It also gives me more room to use my off hand for using the Vexilar or grabbing a fish out of the hole.  The seat already slides from front to back  allowing for leg length or just stretching out.  The corner brackets went on next with the support poles still attached.

You may have noticed the red cup being held in the right corner.  This is a common cup or can holder that can be found in any marine store.  I had done this on my original Pro that I bought in 2001 and Kyle had liked the idea and installed one on this shanty too.  It will hold a can, or insulated mug of coffee level while you fish.  There are arms on the top section that expand or contract to fit around the type of beverage container you are using.  When not in use, they tuck down, while the base of the holder folds up and closes flush to the bracket.  This is really handy while using a travel cover with your shanty.

When you go to mount the cover of your shanty, extend all the support poles ( if they do extend) and place the tarp material over the poles.  Stretch it out like it would look like while you are fishing with the unit.  On the sides and rear, along the edge of the base/sled, reattach the molding using the screws to secure the tarp.  Make sure you are wasting as little of the material under the molding as you can.  Start on one side, and work the molding over the tarp while securing the screws as  you go from one side to the other.

Once that is done, secure the velcro straps over the corresponding support poles to make sure everything fits securely.  Breakdown the poles and tuck in the material, and you are ready to go fishing again.  You can see the cup holder flush with the corner bracket in this picture.  Now we just need this cold weather to keep coming in from the North and we can go fishing again.

Again, with all this warm weather that’s been hanging around the ice has been a little thin or nonexistent.  I have been guilty of turning my attention towards spring and building some harnesses for the upcoming walleye season.  Thank goodness there seems to be a cold front coming and I can get that nonsense out of my head for a couple of more months.

So in the meantime, I did a Google search for beads to use while tieing up some harnesses.  Always looking for something new that can be used from different sources and I found a little gem in this online bead store.  Some of the beads I like to use are called faceted beads, with multiple cut sides that reflect a lot of light.  This place sells them in a few different sizes, but for trolling I like to use 6 mm.  They also have quantities that should last the average joe quite a long time, and very reasonably priced.  1,080 ct packages for $3.99.

The Beadery is the name of the website.  Just click on “The Beadery”, and you go to the main page.  On the left there is a column of bead varieties, click on “Basic Beads” and choose “Faceted beads”.  Like I said, there are many sizes but the 6 mm are on page 2 and there are some 8 or so colors to choose from.

Last week,  I called Eric Sharp (Free Press outdoor writer) a man for admitting that he was wrong in the recent financial faux crisis.  I thought that maybe he had been hoodwinked along with some others who fought for the increased fees.  I’ll take that back now.  He’s just a pissy sore loser who does not want to concede defeat.  This Sunday he decided to blame the National Rifle Association (NRA) ahead of time for any future defeat of a proposed fee increase that has not even been proposed yet.

Following a format where many writers do a two man piece, where one gives an opinion and the other agrees or disagrees with it. I decided to have a little fun with it, and put in some of the points brought up by Mr. Sharp,  and throw back a counterpoint from myself.  There won’t be too many agreements in this one that I can see ahead of time.

Point:     Sharp calls the legislature spineless for not standing up to the “gun lobby” in passing even a modest increase of $3 or so.

Counterpoint:  I say the legislature is playing it smart in the face of investigations not even being completed in the last farce.  One fact, yes $3 doesn’t seem like a huge increase, but it is a 20 percent increase.  Secondly the members of the legislature should not be afraid of the NRA, they need to be afraid of their constituents and their ability to get re-elected.

Point:  Sharp says the legislators are weaseling out of their responsibilities when they did not pass the recent outrageous fee increases.

Counterpoint:  I say they are playing the part of representing those who voted them, as it should happen in a representative democracy.  There was an overwhelming outcry not to increase the fees the last time out and those in the house and senate listened.  Turns out that there was not a deficit, and so no need to increase the fees.  One nice thing about term limits is that it seems like the those in Lansing actually listen more often than not to their districts.

Point:  Sharp quotes Frank Wheatlake, a member of NRC that sets policy for the DNR and one responsibility is submitting fee increases.  “Whether we have a $10 million fund balance is irrelevant,” says Wheatlake.  He finishes off with,  “What we need is to get back to the employment levels of 2005 to run the department properly.”

Counterpoint:  Good thing this guy is not running a publicly traded company in the private sector, or he would be out of a job.  Fat gets trimmed, and if you can prove that you can run the company at the same level with less employees, then you have some happy investors. 

Point:  The DNR should be given some license increases simply to bring it up to par with the cost of inflation.

Counterpoint:  Whose rate of inflation would you go by?  The government’s rate which is about 4 or 5 percent per year,  or the wage increases of the workers in the state which falls a lot closer to 2%.

