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Ice fishing for big bluegills and ye;;pw perch offers great winter action.

I wanted to hunt deer today but was anxious to get my ice-fishing tackle ready, and after checking for deer tracks in one hunting area,  made the decision easily. Sorting through my ice fishing gear made more sense, and doing so got a time-consuming task done early.

Many people share my dislike for not quite cold enough December weather. At this rate, we may not have any ice action soon. But, if the ice comes, me and my ice gear will be ready.

There are perch to be caught in Crystal Lake near Beulah, Big Glen Lake at Glen Arbor and Long Lake near Traverse City. There are bluegills waiting on Arbutus and Spider lakes (and countless others), smelt waiting to bite on Crystal, Green and Higgins lakes. Houghton Lake is a good bet for bluegills and crappies, and Manistee Lake at Manistee is good for pike.

It’s now nothing more than a waiting game as we wait for ice to freeze solid.

All we need is cold weather, no wind or heavy snow, but I'll whine no longer on that score.

I checked my ice auger, and it's still sharp from last year. My Ice Man boots are ready, and the ice creepers are positioned alongside the boots. My Carhartts are ready, and I like them for stopping the wind from whistling through. and around my old bones.

I have a tackle box filled with ice lures. There are some tiny ice flies and teardrops for bluegills, some larger jigs and Russian Spoons for perch and walleyes, some Halis, jigging Rapalas, Do-Jiggers, Little Cleos, Swedish Pimples, and a whole host of other large and small lures.

There are four light-action 24-inch spinning rods with ultralight reels stocked with either two- or four-pound line. There are four short baitcasting and spinning rods and reels with six-pound line and stiffer jigging rods for the larger lake trout and walleyes.

I know all about the new-fangled tip-ups, and have seen them in action, but I seldom set tip-ups these days for pike, trout and walleyes, but when I choose to use a tip-up, I use the old-fashioned wood models. They worked fine years ago, and they will work if I decide to fish that way this winter. There's no need for the old dog, new trick decision.

I stick with my old-fashioned tip-ups for the rare times when I use them.

Let's see. What else? Oh yeah, I have two pair of waterproofed leather mittens with wool liners for cold-weather fishing. I checked out my Coleman catalytic heater, and even though mine is perhaps 20 years old, this one still works great.

My collapsible fishing shanty is still in perfect shape, and sitting inside on one of those days with Arctic winds a'blowing, makes the shanty and catalytic heater a must. I checked the shanty runners and all parts of it, and it is ready to go when I am.

My three-prong gaff is seldom used these days except when fishing for jumbo northern pike. Get 'em up close, and stick one point of the large treble hook under his chin, and lift the fish out of the ice hole.

The ice strainer is one I've used for 25 years, and it still works fine. There is a small dip net for getting shiners out of the minnow bucket without getting my hands wet, and plenty of dry gloves. Over 60 years of bopping around fishing through the ice and doing other things outdoors in cold weather, I've frostbitten my fingers several times. They are very sensitive to cold, as is my cheek where it was frostbit years ago. A wool scarf can cover my long nose and cheeks.

I also have a pair of coiled wire rod holders that set flat on the ice, and even the softest biting bluegill will make the rod tip sag. Set the hook and you've got the fish ... most of the time

There are bobbers of all colors, shapes and sizes although I seldom use them anymore. My little tackle box of ice fishing gear is the same small box I've carried for many years, and some of the lures inside are those I've had for more than 40 years. Some have a sentimental value that far exceeds any monetary value.

I often carry a spare spool of six- and four-pound line in the event a big fish is hooked, takes out line and then breaks off. A magnifying glass makes knot typing with light line much easier for these old eyes. Last, but not least, is my ice sled and a personal flotation device and rope.

The sled pulls smoothly across the ice, and has a wind deflector on the back for those days when I fish without a shanty. I can load almost everything on that ice sled except for a gas-powered ice auger.

OK, the gear is ready. So where's the ice? Well, obviously it's not here yet but each year I hope for an early freeze. A reality check tells me that there is seldom safe ice before New Years Day. And, from a purely personal point of view, safe ice means four to six inches,

So, here I sit, broken hearted. Tried to ice fish, but the ice departed. Any resemblance of the preceding sentence to a bawdy rhyme once written on public bathroom walls, is purely coincidental, and has absolutely nothing to do with ice fishing.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors