IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Michigan => Ice Fishing Michigan => Topic started by: smeltbuster on Jan 15, 2019, 07:44 PM
-
Hi everyone, thought I would get this popular thread ,finally started, again ! I have an Ice Report ;) . Smelt jr. informed me, a few hrs. ago, that most of the lake is skimmed over. The bay has been locked up since this past Friday . I don't know if anyone has been out yet, but I will start doing more checks, myself, starting on 1/17 . I have a huge favor to ask everyone that fishes Gull ,this year. Our DNR district biologist, Matt Diana is asking us to fill out creel census forms for all of our trips this year. Please read his thread at the top of the Mich. Threads for all the details. The DNR is taking an interest in Gull, lets help them . As soon as I can get on the ice, I will be targeting Smelt & the recently planted Steelhead, along w/ Lakers & Pike. Our summer fishing trips produced very few Lakers this year, but the pike & Bass fishery was pretty good. Lots of concern about the Smelt, but we will see, very soon. Good Luck & hope to see several old friends & make some new ones in the near future , Phil
-
Saw a guys walking out on the ice and fishing today on the Gull Lake baycam.
Stay safe, spud every step, and tight lines!
-
3-4 people out there fishing now. I spudded it and didn’t feel comfortable, it’s very patchy. After the cold temps coming this weekend it should be fine.
Be safe if you’re going out there before hand, a few bug-eyed Gull gills isn’t worth falling in!
-
Good Luck Smeltbuster! Hope you catch all you want.
-
Thanks ! Guy on the bay right now. I am going to stop & check the ice, Thurs. after work. Hoping to try it ,Sat. morning, if its safe.
-
Praying that SB catches at least ONE smelt this year!!
-
Hello everyone. I'm back!! Some how I fell of the map. Its been 8 years since ive been on here. Good to be back.
-
Welcome back, S.C.
-
OK Folks; roughly 2"-2 1/2" of clear hard ice on south bay. 2 guys were out fishing ,when I checked it. Others have ventured farther out, to at least halfway up the south bay. I was only about 50 yds. from shore & 100 yds. west of the dock where you walk on. The ice did not crack at all & I weigh 205. Was hoping to fish tomorrow morning, but I am going to wait 1 more day. I will be out there, Sat. morning, for sure. As for 2nd. bay, I have some potential BAD news. It appears that Gull Lake marine has put bubblers or something else in, to keep the water at that access point open. all the other docks on the bay are froze in, the docks @ the launch are wide open. We may have lost that access point. I will keep an eye on the situation. I did not check any other areas, because they have only been locked up a few days, the south bay has now been locked up for a week. Keep ya posted on what I find. Wgorby, hoping for more than 1 smelt, but for right now I will be targeting Trout !
-
OK Folks; roughly 2"-2 1/2" of clear hard ice on south bay. 2 guys were out fishing ,when I checked it. Others have ventured farther out, to at least halfway up the south bay. I was only about 50 yds. from shore & 100 yds. west of the dock where you walk on. The ice did not crack at all & I weigh 205. Was hoping to fish tomorrow morning, but I am going to wait 1 more day. I will be out there, Sat. morning, for sure. As for 2nd. bay, I have some potential BAD news. It appears that Gull Lake marine has put bubblers or something else in, to keep the water at that access point open. all the other docks on the bay are froze in, the docks @ the launch are wide open. We may have lost that access point. I will keep an eye on the situation. I did not check any other areas, because they have only been locked up a few days, the south bay has now been locked up for a week. Keep ya posted on what I find. Wgorby, hoping for more than 1 smelt, but for right now I will be targeting Trout !
Smeltbuster, what’s your strategy for targeting Lakers? I live on the east side of the lake and only hooked them by accident last year. How do you approach them on Gull?
-
:'( :'( I would say that is really bad news for that access point, if they have bubblers going.
-
Smeltbuster, what’s your strategy for targeting Lakers? I live on the east side of the lake and only hooked them by accident last year. How do you approach them on Gull?
