"Last year, the fish were so aggressive," Gronski said. "One night we sat down at 3 p.m., three of us. And we must have sat right on the fish or on their escape route, because there were a lot of people out there. In three hours, I caught 10 walleyes, and the guys I was with caught 13. We kept our limits of five each. They were like a pack of wolves."

To deal with those Saginaw Bay walleyes, Gronski rigs up 30-inch rods with spinning reels wrapped with Berkley FireLine. From those rods he dangles ballhead jigs baited with stinger-rigged whole minnows, or his favorite, a white Do-Jigger made by Bay de Noc Tackle, the Swedish Pimple people. This is sweetened with the head of a minnow.

Gronski said the best times are the first three or four hours of daylight and the three or four hours at day's end.

For local information, contact the Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-888-229-8696, or online at www.tourbaycitymi.org.

SAGINAW RIVER
Fishing Saginaw Bay effectively and safely is a chore. You need transportation, maybe a shelter, a power auger, an underwater viewing camera and a flasher. Far simpler -- provided you pay close attention to safety matters -- is fishing on Saginaw Bay's tributary, the Saginaw River.

Gronski admitted it's not his first choice. "The only time I fish the river is if I can't get out and I'm really getting claustrophobic. It's easy to fish. You drive up, park, walk out and punch a hole, and you're fishing. For the average fisherman, it's really easy to get to. Simple fishing. Wait for night movement."

Popular offerings include heavy Swedish Pimples, Do-Jiggers, ballhead jigs and a variety of spoons, almost always baited with a minnow or part of one.

River regulars are rubbing their hands with anticipation while awaiting this winter. Last year they were pestered nearly to death by tons of fish just under the 15-inch minimum. This season, those should make for a lot of tasty keepers.

Anglers always congregate near the mouth of the river at Bay City and in downtown Saginaw. But remember, this is a big river with a lot of fluctuating current. Its ice conditions can change quickly, and the penalty for falling through into the moving water can be extreme, as in death. Fish smart!

For more information, contact the Saginaw County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-444-9979 or www.visitsaginawcounty.com.

HOUGHTON LAKE
Any time you talk about walleyes, you better figure that Roscommon County's Houghton Lake will become part of the conversation. And that's especially true in winter.

Sure, there are plenty of big bluegills in this huge, shallow lake, and northern pike are plentiful enough that you can catch the dozen you need to sort out one or two 24-inch-plus keepers. But walleyes really formed this lake's claim to fame.

The fish are a blend of the lake's natural reproduction and efforts by local fishing groups to boost it with pond-reared fish. Biologists have said the lake is so productive on its own that more stocking isn't needed. But to some people, that's like someone saying you don't need another bowl of popcorn or another day of vacation. What's their point?