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Mike Gnatkowski

Ice fishing for smelt is a Michigan winter tradition

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

Michigan winters can be long, drawn-out affairs if you don’t find something to keep you busy. One experience Michiganders look forward to is ice fishing for smelt. It’s a winter tradition that many families and individual anglers undertake to pursue these tasty creatures.
The history of smelting in Michigan dates to 1912, when rainbow smelt were stocked in Crystal Lake in Benzie County to provide forage for introduced Atlantic salmon.

Ice fishing for smelt is a Michigan winter tradition Read More »

Michigan’s magnificent Mullet Lake is an ice angler favorite in January

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

Michigan’s Mullet Lake in Cheboygan County has become one of my favorite ice-fishing destinations.
Mullet Lake is famous for jumbo perch and walleyes through the ice, but you never know what you’ll catch there including pike, bass, burbot, brown trout, ciscoes, sturgeon, rainbows, and who knows what else. If it swims, it’s probably in Mullet Lake.

Michigan’s magnificent Mullet Lake is an ice angler favorite in January Read More »

Willing to brave the cold? December means a great night bight for walleyes on these Michigan waters

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

If the calendar runs true to course, December provides anglers one last opportunity to pursue walleyes in open water. It can be a cold proposition, but some of the biggest walleye of the year are caught in December just before lakes freeze up, often under the cover of darkness.

Willing to brave the cold? December means a great night bight for walleyes on these Michigan waters Read More »

November is trophy muskie time

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

Most Michiganders are celebrating the glorious warm fall weather we’re having. Jason Quintano isn’t one of them. Quintano is praying for a strong cold front and a cold October that will cause the temperature of Lake St Clair to plummet and spur its muskies into a heightened level of activity.
“The fishing doesn’t get really good until the water temperature reaches 48 degrees,” said Quintano.

November is trophy muskie time Read More »

Michigan’s Dathon Skelton: A decoy carver extraordinaire

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Michigan, National Hunting, Nature Page & Night Sky /

Dathon Skelton says working gunning decoys tend to have simpler paint schemes and less detail. He has branched out from carving duck decoys to carving more songbirds. Regardless, he says carving is essential, but painting is often the most challenging part of creating any decoy.

Michigan’s Dathon Skelton: A decoy carver extraordinaire Read More »

September means smallmouths on a binge in these Michigan waters

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

Fishing for smallmouth bass in Michigan is exceptional during the summer months.
Still, anglers know that cooler nights and the resulting drop in water temperatures spur bass to an enhanced level of activity in September. Bass sense more challenging times ahead, so they go on a fall feeding binge that produces the best fishing of the year.

September means smallmouths on a binge in these Michigan waters Read More »

August is prime time for salmon on Lake Michigan; here’s where to target them

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

August is prime time for salmon on the Great Lakes. Both kings and cohos begin homing in on ports where they were stocked years earlier or staging off river mouths where they were naturally reproduced.
Between the plants made at Ludington, Manistee, and Frankfort and the salmon produced in the Pere Marquette, Little and Big Manistee, and Betsie rivers, these three ports are the top ports on Lake Michigan, if not in the entire Great Lakes.

August is prime time for salmon on Lake Michigan; here’s where to target them Read More »

Fishing Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in July offers anglers a great mixed bag

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing /

“I think Portage and Touch lakes are two of the best lakes for anglers from downstate to try,” advised veteran angler and walleye professional Mark Martin. “Both lakes have outstanding angling for walleye, pike, smallmouth, and muskie. They’re both potential trophy fisheries, but you’ll catch enough fish for dinner most days, too.

Fishing Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in July offers anglers a great mixed bag Read More »

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