Whos the first ice Lk St Clair expert here?

[koby]

iv fished at SANG late ice and last ice, but never first ice

from what i understand, first ice perch action can be great

can anyone offer up their first ice success stories on LSC and basic early ice perch strategies?

thanks

koby

[WALLEYE MIKE]

First ice would be up at the top of Anchor bay, just out from the Raft. Pretty good gills and perch first thing.

[johnny white]

hey mike - how deep is it by the raft ?

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Normally around 4ft. or so. Might be lower now. Maybe Joe G. would know the exact depth nowdays.

[Gillgitter]

Where is the Raft? Never heard of it, course I don't fish LSC much.

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Fair Haven. At the very top of the lake.

[gsepan]

Only good fishing will be in Bouvier Marina and the channel leading out to the lake... That little cove in back of The Raft is void of most water now. Maybe a foot deep or so but who knows... Might be ok first ice... I've pulled fish in 18" of water first ice... Straight out from Bobby Mac's (Formerly "Bud's") is good too. If the ice is clear, sight fish by looking for structure... Weeds of any type is the key to productive fishing... Lots of sand out there so it may take you some time to find a productive spot but once you do... :D :D :D

[koby]

thanks guys

the reason im asking this question is that i recently read an article about early ice Perchin that said you sould fish very close to shore....sometimes as shallow as 1-2 feet (lake dependent)

has anyone here been out early around Selfridge in front of the Barracks....I slayed them out there at last ice in about 4Ft

are they there at first ice?

keep the info coming

thanks

Koby

[WALLEYE MIKE]

Gsepan, wow the water is low over there. Haven't fished that bay in a few years. Water sure did drop. The channel would be the best bet.

[salmonslammer]

The ice around SANG usully takes awhile to freeze up, sometimes a few weeks later than the north part of the lake. Even though it is "first ice" the fish are already moving into their winter doldrums pattern. The fair haven area is often the first part of the lake to ice up and often more productive. They do catch some gills and crappies in the canals around selfridge bait during first ice, expect lots of company though. Seems that I do better off SANG later in the year. I speared some nice ones on last ice out there.....

[paul driggers]

went to selfrige today talked to a old guy who had about 25 in his bucket fishing from shore with minnows and a bobber,talked for a minute and wished him luck.last year on dec 5 i was fishing the canals around there.

[ImaRedneck]

Koby, I always start in the back basin at Metro beach. We begin by sitting on the docks til good ice. The best place seems to be on the other side of the island . I have a friend who works there, he keeps me updated about the ice. When I hear anything I will post it.
Redneck

[metro_man]

Refer to the thread local ice. I live at Metro Beach off of the second canal with the bay on it. As far as locations for perch, Ive allways done good right in front of Metro Beach on the lake. SANG is usally good for me in the early season. Towards the end I like going out in front of GINOS off of Jefferson. They charge $5.00 bucks for parking. The biggest perch I've pulled through the ice have been in that area. Since I moved to Metro I don't get up near Fair Haven that much anymore. Family use to keep boats at Bell Harbor,(Now Sassies), and Al Whitmores at the end of Anchor Bay Drive. The only thing left for us on that side of the lake is our cottage off of the Doty Hwy. We now just take the boat ride from our back door to get thier. I do agree that your best bet for first ICE is the north side of the lake. They seem to get good ice up thier early. Well, duck season is soon to close and I'll be getting my ice stuff together for the fishing season. Good luck to you guys.