steeliebob

The tip up flags were flying nonstop both Saturday and Sunday. I put an 8 pound steelhead on the ice on Saturday and several brown trout which were 14 to 18 inches. All of the brown trout were released. Went back on Sunday and caught a 3 pound, 7pound and a 12 pound steelhead and several more smaller brown trout.

Winter time would be the best time to smoke pike as the smoker will run at a cooler temp. With white meat fish you do not want the smoker to get to hot. You may want to mix 50/50 lemon/lime juice with water and occasionally wet the fillets. It keeps them moist and gives them a better flavor.

Don't complain about the cold too much. I was fishing on Sat 1/1 in the UP of Michigan and it was 50 degrees out. I was standing on a foot of ice watching tip ups for steelhead. Two hours later there was 40 mph winds and the temp dropped to 30 degrees. The next morning it was 14 degrees out and I was back to watching tip ups for steelhead. I did catch enough fish for a nice dinner.

Thanks I will give it a try I have some fresh steelhead that will do the trick.

I got out this past weekend !2/31, 1/1,1/2 ended 2010 by catching a 18" brook trout through the ice released that fish and got a skunk the rest of the day. On 1/1 it took awhile and I had to relocate several times but I finally got into the trout and ended the trip with a 18 and 20 inch steelhead. on 1/2 I got out well before daylight and set up as the sun was popping I nailed two 20 inchers on back to back flags then nothing for 4 hours. The steelies made a great dinner for Sunday night, Can't complain 4 chromers to start out the new year and a tastey dinner on Sunday night.

I watched them lift a 34 foot pleasure craft in St Ignace in Sept of this year. It was not an easy task by any means. I am sure that the salvage crew will have their hands full with this one.

On craigslist daily looking for a new boat. Then I will have to buy it rig it get equipment ready. After x mas I have about 4 months of ice fishing to take care of first.

Bob, how's landing a chromer by hand with a tip up? I bet it's a chore at times huh?

Fighting a big chromer with a hand line is something few steelhead and salmon fishermen have ever experienced. Let me clue you it will get the heart pumping and you soon forget about the cold and wind. it took me a couple of years to get my rigs right and master the technique. I had alot of frustration at first as I could catch them on the poles but not the tip ups. Now it is not so bad and it is alot of fun.

When I lived in Saginaw I would always start at Wicks Park in about 6 ft of water for walleyes. If you could keep the carp off of your lines you could do pretty good on the walleyes.

I was out on 2 inches of ice last Saturday 50 yards from open water and had to vacate when the wind came up. Caught 2 small steelhead, you have to be verrrry careful. It should be good when I get back out there in a couple of weeks.

No 30 pounders recently, but I did put a 22 and a 25 pounder in the boat in 2010. In 2009 we had a double which produced a 24 and a 22 pounder. These were all taken in St Ignace.

Even in the EUP we only have about 4 inches of ice at best.

Sweet. I bet you cannot wait to get back on the soft water. With browns like that I would be ice fishing for them.

Got out on Saturday 12/11/2010 and set some tip ups for steelhead. It was an interesting morning, the ice was 2" but probably not 3". Right as the sun came up the flags started flying. We wound up going 2 for 9 and missing 5 screamers. It was good for practice and we got all of the bugs worked out. I would have liked to have seen the screamers. The ones that came through the hole were smaller steelhead. We had to leave early because the wind came up and started cracking the ice. Lots of action for the first time out on the ice though so it was a good sign. We saw some eagles, a pine martin, and some deer so for about three hours it was fun.

Try ice fishing for them. If you can get on them and get a few you will not regret it a minute. I use tip ups alot with spawn bags. I think that it is perhaps the most fun way to catch a nice chromer. When the flag flies the action is on. I will be going out on Saturday and Sunday to give it a try. The big marinas down in SE Michigan hold nice browns and steelies in the winter months. In the UP and Northern Michigan you can get them off of the stream mouths just about anywhere that has a little flow to it.

Good Luck guys. I will be out on Sat am trying for steelhead in one of the back bays there should be ice it freezes quick.

I just set out my tip ups with 8# test mono a #14 treble hook and a spawn bag. I mix steelhead and salmon spawn. I let it set right on the bottom and change them up quite often to keep the scent in the water. If the flag does not fly I move sometimes changing locations is the ticket.

I hear that the eyeful makes some nice rods. You should bring them up to da up and we will hook onto a steelie through the ice just to break them in for you.

It should be looking good in a couple of weeks if we can rely on the forecast. For the next two weeks nighttime temps are supposed to be 20 degrees or colder. I will have long poles out this weekend then it will be time to put them away.

It is nice to hear that you are getting some salmon back even if they are cohos. I did not put a single laker in the boat this year. I even tried to get them a couple of times and could not. I was really hitting the kings good until the boat died and had to resort to surf fishing for them. Looking for a new boat now.

If you want to or get to come up to the UP look me up. From May to Sept I am on the Straits salmon fishing. Oct to May I am steelhead fishing your pick. Perhaps my favorite is ice fishing for steelhead

I never really put too much emphasis on temps and depth. I really put the effort on the time that you were on the water. When I put the boat in at 3:00 am I would use double glow spoons 30 feet down and 30 feet behind the ball in 60 to 80 fow. From 4:00 to 6:00 am you could not keep the salmon off of your lines. Most of the time I just ran two rods on the riggers. I had more doubles and triples when I ran three lines. then I ever had before. I ran the temp a few times on other boats ant it always was about 52 degrees. Being that I was alone in the boat I lost more fish than I caught but it was fun having releases and not dragging balls. Next year it will be hard to fish evenings.

Another painful winter:mad: Thanks for the pic Cory!!

If I lived in Munising I would have about a dozen rental shacks out on the ice and would offer guided trips

Still have the long poles for one more weekend. It may be pretty good this weekend for chrome ones. The forecast says cold next week and if it hangs in there I will be walking on water by Saturday 12/11. There are a couple of places that freeze good and pretty fast I only have to get a few feet off from shore so that is good. I am not giving up on the long poles just yet. A few years back I limited out on big steelhead every day for the first 10 days of December all big fish.

I did manage to get out there a couple of times despite the high winds and rough weather. No luck though, mabey I can get out once more before things start to freeze up. It looks like in a couple of weeks I can be ice fishing.