Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Gladstone, MI, 3-14-09
SEE THE “NOTES” AT THE END OF THIS PIECE FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THE TERMS USED HERE. THIS REPORT CONTAINS DETAILS ABOUT TWO ICE FISHING TRIPS ON SUBSEQUENT SATURDAYS.
I spent the morning chasing perch today, with fairly good results. Stopped at Bay View for wigglers, 2" minnows, waxies, and spikes before sunrise. Two of us drove north, heading out from the yellow gate access. We set up in 13' of water over the old weedbeds, The final tally was 22 keepers for about fifty fish landed. No real jumbos, but the ones we kept were just right for eating. The best presentation was a single wiggler on a thin wire hook and split shot at first, but changed to a single waxworm on the same rig later. I caught a few nice perch using a one-inch soft plastic crayfish in brown color on a 1/32 ounce jig - no live bait. We had to pay extremely close attention due to very light hits. We missed many, many fish the just fooled around with the bait. We each missed fish that felt heavier, but I'm not sure what they were. As a side note, the entrance road is very rutted and the shallows close to shore were in bad shape but passable with 4WD. Won't last much longer even if the ice out on the bay is over 30" thick.
Dateline: Little Bay de Noc near Gladstone, MI, 3-21-09
Today's perch expedition was almost a re-run of last weekends trip. Started at Bay View with fresh waxies, wigglers, spikes and 2" minnows. We walked out from yellow gate and set up in nine feet. The walk was not too strenuous. Some bad ice near shore. Road leading in is badly rutted. We had the camera and set it up in the shallows. Almost immediately, a walleye stopped for a look, followed by a pike. We tried for perch a while longer, but got no takers. Too many predators. After that we trudged out to fifteen feet and saw perch right away. We were one-half mile from shore. I'm sure because we drove to this spot previously and measured it on the trip mileage screen. The bite was fairly steady and we landed probably forty fish with ten keepers. Another walleye stopped by, but the perch returned quickly. We didn't have much time, so we started taking in lines. As the last waxworm and small jig combination was about to be reeled in a large pike head showed up on the screen and he inhaled the tidbit. My friend Duane had a strong two-second pull, one head shake, and it was all over. The pike snipped the line as they usually do in this situation. It was a great way to end the trip! Again, finesse presentation was necessary. Perch would grab only tiny jigs or plain hooks with a single waxie, or three spikes. They would not take minnows, and just played with wigglers. We could see them biting and re-acting to our baits. Good learning experience.
Notes:
“Bay View” is a local baitshop in Gladstone, MI owned by a friend, Chris Wahl.
“Spikes” are common maggots, used as ice fishing baits.
“Waxies” or “Waxworms” are beemoth larva, and look like white grubs found in lawns during warm weather.
“Wigglers” are hexagenia nymphs which look like tiny one-to two inch scorpions. They don’t bite, and are commonly used as ice fishing bait.
The camera I refer to is an underwater camera that is lowered down to bottom and allows the fisherman to watch his baits on a five-inch, black and white screen. You can see fish approach and hit your baits.
“4WD” means a four-wheel drive vehicle.
“Yellow Gate” is a public access point north of Gladstone, on Little Bay de Noc in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
On the 3-14 trip, Duane and I drove my truck directly out to the ice fishing destination on the ice and setting up the gear was easy. By 3-21 the ice had deteriorated near shore and we had to walk out to the spot pulling our gear on flat-bottomed ice sleds.
Showing posts with label Delta County Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delta County Michigan. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
GLOW BAITS GRAB ATTENTION
GLOW BAITS GRAB ATTENTION
Bay de Noc Burbot and Walleye Opportunity
By: Ray Hansen
Burbot or Eelpout are not a fish targeted by many winter anglers, but those who know where and how to catch them rave about their fighting qualities, and the ability to make a dish called “Poor Man’s Lobster” from them.
Little Bay de Noc in Delta County Michigan provides an excellent opportunity to catch these fish through the ice, and action often peaks for a while around mid-February. Chris Wahl, owner of Bay View Sports in Gladstone, Michigan (www.baydenoc.com/bayviewsports) chases these fish each year, and is a wealth of local information about how to proceed.
Chris reports that “glow” baits like the locally produced Swedish Pimple Spoon, the Buckshot Rattle Spoon, Rapala Jigger Shad, and simple live bait rigs with a “glow-stick” attached to the line near the bait (minnows are best) can do the trick. He often works the long drop-offs on the bay near his shop on Highway 2 / 41, concentrating on depths of 25 to 38 feet of water. Night produces the best bite, so you can tailor your ice fishing trips to be on a potentially good walleye spot at the prime bite just before and after sunset, then continue on into the night with the expectation of burbot action.
Incidentally, Chris says that many anglers are somewhat repulsed at the sight of a wriggling burbot on their lines because they look like an eel. He cautions ice fishermen to release them carefully however, because they are “gobie eating machines”. Area anglers have seen the non-native gobies populate the bay over the years, and welcome any fish that will consume them.
Little Bay de Noc is actually the northernmost portion of Lake Michigan, on the Great Lakes. Excellent fishing for northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass, walleye, salmon, trout, and many other species can be found there throughout the year. Check www.baydenoc.com for details about area attractions, lodging, and related information.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Bay de Noc Burbot and Walleye Opportunity
By: Ray Hansen
Burbot or Eelpout are not a fish targeted by many winter anglers, but those who know where and how to catch them rave about their fighting qualities, and the ability to make a dish called “Poor Man’s Lobster” from them.
Little Bay de Noc in Delta County Michigan provides an excellent opportunity to catch these fish through the ice, and action often peaks for a while around mid-February. Chris Wahl, owner of Bay View Sports in Gladstone, Michigan (www.baydenoc.com/bayviewsports) chases these fish each year, and is a wealth of local information about how to proceed.
Chris reports that “glow” baits like the locally produced Swedish Pimple Spoon, the Buckshot Rattle Spoon, Rapala Jigger Shad, and simple live bait rigs with a “glow-stick” attached to the line near the bait (minnows are best) can do the trick. He often works the long drop-offs on the bay near his shop on Highway 2 / 41, concentrating on depths of 25 to 38 feet of water. Night produces the best bite, so you can tailor your ice fishing trips to be on a potentially good walleye spot at the prime bite just before and after sunset, then continue on into the night with the expectation of burbot action.
Incidentally, Chris says that many anglers are somewhat repulsed at the sight of a wriggling burbot on their lines because they look like an eel. He cautions ice fishermen to release them carefully however, because they are “gobie eating machines”. Area anglers have seen the non-native gobies populate the bay over the years, and welcome any fish that will consume them.
Little Bay de Noc is actually the northernmost portion of Lake Michigan, on the Great Lakes. Excellent fishing for northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass, walleye, salmon, trout, and many other species can be found there throughout the year. Check www.baydenoc.com for details about area attractions, lodging, and related information.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
THE DAY THE FISH GOT AWAY - Part one
THE DAY THE FISH GOT AWAY!