Tip-ups & minnows in deep water, suspended 1/2 way down. Most of my laker fishing is done in the summer, using big Lake trolling methods. When I said that I was going to target trout, I was talking about the Steelhead that the DNR has been planting the last few years. Gonna try some Oldschool methods that I used back in the 80's & early 90s'. If they work I will let ya know. Also I am going to be out on South Bay Fri. morning, chasing Gills w/ my brother. Wasn't going to go, but since I have a Buddy, gonna give it a shot. Smeltman, give me a call when you can, Miss swapping LIES w/ ya ;D
-
Hey everyone! Might see y'all out there Saturday morning. Cant remember if I shared my lake trout slamfest story from the soft water. Phil I lost your number. Pm me. And jaybes, pm also. I can share some fall tips for Lakers. Tight lines peoples!
(https://i.postimg.cc/z3s1xkqS/2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/z3s1xkqS)
-
Hey everyone! Might see y'all out there Saturday morning. Cant remember if I shared my lake trout slamfest story from the soft water. Phil I lost your number. Pm me. And jaybes, pm also. I can share some fall tips for Lakers. Tight lines peoples!
(https://i.postimg.cc/z3s1xkqS/2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/z3s1xkqS)
Boy you can tell that laker is starvin...venture to guess that's becuase the lack of the smelt.
-
Anyone caught a steelhead yet on gull?...not sure what size was planted though.
-
Anyone caught a steelhead yet on gull?...not sure what size was planted though.
dgb , Hi ! Fished for them (steelhead) this fall, no luck. As for the Lakers, Yup they are skinny enough to be a runway model in NYC ! Cant, (wont) say on here , but Smelt jr. caught one this summer that had something that was a HARD plastic like material in its stomach. Lakers are looking pretty bad, but we did get some really nice pike & bass that were potted out. No smelt in the stomachs , but lots of crayfish & small gills & some plastics. Did mark some clouds of baitfish in the deepwater , so there is some hope of smelt. Cant stress it enough, lets keep the MDNR informed of what is happening out there. I have seen lots of negative talk about the DNR this past year (mostly deer hunting), & even some for the fisheries division. The guys in the Plainwell office are really interested in this lake, lets help them, & ourselves in the long run .
-
If I recall steelhead were all in the 2-4 lb range. Haven't heard of any being caught.
-
I was reading thru the latest fishing digest, and it looks like we can no longer run an unlimited number of hooks for smelt? Anyone else see this?
-
I was reading thru the latest fishing digest, and it looks like we can no longer run an unlimited number of hooks for smelt? Anyone else see this?
Yup...copied directly from the DNR website....6 hooks max, 3 poles max. So I usually fish 2 hooks per pole on 3 poles anyway, so personally my setup is still legal.
See Link: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79146_84934---,00.html (https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79119_79146_84934---,00.html)
For hook-and-line fishing: a legislative change, made at the end of 2018, now affects anglers targeting smelt in Michigan. This change consists of the removal of a provision in state statute that allowed anglers to use any number of hooks attached to a single line in the Great Lakes or recognized smelt waters for taking smelt, alewife or other bait fish.
Anglers will now be allowed to use no more than three lines per person with no more than six hooks or lures on all lines when fishing for these species. All hooks attached to an artificial bait or "night crawler harness" are counted as one hook (note: for crappie/perch rigs and umbrella rigs each hook is counted as part of the total six allowed). This means anglers may use up to six hooks on one line or spread the six hooks out over up to three lines.
-
Thanks for sharing that info . I went to 1 rod w/ 6 hooks, 3 yrs. ago. Got tired of throwing pike back, that hit my smelt rig. As for this A.M., I ended up w/ 11 nice Gills ,my Brother had 7 . Probably 15 guys on the bay. No one on 2nd. bay.
