Some of the best fishing begins on the western end of Muskegon Lake where pre-spawn hens congregate in the 30- to 50-foot depths. Heavy lures are needed to reach bottom, and large Swedish Pimples, Cleos and No. 9 Jigging Rapalas tipped with minnows get the job done. One trick is to dress the large Jigging Rapala with crappie-sized minnows on all five hooks. Some anglers think this extra-large presentation -- called a "Christmas tree lure" by the locals who adorn the fire-tiger lure -- gets the attention of big fish and keys savage strikes.

Walleyes are found throughout Muskegon Lake, but well-known strongholds are found in deep water but away from the dropoffs. The shipping channel is a natural, along with the deep water off the Muskegon Museum Of Arts and the 27- to 33-foot flat found southwest of the middle channel.

Most winter anglers park at one of the numerous boat launches found on the Muskegon. Come late winter when roaming fish migrate east to the shallower water near the Muskegon River inlet, easy access is found at the Highway 120 boat launch. Some people concentrate on the North Channel Ruins area, which has pilings and 15-to 21-foot holes.

Smart anglers drill multiple holes in several locations until they find good concentrations of fish by using modern electronics like a Vexilar flasher to mark bottom-hugging walleyes. Winter walleyes are nomads; they roam throughout the system until early spring. The trick to good fishing is to find where fish are holding, and set up on top of the school.

For more information, contact the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce at (231) 722-3751, or online at www.muskegon.org.

JIGGING STRATEGIES
There are a lot of tactics out there to make you a more efficient and productive ice-angler.

One trick is to drill three holes about 18 inches apart, place the flasher transducer in the center, and then jig your lures in the outside holes. Make certain you can see the lures on the flasher at all times, and when a walleye appears, coax it into striking by mixing radical jigging with subtle twitching. After a series of slight rod-tip twitches, the rod is held stationary so the lure is slightly above the fish mark on the flasher. Strikes occur when the walleye glides kissin' close to the stationary lure. If the fish does not accept the lure, more jigging/twitching is used and the lure is raised slightly higher in an effort to draw fish upward, which can cause a savage strike.