03-23-2010, 11:12 AM
I have been lax with my dedication to Midwest ice fishing.
My preoccupation with other issues has taken precedence over this facet of sport fishing. But I managed to make up for it when I joined Babe Winkelman, Spence Petros, Mike Seeling and guide Eric Haataja on the shores of Lake Michigan.
My usual repertoire of ice fishing venues run from the Fox Chain to the extreme north country of Ontario and Manitoba. But I admit that the Lake Michigan shoreline scenario in Illinois and Wisconsin, and the bounty it offers, is limitless.
Haataja runs Wisconsin Big Fish Guide service. He told me 2008 looks to be a banner year because the word has gotten out that he's the go-to guy for all kinds of big fish, including muskies to monster trout and salmon.
Winkelman brought along his television crew again so he could tape another adventure with Haataja, and from my point of view, the entire three-day event was one big blast.
Illinois and Wisconsin harbors act like magnets for big brown and rainbow trout. Chicago-area anglers flock to the harbors just over the state line before the ice forms. And even after the hard stuff covers the harbors, the trout are still pillaging and plundering, in search for quick and easy meals.
Last year I chronicled my last outing with Winkelman when we caught and released gigantic tarpon right off the shorelines of jungle-laden eastern Costa Rica. To this day, I still get e-mails about that show.
Winkelman, Petros and yours truly were spread out in one harbor's mooring area. Each of us had two- and three-person ice tents and heaters. The ice measured slightly less than 2 feet in thickness. Our propane-powered heaters worked overtime to keep the inside of our shelters cozy and warm.
Haataja suggested we use spawn sacks (trout eggs wrapped in mesh) on both our jigging rods and tip-ups.
I brought along a handful of small Lindy-Thill slip-floats for the jigging rods, and they worked like a champ.
The trick was to keep the spawn about 6 inches off the bottom. Haataja told us the big brown trout cruise right on the bottom, and the sacks needed to be in the "fish zone."
Winkelman's cameramen kept running all over the place every time one of us yelled "fish on."
Winkelman's television show, "Good Fishing," is seen across the country and here in the Chicago area, and each production is as good as any Hollywood production.
The jigging rods I used were rigged with No. 8 or No. 6 hooks and a split shot below the float. Sometimes Haataja switches to large minnows for bait, but on this trip he discovered the browns and steelhead were targeting spawn as their meal of choice.
I will definitely be back with Haataja for smallmouth and muskie action once we get back into the soft-water seasons, and I already know I will be involved in some heavy duty catching the next time around.
Keep an eye on your television schedules for Winkelman's show and our days on the ice.
You can contact Haataja online at www.wibigfish.com or at (414) 546-4627.
My preoccupation with other issues has taken precedence over this facet of sport fishing. But I managed to make up for it when I joined Babe Winkelman, Spence Petros, Mike Seeling and guide Eric Haataja on the shores of Lake Michigan.
My usual repertoire of ice fishing venues run from the Fox Chain to the extreme north country of Ontario and Manitoba. But I admit that the Lake Michigan shoreline scenario in Illinois and Wisconsin, and the bounty it offers, is limitless.
Haataja runs Wisconsin Big Fish Guide service. He told me 2008 looks to be a banner year because the word has gotten out that he's the go-to guy for all kinds of big fish, including muskies to monster trout and salmon.
Winkelman brought along his television crew again so he could tape another adventure with Haataja, and from my point of view, the entire three-day event was one big blast.
Illinois and Wisconsin harbors act like magnets for big brown and rainbow trout. Chicago-area anglers flock to the harbors just over the state line before the ice forms. And even after the hard stuff covers the harbors, the trout are still pillaging and plundering, in search for quick and easy meals.
Last year I chronicled my last outing with Winkelman when we caught and released gigantic tarpon right off the shorelines of jungle-laden eastern Costa Rica. To this day, I still get e-mails about that show.
Winkelman, Petros and yours truly were spread out in one harbor's mooring area. Each of us had two- and three-person ice tents and heaters. The ice measured slightly less than 2 feet in thickness. Our propane-powered heaters worked overtime to keep the inside of our shelters cozy and warm.
Haataja suggested we use spawn sacks (trout eggs wrapped in mesh) on both our jigging rods and tip-ups.
I brought along a handful of small Lindy-Thill slip-floats for the jigging rods, and they worked like a champ.
The trick was to keep the spawn about 6 inches off the bottom. Haataja told us the big brown trout cruise right on the bottom, and the sacks needed to be in the "fish zone."
Winkelman's cameramen kept running all over the place every time one of us yelled "fish on."
Winkelman's television show, "Good Fishing," is seen across the country and here in the Chicago area, and each production is as good as any Hollywood production.
The jigging rods I used were rigged with No. 8 or No. 6 hooks and a split shot below the float. Sometimes Haataja switches to large minnows for bait, but on this trip he discovered the browns and steelhead were targeting spawn as their meal of choice.
I will definitely be back with Haataja for smallmouth and muskie action once we get back into the soft-water seasons, and I already know I will be involved in some heavy duty catching the next time around.
Keep an eye on your television schedules for Winkelman's show and our days on the ice.
You can contact Haataja online at www.wibigfish.com or at (414) 546-4627.