By: Ray Hansen
Dateline: Saturday, January 10, 2008 – Gladstone, Michigan
I chased fish all over the bay today but it was one of those tough times. Things just did not go right - on top of a tough bite – and I failed to land a fish for all the effort I put into looking for a few that would hit.
I started out in the darkness prior to sunrise with life-long friend Duane Deno of Gladstone, Michigan. We left from a lot he owns on the shores of Little Bay de Noc where we rode out onto the bay on his Honda four-wheeler. He drove and I sat backwards on the cargo rack on the back of the machine. We pulled a portable ice shack and all our fishing gear on a high-sided sled behind the all terrain vehicle like a small train with a couple boxcars behind it. I should have been swinging an old red lantern like a brakeman leaning out from the caboose.
Sunrise / moonset was spectacular. The sun brightened the eastern horizon into pink, orange, and mango streaks, as the moon touched the treeline to the west like a massive painted parchment pancake. It is at its closest approach to earth and has been putting on a show for the past few days. I’m sure astronomers worldwide have been seized with spasms of near-orgasmic delight in the past forty-eight hours or so by what they observe through telescopes trained on our celestial neighbor.
About 10 o’clock last night Kate and I went for a hike in the frigid woods around our home, just to experience this wonderful phenomenon. The moon was so bright it would have been possible to read a newspaper by moonlight alone. Almost no artificial lights exist nearby to compete with the intense lunar luminosity. We saw deer silhouetted against the snow as we made our way past hardwood ridges and spruce covered hillsides. In every direction snow crystals caught the moonlight, reflecting like tiny diamonds sprinkled along the path.
Anyway, Duane and I headed for an area we had not previously fished through the ice. Since we had taken walleyes there very late in the autumn season in open water, we figured we might still find them in the same location now that the lake was frozen. In most other years we had not been able to safely traverse the ice there until late January, but the freeze has been quite early this year. Just a few days ago an icebreaker passed this point and its course is still visible on the frozen bay as a jumble of clear, jagged ice like broken glass scattered along a highway after a crash.
In this spot, a sand and weed flat broke sharply at ten feet, descending into a thirty-five foot depression where a field of scattered boulders provided cover for perch, gobies, and various minnow species. Walleyes just had to be there, didn’t they? Duane and I were completely confident.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
Dateline: Saturday, January 10, 2008 – Gladstone, Michigan
I chased fish all over the bay today but it was one of those tough times. Things just did not go right - on top of a tough bite – and I failed to land a fish for all the effort I put into looking for a few that would hit.
I started out in the darkness prior to sunrise with life-long friend Duane Deno of Gladstone, Michigan. We left from a lot he owns on the shores of Little Bay de Noc where we rode out onto the bay on his Honda four-wheeler. He drove and I sat backwards on the cargo rack on the back of the machine. We pulled a portable ice shack and all our fishing gear on a high-sided sled behind the all terrain vehicle like a small train with a couple boxcars behind it. I should have been swinging an old red lantern like a brakeman leaning out from the caboose.
Sunrise / moonset was spectacular. The sun brightened the eastern horizon into pink, orange, and mango streaks, as the moon touched the treeline to the west like a massive painted parchment pancake. It is at its closest approach to earth and has been putting on a show for the past few days. I’m sure astronomers worldwide have been seized with spasms of near-orgasmic delight in the past forty-eight hours or so by what they observe through telescopes trained on our celestial neighbor.
About 10 o’clock last night Kate and I went for a hike in the frigid woods around our home, just to experience this wonderful phenomenon. The moon was so bright it would have been possible to read a newspaper by moonlight alone. Almost no artificial lights exist nearby to compete with the intense lunar luminosity. We saw deer silhouetted against the snow as we made our way past hardwood ridges and spruce covered hillsides. In every direction snow crystals caught the moonlight, reflecting like tiny diamonds sprinkled along the path.
Anyway, Duane and I headed for an area we had not previously fished through the ice. Since we had taken walleyes there very late in the autumn season in open water, we figured we might still find them in the same location now that the lake was frozen. In most other years we had not been able to safely traverse the ice there until late January, but the freeze has been quite early this year. Just a few days ago an icebreaker passed this point and its course is still visible on the frozen bay as a jumble of clear, jagged ice like broken glass scattered along a highway after a crash.
In this spot, a sand and weed flat broke sharply at ten feet, descending into a thirty-five foot depression where a field of scattered boulders provided cover for perch, gobies, and various minnow species. Walleyes just had to be there, didn’t they? Duane and I were completely confident.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
SOMETHING WRONG AT THE RIDGE
SOMETHING WRONG AT THE RIDGE
By: Ray Hansen
We both knew something was wrong at The Ridge. We had always killed deer there, including Duane’s great nine-point buck, and we had watched many others at this natural crossing without drawing on them. Want some venison for camp meat? No problem! Use an antlerless tag on one of the does we commonly see there.
”The Ridge” was our name for a long narrow strip of higher ground bordered on the west by a twenty-acre patch of wet marsh, and on the east by a much larger jungle of tag alder, white cedar, and heavy brush. This was a natural travel route for local deer, and when the rut kicked in, bucks cruised through here regularly while patrolling doe groups. Big white cedars and spruce on this elevated runway offered good stand sites. This was the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at its best.
This particular season however, traffic was way down. Something had driven the deer toward alternate routes, and the few we saw were spooky. In camp between morning and afternoon hunts, Duane and I tried to figure out what happened.
For starters, we set out a trail camera, which quickly provided a clue. Six images of a large black bear showed up within two days. But bears by themselves don’t scare deer away. The whitetails may become a little more cautious when a bruin starts poking around their favored territory, but they will not abandon a home area that has served them well for years.
Knowing that the bear was close by made Duane and I pay closer attention while hunting and the photos motivated his brother Tom to apply for bear tags the following year. He ultimately shot a prime three-hundred pound boar close by.
In desperation, I left one of my stands early one morning to take a closer “CSI” look at the area immediately surrounding a stand I had on the ridge. I uncovered clue number two in this way. The carcass of a recently killed coyote lay sprawled in heavy cover just east of my stand. The male pack leader had died hard and fast. Its neck was snapped, ears standing upright, eyes open, and teeth bared in a perpetual snarl. I could visualize a 110 pound wolf grabbing the thirty pound canine by the neck and shaking it like a rag doll.
This find revealed that a pack of wolves was challenging their smaller relatives for hunting rights to the ridge. We later found canine tracks along an old logging road that confirmed recent wolf activity. Tom’s house backs up to a twenty acre field which is bordered by heavy woods with a creek meandering through the low areas. He’d been watching wolves through a spotting scope while they harassed resident deer.
