BLUE LAKE
Though located only a few miles apart, Blue Lake and Manistee Lake are like night and day. While Manistee is shallow and featureless, Blue offers sloping contours to 80 feet over most of its 114 acres. While Manistee features fishing for warmwater species, trout are the ticket on Blue Lake.

This clear spring-fed lake features two basins plunging to 80 feet that are ideal for trout. Though relatively small, Blue Lake can produce big trout. Lake trout to 8 pounds are taken. Blue Lake has been planted with lakers, browns, rainbows and splake on different occasions so you have a chance of catching them all. The best tactic is to spot some tip-ups along the dropoffs in 20 to 80 feet of water. Then move and jig with a second rod. Lakers tend to inhabit the deep water while splake, browns and rainbows will be found shallower, often suspended. Use a graph or flasher and keep moving until you find fish. Wigglers, minnows, wax worms will all work at times.

Blue Lake is marginal for warmwater species, but some decent perch are taken on occasion along with some bulky bluegills. Ciscoes are also catchable.

For more information on Blue Lake, contact Jack's Sport Shop in Kalkaska at (231) 258-8892.

SAGINAW BAY
Ice-anglers could not have scripted a better scenario for Saginaw Bay than last winter. The icy blast that set in on Lower Michigan in mid-December locked up the bay solid, and quickly. By early January, there was enough safe ice to venture out. Once on the ice, anglers found some awesome fishing.

"Last year was one of my best years ever on the bay," said avid ice-angler Terry Gilbert. "I think I probably averaged three or four keeper fish a trip, and there were a lot of days that I threw fish back. I only fished in the evenings after work. And to top it off, I think I probably caught 20 lake trout out there and another dozen or so whitefish. It was great fun." The walleyes averaged a solid 5 pounds, the lakers up to 15 pounds and the bay's whitefish can reach 8 pounds.

Gilbert said anglers gain access at Bay City State Park or at several locations near Linwood. The best fishing was generally five miles or so out in 15 to 24 feet. Jigging spoons like Swedish Pimples, Do Jiggers and Silver Streak's ice-fishing spoons are deadly on everything from walleyes to whitefish. Tip the spoons with a minnow, minnow head or several smaller perch minnows if the fish are finicky. Some anglers also use a dead stick while jigging. Fish lured to the area with the flashing spoon often will engulf a struggling minnow. A flasher can be a great help for knowing fish are nearby and how they are responding to your jigging cadence.

Early and late in the day are the hottest times on the bay, but anglers who keep moving and punching holes can stay on the fish all day. Some days the best bite is at midday. Be sure to watch for pressure cracks, take a compass and use your head when venturing out on the bay.

For live bait, ice conditions and tackle, contact Frank's Great Outdoors in Linwood at (989) 697-5341 or online at www.franksgreatoutdoors.com.

You never know about Michigan winters. But if Michigan's army of ice-anglers had it their way, they'd order up one just like last year.