We made it through the warm spell! The forecast is looking excellent for ice conditions and I think we will be seeing cars and trucks by mid month. The shorelines are a bit beat up, however it shouldn’t take long for them to repair themselves. The only thing to remember is to be cautious for the next few days in areas that were thinner and give them time for some ice to form. That being said there were ATVs out today.

As far as the fishing is concerned it continues to be a good bite. The Bluegills and Crappies are biting well by the shop, with some perch being caught with them. In the shallow areas that traditionally hold perch guys are getting on nice fish, but the bite has been different so far this year. What I am seeing up to this point is the perch are not schooled up in large groups, but instead are spread out more than usual. The running theory in the bait shop think tank is the perch are feeding on a larger than normal population of freshwater shrimp, coupled with lower shad numbers then the past few years. It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues for the entire season.

That being said you can still catch the jumbos that everyone is looking for, you just might need to adjust your tactics. Hole hopping and or spreading out your tip downs seem to be the most effective as of now. As the season continues I am sure that we will get new tactics to try along with new jig/color combinations that are more effective for this year.

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