So Duane and I knew what had altered deer movements, but one additional discovery cemented the knowledge that things would not return to normal for a while. One other camp was accessed by the same sand road we used to get to our spot. A “Y” in the road signals where a truck must turn to approach the other place. The owner, “Kenny”, stopped us a few days later to say that a juvenile mountain lion had crossed the road at the junction, only fifteen feet from him as he drove in. He wasn’t guessing about what he had seen. The cat paused in the headlights before jumping into the tag alders, giving Ken a good, broadside view. I can tell you that the long, sinuous tail on a lion cannot be mistaken for any other wild feline.
So, all the local predators knew about the deer traffic on The Ridge. That left Duane and I looking for other places deer had moved to. But… that’s part of the fun. Hunting areas change, and hunters adapt. Wolves, bears, mountain lions, and coyotes move on. Whitetails eventually return to old patterns, and I hope to be in a treestand on The Ridge when they do!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008.
By: Ray Hansen
We both knew something was wrong at The Ridge. We had always killed deer there, including Duane’s great nine-point buck, and we had watched many others at this natural crossing without drawing on them. Want some venison for camp meat? No problem! Use an antlerless tag on one of the does we commonly see there.
”The Ridge” was our name for a long narrow strip of higher ground bordered on the west by a twenty-acre patch of wet marsh, and on the east by a much larger jungle of tag alder, white cedar, and heavy brush. This was a natural travel route for local deer, and when the rut kicked in, bucks cruised through here regularly while patrolling doe groups. Big white cedars and spruce on this elevated runway offered good stand sites. This was the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at its best.
This particular season however, traffic was way down. Something had driven the deer toward alternate routes, and the few we saw were spooky. In camp between morning and afternoon hunts, Duane and I tried to figure out what happened.
For starters, we set out a trail camera, which quickly provided a clue. Six images of a large black bear showed up within two days. But bears by themselves don’t scare deer away. The whitetails may become a little more cautious when a bruin starts poking around their favored territory, but they will not abandon a home area that has served them well for years.
Knowing that the bear was close by made Duane and I pay closer attention while hunting and the photos motivated his brother Tom to apply for bear tags the following year. He ultimately shot a prime three-hundred pound boar close by.
In desperation, I left one of my stands early one morning to take a closer “CSI” look at the area immediately surrounding a stand I had on the ridge. I uncovered clue number two in this way. The carcass of a recently killed coyote lay sprawled in heavy cover just east of my stand. The male pack leader had died hard and fast. Its neck was snapped, ears standing upright, eyes open, and teeth bared in a perpetual snarl. I could visualize a 110 pound wolf grabbing the thirty pound canine by the neck and shaking it like a rag doll.
This find revealed that a pack of wolves was challenging their smaller relatives for hunting rights to the ridge. We later found canine tracks along an old logging road that confirmed recent wolf activity. Tom’s house backs up to a twenty acre field which is bordered by heavy woods with a creek meandering through the low areas. He’d been watching wolves through a spotting scope while they harassed resident deer.
So Duane and I knew what had altered deer movements, but one additional discovery cemented the knowledge that things would not return to normal for a while. One other camp was accessed by the same sand road we used to get to our spot. A “Y” in the road signals where a truck must turn to approach the other place. The owner, “Kenny”, stopped us a few days later to say that a juvenile mountain lion had crossed the road at the junction, only fifteen feet from him as he drove in. He wasn’t guessing about what he had seen. The cat paused in the headlights before jumping into the tag alders, giving Ken a good, broadside view. I can tell you that the long, sinuous tail on a lion cannot be mistaken for any other wild feline.
So, all the local predators knew about the deer traffic on The Ridge. That left Duane and I looking for other places deer had moved to. But… that’s part of the fun. Hunting areas change, and hunters adapt. Wolves, bears, mountain lions, and coyotes move on. Whitetails eventually return to old patterns, and I hope to be in a treestand on The Ridge when they do!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
ICE FISHING THIS MORNING 1-1-09
Happy New Year:
I'm not sure how you spent the first day of January, but I went out ice fishing with a friend before sunrise this morning. I was dressed like an Eskimo with multiple layers of clothes, insulated bib overalls and a long-tail, hooded parka, knit hat, knee-high felt-lined pac boots and more. We worked depths of 28 to 30 feet along a drop-off on the west side of Little Bay de Noc with three inch shiners we bought Friday evening and stored overnight. This is near my home in Delta County, Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We took a chance, heading to a part of the bay that is usually not safe to fish until late January. It seemed that the cold weather we have had would have firmed up the ice down that way enough to make it safe. There were others out ahead of us, so we were not exactly riding into the unknown. We found the ice 8 to 10 inches thick, but a large coal boat had come through from open water farther south and broke a channel to the docks about a mile south of us. We rode on a Honda all terrain vehicle to cover some territory in our search for fish.
We landed just two walleyes, one 28" and another 21". Both hit Swedish Pimple spoons (Bay de Noc Tackle Company) tipped with the minnows in 28' to 30' of water. We took my portable shanty because we intended to move around and a portable makes this easier. We had trouble with the wind blowing the thin walls like sails and moving the shack a little. When both of us sat inside on overturned buckets, there was enough weight to keep it anchored, but when one stepped out it could shift position. Honestly, the bite was slow even though we managed a couple nice fish. The wind chill was bad and after shooting just six photos my fingers were stiff and the camera flashed a "low battey" signal. The strong south winds apparently blew water up under the ice and caused several heaves. The first major jolt we felt (and heard) was an extended rumbling boom that shook the shanty fairly hard. Later, another sharp jolt ran a six inch open water crack running right between the wheels of our ATV parked alongside the shanty. When we went out to investigate, we found that we were on a piece of ice about twenty feet by thirty feet or so that had broken free from the surroundings. Several other pieces were around us. Picture a jigsaw puzzle. We were on one of the pieces and surrounded by other pieces. There was no danger of drifting away, but if one of the pieces broke into smaller fragments, there could have been real trouble. We gathered our gear immediately and rode back to shore, crossing several open water cracks along the way. Obviously none of them were wide enough to prevent crossing, but they all allowed water to spout up onto the surface ice and all we could do was open the throttle a bit and fly through them spraying water all the way. We actually did not get wet, because the water froze on our gear fast enough to keep it from soaking through anything.
This area has the potential to be a real "big fish zone", but I guess we are going to have to wait a little longer before going out there again. I have fished there many times in the past, but never this early in the year. One of the fascinating aspects of this part of the bay is that there are several wooden shipwrecks on the bottom (I've seen underwater camera pictures of them) and the resulting bottom structure holds fish there in the jumbled stacks of wood and iron. Drifting through the area in a boat on a spring day is a lot more comfortable, but I wouldn't trade these winter fishing adventures for anything else!
Ray
I'm not sure how you spent the first day of January, but I went out ice fishing with a friend before sunrise this morning. I was dressed like an Eskimo with multiple layers of clothes, insulated bib overalls and a long-tail, hooded parka, knit hat, knee-high felt-lined pac boots and more. We worked depths of 28 to 30 feet along a drop-off on the west side of Little Bay de Noc with three inch shiners we bought Friday evening and stored overnight. This is near my home in Delta County, Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We took a chance, heading to a part of the bay that is usually not safe to fish until late January. It seemed that the cold weather we have had would have firmed up the ice down that way enough to make it safe. There were others out ahead of us, so we were not exactly riding into the unknown. We found the ice 8 to 10 inches thick, but a large coal boat had come through from open water farther south and broke a channel to the docks about a mile south of us. We rode on a Honda all terrain vehicle to cover some territory in our search for fish.
