Ice-less Ice Fishing

Instead of waiting for first ice, this angler borrowed a duck boat and caught some nice bluegills in Southern Michigan using tungsten jigs

With the mild weather keeping many ice anglers frustrated, some fishermen are getting creative to catch their ‛first ice’ gills. This angler was spotted on a lake in Barry County in a borrowed duck boat. The anonymous angler got out late, but was still able to catch a dozen nice bluegills in about half an hour of fishing.

A half hour of ice-less ice fishing produced a nice catch of bluegill from a Barry County lake

“I just positioned the boat where I usually do well on first ice and the bluegills were there”, said the angler. “I’m going to get a little better prepared and hit them hard tomorrow” He used a four foot Whip’r Ice Rod and a size 12 tungsten jig. The longer rod helped extend out over the side of the boat without leaning. “They were hammering the jig and hanging on! I didn’t lose a fish that hit.” He said that on his next outing he will use two anchors to keep the boat better positioned.

With the cold weather still a ways off here in southern Michigan as in many parts of the Great Lakes region, you might consider getting your hands on a small boat and hitting the water instead of the ice. This fishing should be good and you probably won’t have a lot of company.