Point:    Sharp says, “No one with a lick of sense would suggest that the DNR can defray 2008 prices a 1980’s revenue stream”

Counterpoint:   He acts like the DNR’s only revenue comes from the hunters and anglers in the state.  The campers who use the State Parks have had to face increased fees over the past few years.  The state charges more for less, while you can go to a private campground and get more for less.  For less than the cost of an unimproved campsite in a state park, the campers can go to a private facility and get electricity and water.  That’s revenue lost to the state, because they were not competitive.

Point:  Sharp says he has had a hard time convincing people that the recently “found” $10 million isn’t a surplus in the Game and Fish fund.  That, by law, there must be a balance of that exact amount kept from one year to another.

Counterpoint:   Thank goodness its a balance, because if it was a surplus there would be new and inventive ways to spend it.

Point:   Sharp says, “As for the NRA, it can have a say in our DNR funding when its willing to drop its membership fees to 1980’s levels.  Until then, butt out.”

Counterpoint:  I am not a member of the NRA, I was during the Clinton years when there was a serious threat to our Second Amendment rights.  The NRA is not a state agency, they represent those members who pay their dues,  and those members face attack to their hunting privileges from PETA, and the anti-gun lobbies.  The DNR however is a state agency, and they have to listen to the people at some point.  Although they are politically appointed, those who do the appointing can be forced to listen to the will of the people.  This time the will won.

Conclusion:   It amazes me that Mr. Sharp is still touting the company line here.  Is this, or is it not, the same folks who just as recently as two weeks ago “pulled the wool” over his eyes?  Instead of taking these same people at their word, why not look deeper into their practices and work out a practical solution.  Yes the resources of Michigan belong to all those who live in Michigan,  doesn’t matter if your idea of a vacation is fishing the salmon rich waters off Ludington, or walking the pier to the lighthouse and getting ice cream at the House of Flavors in the same city.  All I have to say is look around you, the state is financially a mess, jobs are leaving left and right,  workers are losing their benefits and there is no turn around in sight with the present administration running things in Lansing.  There should have been a businessman elected the last time out, and the state agencies need to be run like a business today, trim the fat like the rest of us.  At some point times will be better, until then, leave our wallets alone.

If the rivers weren’t running over the banks and flooding everything in sight, normally during these warm spells are a good time to turn your attention towards the local steelhead fishing in the Huron River.  Right now the water is just a little to muddy after taking a trip through Flat Rock yesterday.  Even thought about going to Luna Pier last night to see if the walleye were still holding close to shore, but thought I would save the gas in the tank because the water down there was sure to be muddied up as well.

For the true fish head, this weather is not ideal one way or another.  One bright spot is that a warm up like this tends to drive the retail stores insane.  Prices will soon be slashed on the ice equipment, if they haven’t been done already.  These little warm-ups send them into a panic and they start thinking about clearing inventory in preparation to loading the floors with spring gear.

Must admit I have been turning my attention to any new spring gear that I might need to pick up in getting ready for some April and May walleye fishing on the lake.  Some new components for building harnesses are on the list.  Some of those hot custom colors from Frank’s went on too. 

Anything that needs to be done with the boat can be taken care of as well.  For me, its going to be installing the RAM mounts into the boats for using a new Lowrance I picked up last fall.  Also have to put on the transducers and run the cable back to the unit and get it wired to the battery.

Lots more I am sure will come up, but you can always come up with something to get ready for the next season.

Remember that spot I did on shopping on Ebay last week?  Well went shopping and lookee what I got.

Guess I can say this, but I searched the world over, well it is the world wide net right? Anyhoo, I wanted a travel cover for the quad to keep the winter salt and grime off the metal on the new Polaris I bought before the championship.  I called dealerships, searched sites and the best price I found was $100.00.  Worst case, and I was looking at a buck fifty.  After that, I looked over at Ebay, and typed in Polaris ATV travel covers.  Not bad for 40 bills and $10 shipping.  Fit like a glove, even with the tote on the rear and the auger rack on the front.

Got the mid-winter blues?  Its raining, the ice has gone (for now), but still have the itch to walk on water?  You are not alone, there are thousands of folks just like you from South Dakota to New England feeling the same.  To find product info, get current conditions in your neck of the woods or just talk strategy, these are some good places to start.

www.fishmichigan.net     I really enjoy this site,  it hasn’t swamped by “pro’s” hyping one product over another.  Just a bunch of regular folk, talking fishing, hunting, cooking and getting along.  There are some quirky people, but all part of the Michigan flavor.

www.thefishyspot.com  If you wonder where all the folks that migrated from the old Ice Team site, this is the place.

www.fishingminnesota.com  Want to read how they do it in the land of “Grumpy Old Men”, its a good spot to start.  Have to check out some of the modifications to their permanent fish houses,  Lemon and Matheau never had it this good.

www.iceshanty.com  Seems to be more of a PA, NY and New England crowd, but still loaded with some great information, and they have their own “Michigan” section, where you can talk Superior to Erie fishing.

www.in-depthangling.com  You have to really cherry pick the information here,  running into some cliques.  The so called site pro’s probably need to go to class to get some updated information.

www.icefishing.outdoorsfirst.com  This one seems like it may be going through some growing pains, but think it has a lot of potential.

www.michigan-sportsman.com  Haven’t quite made up my mind on this one yet.  Also seems like the site runs at a slower speed than the others.  Definitely has some good information,  just weed through some of the nonsense.

