Adam Bomb

Mmmmm....No thanks, Ill take my Vex along instead!

Thats a fine release Ken. Have used them allot. Theyre adjustable and grip very well. You wont be dissappointed with it.

Yup, nice jigs for sure...Seems our NA companies have finally caught on to the foreign companies jigs and are copying them. That "new" jig from Lindy is eriely similar to the Fiska Balances that have been around for a long time now. Same with their "new" Darter that Salmo's become famous for with ice fisherman. I know this, theyll be popular with the feesh!

Just got home. Went down to Detroit to watch the Wings last night with the fam and visited Greek Town as well. Had a good time with the family. Im gonna take a ride here in a bit and check things out. If conditions are good i may try to fish tomorrow....On the way home, just north of Birch Run, there was a pond on the side of the e-way and there was a couple guys riding dirt bikes on it. Must be allot of inland stuff thats fishable then i would think...As everyone said, be careful. Jason, i saw a few deer up there, not too many..It was pretty darned nasty though.

Well, this afternoon i got bored so the dog and i went for a ride up to Nayanquing Point(NP) State Game area and watched the deer for a bit, then went down to Linwood to check out the ice. The little cove between Linwood and NP was all froze up and beyond that there was floating sheet ice and then some pretty good ice jams out on the sandbar off NP. Hoping this cold will hold up and that that ice in the cove stays and continues to get thicker. Wouldnt mind getting out there after some perch. Waters up and we might actually be able to fishin in there for a change. There was also quite a bit of ice down to the south as well. Seemed to go out farther the closer you got to the river mouth. Keep your fingers crossed for some cold and if so ill be out checking conditions soon with my waders and a spud!

Roger echo niner big guy!

You will, your a perfectionist remember!

Saginaw Bay is something you can definitely do on your own, just dont go alone and use common sense. Also, find out the current conditions. You can PM me anytime about them. Crossing cracks and ice jams are a way of life out there, but you must exercise caution when doing so. I always bring a spud and park well back from any crack or jam and inspect it thouroughly with the spud before proceeding. And if its too bad, dont push your luck cause your just asking for trouble. No fish is worth it. Ive seen it too many times out there. Also, keep the wind direction in mind when out there. If its blowing outta the SW like it is today and there are cracks out there, theres a good chance that they may open up. Depending on how locked in the bay is, that crack could open up just a bit or a whole lot. So, on days like this, dont push your luck....Good safety equipment is also a good idea should you run into trouble out there. A long rope with a large loop tied in the end thats on the front of EVERY machine and readily accessible, floatable device, ice pics, cell phone and GPS. For me the rope is most important as it can get someone out fast and effisciently. If someone were to fall in they could quickly get that loop over their body and under their arms. That way if their extremeties fail in the cold you can still pull them in and save them...This is worst case, not common place, just prepare for the worst, afterall this is ice fishing on the big water and outside helps isnt gonna be there ASAP. A long tow strap is also a good idea should you come acrossed someone in need out there. People get stuck in slush snow and in the cracks. Its always nice to lend a helping hand. Unfortunately not everyone stops to help...dont be that guy....I know some of this sounds bad, its not meant to scare you off. Its meant to remind you of what can happen out there and how to be prepared for it. As far as techniques to catch fish, traditionally most jig spoons, jigs or swimbaits on one or two rods or jigged one rod and set the other as a deadstick. With the new three rod rule im sure some will jig two and use one for a dead stick. Personally i jig one rod and concentrate on my presentation and then set a dead rod for walleye with a small jig. With the three rod rule ill still jig one and then set two dead sticks. One for walleye and one for whitefish since they move down into the bay during the winter months. Productive baits for me include my homemade Adam Bomb, Northland makes a Fireye jig that is nearly identical, 1/8-3/8 oz, Northland Fireball Jigs in 1/16-3/8 oz, Northland Buckshot Rattle Spoons 1/8-3/8 oz, Bay De Noc Do Jiggers-#1 is my favorite size, 1/4 and 1/3 oz. Little Cleos, 1/8 OZ. BPS Flashy Times spoons, Lindy Flyers in 1/4 oz, Northland Airplane jigs in the original and new models and Jiggin Rapalas round out a good variety. I like to use 28-32" rods, i fish outside most of the time. Im a big fan of the now discontinued 32" MH Rapala Graphite rods, but also use 28" Med in the same model as well as 28" M in St. Croix's. As far as reels, i prefer a reel with a good drag as a good drag will land you allot of fish. Too many people buy a chincy reel and in the cold conditions the drag doesnt perform and when it sticks they end up ripping fish off at the hole. I use Shimano Sedona 500's and Phlueger Trions. Theyre a nice mid range reel that are smooth and have a good drag to them. And itll come in handy when you have on that trophy walleye, laker, big channel cat etc... In regaurds to line ive used 8# berkley XL for years, but in the last few have been converting over to 8# Power Pro for its superior feel. One draw back is that if you fish outside it does ice up. I attach a fluorocarbon leader to the Power Pro, then attach my lure to that. Gives it back that stealth in the clear winter water. As far as finding and catching fish consistantly on the Bay, you will need some sort of transportation as well as electornics of some sort. I use a Honda four wheeler and a Vexilar flasher. A GPS with a bay chip is a good tool to have as well as it allows you to hit the breaks, points and humps out there. Not to mention if some white out condition sneak up on you in a hurry then you can find your way home. Plus, following your plot trail back also ensure a safe route...But be mindful of the cracks and mark them. They can and sometimes do change throughout the day. In regaurds to the fish, generally speaking, earlier on in the winter, the deeper water produces better. Thats not to say you cant get in tight, its just more consistant out deep. So, head out to say 15' and pop a hole. Im a proactive angler and im sure youll get other opinions on this, but i only fish a spot 15-30 minutes depending on what i see. If im seeing fish ill stick it out. If i dont see something in the first 15 minutes i move on. Ill move north or south down a break trying to locate fish. I might only move a 1/8 mile or so and reset. If after a couple moves, i cant locate anything ill move east or west going either shallower or deeper. For me, midday, i normally go deeper and in the evening ill go shallower if i have to....Bottom line, be mobile. Despite all the fish in the system i find it easier to go to them than wait for them to come to you. As far as my jigging technique, it ranges from simple lift drops and holds to quivering the jig or spoon, fluffing the bottom, or swimming it away from the fish. What i do is largely determined by the bait i have on, and the mood of the fish....which is where the flasher really pays dividends. It normally doesnt take long for you to tell the mood of the fish by how it reacts to your presentation. Then you can adjust from there. Theres no hard and fast rules, experiment and find out what works for you. Well, thats enough for now. I hope that makes sense and im sure i may have left something out. Any other questions feel free to ask here or PM me and ill do my best to help you out.

