Cotton/Selfridge, Mon 1/24

[Connor4501]

Started at Cotton at just before 8:00. After 2 hours of 3-4" dinks, I packed up and went to Selfridge. I went out to the decent gathering to the right and 200-500 out from the big picnic pavillion. A couple of the guys using minnows were getting some 8-10 inchers mixed in with the dinks. But the key was, you needed minnows on this day. After getting a few keepers on pieces of minnow, I walked in at 2:00 to warm up and get something to eat. I came back and talked to a guy coming off the ice. He had about 30 keepers with a few 12+" mixed in...Again, same story: minnows. He was straight out but wouldn't say where exactly.

I then went back out for the evening "bite". Straight out, a little left, way to right, basically all over then place. There was certainly no before dark bite yesterday. The fish I was marking on the Vex were lazy, not even chasing baits to speak of...With that said, 12 keepers for the whole day (8-10")... :mad:

Now it's time for my rant...The dinks were certainly plentiful as usual. I thought 1st ice was the best, even if it is frozen as far as you see. And I don't want to hear that as the reason were not getting better fish. All there was was dinks when there was a lot of open water out there. I don't buy the water clarity thing too much either. Visibility was about 2' yesterday. That should be plenty IMO. I caught limits in much dirtier water in the past. I wanna see the perch down there as much as the next person, but honestly, if we could, we would be seeing all those stinkin' dinks with the occasional nice one thrown in just sitting back and allowing the dinks to rip your bait apart...Is it just going to be a bad year for size??? I know I'm not going back until I start getting some better reports. (SCS: dinks, Metro: front and back dinks, Selfridge: mostly dinks, few keepers on minnows, Cotton: dinks, Brandonburg: dinks, New Baltimore: dinks, very few, Fairhaven: dinks with a few keepers and the gills have disappeared...I'll be hitting some of my small lakes and ponds where I can at least get some nice gills and crappies...Sorry my rant was a bit long but I know almost everyone feels the same way... :rant: :bash: :dizzy: :gaga:

[ficious]

Connor,

Don't give up yet, they are out there. There's just a bumper crop of yearlings. Couple of years from now that will be a good thing. Check your PM's.

Harry

[William H Bonney]

Connor,, in my 20+ years of ice fishing, I've come to the conclusion that first ice,, is merely a "wives-tale". Once or twice I can remember doing "decent" on first ice.

[Gone Fishing]

I don't ice fish much but last fall I caught more big Perch than in past years with quite a few fish over 14 inches. They were not found in a wide spread area but we did find schools of these larger fish in different areas but they tended to be in the middle of the lake. The action took place later than previous years (nearing the end of Oct) but continued to be good until the weather caused me to pull the boat. They're out there but I bet they are still out deeper. Hopefully as spring approaches they will move in tighter to spawn and you guys can fill some buckets! :)

[Ed Stringer]

Connor it's Ok to rant I feel your pain bro, I've been fishing nearly everyday since Dec. 22 from one end of the lake to the other all small fish. I went to my faverite canal today small fish. Can't put my finger on it maybe the weather needs to settle down. But I'm stickin with it cuz 1/2 the fun starts when I'm heading. Hang in there dude we'll get some fish.

[bounty hunter]

St. Lukes or mitchels bay .. :shhh:

[Joeker51]

Hang in there Connor. Listen to the ficious. Things are gonna come around. ;)