I try to go through these once a day,  have my favorites that I check out more than twice a day.  Some are loaded good information, others with new ideas worth trying. 

If you have noticed the last four days or so, the untimely warm weather has decimated the ice on Wampler’s Lake.  The tournament that was set up for the third weekend of the month has been pushed back, with an alternative date set up as well.  This is the email that was forwarded to me to pass along.

 The new Expo Center at the Monroe Country Fairgrounds looks to be paying dividends for the community in its first full year of operation.  The Huron River Steelheaders are the folks bringing the show to the county fair grounds.  Don’t be fooled by the name though, there will be lots of seminars on walleye, muskie and other types of fishing.  Will be a large display of boats, vendors and other activities listed below, as well.

MI-OH Sportfishing Expo

Monroe County Fairgrounds Expo Center

February 9th (9am-5pm) - February 10th (9am-5pm)

Show Highlights:

14+ Free Seminars “Fly fishing to advanced walleye techniques”

Free Parking

Free CHIP (Child Identification Program - Masons)

Reeling & Heeling Midwest - Fly fishing as cancer therapy for cancer survivors and victims

27,000 sq of brand name fishing products and boats

Free door prizes (Must be present to win)

Ticket discount available

Free Fishing Simulator

For further show details, seminar speakers and directions, please go to http://www.mssfa.com/huron_valley/SpringShow.htm

Three things seem apparent with the administration in Lansing these days.  First, if the state is doing great and there is plenty of money in the budget coffers its got to be about election time.  Secondly if there is a projected budget shortfall in any state agency, they are trying to squeeze more money out of the public’s pockets, because come audit time, it will turn out they had plenty of money to begin with.  Last of all, if there is some new “bonus” money laying around, they will come up quickly with new ways to spend it rather than save away for a rainy day.

The recently proposed license fee increases had no greater supporter than Eric Sharpe of the Detroit Free Press.  In yesterday’s Sunday edition, he stood up, although on the back page, and declared that he had been wrong.  That he, along with the MUCC had been hoodwinked by the administration and the DNR.  But, during that process of defending the rate hikes, he along with Dennis Muchmore (head of the MUCC), lost a lot of the credibility they had with the outdoor community within Michigan.  What they did was betray the trust of the Michigan hunter, trapper and angler.  That trust may take years to win back,  and for the well informed outdoors-person, it could be decades.

Now, if the DNR had come forth with a decent proposal, say a dollar or two fee hike,  I guarantee that this fuss could have been avoided.  After all they had not raised the rate in over a decade, costs go up and this would have been something they could have sold to the people as reasonable.  The stink started when they originally were going to ram down our throats a doubling of the rates.  No amount of political jibber jabber can change that fact.  First they could not raise it all at once, so they tried to soften the blow by spreading it out over a few years.  What  in their little bean counter heads showed them that the state’s economy would be getting better to allow such a bitter pill to be swallowed two years later?

We were told that other states have higher fees than Michigan.  That it was time to catch up with those around us.  Its true folks, there are a handful of states that charge more than Michigan,  but the numbers who charge less are far greater.  The problem is that they didn’t only want to catch up, they wanted to surpass all the other states.  The whole thing is this, and it should have been caught by someone with more pull than a lowly blogger;  Michigan even with its lower rates, had more money coming in than any other state due to the sheer numbers of citizens who enjoy the outdoors. 

One thing that angered me the most about the article, is the pure hell that the employees of the DNR were put through themselves.  Who gets axed first in the wide world of business when times are tough, the low man on the totem pole.  So for just about a year or so, the people you see as the face of the DNR were left to sweat it out.  Will they have job, can they find another job, would they lose their homes, would they have to move their families out of Michigan?

There are going to be audits done,  some facts will come out to help clear the air.  Sharpe in his article says that some folks in Lansing should lose their jobs if they knew ahead of time things were going to be alright.  Somebody at the Free Press should be looking at his desk and asking why wasn’t this investigated before being reported on?  Have newspapers become the vehicle of the government,  or are they still the vigilant watchdog that the people have come to respect?  Think I see a pup with its tail between its legs.