Siggs Rigs Banded Mylar 4/0 Gamakatsu Singles Ive used 40-60# Fluorcarbon Leader Material, never noticed any difference in the amount of strikes with the varying poundage. Gold Star Roller Beads and Mag fly heads to tie the tinsel to. Fisher Tackle 12 mm Ultra Glow beads Fisher Tackle Rattling Fly heads that slip on over a mag fly head on some of my flies. Ive also tied in those northland jig rattles on some of my flies. For me the nuts and bolts of the rig are the hooks and leader material. Get some good quality hooks and be sure they stay razor sharp and then use a leader material because its shock and abrasion resistant which you need to hold up to the violent thrashing a big king dishes out.

Great post Gun. I think we need to change our regs as well to help gain age structure within our herd as well as antlerless harvest where its needed. Most bucks killed are 1.5 yr old deer. Im in favor of a one buck rule and doe harvest where needed. That will balance our herd and our buck herd will get some age on them, there will be more and better bucks as well. A few years of that and you would see a big difference in the amount of bucks seen as well as the quality of bucks seen and taken.

Thanks for the great post Robert and welcome aboard.

Time flies when your havin fun they say. Good for you Jason....Im also gonna wish you luck because when they get old enough to attract the boys your gonna need it im sure!

What a sloppy mess we had here in Kawkawlin. Had a good 4" of slop on top of the ground. Should be real nice tomorrow as it skips down into the high teens...Should be some great travel conditions. Figures, i gotta go get corn for the stove tomorrow!

We always used to weigh fish at the meat market down the road here. Never had an issue at all. Unfortunately with the bad economy and being a small market near the big box stores theyve closed their doors. Miss that place and its only been gone a few months now.

I concure Mike!

Ya, im definitely not for this at all. Once one foot is in they all want in. And with the reservation being in Standish and they now own the marina, i can only imagine them wanting their hand in on the action as well. I say say no to em all!!! Our monies and clubs stocked the fishery to get it where it is. Only in the recent past has nature finally took the reigns again and is self sustaining. Last i heard, we're still not to our holding capacity, and we've been waiting a long time for this to come back around. So leave it alone!

Ken, seems to me Steve's fish is like 15# if i remember correctly.

Have you seen the forcast, we'll need the luck with the staying warm thats for certain!...lol...If i ever make it down that way ill be sure to look ya up. Keep poundin them fish Capt.!

Not too bad of a day, there was a fairly stiff wind and it was definitely brisk out! Anyhow, i dont wanna get this off topic, just wanted to share my experience and some photos of our outting for those interested in what a day on the ice with a group like this could be like. Its very enjoyable and if i can make the Muskegon outting i surely will.

Im looking forward to it as well. Cant wait.

Im not saying i wont come, but i know how i get once we have good ice here on the bay. Perch and gills can be jumping outta the hole, but i seem to abandon the pannies and chase those toothy critters. Truth be told I actually do love catching gills, perch and pike through the ice...Its a riot infact and some damn fine eating as well. And the comradera is unmatched when you have an event like this. We had an outting with another site on the Bay last year and had a blast. My Dad and I cooked walleye on the ice, other members brought seasoned fries, cole slaw, jerky, homeade tartar sauces, beer, pop etc....Was a fantastic day on the ice. Fishing had been real good for me all week and we got the guys set up there, but as the fish always do, they throw ya a loop. Had to move a couple miles but got on em in the end and many of the guys went home with fish. Believe me, it was worth the trip if a fish wasnt caught. Got to meet allot of good folks and put a face with a name. Its nice knowing more loonies who love what you love. I have no doubt the Muskegon Lake outing will be a hit with guys like Alleyes in attendance. Met Steve online and got the pleasure to meet him in person at the campground in Linwood and chatted with him more than once since. He's a first rate guy. Heres some pics from our outting last year for anyone that may be on the fence about an event like this. Its a good time. Heres the 4 i caught before i took the Ohio boys back in to shore. Came back out and caught one more to finish off my limit and also landed a sublegal.

Id love to come, but its too early for me to comit. Plus once we get ice over here its tough to pry myself away from it...LOL