Author Topic: Local Lakes - Greenville, Montcalm Co. (Read 3813 times)

Lobo · « **on:** Dec 22, 2005, 01:29 PM »

Checked Ice on Baldwin & Manoka yesterday both have about 4 1/2" (2" clear & 2 1/2" white ice) pretty solid with several people out and even a couple portables on Baldwin. I assume the other lakes in this area are about the same as they seem to get safe ice all about the same time every year. Still - use caution and check as you go ! There are some thin areas.

Plan to go out tomarrow or Sat. with my 2 man portable. We have a couple days of a little above freezing Temps. coming but I am hoping it wont hurt the ice and may help get rid of snow cover and refreeze at night.

Can't wait to get out on the ice !

thedude · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 22, 2005, 10:11 PM »

thnx for the report... waiting on a few more gander mt giftcards so i can go pick up my new fish trap... then its on!
i'm in gville too -- and this warm up tonight isn't helping anything i'm sure.

Lobo · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 23, 2005, 07:48 AM »

Quote from: thedude on Dec 22, 2005, 10:11 PM

thnx for the report... waiting on a few more gander mt giftcards so i can go pick up my new fish trap... then its on!
i'm in gville too -- and this warm up tonight isn't helping anything i'm sure.

Great to see someone else on here from Greenville ! Perhaps we will meet out on the ice one day dude. What lakes do you usually fish ?

I am afraid you are right about the warm up. Just seen the weather report and the next three days are going to be too warm plus some rain.

It may set the fishing back form 1 to 2 weeks !!

Wish now that we had gone out yesterday.

Lobes · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 24, 2005, 08:16 AM »

I grew up in Greenville. I only fished those lakes a few times but did really well there when I did. As a kid I lived closest to Big Wabasis and did most of my fishing there and around that area. Still working at Electrolux (oh yeah ... sucks to be me!).

FYI -
If you can get on, I've heard the big gills are turning on at Little Wabasis - south end. Not sure where people are walking in though. If you can find that out, maybe we can hitch up with a few more locals there.

Lobo · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 24, 2005, 11:46 AM »

Quote from: Lobes on Dec 24, 2005, 08:16 AM

I grew up in Greenville. I only fished those lakes a few times but did really well there when I did. As a kid I lived closest to Big Wabasis and did most of my fishing there and around that area. Still working at Electrolux (oh yeah ... sucks to be me!).

FYI -
If you can get on, I've heard the big gills are turning on at Little Wabasis - south end. Not sure where people are walking in though. If you can find that out, maybe we can hitch up with a few more locals there.

Hi Lobes,
It would be great to get a few of us local fisherman together on the Ice one of these days. (When we get safe ice again !) I fished on Little Wabasis in summer a couple times by taking the boat down the creek but don't know how to get on in winter, especialy with my 2 man shelter. I will ask around.

I grew up down by Detroit but lived up by Stanton and down by Long Lake back in the 60s & 70s. Been here in Greenville since 97. I was working at Greenville Wire but got laid off for a year and then they shut down completely in 2004, So I know what you mean ! I haven't worked since, guess I am retired. Trying to live on Social Security now. My son worked at Electrolux untill the big fall lay off. He is living in Rockford now and I am in a small apartment in Greenville.

Used to ice fish a lot back in the 70s. started icefishing again about 3 or 4 years ago. Don't get out as much as I'd like now. I don't drive anymore and depend on my fishing buddies for transportation. Lucky for me I have a couple buddies that love to fish. We fish mostly on the local lakes - Baldwin, Manoka, Como, Burgess, and occaisionly Muskelunge up by Trufant. We do pretty good on pan fish and get a few Pike on tipups none really big though. Hoping to get to some new spots this year.