-
Fished the bay for a few hours last night. Slush and water everywhere. After dark it started to freeze up but made an icy mess of most of my gear. Managed 7 keepers, 5 gills and two specks. Filling out my creel survey to submit to the DNR right now.
-
Smelt jr. checked the north end today , & It is unsafe, but should be safe, soon. Fished south bay this afternoon & quite a bit of the slush is freezing up. Where I fished, there was about 3" of clear hard ice & frozen slush on top. Ended up w/ 20 nice Gills & should of had my limit. Still ,had a blast ,even though it was 8 degrees. Thank God for a nice shanty ! No luck on the Trout, yesterday. Keep ya posted on the lake ice as best I can, this next week.
-
It was a good day in the Bay for sure, nice to see they’re finally biting.
-
Smelt jr. checked the north end & Baseline today. Still unsafe, but she is making ice , by the hour . Hoping to get on the north end, this week-end.
-
Couple of nice gills from the Bay today.
(https://i.postimg.cc/wyYMFQqP/2-BFCC4-B1-5-A88-453-D-BDE4-0-A2-F662492-CA.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/wyYMFQqP)
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZWgCvh1J/F8-BEC784-3-C72-4633-A663-0700-DD902249.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ZWgCvh1J)
-
Just checking the bay cam and seeing 4 groups out there is really giving me FOMO :'(
Can anyone give an ice update?
-
3 of us fished the north end this A.M. for pike ,& had no runs. About 4-6" of ice w/ about 1- 2" of snow on it. Smelt jr. said there were a few guys out in the smelt grounds last night, but we have no idea how they did. Guys fishing the Bible Conf.,but there is limited parking this week-end, due to an event ,there. Also seen some guys ,north of the island ,on the west side. Guys have also been walking on @ Baseline rd. . I may try for smelt tonight, & will go on @ Baseline, if I do.
-
Fished in the Pike tournament this morning. Between two of us we had 7 flags but only landed 3, all undersize.
33 inch won the tournament and 31 inch took 3 rd. Guys fishing Baseline won.
Ice is about 6 inches with about an inch of snow at the Bible Conf.
-
So anyone tried for smelt yet?
-
So anyone tried for smelt yet?
I will be trying for them ,Thurs. or Fri. night., not expecting much, but I gotta give it a shot. All this snow, is going to make for a tough walk out to the smelt grounds.
-
I am already getting some cards back, thanks to all who are keeping track. The steelhead averaged 5 1/2 inches in spring 2017 and just under 5 inches in spring 2018. That first year should be close to legal, and some short fish should be showing up. I have not heard one report of any being caught. The hook regulation change just happened and was a surprise to us. It was a lame duck legislation change.
-
For everyone wondering about the Smelt Bite ..... I am making my 1st. trip for them tonight. Going off Baseline rd. & I will post what I find, later tonight. Not really expecting too much. Been getting lots of PMs. & my FB page is blowing up w/ everyone wanting to know. Keep ya all posted , Phil
-
For everyone wondering about the Smelt Bite ..... I am making my 1st. trip for them tonight. Going off Baseline rd. & I will post what I find, later tonight. Not really expecting too much. Been getting lots of PMs. & my FB page is blowing up w/ everyone wanting to know. Keep ya all posted , Phil
If you dont mind Phil I would be interested in ice thickness straight west out of baseline. I was wanting to cross the lake on foot but am a bit chicken alone and in the dark. ;)
-
Man SB...I hope you catch a couple of dem smeltz...or at least graph some. Fingers crossed!
-
Fishkilla, I will post a full report tonight on Ice conditions, snow ,smelt ,etc. ! Wgorby, I'm hoping so too. Just happy to be getting out ! hoping to get out to at least 80 FOW.
