FISHHOUSE CHRONICLES: January 2008

More Excuses...SORRY

I guess most visitors are getting bored with the same old pictures. My posts this winter have been sporadic at best and my apologies won't cut it. I will start by saying it was much easier to get pics and posts when you spent a weekend in the wheeled fish house. I have made a lot of one day trips this year but in portables and usually on a snow machine. This year has not been conducive to taking a lot of pictures, and to be honest this year has not been a good year for fishing. After the last cold spell most lakes can be driven on safely and if the fishing gets better the posts and the pics will magically appear.

I hope you will come back to check for up-dates. We're now getting to the part of winter when thoughts of open water fishing start to creep to the front of our minds. It can't come too soon for me for a couple of reasons that will be elaborated on as the year progresses.

Until I have more excuses or up-dated posts,

Steelheader

Sunday Zach and I went to Winnie to move our fish house off the lake. With the warm temps and a busy week ahead we didn't want the house to freeze onto the ice. After a little wild 4 wheeling to get to the house we spent the afternoon perch jerking. We caught many but only 8 that were big enough to clean. Also 1 wandering eye bit the dust when he was caught in 30' of water. Fishing wasn't great but the day was warm and comfortable on the ice. I hope you were able to fish this weekend. The weather couldn't have been better, and it beats working or watching the tube for the weekend.

Till next week,

Steelheader

Alex has reason to smile holding up 2 very nice crappies.

What a day for fishing and the catching was better. Z, Alex, and I took a trip up the scenic and found some biting crappies. This pile of fish divided up 3 ways meant great table fare for 3 families.

Alex and Z hold up 4 of the 12' crappies that were caught Saturday morning.

I get to be in a picture.....WOOHOO....Alex and I show some nice slabs.

A Great New Years Day Fishing...Who needs Football When the Fish Are Biting

Sunday Zach and I took off and went crappie fishing.....AHH more like catching. It was a great day even as cold and windy as it was. We got to the lake about 10 Am and set up our house more to warm up than fish. Our graphs showed that fish were around but the first hour or so was a very slow bite. When the fish started biting the catching began and it was fast at times. David and Pat called about noon and were ready to fish and got in on the tail end of the bite, a good time was had by all.

I will also put on a few videos that were taken...Keep cheching the link, they will be ready later tonight.

I have some great pictures I hope you'll enjoy,

Steelheader

Z showing off again, the crappie bite on Sunday started out slow but about noon many doubles were coming out of the ice......A great day of fishing.

A few good meals of fish her on the ice.

A picture of our compound of portables on Sunday. Zach and I had fish on our graphs all day long, the fish were most active between 11 AM and 2 PM. We probably caught a total of 50+ crappies with many small ones released.

Here Z shows off a nice 12" crappie. When we cleaned the fish we counted about 8 nice slabs about that size.

David and Pat came out and fished the afternoon and caught a few crappies and and a northern.

When we were packing up to leave the lake, Zach flipped his shelter up and over backwards he went. I had to get a picture while he was helpless....TOO FUNNY!

After coming off the lake with the snowmobile kicking up slush Z said what happened to my auger? I tried to say I didn't do it. HEHE!

This is Zach's new StrikeMaster auger after the last trip off the lake Sunday. With slush on every small lake and a ice caked power head that hopefully will start the next trip out.

The Holiday PICS

The blogging has been lax....SORRY..... things have been happening fast with Bruce selling his fish house and Z and I breaking something evey time we go out fishing. Also thrown in the middle was a wonderful family Christmas and DJ's Grand Rapids girls basketball games. Jackie and I have had little time to ourselves. I've posted some Christmas pics of the kids Jamming with the playstation "Rockstar Game", they had a blast as you'll see from the pictures.

Also Zach and I finally got to fish in the house we built this fall. Most lakes are only accessible by walking and by snow machine or by wheelers. Makes for some cold trip trips on very iffy ice conditions. Most of the small lakes have slush on top of the ice...NASTY.

Hopefully this is an acceptable catch-up entry...Enjoy,

Steelheader

Zach got the fish house we built out onto Winnie last weekend. We moved it Friday and spent a great relaxing evening fishing. A great way to spend a New Years Eve. With Bruce selling his wheeled house this will be HOME to the fishhouse Chronicles!