This warm spell is sure going to ruin what good ice we had ! How long do you think it will be till Safe Ice

thedude · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 26, 2005, 06:26 PM »

i just moved here last march from indiana. which for anyone who has been there knows its a barren wasteland - void of water - when compared to michigan! not much reason for us to seriously ice fish other than something to do on the weekends...
up here is a different story! there are so many great lakes within 30 minutes in any direction... last year i ice fished on reeds lake and muskegon mainly... (i was only here on the weekends visiting my fiance -now wife - in downtown GR).

i've fished a lot of the local lakes by boat and have one small lake in the stanton game area marked down as first on my list for ice fishing. it came highly recommended on the ice and when i tried it in august - we had great success on some nice gills - plus a bonus - a very fat and healthy pike that ran about 6lbs.

i made it out in indiana for the first time last week and managed quite a few small bass and the 3 of us amassed about 30 eater gills. i also just sold my shappel and i'm gonna pick up a new fish trap pro-guide this week - so i'm ready to go as soon as the late duck season split is over.. its ice-fishin time.

Lobo · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 26, 2005, 07:52 PM »

Welcome to West Michigan Dude
You are right about lakes we sure have a bunch. You can't go far in any direction from here and not find a lake pretty close by.

I think I know the lake your talking about up by Stanton. Used to fish there a lot in summer a long time ago. It has some pretty good Bass as well as Gills but I don't think I ever tried for Pike there. Makes sense though that they would be in there.
If you fish there on ice let me know how you do.

Tight Lines and many flags.

Lobes · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 08, 2006, 08:01 AM »

Any activity here yet? Must be something going on at least on the west end by now.

Lobo · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 08, 2006, 08:15 AM »

Quote from: Lobes on Jan 08, 2006, 08:01 AM

Any activity here yet? Must be something going on at least on the west end by now.

Well Lobes, I don't know about the rest of the county but right here the ice has been melting pretty fast and what is left is crap ice. Open water getting bigger every day !

thedude · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 06:44 AM »

2nd hand info - but theres been guys on crystal for some time now.

Lobo · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 07:29 AM »

Quote from: thedude on Jan 10, 2006, 06:44 AM

2nd hand info - but theres been guys on crystal for some time now.

I know they were getting out on Crystal Lk. before this warm weather but I doubt they have been out there lately.

thedude · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 11:50 AM »

nope they were out there on sunday.

Lobo · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 12:24 PM »

Quote from: thedude on Jan 10, 2006, 11:50 AM

nope they were out there on sunday.

Well I'll be darned

they must have more ice then we have here ! I wonder why

it's not very far from here. About 25 miles.

thedude · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 02:57 PM »

thats what i thought, but the word was 3-5" of clear, hard ice.

it did get down into the teens last night here .... bout time!

Lobes · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 05:16 PM »

A guy working in my department that lives there say's he's been fishing there (Crystal Lake) for a while. Also said some are out there on ATV's & snowmobiles. Another item of interest -
Driving home from work today I saw a guy fishing Tamarack Lake (in Lakeview) at the south end in a portable shack with his ATV parked next to his shack.
Sounds like some of the ice is slowly getting better. This weather is a roller coaster though. Makes it hard to decide if you should try it or not. I have "honey do's" this weekend. We'll probably be driving north somewhere next weekend to find some good ice.

Just fishing · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 10, 2006, 05:48 PM »

whats up, I live out in ionia and i am wondering where to fish crystal lakeat I'm gonna brave it tommorro and if knowone is on the ice i would have no clue where to go. any Ideas?

Lobo · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 11, 2006, 07:22 AM »

A neighbor of mine told me last night that he seen a guy out on Baldwin last week. They must be

Last time I checked the ice was melting away from the shoreline and since there was only 4" of not really good ice before the warm weather started, it can't be safe now. Can It

Rather be safe then wet and frozen !

How did they get out ? Must have gotten wet or used a plank or a boat !!
I wouldn't trust it ! But I am going to go out there and look around again. ( From Shore of course.)

Lobes · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 11, 2006, 08:04 PM »

At Crystal there are a lot of fish caught north & west from the island (more north) where the is usually looks like swiss cheese. If there aren't people out there just look for these tell tale signs.

Lobes · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 13, 2006, 05:27 PM »

Crystal turned to crap the day after I last posted. Hopefully that will change soon.

Lobo · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 14, 2006, 06:12 AM »

Yep, near as I can tell, all the lakes in this part of the county are eather open water or if there is ice it's crap and very unsafe !

When will we get to ice fish

February

Think I will try a little casting this week. If it keeps up I may take the boat out next week.

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Author Topic: Local Lakes - Greenville, Montcalm Co. (Read 3813 times)