-
Ok, here is my report.10-12" of snow on the lake w/ slush in some areas. The walk both ways, was a tough one . 4" of ice in 70 FOW off of Baseline rd. . Snowmachines are running on the lake. Seen a group of guys fishing the "Hogsback", don't know how they did. Contrary to popular belief, Smelt are not "Extinct" in Gull . We did catch a couple tonight. Far cry from what it was, just 3 yrs. ago. Don't know what the weather is going to do to the ice, but w/ all the snow & slush, it does not look good. Had a couple of guys set up about 100 yds from us, dont know how they did & we did not see anyone else out in the deepwater tonight.
-
Really good to hear you got some last night. Maybe they will come back real good in a few years. Thanks for the update.
-
Thank you, SB.
Your report efforts are appreciated. Good to hear there are at least a few still alive.
-
Good to hear SB. Thanks for your reports. Hopefully they can make a comeback to what they once were.
-
Made it out again last night w/ Smelt jr., we managed to catch a few more, in about 75 FOW. 1/2 dozen other shanties out there. Talked to the folks in 2 of them & they each had a few, also. Only had about 3 1/2'- 4" of ice where we were. The walk out from the North end boat launch was much easier than the walk, the night before, off Baseline rd. . The bite lasted only about an hour or so, for us.
-
I caught 1 smelt yesterday between first and second bay lol. Lost it at the hole, probably because I was laughing so hard. It’s relatively shallow there so I was shocked. I was fishing a school of crappie, definitely wasn’t targeting smelt. Hopefully that’s a good sign!
Unfortunately the weather doesn’t look promising for future Gull Lake smelt fishing.
-
Good to hear that their is a few smelt left. Like princecraft said give it a few years. Thanks for the update smeltbuster. :thumbsup:
-
I fished South bay, this afternoon, managed to get 3 nice Gills. Did LOTS of hole hoping & marked lots of fish, they just would not Bite ! Probably 10-15 others out there & it appeared to be slow for them ,also. I have not put garbage cans out this year, at south bay ,& it shows. Picked up a lot of trash, & left some that looked questionable . guess I need to get the cans out there .
-
Anyone have any luck targeting those steelhead yet?
-
Anyone have any luck targeting those steelhead yet?
The most recent plants likely haven't reached keeper size yet so not much sense in targeting them for me.
-
If the ice holds up, I will at least try a few more times, to catch some Steelies out there. I tried in South Bay 2 weeks ago & will try some other spots that used to be good, back in the 90s. We did target them this past fall, trolling & had no luck.
-
The most recent plants likely haven't reached keeper size yet so not much sense in targeting them for me.
Thats kinda what I was wondering, how big are they if anyone is catching them
-
So I live over on the east side and get way less snow hence more ice building on my lake than those on the west side. Ive fished Gull a few times hardwater for smelt and know it's not like it used to be, fine with that. Point is my lake had 10"-12" of ice and I've seen it rapidly reduce to 4"-6" with this latest warm spell. We only had about 6" of snow on top before the melt. I'm hearing reports of 3.5"-4" over gull. Question is next Wednesday Thursday I have a work seminar to attend at Firekeepers . A few co workers and I who do a lot of ice fishing were planning on skipping the banquet dinner and heading over to Gull for some afternoon, evening fishing. Tomorrow seems to be the determining factor if she hasn't already opened up, but thinking by Wednesday night should be safe enough to get out on again. (Granted no major snows hit). Does anyone have any current updates or drive-by? I suppose I need to check the lake camera too.
Thanks for any information.
-
So I live over on the east side and get way less snow hence more ice building on my lake than those on the west side. Ive fished Gull a few times hardwater for smelt and know it's not like it used to be, fine with that. Point is my lake had 10"-12" of ice and I've seen it rapidly reduce to 4"-6" with this latest warm spell. We only had about 6" of snow on top before the melt. I'm hearing reports of 3.5"-4" over gull. Question is next Wednesday Thursday I have a work seminar to attend at Firekeepers . A few co workers and I who do a lot of ice fishing were planning on skipping the banquet dinner and heading over to Gull for some afternoon, evening fishing. Tomorrow seems to be the determining factor if she hasn't already opened up, but thinking by Wednesday night should be safe enough to get out on again. (Granted no major snows hit). Does anyone have any current updates or drive-by? I suppose I need to check the lake camera too.