We landed just two walleyes, one 28" and another 21". Both hit Swedish Pimple spoons (Bay de Noc Tackle Company) tipped with the minnows in 28' to 30' of water. We took my portable shanty because we intended to move around and a portable makes this easier. We had trouble with the wind blowing the thin walls like sails and moving the shack a little. When both of us sat inside on overturned buckets, there was enough weight to keep it anchored, but when one stepped out it could shift position. Honestly, the bite was slow even though we managed a couple nice fish. The wind chill was bad and after shooting just six photos my fingers were stiff and the camera flashed a "low battey" signal. The strong south winds apparently blew water up under the ice and caused several heaves. The first major jolt we felt (and heard) was an extended rumbling boom that shook the shanty fairly hard. Later, another sharp jolt ran a six inch open water crack running right between the wheels of our ATV parked alongside the shanty. When we went out to investigate, we found that we were on a piece of ice about twenty feet by thirty feet or so that had broken free from the surroundings. Several other pieces were around us. Picture a jigsaw puzzle. We were on one of the pieces and surrounded by other pieces. There was no danger of drifting away, but if one of the pieces broke into smaller fragments, there could have been real trouble. We gathered our gear immediately and rode back to shore, crossing several open water cracks along the way. Obviously none of them were wide enough to prevent crossing, but they all allowed water to spout up onto the surface ice and all we could do was open the throttle a bit and fly through them spraying water all the way. We actually did not get wet, because the water froze on our gear fast enough to keep it from soaking through anything.
This area has the potential to be a real "big fish zone", but I guess we are going to have to wait a little longer before going out there again. I have fished there many times in the past, but never this early in the year. One of the fascinating aspects of this part of the bay is that there are several wooden shipwrecks on the bottom (I've seen underwater camera pictures of them) and the resulting bottom structure holds fish there in the jumbled stacks of wood and iron. Drifting through the area in a boat on a spring day is a lot more comfortable, but I wouldn't trade these winter fishing adventures for anything else!
Ray
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
DEEP WATER SPOON TRICKS - Part two
Author's note: This is the final part of yesterday's blog. I'll be out on the bay Thursday and will probably use some of the tactics detailed here.
I sometimes run two rods, with a live minnow on the second. Keep this presentation simple, such as a split shot and plain hook rig. The second rod needs to “fish itself” because you are going to pay a lot of attention to the spoon while you work it. Choose a large minnow as bait since it can attract more attention that a smaller size. Two and one half to three inches is best. Remember, we are not fishing for small perch. On the other hand, running too large a minnow can attract big walleyes or pike which can shut down perch activity.
Always pay attention to the information you are getting from your locator. Be quick to raise your bait to the level of fish that show up above your bait, but be slow to lower it to fish beneath the lure. When your bait is above fish, they can see it and may rise if you use the nervous twitch I mentioned. When they do not rise upward, they are not very active and may spook easily. Maintain the shake you have been using and lower the bait slowly to their level. Stop just inches above the fish, and hope the closer presentation will trigger a hit.
Above all, think about your presentations. Try new tactics like these. Experiment. Keep moving as you search for fish. Don’t let deep water deter you, as long as it remains safe to walk on. Put some effort into your fishing. You’ll get some new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
I sometimes run two rods, with a live minnow on the second. Keep this presentation simple, such as a split shot and plain hook rig. The second rod needs to “fish itself” because you are going to pay a lot of attention to the spoon while you work it. Choose a large minnow as bait since it can attract more attention that a smaller size. Two and one half to three inches is best. Remember, we are not fishing for small perch. On the other hand, running too large a minnow can attract big walleyes or pike which can shut down perch activity.
Always pay attention to the information you are getting from your locator. Be quick to raise your bait to the level of fish that show up above your bait, but be slow to lower it to fish beneath the lure. When your bait is above fish, they can see it and may rise if you use the nervous twitch I mentioned. When they do not rise upward, they are not very active and may spook easily. Maintain the shake you have been using and lower the bait slowly to their level. Stop just inches above the fish, and hope the closer presentation will trigger a hit.
Above all, think about your presentations. Try new tactics like these. Experiment. Keep moving as you search for fish. Don’t let deep water deter you, as long as it remains safe to walk on. Put some effort into your fishing. You’ll get some new stories to tell around the campfire.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
DEEP WATER SPOON TRICKS - Part one
DEEP WATER SPOON TRICKS
By: Ray Hansen
I’ve been chasing perch in deeper water than ever in the past few years - often fifty feet or more, and this is true from late winter through early fall. If you are spending most of your time in twenty feet of water or less for these popular panfish, consider the following deep water methods for late ice fishing.
Start with the right rod and line. A short but thin and stiff spinning rod about twenty-four inches in length, a matching ultra-light reel and four pound test clear monofilament line is about right for ten to fifteen inch perch.
For late ice outings, run a size 3 Swedish Pimple spoon with a single hook and a fresh minnow head as bait. Work the range from two to six feet off bottom, but occasionally let the spoon fall to bottom where it stirs up some silt. Aggressive jigging attracts fish, while the stationary lure makes an easier target for fish to hit, so how do you compromise between the two? Let your electronics tell you.
When fish are present on the screen, use just a simple twitch of the rod tip to make the lure shudder and quiver in place like a live, nervous creature. Watch the screen closely. You’ll see fish approach your lure, and when the marks on the screen merge you know the fish is probably eyeing your bait. Raise the lure slowly while feeling for some extra weight. With a sharp hook, you just need to snap your wrist upward and start reeling the instant you detect a bite.
Some anglers use a variation of the presentation I detailed above. They let the Swedish Pimple “free-fall” on a completely slack line toward bottom. In this way, the lure darts off to one side by several feet. The angler lets the lure go until it is laying on bottom somewhere off to one side of the hole.
With the lure lying in the silt, the angler shakes the rod tip while very slowly reeling the lure forward. This makes it kick up more silt in a slight “trail” along bottom that can appeal strongly to perch that forage on bloodworms from soft bottomed areas. Once the lure is hanging straight beneath the hole, bring it up about four feet off bottom and twitch it while watching your electronics.
Minnow heads work very well as bait, but what about the remainder of the minnow? I like to chum with minnow meat. Toss the headless minnow on the ice next to the hole and mash it with a metal skimmer. Push it into the water where it sinks to bottom leaving a scent trail on the way.
End of part one – check in tomorrow for part two
By: Ray Hansen
I’ve been chasing perch in deeper water than ever in the past few years - often fifty feet or more, and this is true from late winter through early fall. If you are spending most of your time in twenty feet of water or less for these popular panfish, consider the following deep water methods for late ice fishing.
