About then, the Swedish Pimple I was jigging received a solid thump. When I came back on the rod, it bent double. At the same time, my slip-bobber started sinking out of sight.

“Grab that one!” I pointed, as Martin and the photographer got the camera rolling. The fish Martin hooked quickly got off, but after a minute or two, I had walleye No. 4 flopping on the ice. Half an hour later, a chunky 5-pounder filled my limit. By then, most of the group had ventured out in our direction and everyone was icing fish.

Martin is a professional walleye angler, seminar speaker and fishing guide who is a regular on the Professional Walleye Tour. Martin won the 1990 PWT championship and is known for his knowledge of a variety of techniques that catch walleyes throughout the year.

A native of Muskegon, Martin grew up ice-fishing on Muskegon Lake and other lakes in the area. Joining Martin was a cadre of guides and pro anglers, most notably PWT regular Mark Brumbaugh and Mike Gofron. Combined, the pros offer the student anglers a near one-on-one school of ice-fishing for walleyes.

Martin has been hosting his ice-fishing schools for five years. Students get the opportunity to learn from the pros, while enjoying hands-on experience on the ice.

The school typically opens with an evening seminar, when the pros reveal tips for tuning electronics, ice-fishing safety, picking the right lines for ice-fishing, jigging techniques, lure choices and more. Most of the students agree the seminar alone is worth the price of admission. Things learned at the seminar are reinforced by 2 1/2 days of on-the-ice fishing instruction.

Like the 2006 version of the walleye school, the 2007 school almost didn’t happen. A wimpy winter in 2006 caused the school to be cancelled. The 2007 school almost suffered a similar fate. A prolonged spell of cold weather is required to lock up Saginaw Bay in a safe covering of ice, and it almost didn’t happen last year. But the Alberta Clipper that blasted across Saginaw Bay in late January and early February provided the deep-cold weather needed to build good ice.

Until 2007, the ice-fishing school has operated at the venues of Little Bay De Noc and Houghton County’s Portage Lake System on the Upper Peninsula, where winter is a given.

For 2007, Martin said he knew he was taking a chance planning the outing on Saginaw Bay. But he said he likes to change things up to give students an opportunity to learn different bodies of water and apply what they’ve learned to different situations. Many of the students and instructors say attending the school is a bargain just to learn a new body of water.

For the most part, ice conditions were good for the classes held last January on Saginaw Bay. And you can say the walleye fishing was hot! Student anglers and other fishermen combined their catches for more than 600 walleyes in two days of fishing.

Despite the great fishing that takes place during the schools, Martin always stresses that key to ice-fishing is attention to safety on the ice. Martin said the schools take place on big bodies of water where ice conditions and weather likely will be a factor.

That’s one reason why the use of GPS (global positioning systems) instruments is taught: to help anglers find their way back to safe ground at times of inclement weather. The second reason to teach GPS knowledge is to help anglers mark productive fishing locations.

Ice-fishing safety also includes teaching student-anglers several other facets of the sport: 1) the importance for staying in groups; 2) letting others know where you plan to fish and when you plan to return; and 3) proper use of a pair of ice creepers (wearing these simple devices can prevent a nasty spill that might otherwise cause severe injury).

Electronics in ice-fishing doesn’t end with GPS instruments. The seminar also includes insights on how to take full advantage of fish-finders: graphs and flasher units, both.