Thanks for any information.
I'm on the North/East side of the lake and I'd say the deeper "smelt spots" are sketchy at best right now, and with tomorrow's 50 degree weather I think we may be screwed for ice. I'll report back on Friday after the temps drop again. The South Bay should be fine for a while, it's a soupy mess now but technically fishable if you'd rather pan fish than smelt fish.
-
Thank you very much for the update and most appreciative for the future one.
-
I will also keep everyone up to date on ice conditions. I am going to attempt to get out on the north end, Thurs. night. Also planning on checking the ice ,just south of Ross twp. park , on Friday .
-
I was also wondering ice conditions on Gull for this weekend. I think we would of been fine, but with this ice killer temperature's and rain coming tomorrow. This weather sucks :'( :%$#!:
-
The ice at the North end Boat launch is UNSAFE . Smelt jr. checked it,out to about 50 yds. from shore & his spud went thru w/ 2 whacks. He said that most of the ice is Honeycombed . Him & I will be checking Baseline rd., sometime in the morning. He thinks that the creek is messing things up at the launch. I will try to post something before noon, about what we find. I will also try to check other places as well.
-
Thanks for the update. By Wednesday night, should have gained two inches and current ice tightens up! Or so I hope. Be safe this weekend for all who ventures anywhere!
-
Smelt jr. & I checked Baseline rd. a short time ago & it is not good for at least today. The warm weather did some damage to the ice. Large cracks run several hundred yds. in different directions. Also, they are getting covered up w/ blowing snow ,creating a dangerous situation. Even though we have only got about an inch or 2 , since last night, it is building up on the east shore. The ice that I did check, was fine, & I think w/ this cold weather, it should lock back up within 24 hrs. or so. We could literally see the ice moving, on the lake. Seen 2 shanties on the Bible Conf. . 2nd. bay access looks like it has been lost. It is wide open @ the docks, where you walk on. I also checked South Bay & it looks like guys have been out there. A word of caution about it ,though. I walked down to the dock & the area where we drag our sleds on, between the docks, is UNSAFE. My spud went thru w/ 1 whack. The ice @ the end of the dock seemed fine, but I did not venture out ,as I was alone. Watch the Baycam . I will be checking again ,Saturday ,late morning.
-
The heavy rain runoff and warm weather melted a lot of the shore ice. I was walking through three inches of water on top of the ice last Sunday. I fish on a small lake near Gull but I haven't ventured out to check the ice around the edges. I may poke around the edges tonight if I get home early enough. Surprisingly I haven't seen more than about 4-5 inches of ice all year and it locks up quicker than Gull. Reports on Gull ice have been thicker than that.
-
The heavy rain runoff and warm weather melted a lot of the shore ice. I was walking through three inches of water on top of the ice last Sunday. I fish on a small lake near Gull but I haven't ventured out to check the ice around the edges. I may poke around the edges tonight if I get home early enough. Surprisingly I haven't seen more than about 4-5 inches of ice all year and it locks up quicker than Gull. Reports on Gull ice have been thicker than that.
Little Long or Sherman? Both have been sketchy compared to Gull. And the fishing hasn’t been as good.
-
Can someone explain to me how to private message a current member...Tim
-
Can someone explain to me how to private message a current member...Tim
Click on their screen name & their profile will come up. Click on 'Send pm' & a message screen will pop up. pretty easy once you do it !
-
if you can't find their name in a post, you can run their name thru member search above where it says member and then click members search.
-
Little Long or Sherman? Both have been sketchy compared to Gull. And the fishing hasn’t been as good.