Start with the right rod and line. A short but thin and stiff spinning rod about twenty-four inches in length, a matching ultra-light reel and four pound test clear monofilament line is about right for ten to fifteen inch perch.
For late ice outings, run a size 3 Swedish Pimple spoon with a single hook and a fresh minnow head as bait. Work the range from two to six feet off bottom, but occasionally let the spoon fall to bottom where it stirs up some silt. Aggressive jigging attracts fish, while the stationary lure makes an easier target for fish to hit, so how do you compromise between the two? Let your electronics tell you.
When fish are present on the screen, use just a simple twitch of the rod tip to make the lure shudder and quiver in place like a live, nervous creature. Watch the screen closely. You’ll see fish approach your lure, and when the marks on the screen merge you know the fish is probably eyeing your bait. Raise the lure slowly while feeling for some extra weight. With a sharp hook, you just need to snap your wrist upward and start reeling the instant you detect a bite.
Some anglers use a variation of the presentation I detailed above. They let the Swedish Pimple “free-fall” on a completely slack line toward bottom. In this way, the lure darts off to one side by several feet. The angler lets the lure go until it is laying on bottom somewhere off to one side of the hole.
With the lure lying in the silt, the angler shakes the rod tip while very slowly reeling the lure forward. This makes it kick up more silt in a slight “trail” along bottom that can appeal strongly to perch that forage on bloodworms from soft bottomed areas. Once the lure is hanging straight beneath the hole, bring it up about four feet off bottom and twitch it while watching your electronics.
Minnow heads work very well as bait, but what about the remainder of the minnow? I like to chum with minnow meat. Toss the headless minnow on the ice next to the hole and mash it with a metal skimmer. Push it into the water where it sinks to bottom leaving a scent trail on the way.
End of part one – check in tomorrow for part two
Monday, December 8, 2008
TACKLING DEEP WATER PERCH
Author's note: Ice fishing season is just starting here on the north end of the Great Lakes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The action id still in shallow water, but I can tell you from experience that winter anglers will hit deep spots as soon as the ice out there becomes safe. Here are some tactics for perch found deeper.
TACKLING DEEP WATER PERCH
Great Lakes Water Clarity Moves Fish Deeper
By: Ray Hansen
The improvement in water clarity on many bodies of water in the past ten years or so has been nothing short of amazing. Non-native invasive species such as zebra mussels that filter sediment from the water have dramatically changed their chosen habitat. Lake Michigan for example commonly has places where the bottom can be seen in fifteen feet and deeper – especially along the northernmost parts of this Great Lake.
Whereas many fishermen chasing salmon and other species that commonly suspend at some mid-point in the water column have noticed fish hold deeper, perch anglers have really seen the difference. Since they typically find these fish close to bottom, they quickly noticed dramatic changes. Catching these popular panfish in depths to seventy-five feet is now common. The same patterns can be seen through the ice.
Using lightweight lures to tempt fickle biters in shallower water still works on occasion, but much of the time you’ll have to get much deeper – especially on huge bodies of water where schools of smelt or alewives provide forage.
Using compact lures that are “heavy for their size” is the best approach to catching deep-water dwellers. Lures that have enough weight to zip down to bottom in fifty or more feet let you get your bait back in front of fish faster than a presentation that sinks slowly.
One of my favorite deep-water perch rigs is an eighteen-inch ice rod coupled with a tiny spinning reel and spooled with four-pound test monofilament line. I attach a size 2 or 3 “Swedish Pimple” spoon (Bay de Noc Tackle Company), using a very small, thin wire snap (not a snap swivel) to clip my lure to the line. The snap allows maximum lure action while jigging it to attract bites.
Use the small treble hook this lure is packaged with, and load each hook point with two or three “spikes” (maggots) as bait. This means you’ll be hooking six to nine spikes on the lure. Remember to remove a few old spikes frequently, replacing them with fresh bait. The maggots exude a milky fluid into the surrounding water when fresh, which attracts and holds perch in your spot.
The rest is simple. Let the lure plunge to bottom by opening the reel’s bail, and when it stops sinking you know it is resting on the lake’s floor. Next reel in a little line so that the lure hangs two or three feet up from the rocks, sand, or mud. As always, run a locator constantly while fishing. That shows you what level fish are holding at, and indicates when fish are approaching your lure.
Two different actions may attract fish: “shaking”, or “ripping”. Shaking is done by simply shaking the rod tip to make the Pimple “dance in place for five to ten seconds, then pausing to watch for a hit. The sequence is: shake – pause – shake – pause, until you get bit.
“Ripping “means to start just off bottom, rip the spoon upward one to three feet, then allowing it to settle back into place. Again, pause to watch for a bite. This lure is a proven perch killer, and it is especially effective when you need to work great depths.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
TACKLING DEEP WATER PERCH
Great Lakes Water Clarity Moves Fish Deeper
By: Ray Hansen
The improvement in water clarity on many bodies of water in the past ten years or so has been nothing short of amazing. Non-native invasive species such as zebra mussels that filter sediment from the water have dramatically changed their chosen habitat. Lake Michigan for example commonly has places where the bottom can be seen in fifteen feet and deeper – especially along the northernmost parts of this Great Lake.
Whereas many fishermen chasing salmon and other species that commonly suspend at some mid-point in the water column have noticed fish hold deeper, perch anglers have really seen the difference. Since they typically find these fish close to bottom, they quickly noticed dramatic changes. Catching these popular panfish in depths to seventy-five feet is now common. The same patterns can be seen through the ice.
Using lightweight lures to tempt fickle biters in shallower water still works on occasion, but much of the time you’ll have to get much deeper – especially on huge bodies of water where schools of smelt or alewives provide forage.
Using compact lures that are “heavy for their size” is the best approach to catching deep-water dwellers. Lures that have enough weight to zip down to bottom in fifty or more feet let you get your bait back in front of fish faster than a presentation that sinks slowly.
One of my favorite deep-water perch rigs is an eighteen-inch ice rod coupled with a tiny spinning reel and spooled with four-pound test monofilament line. I attach a size 2 or 3 “Swedish Pimple” spoon (Bay de Noc Tackle Company), using a very small, thin wire snap (not a snap swivel) to clip my lure to the line. The snap allows maximum lure action while jigging it to attract bites.
Use the small treble hook this lure is packaged with, and load each hook point with two or three “spikes” (maggots) as bait. This means you’ll be hooking six to nine spikes on the lure. Remember to remove a few old spikes frequently, replacing them with fresh bait. The maggots exude a milky fluid into the surrounding water when fresh, which attracts and holds perch in your spot.
The rest is simple. Let the lure plunge to bottom by opening the reel’s bail, and when it stops sinking you know it is resting on the lake’s floor. Next reel in a little line so that the lure hangs two or three feet up from the rocks, sand, or mud. As always, run a locator constantly while fishing. That shows you what level fish are holding at, and indicates when fish are approaching your lure.
