The author with a silvery winter steelhead taken through the ice on Pere Marquette Lake. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski.

If you like winter, last year was one for the record books. It started snowing about the first day of the firearms deer season and didn't quit until sometime in April. On top of that, brutally cold temperatures arrived in early December and lasted throughout the winter for the most part. Many lakes still had ice on them come April Fool's Day. It was a banner winter for ice-anglers and most of them wouldn't mind a repeat performance this year.

Depending on the whims of Mother Nature, look for these ice-fishing venues to produce great action again this winter.

HAMLIN LAKE
Mason County
You can't write a best-bets ice-fishing story about Michigan and not mention Hamlin Lake. The 5,000-acre lake has to be considered the best location for winter bluegills in the state. From ice-out until well into the winter, it produces limit after limit of 'gills for anglers in the know. How can it sustain such a fishery? Hamlin has a tremendous forage base that supports a variety of species, not only bluegills. Healthy populations of pike, walleyes and less desirable predator species keep panfish numbers in check. Big water also produces big fish and Hamlin has plenty of good habitat.

"The bluegill fishing on first ice the last few years has been ridiculous," said Ludington resident Mike Smith. "I mean just about anyone can go out there and catch a limit of good-sized bluegills on first ice. It's a no-brainer."

The hot fishing begins as soon as safe ice forms. There'll be brave souls out there when the ice is only 2 inches thick, but most anglers wait until there's at least 4 inches, which typically occurs by Christmas. Most of the first ice action takes place on the upper lake off Wilson Park, but several of the bayous produce excellent fishing too.

The fishing on first ice isn't complicated, but as winter deepens, the fish get more finicky and serious ice-anglers resort to lighter lines, smaller baits and make full use of electronics to locate schools of panfish.

For live baits, tackle and reports on fishing and ice conditions, contact Pere Marquette Sports Center at (231) 843-8676.

PERE MARQUETTE LAKE
Mason County
Getting a little bored with your typical ice-fishing? Why not try steelhead through the ice? I'll guarantee you've never experienced ice-fishing like this, and Mason County's Pere Marquette Lake is a great place to try it.

All of Michigan's west side drowned river mouth lakes host steelhead populations that spend winter in the lakes. Rainbows filter in during the fall followed by more steelhead during the winter, and their numbers build until they run upstream in the spring. The steelies just mill around throughout the winter offering ice-anglers plenty of targets.

Access to the lake may be gained near Buttersville on the south shore. Steelhead patrol the shallows near the mouth of the Pere Marquette River, so getting there can be quite a jaunt. Anglers place tip-ups along the dropoffs in 4 to 10 feet of water. The rods are baited with spawn bags made with floaters in them or wigglers suspended just off the bottom. Battling a berserk rainbow under the ice with a 5-foot spinning rod and 6-pound-test line is more fun than you can imagine. Rainbows topping 12 pounds are common.

For more details, contact Pere Marquette Sports Center.

MUSKEGON LAKE
Muskegon County
Muskegon Lake is one of those lakes where you really don't know what you're going to catch.

"Like most of the west Michigan drowned river mouth lakes, there were a lot of small perch caught in Muskegon Lake last winter," said Matt Schalk of Shoreline Services in Muskegon. "I would think that given another year to grow that perch fishing is going to be outstanding this winter."