Little Long. I don't quite understand why the ice is thicker on Gull. Gull has open water long after LL locks up. LL is way shallower, should end up with thicker ice earlier. There are a lot of springs in LL that will burn a hole through the ice. I started out this morning on LL and turned around. Very thin ice at the shore but it's only a couple feet deep so I kept on spudding my way out. Wasn't going through until I got out to 8-10 FOW and then was hitting water on the second hit and punching through on the third. Too thin for my liking. There was about 8-10 guys at the north end of LL and a couple near the middle. I'll check it again tomorrow morning. I took a look around the north end of Gull and I saw one guy at the boat launch, looks sketchy out past where he was. Nothing at baseline and you can see the cracks as SB described. Still open at the shore. Bible Conference had a bunch of guys out there and I saw one guy out off of Ross Twp park. I can't compare the LL bite to Gull fishing but I can confirm LL has been pretty slow. I might try loading up my junk and trying Bible Conference if the ice on LL is still iffy tomorrow AM. Be careful out there.
-
Smeltbuster: Have you tried anymore GL smelt fishing this year? I’d really like to go at least once this season but I haven’t heard of anyone catching/finding any so I’ve been sticking to crappie instead.
Anyone having any luck with smelt?
-
Been a couple of times & its not what it used to be . Heard of some being caught, but very slow. Had a report of 7 &13 by 2 different guys, this past week-end. Sounds like there might be a few left. Hoping they make a comeback in a year or 2. Talked to some guys that pike fished the North end on Saturday & they had zero flags. Plenty of ice . Pike bite has been very slow for Smelt jr., He did manage to get a 26" & a 28" this morning. He was fishing an easy area to get to, but most guys don't fish it. He asked me not to say where. Took a couple of nasty falls on the ice a while back & messed up my shoulders. pretty much slowed me down a bit. Been wanting to try for Trout, hoping to get out this week-end.
-
(https://i.postimg.cc/HrzRyjbq/20190217-075835.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HrzRyjbq)
Caught this last weekend on the north end...34" 15' water
-
Anyone done any good on panfish out there this year? NOT looking for spots just asking in general. I’ve struggled to find them like I have in the past.
-
Anyone done any good on panfish out there this year? NOT looking for spots just asking in general. I’ve struggled to find them like I have in the past.
I’ve had a fantastic year for crappie and gills but both have started to slow down quite a bit this week. Fingers crossed for late ice.
-
Jaybes, glad to hear someone is doing well. Guess I'll have to keep trying new spots/tactics
-
Jaybes, glad to hear someone is doing well. Guess I'll have to keep trying new spots/tactics
Dont get discouraged, it has been a weird year on Gull. I've caught far less Pike than normal and way more crappie than normal.
Couple weird catches I've had: Caught a keeper Pike in 80ft of water (never done that before) and a giant zombie Rock Bass in the bay (had a bite taken out of it's belly). Strange year for sure!
-
I also did well on gills and crappie on early ice in several locations thru out the lake. Once other lakes took off 4 weeks ago I never fished Gull again. Plan was to pike fish this Sunday but the wind is going to keep me at bay I think.
-
Jaybes, catching pike in that deep water is very common ,in the winter ,when you are smelt fishing. 4 yrs. ago I stopped using 10 hook smelt rigs, because I got tired of fighting pike on them & when I did land them, I had to throw them back due to hook restrictions. Started using a 6 hook rig & now I can legally keep them. Also, that deep water in the summer is an excellent place to catch pike & bass, using big lake methods.
-
Jaybes, catching pike in that deep water is very common ,in the winter ,when you are smelt fishing. 4 yrs. ago I stopped using 10 hook smelt rigs, because I got tired of fighting pike on them & when I did land them, I had to throw them back due to hook restrictions. Started using a 6 hook rig & now I can legally keep them. Also, that deep water in the summer is an excellent place to catch pike & bass, using big lake methods.
That’s interesting, I’ve been fishing this lake my whole life and never caught one that deep in the middle of the day halfway up the water column. I thought it was weird.