Two different actions may attract fish: “shaking”, or “ripping”. Shaking is done by simply shaking the rod tip to make the Pimple “dance in place for five to ten seconds, then pausing to watch for a hit. The sequence is: shake – pause – shake – pause, until you get bit.
“Ripping “means to start just off bottom, rip the spoon upward one to three feet, then allowing it to settle back into place. Again, pause to watch for a bite. This lure is a proven perch killer, and it is especially effective when you need to work great depths.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART TWO
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART TWO
By: Ray Hansen
START ON THE FLATS
My search for perch normally starts on the deeper flats near the place I found walleyes. I do not start fishing blindly however. The first thing to do is start searching for a likely spot. This is done by drilling holes and looking for perch with your locator. Team up with a friend to make this process faster. One person augers a couple holes, while the other runs the locator.
You should keep moving in a “leapfrog” fashion as you cover the area. Look for smaller, individual marks one to three feet off bottom, or a kind of “bumpy bottom” signal on the screen. Of course, some anglers use cameras to speed this process. The trick is to spend time searching instead of simply “fishing and wishing”.
USE SEARCH LURES
Since most of the perch action takes place during the day and in deeper water, I use compact and slightly heavy lures to “zip” my bait to bottom quickly. I like a size 2 or 3 Swedish Pimple spoon for this approach because it gets you back in the “strike zone” as quickly as possible.
My friend Duane Deno who fishes Little Bay De Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula throughout the winter, uses this tactic as well as working the smallest Jigging Rapala lures in deep water. It is very similar to the walleye tactics I mentioned, just on a smaller scale.
THE OLD “DOUBLE BAIT” TRICK
One of the deadliest live baits for perch is the “wiggler” which is a larvae type perch can’t resist. The problem with using this bait however is that they come off the hook so easily. If you get a bite in forty feet of water, but miss the fish, you might as well reel in immediately and put another wiggler on your hook. This wastes a lot of time. Perch move frequently and you have to work them as fast as you can while they are holding on your spot.
There is an approach that can help overcome this problem. Use a Swedish Pimple with a small treble hook as an example to see how this works. Load two of the hook points with at least two “spikes” (maggots) on each one. On the remaining hook point, put one spike on “sideways” first, then impale a wiggler. The spikes are a lot tougher and much harder to pull off. Even if you lose the wiggler, you still have bait down there working for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After you have a lengthy line of holes drilled, it can pay to go back to your starting point to re-check for active fish. Perch move a lot, and you might find some fresh action.
Lean toward orange! This color is frequently the best choice for perch.
The higher off bottom the marks on your locator show, the better. Those perch are more actively roaming and feeding. In a related observation, if you are going to run a stationary rod with a live minnow on it while jigging a second rod, use a large minnow and set it about six feet off bottom. Perch passing below your bait are more likely to see it.
And finally, keep a confident attitude! Move until you find fish and move again when the bite slows. You’ll work harder, but you’ll catch more fish.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
START ON THE FLATS
My search for perch normally starts on the deeper flats near the place I found walleyes. I do not start fishing blindly however. The first thing to do is start searching for a likely spot. This is done by drilling holes and looking for perch with your locator. Team up with a friend to make this process faster. One person augers a couple holes, while the other runs the locator.
You should keep moving in a “leapfrog” fashion as you cover the area. Look for smaller, individual marks one to three feet off bottom, or a kind of “bumpy bottom” signal on the screen. Of course, some anglers use cameras to speed this process. The trick is to spend time searching instead of simply “fishing and wishing”.
USE SEARCH LURES
Since most of the perch action takes place during the day and in deeper water, I use compact and slightly heavy lures to “zip” my bait to bottom quickly. I like a size 2 or 3 Swedish Pimple spoon for this approach because it gets you back in the “strike zone” as quickly as possible.
My friend Duane Deno who fishes Little Bay De Noc in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula throughout the winter, uses this tactic as well as working the smallest Jigging Rapala lures in deep water. It is very similar to the walleye tactics I mentioned, just on a smaller scale.
THE OLD “DOUBLE BAIT” TRICK
One of the deadliest live baits for perch is the “wiggler” which is a larvae type perch can’t resist. The problem with using this bait however is that they come off the hook so easily. If you get a bite in forty feet of water, but miss the fish, you might as well reel in immediately and put another wiggler on your hook. This wastes a lot of time. Perch move frequently and you have to work them as fast as you can while they are holding on your spot.
There is an approach that can help overcome this problem. Use a Swedish Pimple with a small treble hook as an example to see how this works. Load two of the hook points with at least two “spikes” (maggots) on each one. On the remaining hook point, put one spike on “sideways” first, then impale a wiggler. The spikes are a lot tougher and much harder to pull off. Even if you lose the wiggler, you still have bait down there working for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After you have a lengthy line of holes drilled, it can pay to go back to your starting point to re-check for active fish. Perch move a lot, and you might find some fresh action.
Lean toward orange! This color is frequently the best choice for perch.
The higher off bottom the marks on your locator show, the better. Those perch are more actively roaming and feeding. In a related observation, if you are going to run a stationary rod with a live minnow on it while jigging a second rod, use a large minnow and set it about six feet off bottom. Perch passing below your bait are more likely to see it.
And finally, keep a confident attitude! Move until you find fish and move again when the bite slows. You’ll work harder, but you’ll catch more fish.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH - PART ONE
PRIME TIME WALLEYES AND THE SEARCH FOR PERCH
By: Ray Hansen
I like getting out well before sunrise on winter fishing trips when I’m fishing a lake that holds both walleyes and perch. I usually have a specific target for walleyes, but perch are more scattered and require more searching. In this article I’ll pass along some details about a plan I use to catch both species.
WALLEYES ON STRUCTURE
If walleyes are found in a lake, you can usually count on a “sunrise bite” at daybreak. In most cases this feeding spree occurs on well-defined structure such as drop-offs, river mouths, rock piles, on and near fish cribs, or other distinct bottom features. Accordingly, you should have some target selected and be set up there before the sun comes up.
ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION
If you fire up your locator and it shows larger marks up off bottom, you probably have some actively feeding fish on your spot. You can work a jigging spoon such as a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow head, a thin slice of minnow meat, or the tail of a shiner or fat-head to entice a bite. If I intend to use a whole live minnow, I normally rig a split shot and plain hook. A spoon is “flashier” than other rigs, and can be given more action through rod manipulation. I use only pieces of minnows on them since an entire minnow throws off the spoon’s action too much.
As an alternative, run a lure like the Jigging Rapala which has a horizontal orientation as opposed to the spoon’s more vertical shape. On certain mornings walleyes will respond better to one than the other. With two anglers, run both lures to find out if a preference exists.
