Although there is still enough lake and river ice to drive a truck on in some spots in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we pulled our spearing shack to shore recently. We will still be ice fishing in this neck of the woods for nearly a month, but we’ll be using a portable shanty or sitting on a bucket from here on out.
Tom Pink: Maintaining a spear shack on the ice each winter is worth the work Read More »
Too many hours of staring into an empty spear hole in my ice shack lately has me wondering about what I can do to get more fish to appear. While the fishing was good in January, it has slowed considerably in February, which is traditionally a slow time for ice fishing in many places.
A long-standing practice for many anglers luring whitefish in Michigan’s St. Mary’s River is to put down a “feed bed” of any combination of things, mostly cooked rice, canned corn, and oatmeal.
Tom Pink: Checking its stomach will tell your fish’s story Read More »
I was a bit surprised at the results of a recent opinion poll in Michigan Outdoor News that asked whether readers believe there should be a separate Natural Resources Commission established for the state’s Upper Peninsula, as opposed to the current NRC that sets statewide hunting and fishing policy.
Just over 70% of the respondents voted “no,” while 23% voted “yes” and 6% said they were not sure. I thought the vote might be closer.
Tom Pink: No need for an Upper Peninsula Natural Resources Commission Read More »
There has been a lot written about the decline of whitefish in northern lakes Huron and Michigan over the past several weeks, including a story written by editor Bill Parker in the July 18 issue of Michigan Outdoor News.
Biologists have found the proliferation of quagga mussels, coupled with effects of climate change, have brought the whitefish population to historic lows in these two Great Lakes. They noted whitefish used to be more plentiful in the lower lakes, too.
A friend and I dug my ice shack out of the more than 60 inches of snow that had accumulated in our Sault Ste. Marie neighborhood over the past few weeks in Michigan. We used a snowblower to make a path and a roof rake to get the snow off the top.
In the several years that I’ve owned this shack, this is the third time we’ve had to unearth it to use it. In fact, when I first acquired it, it took us two days and two borrowed snowmobiles to get it out from where it had been stored in the woods.
Tom Pink: Huge Michigan snowfalls meant digging out the ice shack Read More »
While my brother and I were cleaning more fish and fewer ducks during our most recent duck camp in Michigan – something that has been happening more often over the past several years – we couldn’t help but wonder where the ducks have gone.
Neither of us are complaining about the fish, but we sure would like to at least see more ducks, even if we’re not bringing them home for dinner.
Tom Pink: Where are the ducks in Michigan? Read More »
It’s time to hunt turkeys, but a number of recent news stories and opinion pieces in Michigan Outdoor News have me thinking about hunting bigger things.
Michigan United Conservation Clubs passed a resolution at its annual meeting to encourage the state to hold a limited moose hunt, something I think may be a good idea, if the resource can support it. Meanwhile, Michigan resident Jim Moran wrote an editorial about whether it’s time for Michigan deer hunters to “earn a buck” by shooting a doe first.
In spite of the nation’s annual quest for Punxsutawney Phil’s expertise, I’ve never been one to rely on a groundhog to tell me how much winter we have left. The position and gathering strength of the sun will tell you all you need to know – that we’re on the downside of winter, in spite of this usually being the coldest time of the year.
When winter is scarce, outdoors enthusiasts have to grab what they can, when they can Read More »
It’s been very interesting reading articles in Michigan Outdoor News and other publications regarding forward-facing or live sonar, a technology that detects fish that are in front of and around, not just under, your boat.
Those who follow tournament fishing, including the tournament anglers themselves, are wondering if expanded use of this new technology will put too much pressure on the resource. I’ve been wondering the same thing myself, and it’s good to see the concern.
Technological advances sweeping through the fishing industry aren’t for everyone Read More »
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