-
Does anybody have an ice report for the north end? I assume it’s fine, just want to double check before making the drive. TIA
-
The north end ice is fine.They are running quads & snowmobiles on the entire lake. Pretty much, no snow on the ice. Be Warned; they are putting in new ramps at the boat launch & there is open water there. It is wide open in front of the creek, ruining the chance of fishing for shallow water trout. You can get on the ice @ the west side of the bath house w/ no problems. The gate is up, but they are using an envelope pay system. $7.00 per vehicle, $10.00 w/ a trailer. Season pass is $80.00. I have not measured the ice, but I would say it is at least 7-8". Very easy walking, even pulling gear. Talked to a guy in the local bait shop today & he told me the pike bite has been pretty good @ the Bible Conf., don't know how true it is .
-
Thanks for the update SB. Heading that way tonite to try to scrounge up a smelt or 2.
-
Anyone been over to the north end or second bay to see how gull weathered the weekend warm up?
-
Anyone been over to the north end or second bay to see how gull weathered the weekend warm up?
I haven’t but I’d be shocked if it really effected the ice at all. Most of the lake had 7-9inches before the warm days. Obviously bring a spud but I’m betting the ice is fine.
-
Hi All -
Today I kept two perch. One had nothing in its stomach and the other had three minnows. I’m really interested in what these might be. The first two look almost like a trout and the last one had a flat head looking like a sculpin. Any ideas?
(https://i.postimg.cc/crZnK4qM/81621-ACB-499-B-4-DB1-8-D4-A-6-AC9-E104-B507.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/crZnK4qM)
-
Not a biologist or fisheries expert but it looks like a blacknosed dace to me. There are lot of different shiner, darter, “minnow” species in Gull. If you look at some of the old DNR reports for the lake you can find a list of them. Caught a lot of those as a little kid with a net.
-
The one on the far right is a darter. The one on the far left looks like it might be a stickleback.
-
That's from the man who know's. :thumbsup:
-
Warning : Baseline rd. access is not 100 % safe. My brother & me decided to try Smelt fishing off Baseline tonight & the ice conditions are not good at the shoreline. While unloading gear, I broke through in almost knee deep water. My brother had one foot go through, about 20yds. from shore. Lots of snowed over pressure cracks. Quads & ATVs have busted up the shore ice. The north end is fine if you go on, west of the bath house. As for the fishing tonight...... between 4 of us, I was 2nd. best,.... w/ 2 ! Call me Smeltbusted :'(
-
Warning : Baseline rd. access is not 100 % safe. My brother & me decided to try Smelt fishing off Baseline tonight & the ice conditions are not good at the shoreline. While unloading gear, I broke through in almost knee deep water. My brother had one foot go through, about 20yds. from shore. Lots of snowed over pressure cracks. Quads & ATVs have busted up the shore ice. The north end is fine if you go on, west of the bath house. As for the fishing tonight...... between 4 of us, I was 2nd. best,.... w/ 2 ! Call me Smeltbusted :'(
I went through the ice a couple times this week as well, the wind really messed up the eastern shore. I got skunked on smelt last night too. Were you not marking them or were they not biting?
-
We did not mark very many fish. And the ones we did mark, would not bite. Lots of Plankton, though .
-
I wasn't expecting to find busted ice on Gull. Anyone know if I can get on ok at the bible conference?
-
I know this is a long shot but if anybody happen to find a pair of skis for a smitty sled at prarieville in the parking lot tonight, please let me know. I was arranging some gear in the truck and with the lot being dark left them behind my truck. Didn’t realize it until I was home. Btw. Bite was slow but did manage to have a pike come up an attack our transducer under the ice. Made for some excitement.
-
I know this is a long shot but if anybody happen to find a pair of skis for a smitty sled at prarieville in the parking lot tonight, please let me know. I was arranging some gear in the truck and with the lot being dark left them behind my truck. Didn’t realize it until I was home. Btw. Bite was slow but did manage to have a pike come up an attack our transducer under the ice. Made for some excitement.
still can’t believe we left those skis.i got ya tho.you can have one of my smitty sleds.that was a looong night.
