Ice Fichigan
Feral and Chuck, Pettibone Lake.
There are only so many novels I can read before I have to get outside for a day even in the bitter cold of Michigan. So once or twice a year I call Feral and line up a day of ice fishing. Last Saturday I met up with Feral and his buddy Chuck and we went to Pettibone Lake up by Bitely, Michigan. There was plenty of ice and just enough action to keep us out there till mid afternoon. All three of us set up 2 tip-ups for pike – the grand prize as far as a good meal, and used a regular ice rod for pan fish. (In Michigan you can have 3 lines out.)
Feral with a 3-lb Largemouth Bass
While Feral was setting up his second tip-up he caught a 3-lb bass on his first tip-up. He popped another bass, a little smaller, on his other tip-up a short while later. Bass are not in season so those they went back in the water. Throughout the rest of the day we had maybe 8 flags and lost several more bass right at the hole. Feral caught one small pike on a tip-up and turned it back. I caught a small pike on a waxworm while jigging, but Pike have to be 24 inches to keep, so that went back down the hole too.
Chuck spent some time experimenting with his jigging rod and found some perch right on the bottom. We had speck minnows, wax worms and spikes and the perch went for the spikes. Once he had the pattern figured out Chuck bounced around from hole to hole to see if he could find a concentration and did get a half dozen out of one hole. I won’t comment on how big they were but Chuck gave the perch to Feral who owns a jeweler’s loupe so maybe he managed some fillets. Now that would be a video!
Lake Perch – considered by many to be the best tasting fish.
Fichigan 