RATTLE IN SOME ACTION
The early morning bite is almost always “short but sweet” and as the sun gets higher, the fish become less active. You can sometimes extend this bite for an extra half-hour or so by using a noisy lure with a sharp ripping motion at five minute intervals on your spot. I have a second rod set up with a one-quarter ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lure for this purpose. Lower it to bottom, rip it sharply upward about three feet for several cycles, then reel it in and watch your locator. If your actions pull in any fish, you’ll see them. Jig your spoon rig with a softer action to see if you can tempt another “biter” or two. After that, it’s time to look for some perch.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
I like getting out well before sunrise on winter fishing trips when I’m fishing a lake that holds both walleyes and perch. I usually have a specific target for walleyes, but perch are more scattered and require more searching. In this article I’ll pass along some details about a plan I use to catch both species.
WALLEYES ON STRUCTURE
If walleyes are found in a lake, you can usually count on a “sunrise bite” at daybreak. In most cases this feeding spree occurs on well-defined structure such as drop-offs, river mouths, rock piles, on and near fish cribs, or other distinct bottom features. Accordingly, you should have some target selected and be set up there before the sun comes up.
ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION
If you fire up your locator and it shows larger marks up off bottom, you probably have some actively feeding fish on your spot. You can work a jigging spoon such as a Swedish Pimple tipped with a minnow head, a thin slice of minnow meat, or the tail of a shiner or fat-head to entice a bite. If I intend to use a whole live minnow, I normally rig a split shot and plain hook. A spoon is “flashier” than other rigs, and can be given more action through rod manipulation. I use only pieces of minnows on them since an entire minnow throws off the spoon’s action too much.
As an alternative, run a lure like the Jigging Rapala which has a horizontal orientation as opposed to the spoon’s more vertical shape. On certain mornings walleyes will respond better to one than the other. With two anglers, run both lures to find out if a preference exists.
RATTLE IN SOME ACTION
The early morning bite is almost always “short but sweet” and as the sun gets higher, the fish become less active. You can sometimes extend this bite for an extra half-hour or so by using a noisy lure with a sharp ripping motion at five minute intervals on your spot. I have a second rod set up with a one-quarter ounce Lewis Rat-L-Trap lure for this purpose. Lower it to bottom, rip it sharply upward about three feet for several cycles, then reel it in and watch your locator. If your actions pull in any fish, you’ll see them. Jig your spoon rig with a softer action to see if you can tempt another “biter” or two. After that, it’s time to look for some perch.
End of part one - check in tomorrow for part two
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
PREDATOR AND PREY
Author’s note: I enjoyed a successful hunt last week in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I spent the week in a bowhunting camp owned by life-long friend Duane Deno of Gladstone, Michigan. Duane and I have hunted together for many years, and as usual, we were the only ones in camp during the nine-day hunt this year. Hunting is far from over. Bow hunting continues until the end of December, and the annual “rifle season” (the firearms portion of Michigan’s whitetail deer hunting season) runs from November 15 – 30. We will also be out in the woods with muzzleloaders in early December.
Both Duane and I tagged adult does during the bowhunt, and we both retain tags legal for one antlered buck each through the remainder of the season. We also have the option of tagging another antlerless deer with archery equipment if we want to use our buck tags in that way.
Anyway, I keep a detailed journal during the hunt since we normally have a number of experiences worth writing about. Today’s blog is about an injured deer I observed while hunting this year.
To set the stage for this incident, I was hunting from a small tree stand about twenty-five feet above the ground at a spot I call Birch Hill. I was experiencing a lot of deer activity that morning, and had seen nine different deer in five hours. Some offered easy shots which I decided not to take. I was confident I would see additional deer and was enjoying the activity. A group of three deer were browsing around my stand, consuming maple leaves and small, woody roots growing up out of the ground from the main roots of nearby maple trees. This is what I witnessed:
PREDATOR AND PREY
The third deer in the group was hanging back while the others began browsing. It was small, and did not have the somewhat “sleek” look of a healthy deer during the autumn season. As it maneuvered closer I saw that it had recently been attacked by coyotes or wolves. Perhaps a mountain lion or one of the local black bears. Its sides were raked heavily as if by claws, the lower jaw was broken, and its tongue protruded out of its mouth sideways from the right side. Once in a while, deer survive an attack from these predators, and make an escape. The injuries could also have been caused by a vehicle, but we were so far away from the nearest road that I did not think this was the case. Even then, the closest roads are dirt and quite rutted. Ten miles per hour is about top speed.
I decided to kill this deer if I could. I watched it try to eat with the others, but it could not bite effectively. It stayed out on the fringe of the group, and when it got closer the others would drive it away. Unfortunately (I guess) the injured deer walked away toward the east, and I had no opportunity to get a clear shot. That’s just the way it is when hunting with a bow.
Although I spent a lot of time hunting many different spots in that area for the nine days I was in camp, I did not see that deer again.
In upcoming days I will detail other hunting adventures I had. See you then!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Both Duane and I tagged adult does during the bowhunt, and we both retain tags legal for one antlered buck each through the remainder of the season. We also have the option of tagging another antlerless deer with archery equipment if we want to use our buck tags in that way.
Anyway, I keep a detailed journal during the hunt since we normally have a number of experiences worth writing about. Today’s blog is about an injured deer I observed while hunting this year.
To set the stage for this incident, I was hunting from a small tree stand about twenty-five feet above the ground at a spot I call Birch Hill. I was experiencing a lot of deer activity that morning, and had seen nine different deer in five hours. Some offered easy shots which I decided not to take. I was confident I would see additional deer and was enjoying the activity. A group of three deer were browsing around my stand, consuming maple leaves and small, woody roots growing up out of the ground from the main roots of nearby maple trees. This is what I witnessed:
PREDATOR AND PREY
The third deer in the group was hanging back while the others began browsing. It was small, and did not have the somewhat “sleek” look of a healthy deer during the autumn season. As it maneuvered closer I saw that it had recently been attacked by coyotes or wolves. Perhaps a mountain lion or one of the local black bears. Its sides were raked heavily as if by claws, the lower jaw was broken, and its tongue protruded out of its mouth sideways from the right side. Once in a while, deer survive an attack from these predators, and make an escape. The injuries could also have been caused by a vehicle, but we were so far away from the nearest road that I did not think this was the case. Even then, the closest roads are dirt and quite rutted. Ten miles per hour is about top speed.
I decided to kill this deer if I could. I watched it try to eat with the others, but it could not bite effectively. It stayed out on the fringe of the group, and when it got closer the others would drive it away. Unfortunately (I guess) the injured deer walked away toward the east, and I had no opportunity to get a clear shot. That’s just the way it is when hunting with a bow.
Although I spent a lot of time hunting many different spots in that area for the nine days I was in camp, I did not see that deer again.
In upcoming days I will detail other hunting adventures I had. See you then!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
TURNED AROUND - PART 1
In this blog I will describe an experience I had several years ago while hunting "big woods" in the Hiawatha National Forest located in Delta County, Michigan. This is a wild and beautiful part of this country and place I have had many great outdoor adventures from hunting whitetail deer and partridge (ruffed grouse) to simply hiking and shooting photographs. Part one runs today and part two will run Monday 9-8-08. I hope you enjoy it.