-
Smelt jr. is on his way to check for them. Update, they were not there. He checked @ 9:00 a.m., if you need a pair, I also have an extra set you can have.
-
I appreciate you taking the time to look. I normally do a final sweep with my phone light and didn’t this time. Only 3 other trucks there and they would of had to walk right by them. Perhaps they will turn back up.
-
Has the smelt fishing picked up at all?
-
2trackin, Welcome to "The Shanty" ! Pretty slow. Thinking I might be done for the year.
-
2trackin, Welcome to "The Shanty" ! Pretty slow. Thinking I might be done for the year.
Thank you.
I hope they rebound next year!
-
Ice report; Baseline rd. has several large pressure cracks, running in every direction. The north end is open, way out, in front of the creek,& over to the bath house, & the rest of the area is sketchy. There are 4-6 shanties out on the ice Right now, in the smelt grounds. Smelt jr. was not brave enough to venture out to see how the ice is (smart kid ). Him & I will check it Thurs. afternoon, but I have a feeling , we are done.
-
Glad to see you are hanging it up for this year. Your body deserves a nice break.
-
Glad to see you are hanging it up for this year. Your body deserves a nice break.
I was hoping for at least 1 more "Hike" out to the Smelt grounds this year ! At least I ended the year, sharing my shanty w/ a great guy. Thanks for making the trip up here, just wish we could have got you a few more , to make it worth the trip. Hoping the smelt have a good spawn this spring & the good ole days return soon. Smelt jr. & me will be watching the creek for a "Run", in the next few weeks.
-
Sounds like the fat lady is singing on the north end. It was good to see a few smelt come threw the hole this year :thumbsup:. The lake shows promise for the future. It may take a few years. It was good to fish by you Smeltbuster. See you on the hard water next year good lord willing.
-
Well what is the consensus on the 2019 winter season? I fished pannies in the bay on early ice and did very well. Then I transitioned to other lakes for pan fish but returned to Gull for pike fishing three times. Caught keeper pike on all three trips. I thought the fish were healthy and fat from what I saw. Not plentiful by any means. The laker fishing dried up so to speak from years past as I never landed a single fish. I have not fished smelt in Gull in at least 5 years so I have no comment there. Have a safe summer to all and fish on!
-
I fished south bay a few times & did well on Gills 2 trips. Tried for trout, there & nothing. Fished the North end 1 time w/ Smelt jr., for pike & no flags. He fished a couple of other spots on the lake & did well on pike. The areas that he fished are often overlooked by guys on the hardwater. As for Lakers, I seen 1 very nice & healthy fish that was caught & released. With the new boat ramps being put in on the North end, it pretty much destroyed any chance of trying for trout ,in front of the creek. As for the smelt, they are doing a little bit better than what I expected. We pulled a few through the ice this year, but nothing compared to before the die-off of 2016. There are still a lot of pike in Gull (too many IMO) , but when you have guys carpet bombing the popular spots w/ tip-ups, the #s go down. Same w/ the Crappie fishing in south bay. when there are 5-10 shanties out there every night, the #s go down. That area has gotten hammered the past few yrs. , & it can be tough to catch them now. I cant speak for the Bible Conf., as I don't fish there in the winter. As for open water, this past year, my son & me collected over 70 dorsal fin samples from Pike, for the DNR. There are lots of sub-legal pike in Gull , & I personally hope that some changes will be made to the catch & size limits. It is not uncommon for us to boat 15-30 fish in a few hrs. of fishing ,during the open water season. Lots of big Bass also, both SM & LM. As much as I like Lakers (my favorite fish to eat) ,I am glad to see that the DNR has put a Hold on planting them for a while. If any of you fish Gull, you need to share info w/ the fisheries division, in Plainwell. They are very interested in what goes on, out there. Also, if any of you do fish the open water & you see a small pontoon w/ downriggers & way too many rods on it, swing by & say "Hi" ! Phil