By: Ray Hansen
I wasn’t exactly lost. Even though I was not sure where I was, a dirt road ran east to west somewhere north of me, so becoming completely lost was not possible. A sure way out of the woods was to walk a compass line straight north to the road, and that would take me back to my truck.
The real problem was that I was not where I wanted to be. A new section of the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula beckoned earlier that fall, so I did some deer stand scouting while bird hunting in September.
A nice clearing a half-mile or so back into the interior looked like it had not been visited by anyone for many years. Old tree rubs, trails, tracks, and a combination of habitat styles around the spot told me bucks ran the area.
I found a stump next to a smaller live spruce tree, and piled some brush around it to fashion a ground blind, and thought I had a sure winner for the November 15 rifle season deer season opener. I was even sure I could find the spot again in the pre-dawn darkness on opening day.
Well… I couldn’t, and it was frustrating me. Stumbling around the woods in complete darkness and hauling a back-pack with supplies for an all-day sit along with my rifle left me confused and disappointed. As dawn neared, I decided to sit down right where I was and wait until it was light enough to see. Then I would find my spot.
It seemed that I could not have chosen a worse place to stop. Heavy cedar cover blocked visibility and the area was on low ground with some standing water. Worse, I knew I would be there at prime time when I should have been watching the clearing chosen in September.
Setting my gear on the ground next to an overturned cedar, I sat on the trunk and leaned back against the base roots. At least it was fairly comfortable – a seat cushion provided a buffer from the solid wood. Checking my watch, I found that I had some time before legal shooting hour arrived (thirty minutes before sunrise) so I simply let the woods settle down around me and relaxed. The spot was nearly as quiet and dark as a cathedral at midnight.
Check back on this site Monday 9-8-08 for part 2. See you then!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
By: Ray Hansen
I wasn’t exactly lost. Even though I was not sure where I was, a dirt road ran east to west somewhere north of me, so becoming completely lost was not possible. A sure way out of the woods was to walk a compass line straight north to the road, and that would take me back to my truck.
The real problem was that I was not where I wanted to be. A new section of the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula beckoned earlier that fall, so I did some deer stand scouting while bird hunting in September.
A nice clearing a half-mile or so back into the interior looked like it had not been visited by anyone for many years. Old tree rubs, trails, tracks, and a combination of habitat styles around the spot told me bucks ran the area.
I found a stump next to a smaller live spruce tree, and piled some brush around it to fashion a ground blind, and thought I had a sure winner for the November 15 rifle season deer season opener. I was even sure I could find the spot again in the pre-dawn darkness on opening day.
Well… I couldn’t, and it was frustrating me. Stumbling around the woods in complete darkness and hauling a back-pack with supplies for an all-day sit along with my rifle left me confused and disappointed. As dawn neared, I decided to sit down right where I was and wait until it was light enough to see. Then I would find my spot.
It seemed that I could not have chosen a worse place to stop. Heavy cedar cover blocked visibility and the area was on low ground with some standing water. Worse, I knew I would be there at prime time when I should have been watching the clearing chosen in September.
Setting my gear on the ground next to an overturned cedar, I sat on the trunk and leaned back against the base roots. At least it was fairly comfortable – a seat cushion provided a buffer from the solid wood. Checking my watch, I found that I had some time before legal shooting hour arrived (thirty minutes before sunrise) so I simply let the woods settle down around me and relaxed. The spot was nearly as quiet and dark as a cathedral at midnight.
Check back on this site Monday 9-8-08 for part 2. See you then!
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
TOM'S U.P. BLACK BEAR - PART 2
Author's note: this is the finishing segment of the story about Tom Deno's successful bear hunt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during September, 2006. Part one ran yesterday, August 25, 2008.
The bait that seemed to generate the most interest was outdated pastries procured from a local bakery. He also tried meat scraps, dog food, a frozen beaver carcass donated by a trapping acquaintance, and a few other items. His hunting time was mainly limited to afternoons, after working his shift at the mill.
“Bears don’t make any noise” Tom told me, “so watch closely while you are on stand”. He reported that he might try using a tree-stand on future hunts, but that an enclosed ground blind helps contain your scent more effectively.
“I haven’t felt buck fever for some years while deer hunting” Tom said, “but I admit I felt some shakes when this bear came into sight”. The time was about an hour before dark. He chose to make a solid behind-the-front-shoulder shot like that used for a deer standing broadside. He had been sitting in the blind almost daily for a two-week stretch.
The bear is being mounted by Blue Ribbon Taxidermy (906-233-1782) and the meat was processed by Michigan Meat Processing (906-786-7010), both located in Escanaba, Michigan. We enjoyed both steaks and chops, grilled over charcoal sprinkled with wet apple wood chips. I also enjoyed bear sausage made by this processor, and tried Tom’s bear chili and stew. The meat was absolutely delicious, and that meal was one of the highlights of my mid-October bow hunting trip to Delta County.
Later in the year, I returned to the area for an ice fishing trip. We thawed some frozen bear steaks and found that the meat was perfectly accented with friend Fred Johnson’s home-made wine, a deep red Michigan vintage made with grapes grown in Escanaba. With a sweet start and a strong but smooth finish hinting at blackberry and oak, Fred’s wine put the perfect finishing touch to this classic Michigan dining experience.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
The bait that seemed to generate the most interest was outdated pastries procured from a local bakery. He also tried meat scraps, dog food, a frozen beaver carcass donated by a trapping acquaintance, and a few other items. His hunting time was mainly limited to afternoons, after working his shift at the mill.
“Bears don’t make any noise” Tom told me, “so watch closely while you are on stand”. He reported that he might try using a tree-stand on future hunts, but that an enclosed ground blind helps contain your scent more effectively.
“I haven’t felt buck fever for some years while deer hunting” Tom said, “but I admit I felt some shakes when this bear came into sight”. The time was about an hour before dark. He chose to make a solid behind-the-front-shoulder shot like that used for a deer standing broadside. He had been sitting in the blind almost daily for a two-week stretch.
The bear is being mounted by Blue Ribbon Taxidermy (906-233-1782) and the meat was processed by Michigan Meat Processing (906-786-7010), both located in Escanaba, Michigan. We enjoyed both steaks and chops, grilled over charcoal sprinkled with wet apple wood chips. I also enjoyed bear sausage made by this processor, and tried Tom’s bear chili and stew. The meat was absolutely delicious, and that meal was one of the highlights of my mid-October bow hunting trip to Delta County.
Later in the year, I returned to the area for an ice fishing trip. We thawed some frozen bear steaks and found that the meat was perfectly accented with friend Fred Johnson’s home-made wine, a deep red Michigan vintage made with grapes grown in Escanaba. With a sweet start and a strong but smooth finish hinting at blackberry and oak, Fred’s wine put the perfect finishing touch to this classic Michigan dining experience.
Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008
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